Hello Chazzers! I've been lurking the forums for a little while now in hopes of better educating myself on the aspects of dog ownership and ethics, and I'm happy to say that I've scooped up a veritable florabunda of information on the threads here. Now for a rant about myself, my intentions, and the inevitable question to follow:
Myself and my husband own a home with a good size back yard, and we lead an active lifestyle. Growing up, my mother was the type to buy or adopt a puppy because it was "cute," and when the work and "cuteness" inevitably wore out, there was always an excuse to get rid of her animals. It always broke my heart. This happened with a GSD, a GSD/Rottie mix, a Chi, a Shih-tzu, a Lab, a Min-Pin, and 3 cats. Truly disgusting. It's amazing to think of even having TIME to acquire and "dispose" of that many animals in a ~15 year span. Long story-short, I always swore to myself that I would never do that to an animal as long as I lived, and that I would only become a pet owner when I was totally prepared for the responsability that comes in tow.
That said, when I met my husband, he already had a 2 year-old Manx cat living comfortably with him, and while I never found myself to be much of a cat person, it became difficult not to love her as unconditionally as she loved us. While I ached for the companionship of a dog, we were living in an apartment at the time and I didn't want to be unfair to my new pooch by limiting his space that way. We rescued another cat at the local shelter instead, and she's been a wonderful addition to our home (albeit terribly shy, she's really come a long way in the few years we've had her).
Fast forward to now. We've owned our home for almost two years now, and I've spent several months searching for the perfect breed for me. I'd narrowed my list down to a few select breeds around the same time my husband and I took a trip down to Texas to see his biological father on his farm (they'd been estranged since my husband was four years old). It was an incredibly happy reunion for the two of them, and to my delight, what should await on that 400 acre farm but 4 adult Great Pyrenees (one of the breeds I was secretly pining for) and an Australian Cattle Dog. While my husband spent some quality time getting to know his dad again, I spent some quality time with the pack, and it all but sealed the deal for me. They were absolutely glorious animals, with a temperment that fit the breed standard to a T. Noble, elegant, contemplating, calm...the perfect fit for me. Two of his four Pyrs are what he referred to as "retired," as they were both 9 years old and spent most of their time in or around the barn or out laying with the goats. The other two Pyrs are his actively working stock, and it was amazing to see them go from loving, gentle giants to police on the takedown at the sound of a coyote on the mountain. It was truly an amazing experience to see these dogs WORK as they were intended to work--protecting the livestock, while at the same time maintaining such a gentle demeanor to myself and my husband once we were introduced.
Now onto the good stuff
...My father-in-law inevitably learned of my love for the breed and offered to save me the pup of my choice from his next litter. I spoke at length with him about the process; how he chooses his bitch, how he supervises whelping, provides veterinary care, etc. to get a good idea of it. He takes the top-working bitch from his group (temperment is also taken into consideration) once she is 3-4 years old and breeds her to the top-working dog from another farmer. He and the other farmer then raise them to work on their respective farms, splitting the litter. He does not inbreed brothers to sisters and pups to parents, although I will admit not having the exact details on how he chooses which farmer's stock to breed from at this point.
My question to you seasoned folks is this: Do you feel it would be ethically wrong of me to acquire a pup from his next litter from him, given that the dogs are not conformation shown, even though they have proven to be excellent working dogs? This isn't something I would consider at all if the pups were being sold in any fashion whatsoever, but since there will be a litter born regardless of my choice, what are your thoughts?
I will also add that I realize a pup from a working line and a pup from a pet-quality line will generally differ in overall temperment, and I am willing to accept the responsability and extra training and exercise that goes along with that difference in the long run.
Thanks for listening to my long-winded back story. Your opinions (yes, I'm SERIOUS!) are welcome and appreciated.opcorn:
Myself and my husband own a home with a good size back yard, and we lead an active lifestyle. Growing up, my mother was the type to buy or adopt a puppy because it was "cute," and when the work and "cuteness" inevitably wore out, there was always an excuse to get rid of her animals. It always broke my heart. This happened with a GSD, a GSD/Rottie mix, a Chi, a Shih-tzu, a Lab, a Min-Pin, and 3 cats. Truly disgusting. It's amazing to think of even having TIME to acquire and "dispose" of that many animals in a ~15 year span. Long story-short, I always swore to myself that I would never do that to an animal as long as I lived, and that I would only become a pet owner when I was totally prepared for the responsability that comes in tow.
That said, when I met my husband, he already had a 2 year-old Manx cat living comfortably with him, and while I never found myself to be much of a cat person, it became difficult not to love her as unconditionally as she loved us. While I ached for the companionship of a dog, we were living in an apartment at the time and I didn't want to be unfair to my new pooch by limiting his space that way. We rescued another cat at the local shelter instead, and she's been a wonderful addition to our home (albeit terribly shy, she's really come a long way in the few years we've had her).
Fast forward to now. We've owned our home for almost two years now, and I've spent several months searching for the perfect breed for me. I'd narrowed my list down to a few select breeds around the same time my husband and I took a trip down to Texas to see his biological father on his farm (they'd been estranged since my husband was four years old). It was an incredibly happy reunion for the two of them, and to my delight, what should await on that 400 acre farm but 4 adult Great Pyrenees (one of the breeds I was secretly pining for) and an Australian Cattle Dog. While my husband spent some quality time getting to know his dad again, I spent some quality time with the pack, and it all but sealed the deal for me. They were absolutely glorious animals, with a temperment that fit the breed standard to a T. Noble, elegant, contemplating, calm...the perfect fit for me. Two of his four Pyrs are what he referred to as "retired," as they were both 9 years old and spent most of their time in or around the barn or out laying with the goats. The other two Pyrs are his actively working stock, and it was amazing to see them go from loving, gentle giants to police on the takedown at the sound of a coyote on the mountain. It was truly an amazing experience to see these dogs WORK as they were intended to work--protecting the livestock, while at the same time maintaining such a gentle demeanor to myself and my husband once we were introduced.
Now onto the good stuff
...My father-in-law inevitably learned of my love for the breed and offered to save me the pup of my choice from his next litter. I spoke at length with him about the process; how he chooses his bitch, how he supervises whelping, provides veterinary care, etc. to get a good idea of it. He takes the top-working bitch from his group (temperment is also taken into consideration) once she is 3-4 years old and breeds her to the top-working dog from another farmer. He and the other farmer then raise them to work on their respective farms, splitting the litter. He does not inbreed brothers to sisters and pups to parents, although I will admit not having the exact details on how he chooses which farmer's stock to breed from at this point.My question to you seasoned folks is this: Do you feel it would be ethically wrong of me to acquire a pup from his next litter from him, given that the dogs are not conformation shown, even though they have proven to be excellent working dogs? This isn't something I would consider at all if the pups were being sold in any fashion whatsoever, but since there will be a litter born regardless of my choice, what are your thoughts?
I will also add that I realize a pup from a working line and a pup from a pet-quality line will generally differ in overall temperment, and I am willing to accept the responsability and extra training and exercise that goes along with that difference in the long run.
Thanks for listening to my long-winded back story. Your opinions (yes, I'm SERIOUS!) are welcome and appreciated.
opcorn:
