This is a huge problem.

40 Comments

1. My Tommy(Tuxedo) says not bad…for a dog.
   I say, thank you for bringing to light many of the issues with "backyard breeding".
   It is something I have fought in my neighbourhoods(both back home and here) for decades, and every time I can save them from the horror show, I do.
   I also have many discussions with people saying, "But I want xbreed, and shelters just never get them", telling them to call/mail rescues and see if they know of any who do rescue them, because there are always rescues.

2. He has a quokka face, im in love.

3. Tommy is so adorable 🥰 Rescue dogs can make the best pets and they will love you for life! Old rather spay or neuter than increase the population of unwanted animals, but I see the other side too. I just want to see all these cats and dogs in healthy, happy homes. We have one dog from a very responsible breeder and one rescued from a backyard breeder, both are lovely and loved dogs.

4. Story time.

   I have, for many years now, dealt with a neighbor who pretends to love animals, but in truth, only loves the money they bring in to fund her expensive habits. She at first trafficked in wild animals: At one time she had a kinkajoo trapped in a parrot cage, 3 black capped spider monkeys, 2 caracal cats, 2 emus, 3 black bear cubs, a tiger cub, a gorilla (This is shakey as I only saw it from far away and it could have been something else.) and many other animals, locked in subpar, tiny cages on her property that lies adjacent from mine.

   Trouble from the feds forced her to sell these animals extremely quickly, but charges were never pressed. She now, for several years, breeds designer mutts. Goldendoodles or whatever. Her bitch dog is locked in a shed, kept constantly pregnant, and the puppies frequently get out and roam around. The bitch has now escaped, and there are signs saying she was "likely stolen."

   Good. I hope the thief takes better care of her, gets her fixed, and allows her to live her life without one more litter.

5. That is such a cute haircut and Im so glad you are using your platform to spread awareness about the ongoing and alarmingly rising issue of backyard breeding. Here in Texas the problem is so bad. The mindset seems to be "animals are wild therefore should be fine in the wild" but they dont understand that humans breed traits into dogs and cats that make them reliant on human care. We breed them to have coats that arent manageable by the animals themselves in addition to temperament and health problems. Many dogs are not able to survive in the wild because they were either bred to be human companions or an irresponsible human let animals breed that should not have been crossed together. We need to raise awareness as a society and work to create health and safety regulations for animals that require licensure. It is only due to human cruel, neglect and ignorance that shelters are flooded in the first place.

6. What would be the best clippers to use on a Maltipoo. What blade size

7. I had acrylic nails on. I tried to cut one because it broke. the pain was unbelievable so I thought about my dog maybe that’s why he doesn’t like to be clipped so I started holding the beginning of the nail and clipping them and then he didn’t mind, at all I never thought of it how really bad it hurt 😢him I felt like a bad mother. But it works

8. Oh my goodness, he's so cute!

9. Every one of my cats has been a rescue. In particular, I rescue black cats, because they are much harder to have adopted out. Thank you for talking on this subject. My husband is thinking about a dog, he grew up with beagles, and we are debating the merits of a shelter dog versus going to one of the several responsible breeders he knows in his home state. I kind of hope we give a shelter dog a good home.

10. Oh! That little face! Great discussion today

11. Our little girl was a bait dog. She had been in the local shelter for almost two years. The Shelter lied to us. We were told she did great with other dogs, and she was 3 years old. She was highly reactive to other dogs. While bathing her, we discovered bite marks all over her body. The Vet told us that she was at least 5 years old and perhaps older. She had 3 broken ribs that had healed wrong. Our girl was skin and bones. I know the shelter just wanted us to take her. My heart almost broke for her when we first brought her home. She'd just sit and shake. It seemed like her spirit had been broken. After being with us for 10 years, she is much better. We see a lot of backyard breeders in this area. Sadly the Amish seem to have puppy mills here in Kentucky. I commend you for the work you do Vanessa. We can see that you truly love dogs.

12. I think I'm gonna die of cuteness overload.

13. Oh my god, Tommy is SOOOOOOOOO sweet.. what a darling

14. We have little to no issues with dogs in Sweden, this is because of strict laws and their very high price! We still have stupid breeders, and I hope we get another crackdown, but we have so many people wanting dogs here that there is only one shelter and I have never heard of it having dogs. To adopt, we have to look outside so we have very many rescues from Romania and Spain. This is not the same for cats, because of old backward thinking, cats are not treated well and are often outside allowed to run and more often than not, die, alone.

15. I had never heard about responsible breeding. I think its really interesting and something i can get behind. Ive only heard of the majority of how breeding has caused so many issues for these beings. Esp breeds that are now known for certain health issues and no one tries to breed it out, like the dogs that cant breath but the ppl dont care bc they think the nose is cute.

16. I would adopt if they offered small apartment sized dogs in my area. Problem is, they never seem to, even after years of waiting. The ones are always mixed strays that have like 100dog breed types mixed in them, and I cannot accomodate them.

    Also, there is a ban on all household breeding in my country. Only place we can get dogs is via pet shops, all which get their puppies from backyard breeders. They charge 6000 dollars for a dog. One pet shop that gets puppies from “reputable breeders” charge over 10,000 dollars, and doesn’t even allow buyers to interact with the dog first. Only videos and photos are given, and once dogs are imported you have to bring it home.

    I have been thinking about it for my whole life and feel really bad about supporting the pet trade. But it is impossible for people here to get their dogs otherwise.

    Because of poor breeding mine has patella luxation grade 4 requiring surgery over 10000 dollars, or about 7000USD. Her sister also has genetic autoimmune diseases.

    TLDR: Everything Vanessa says is correct, and I want to support the dog trade healthily, but it’s impossible due to government policies. Something needs to change.

17. Vasectomy and ovary sparing spay are better choices for traditional desexing.

18. He is so cute 😍 I am so grateful for what you said and I agree 👍 💗

19. YES!!! Every thing you said. Age appropriate de-sexing means cats live longer. Intact females develop cancers of the reproductive tract, and mammary tissues ( breasts). Intact males get into many more fights, with the risk of FIV.
    This information is from the RSPCA. Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Australia.

20. How do you recognize a responsible breeder?

21. 💙🥰

22. Oh so now DOG EUGENICS are ok???

23. Horse manure. Breeders – responsible or not, backyard or not, legitimate or backyard breeders are in it for the money. ADOPT, DO NOT SHOP. EVER.

24. Very well said, Thank You! 👍
    Tommy is very cute, nice job!

25. ❤❤❤

26. It's absolutely safe to desex kittens early. I understand that pediatric spay and neuter is controversial for dogs and there can be negative side effects, but for cats it's exactly as safe as waiting until they're older.

27. Those ears are too cute😊

28. Tommy has very good rules.

29. If spaying and neutering would not be so expensive.

30. That is not a dog. That is a koala dog, often mistaken for a regular doggo it is one of the rarest of its kind

31. Aww poor shaky boy

32. You say he's a schnauzer/poodle/Pomeranian mix, but he is very clearly at least part koala.

33. I feel so bad for these refuge poor babies. Old shelter pets need good homes too….

34. Cutie!!!😊😊😊❤

35. Your so right with getting your pet fix's. We were trying to get Smokey bear fix's, but what they were asking for it was crazy. From $ 250., $ 350. if their in heat or $ 550. For one cat. That why for some of us can't afford that. But Thank God we finally did get her fixed for $50. Thank you for sharing with us all 👍👍👍👍

36. He's so sweet and adorable 🥰

37. What a doll.

38. He's SO CUTE before & after!!!

39. Tommy resembles a Koala Bear

40. Please, please, please will you put a non slip matt in your hallway? Makes me sad seeing them slip and scrabble about on your floor.

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