I used to have all mutt animals. My cats were mutts, my horses were mutts, and my dogs were mutts. Now I have purebred cats, a deliberate equine cross and deliberatly crossed working dogs. I love my nutts and my purebreds. But there is more responsibilty, work, and disciplin behind animals which are carefully and deliberately bred.
There is heated issue about animal breeding these days and some points that people ought to know. I want to examine both extreme sides and also what I believe to be the balanced center.
There are many extra animals in the world. However, it is not as many as people are led to believe. There are around 178 million dogs and cats in homes in the US and about 7 million are brought to shelters each year. Of these, about 3 to 4 million are placed back with owners who lost them or rehomed. 3 to 4 million are euthanized. I believe this number of euthanized animals can be brought down with balanced public education. But we will never see the end of animals being euthanized because all animals, and people for that matter, do die at some point.
On one extreme side are animal mills which pump out poorly bred animals which end up flooding pet stores and shelters. There are also backyard breeders who breed without education and have no longterm genetic goals. Both situations cause problems and with education I believe the market for pet mills could be stopped. This alone would put a huge crimp in the amount of creatures who end up unwanted. NEVER buy a cat or dog from a pet store.
On the other exteme side are animal activist groups who want to shut down ALL breeders and for all animals to be mutts. Huge organizations pay for advertising on the biggest sites and get people to "save the animals". Then they use that money for payrolls and to buy more advertising and they lobby for laws which will eventually remove all animals from people. It is frightening since never in mankinds history have we not lived closely with animals. You need to do intense research before giving to any animal rights group to make sure you are giving to balanced people who actually do animal welfare.
I know first hand that mutts are great, but I also know that the breeds are wonderful - and once a genetic pool is gone, it's gone for good. We need to realize that animals did not come from nowhere. Domestic animals have had caefull kept and ongoing genetic pools for centuries.
Breedrs who fall in love with a breed do so deeply. It is a disciplin. I have been involved with registered Ragdoll breeders for almost 10 years and by far the most of them are very dedicated to the breed and their primary motivation is not money, but the love of the breed and the love of their specific animals. It is ok for these people to breed small numbers of animals and place them in homes looking for animal companions who will buy them and compensate the breeder for their efforts. Everyone needs to do research before adding an animal to their family and to get them from established breeders with a solid reputation. It's also a great idea to add a shelter animal to the family although you need to be aware of diseases which could endanger animals you already have. It is best to quarentine a shelter animal and have your vet test before exposing them to animals you already have.
There is never anything wrong when things are in balance and it is NOT wrong for a quality breeder to be paid for their efforts. Well bred animals have calm temperaments, and healthy bodies. Their genetics are known and they are disease free. If something does go wrong (afterall, this is nature we are woking with and it is not always predictable) then the reputable breeder will work with you for a solution. It is amazing the work being done with registerd cat breeds. The HCM gene was discovered only a few short years ago and now this disease is being irradicated from the gene pools by selective breeding. FIP genes are now being researched and when this gene is found, one of the most heartbreaking and deadly diseases will also be able to be controlled and irradicated. This is being done by the funding of responsible breeders who care.
It is easy for extremists to target responsible animal breeders because these breeders have open doors and advertise. Animal mills are hidden and hard to find. They are heartbreaking places who truley breed for cash, they have no responsibility for genetics, their pedigrees are falsified and worst of all, their animals are kept in appalling conditions.
What is needed is not polarization and hatred, but balance and education on BOTH sides.
Humans are not as bad at keeping animals as nature is... hello... there is no kind death in nature. Few animals even make it to adulthood. Wild animals that make it to adulthood have a third the lifespan of their zoo counterparts. Zookeepers will not have an animal that glows with health if the animal is stressed. Zookeeping has improved exponentially and we are now able to maintain genetic pools for reintroduction of many endangered species into the wild when needed.
Animal keeping is an intense and wonderful way for people to be involved with life. I believe if there were more animals, there would be less war. It should never end or be shut down either for zoos, or agricultural, or companion animals. Instead, there needs to be education and balance and all of the animals we are involved with need to live good lives and die humanely. Many responsible animal breeders have extrordinary animals because this is both a science and an art. The purebred breeders have produced some of the most wonderful animals in the world. It is an extraordinary and rich culture which should be expanded, not irradicated. We should not place our fear of death on to the animals.
Even most unwanted animals have seen months or years of life before they die and who is to say that because they did not die the best way, their whole life should have been cancelled? Who is to say that of any animal or person?? This is a rough world, but animals and people go on from here. Having said that, we need to proceed from where we are, be educated, and improve the current situation in a balanced manner.