Over the last few weeks, I have seen far too many Facebook posts about people in Tallapoosa County breeding their dogs.
What’s most worrisome about this is many of these posts are followed up by a post about a stray or abandoned dog. Many times it’s a photo of a dog that is skin and bones or covered in mange. Our local animal shelters have also gotten pretty creative about how they are “advertising” their dogs for adoption, pulling at people’s emotions and heartstrings.
Animal shelters in Lake Martin, Elmore County and even Montgomery, Auburn-Opelika and Birmingham are full to the brim – and over capacity in most cases. People who are doing things even more on a volunteer-basis with rescues out of their homes or run by one person – they are just out there trying to do the best they can.
It’s scary the amount of shelters that are overrun by stray and abandoned dogs, yet we still have people out here buying and selling bred dogs at a steep cost. Who does that benefit?
I know certain dogs are bred for certain purposes – such as hunting, shepherding or even law enforcement – however a dog like a goldendoodle, which seem to be overly popular in this area, or a Yorkipoo are nothing more than designer dogs.
I’ve also just seen a lot of posts about breeding purebred boxers, labs and others that seem like nothing more than a way to make money. The aim always seems to be selling the puppies quickly and moving on to the next litter. These dogs are equivalent to a bag of money.
It may not be so bad if it weren’t for the fact Alabama is in a crisis of stray dogs. Shelters are getting fuller and fuller by the day, and the only option is to euthanize. There’s nowhere else for them to go.
It’s important to note I do spoil my dogs. They are the kind of dogs that get a piece of every meal (and I wonder why they are so chunky) and sleep on the bed while I have one leg hanging off. But I understand my dogs are treated like princesses and a prince.
Dogs don’t need that, though. A stray dog wants nothing more than food, clean water, a comfortable place to lay down and maybe a little loving. There are plenty of people who have dogs that are kept outside and so long as they are taken care of, that is no problem. Taking on a dog doesn’t mean your entire life has to change.
But if you’re paying beaucoup bucks for a purebred dog, I would hope you’re taking them into an environment where they are a bit spoiled. That’s not always the case though. Just imagine with that kind of money what you could do for a few stray dogs who really need it.
If those in our area would stop breeding for even a few months, it might seriously help with the stray dog problem. Far too many of those litters are ending up on the streets. The breeders can’t find enough buyers for their pups, so what do they do? Dump them.
It’s not OK, and it’s getting worse and worse in the tri-county area.
If there weren’t a market for purebred dogs, the breeding would likely be lower as well. So anyone who has a purebred dog on their mind, I encourage you to at least stop by your local shelter and check out those who are begging for homes. You might find one you like just as much – or maybe more, and for a lot cheaper too.
Lizi Arbogast Gwin is the managing editor of Tallapoosa Publishers Inc.
