To get angry at people who..

[Joysmum]

...allow their bog standard, nothing out of the ordinary, cat/dog/whatever to have babies.

With so many animals who can't find a good home wtf are people doing breeding more of them?

I personally believe many issues can be solved if it were mandatory to have a license for breeding yet more animals.

MidniteScribbler

I'm glad you said that about 'pedigree', someone once showed me the 'pedigree' for their dog, it was hand written.

Agree there should be lcencing, and it should be something like £20 for an animal that is spayed and £500 for one that isn't.

But the problem I see is how can you enforce it?

I personally think it comes down to education. It's common knowledge that when you buy a car you go to someone reputable, get a check done on it and you expect a warranty. The same should apply when you buy a pet. We need to increase education to the public about what to look for when buying from a breeder, and what questions to ask the breeder. You're never going to be able to eradicate bad breeders, but cutting their revenue will make it a less attractive option.

With you 100% :( and for pedigrees too.

Pigsus good vets can spay rabbits and do so routinely, it has become much more widespread in the last decade. All females should be neutered because of the risk of uterine cancer (80% of unspayed does over 2 show some signs of it). Reputable rescues spay and neuter and ensure rabbits are kept in pairs as they are social animals.

I also want to pick up the point about the RSPCA rehiring criteria - this varies from area to area so some are more stringent than others (like independent rescues really).

*rehoming

The only difference between "ordinary" dogs and pedigree breeds is 1) Pedigree dogs are ridiculously overpriced, 2) they are also ridiculously overbreed and a so called "ordinary" (I suspect that you mean mongrel by this) dog usually has far fewer genetic health problems.

I love dogs and we had one of our own for years (a mongrel by the way). I think that there are too many dogs being breed, full stop.

1. pedigrees are not just overpriced, but also overrated. Some people are very selfish. They want a dog that looks like a film character, but don't want to pay full price etc. thats where puppy mills come in.

2. shelters deny animals a nice loving family because the rules say you can't rehome to flat or a home without a garden, or rented accomodation. Intentions are reasonable, but in reality very unhelpful.

We will be getting a dog in a year or 2 and I will be getting a pedigree. Obviously I will be careful to avoid professional breeders etc and get one from an actual home environment. This is a very long term plan so hopefully I will be able to find what I want.
The reason for getting a pedigree is that I know roughly what it's size, temperament, and so on will be. I know there are no guarantees but I think getting a dog who's breed you have researched and discussed with your vet and so on is a safer bet than one where you don't know what it's parents are or don't know which breed it will be more like.
For the same reason I don't want a rescue dog, I know there are many happy stories about rescue animals but there are also tragic ones where they have ended up attacking children and/or other pets.
For our family I feel that a carefully researched breed from a good background bought as a puppy is the best option.
Luckily the breed I want is about half the price of a Labradoodle!!!!

Its very common in the horse world too. People get sentimental about their mare and think it would be lovely to breed a foal.. meanwhile there are thousands of young horses in shelters or end up being destroyed because there is not a lot of market for them. :-( Makes me sad.

Its very common in the horse world too. People get sentimental about their mare and think it would be lovely to breed a foal.. meanwhile there are thousands of young horses in shelters or end up being destroyed because there is not a lot of market for them. :-( Makes me sad.

The only difference between "ordinary" dogs and pedigree breeds is 1) Pedigree dogs are ridiculously overpriced, 2) they are also ridiculously overbreed and a so called "ordinary" (I suspect that you mean mongrel by this) dog usually has far fewer genetic health problems.

1. I'm yet to meet a good breeder of pedigree dogs who has made a penny out of breeding. Guarantee you that the good ones are spending out a lot more than they will ever make on the sale of a litter.

2. Pedigree dogs from reputable breeders are health tested. My own dogs are tested for about $2000 of genetic health testing before I even consider breeding a litter. I do $500 testing on each puppy before they even leave for a new home. Because of the dna health tests available in my breed, there are a number of diseases I can say that the pups I breed will never have, because they do not carry the genes for it. More tests are constantly being developed which will continue to help us ensure we are breeding healthy dogs. Pedigree dogs from health testing lines are healthier than cross bred dogs. It's basic genetics - breed a labrador without health testing to a poodle without health testing and you're going to have a dog predisposed to the health conditions of both breeds.

3. We are restricted by our code of ethics as to the minimum age we can breed, the maximum age we can breed and even the time between litters. It is not possible for a reputable breeder of pedigree dogs to over breed due to the restrictions in place.

Please note I do use the terms "responsible" and "reputable". Like everything, there is good and bad. We need to educate people how to tell the difference and to put pressure on the 'bad' breeders to lift their game, or get out.