Pros And Cons Of The American Kennel Club

The American Kennel Club, or AKC, is one of the leading kennel clubs of the world, which has caused them to be very vocal within this debate. Throughout the years the AKC has come out multiple times saying they do not condone inhumane breeding practices and that they are strongly against such practices. They have fired back at those who say kennel clubs reward inhumane breeding habits in dog shows, which opponents claim is based on looks, with a statement in The Washington Post after the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. They stated that one of their main missions during a dog show is to find superior quality dogs that will create a new generation of healthy purebreds (“Defending Purebred Dogs”). This reassurance calms some of those who fear

The issue that causes the most anger for many breeders is when people ignore how much health testing they do for their dogs. Many people believe that health testing is a wonderful way to prevent many genetic diseases. Health testing looks at the genes of an animal and searches for impurities, therefore, if an impurity is found the animal is not used for breeding to ensure it does not pass down that disease (Peck). There are a lot of breeders who believe that this fact is overlooked when people who are anti-purebreds make their arguments. Stephanie Poot was one breeder who was extremely offended after reading an article that slandered dog breeders and responded with an article called “Dog Breeder Offended” in which she calls out the article that made her and fellow breeders out to be monsters. In the article she emphasizes how much time and money is spent on testing animals for health issues before breeding and how important it is to ensure the birth of healthy puppies (Peck). Due to Peck’s response many people ignored what the article that Peck had called out had said and sided with her. People also got a look into how much time, money, and care it takes to be a breeder. Karen Dibert was another dog breeder who spoke out on how hurt they were by claims of them not taking care of their animals in her blog post called, “I Was a Dog Breeder for 15 Years. Why Does That Make Me a

Some believe that breeders only see the animals they produce as a quick buck, but many breeders are quick to reassure others that these animals mean a lot to them. Stephanie Poot says, “We are responsible for these animals. We bring them into this world like our children and are responsible for them until they leave this world” (Poot). This strong statement sticks out to some people as a true testament to the bond that breeders have with their animals. Some breeders will even interview possible owners before giving up their puppy to a new home (Dibert). This is another indicator of the bonds breeders have with their animals. The careful deliberation of making sure their animals end up in a loving home is also surprising to many. There are even some breeders who will go to the extent of having contracts with owners that make sure if the owners can no longer take care of the dog that they will bring it back to the breeder. Breeders also like to point out that being a breeder is not cheap. There are a lot of dogs to feed and take care of and even thought they are selling puppies by the end of the year they are only making a small profit (Dibert). Many breeders believe that what they do is what some would call a labor of love. The total amount it costs to take care of so many dogs would shock many. For some that alone shows how much work breeders put into keeping their dogs