"Its up to me as a responsible breeder to protect my breed"
All of you who breed one or more litters of dogs per year are sooner or later faced with the necessity of selling pets, or as we like to refer to them, companions. Some breed only for their own use to have something to show; others breed because they just like to have puppies but don’t show, but the quality of the Akita is very good and health screenings of the dogs are done and I respect that! It is America and we have a right to breed the dogs we love.
Why do I alter my companion puppies prior to placement?
Then there are those of us that are seriously attempting to establish a champion quality line of our own. It is from this latter category that I avoided mentioning those who are breeding dogs only for profit , who have MORE then two litters of puppies per year, and the ruthless who have 5 to 9 litters a year and have never produced or owned a champion, yet MASS PRODUCE Akita puppies. These people DO NOT love this breed! To me, this is something that should never be allowed and includes both “puppy mills” and “back yard breeders”. Knowing how difficult it is to stop this sort of operation, The buck stops here! Puppies can now be spayed or neutered at a very young age. My Vet does it at 8 weeks for males & 10 weeks for females. The best guarantee that I am protecting my breed/bloodlines or the life of my puppies is to have the surgery done before selling the dog.
When someone contacts me and wants to buy, I make sure I ask questions. Why do they want my breed, do they want only a companion, are they interested in showing or breeding? I Find out the ages of children in the home, how the puppy will be housed, whether or not they have a fenced yard and do they have other dogs. Do they have a pool? is it fenced off so the puppy will not drowned? Will the puppy travel? Do they own or rent? these questions will help me get a feel of whether or not I think it will be a suitable home for my puppy. I tell all respective pet buyers that all my companion puppies are either spayed/neutered before they are sold. Hesitation on the part of the buyer at this point is a red flag and I know they want to breed for the wrong reasons.
Sometimes, even selling my show prospects to show homes turns out to be different than I had hoped. Even though you sell your companions on spay/neuter contracts, will they do the same? Believe me, there are bloodlines and dogs from several of the top kennels, and or well-known kennels in the US that have ended up going to puppymills in Arizona, and Arkansas. The reason for this is that some breeders, who consider themselves reputable, are not selling their puppies and adults on spay/neuter contracts, I suspect that everyone who is breeding for show is not always looking out for the best interest of the dogs either! and even worse, have sold to these people knowing FULL WELL they are a puppymill breeding for profit only. I do not understand this, how could they place a dog or puppy with these people? When you see a breeder with 7 to 10 or more breeding female Akitas and they have not bred a champion or show the Akitas they own until they are major pointed or champions, its a PUPPYMILL breeding for profit only. Please do not support them.
To make sure its done I start with ME, all my companion puppies are ALTERED prior to placement. My puppies are ukc registered.
Unfortunately, I have found Most pet puppy buyers do not do ask how many dogs they own or why they breed dogs? they see a cute puppy and buy it.
As a show breeder I think it is important to keep our own back yards in check However, we must be careful not to indulge in smear tactics just because we disagree with someone. If you run into a breeder who SLANDERS another breeder by using the kennel name of that breeder stay away from them. Black listing or slander is a CRIME.
If you are a serious reputable breeder, Spay and neuter your pets PRIOR to placing them. Don’t forget that we are the keeper of the next generation of great ones. Always have their best interest at heart.
Karen
copyright masa mune akitas 1995- 2009
