It
appears that the marketing campaign backed by or paid for by the “animal
rights” groups has paid off. Even Animal Planet seems to have bought
into the onslaught of animal welfare cleverly blurred with animal rights
messages. We
dog breeders are partly to blame. People don’t adopt animals, they buy
or rescue them. So why have we allowed the language war to be won by a
“feel good, do good” media blitz?
According to Margaret Byrd, we are
not powerless, we just need to wrap our minds around a new language.
But here, let Margaret explain:
BREEDER LANGUAGE
June 2011 - Margaret Byrd - Guest Columnist -
TheDogPress.com
I got an email from a lady about a puppy and I asked my
usual 20 questions about the housing and care of the animal
and it's environment as well as their goals for the pup.
When I got a response one portion was in all caps. It was,
"I DON"T WANT TO BREED". Her original inquiry asked if I
had a dog she could "adopt". It got me thinking about the
"anti-breeder" climate that we now experience. This was my
response:
"I don't adopt my pups, I sell them. They are not rescued.
They are planned. They were specifically bred to ensure the
best chance for good health, good looks, type, and
temperament. All my pups are raised in the house and played
with by the whole family until they leave here for a home
believed to be exceptional. The adults are shown, hunted,
loved and allowed to breed in specific ways after extensive
research & health testing. I have many references from
satisfied owners.
If you love your dog,
thank a breeder."
I think it is time and past to watch our language and set
folks straight about what we do and why we do it. It is
time to "rescue" the language affecting our animals and
people's perception of them. It took 30 years for animal
rights to hijack our language and then seek to steam roller
us with it. It is time to take it back.
I feel it might be productive to brain storm on ways to
project this idea in a positive way. "If you love your
dog, thank a breeder" is one. "My dogs are not
rescued. They are planned." might be another.
We could develop a series of these kinds of ideas and
include them on our web sites. We might even consider
raising money for a billboard campaign. Playing catch up
isn't working well. We need to be proactive.
Someone suggested we ask, "Did you buy your dog at a
shelter?" If a fringe animal rights group can change our
culture via language we can take it back the same way.
What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
If there is one thing I resent most about the animal rights
movement that seeks to victimize animal owners is that they
have closed my heart to efforts by welfare groups and
rescue. I long for the innocence to believe that welfare has
good intentions rather than an agenda riding the back of
misery.
I see PETA euthanizing animals or throwing them in trash
bins. I see HSUS stripping animal owners of their
constitutional rights and stealing their beloved animals
only to dump them in kill shelters or use them to raise
money that does not help the animals. Read 20/20s article
on ABC called “Cruelty to Owners”. The events they describe
are happening in every state of the union.
If animal welfare doesn't clean house I will not be alone in
my distain and that would be a tragedy for unwanted
animals. Because of HSUS’ legislative efforts in my state,
I've been forced to close my doors here - as much as it
hurts - to unwanted rescue animals that I could have helped.
Animal rights is the single most destructive thing that has
happened to animals (and animal welfare) in the history of
the world. It's more destructive than disease.
Margaret Byrd
Editor:
we found
this to be an interesting and straightforward website:
http://www.MyDogMyChoice.com
http://www.thedogpress.com/SideEffects/Buy-Shelter-Dog_Byrd-1106.asp
#1106
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