Re: [pyrnet] LGD breeders (was Shelters and Breeders)

["Linda Weisser" <lmweisser@home.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Janice Swenson" <janices@austin.rr.com>

it's divided, the ones that show versus the
ones that don't. >>

I agree with Janice here.  I also find that people who show their stock,
whatever kind they are raising, are much more agreeable to spay/neuter and
have a sense of "I'll breed goats (sheep, llamas, alpacas etc) and you
breed dogs.  We're both specialists".  They also have a greater
understanding of careful selection, the value of health and longevity etc.
The commerical, grade producers are nearly impossible to reach.  I have
talked to a lot of them over the years.  The conversations tend to slow and
then end when I tell them that I don't sell working dogs except on
spay/neuter contracts, and now already early s/n.  That is not something
that they want to deal with.  So, it can be hard to reach them because it
is hard to sustain a conversation.

I also have an intermitent private conversation with the breeder in TN that
Joe talked about earlier.  Nothing will change what he does. Believe me,
I've tried.  he is a very intelligent man and understands the arguments.
He simply disagrees.  I wouldn't even have much problem with what he does.
(He breeds great LGDs) if I could just convince him to require that the
dogs be altered.  As far as I know, rescue has never had in a dog that he
himself bred.  But the second generation is a completely different story.

25 years of these conversations have been exhausting.  The ones that
'believe" already do, the ones that don't generally don't.  It is possible
to talk some small flock (and even some large flock) people into
spay/neuter by explaining to the them the clear benefits of altered animals
as guardians.  But these people generally haven't given any thought to
breeding anyway.

The ones that I have major problems with are the ones who buy their initial
LGDs knowing that they will breed.  And they do so.  Sometimes huge numbers
of pups which they convice people are going to be great LGDs because they
were raised in the general vicinity of some kind of livestock.  And, of
course, because Pyrs are Pyrs, most of these pups are indeed good workers.
And many of these people are more than happy to brag about the "show lines"
that they have either up close or in the past.

Linda