I am not part of the unwanted dog problem. I've had many dogs in my life and believe when you get a dog you keep it for its natural life, giving it the best care, medical treatment, comfort and all the love and attention it needs.
Part of the reason for there being unwanted dogs is that there are not more people like me who keep their dogs for life. In that regard I'm not part of the problem, I'm part of the solution.
Another part of the problem is the current canine culture. Everyone wants a show dog. People think only dogs with titles have value and are breed worthy. The problem is that people are prejudice toward perfectly good dogs. That's one reason rescue workers have such a hard problem finding good home for dogs. This is a problem of prejudice toward dogs, not a problem with respect to what constitutes a good dog. Of course an aspect of this is dogs with behavior problem often the result of not having been properly breed, placed and reared in the first place.
This is especially true in terms of working dogs. German Shepherds have a variety of working dog functions including: protection, guarding, search and rescue, drug detection, bomb detection, companionship, leading the blind and helping people with disabilities.
These are not dogs suitable for everyone; rather, the German Shepherd needs to be specially placed with an appropriate guardian. Toward this end proper breeding, temperament testing and screening of potential new owners should be a part of every responsible breeder program. Because this is not the case you often end up with unwanted dogs.
Another problem is the show dog industry. Only a relatively few dogs are show quality. Many German Shepherds are improperly bred by people looking for that one-in-a-thousand show dog. Hence rescuers end up having to find homes for many unwanted dogs just because they aren't show dogs. Whereas with German Shepherds the real emphasis should be placed upon their working qualities, since that is what most German Shepherds are suitable for and were originally intended for when the breed was established.
So why are there so many unwanted dogs and why are German Shepherds among these? Because it is a myth that the purpose of these dogs is to confine them to crates, cart them around to shows and parade them like in a circus before judges every other weekend. This is NOT the primary purpose of a German Shepherd. Yet some people still devote their entire existence, it seems, to the dog show circuits, and have this as the primary reason they are involved with breeding these and other working dogs. The proof of this is in the pudding of how German Shepherds and other breeds have been improperly bred to meet standards that have resulted in all sorts of problems and have resulted in bloodlines of dogs which have lost much of the original, true, old-style characteristics of great working dogs.
Of course there is some merit to performance oriented competitions and some breeders will sware by it! At least these are designed around the breeds intended purpose. Yet I postulate that such titling is not the only way, nor necessarily the best way, to determine which dogs perform well and should be used for breeding. Quite frankly a dogs suitability for stud or being a brood bitch can be best determined by using a scientific approach rather than one based upon titles. This involves careful study and analysis of an individual dog's behavior in its natural working environment as well as application of whatever scientific testing and medical records analysis or other date is necessary to establish a dog's capacity to produce superior offspring by whatever high merit or benchmark test one wishes to establish.
In fact there are many titled dogs which perform fantastically that still have genes that are problematic in a high percentage of puppies produced from what would seem good matches. Then these problem genes produce problem dogs which often end up being unwanted.
As gene typing and screening becomes a practical application in the future, there will surely be a better way to select the proper dogs for breeding. I image a day when all titled dogs will be able to be screened for gene linked diseases. This will show why these dogs are not always suitable for breeding no matter how many titles they have. While there will be many working dogs that are without titles that will be found to be ideal for breeding, given they have all the right genetic qualities. Among these will be those narrow bloodlines of old-style German Shepherd that have not been destroyed by improper breeding.
Of course until that day comes we must endeavor to produce quality working dogs using all the knowledge and experience we have. This also involves using breeding programs that incorporate temperament testing with respect to matching dogs in their future families, homes or suitability for various working tasks and duties.
Once people abandon the myth that only titled working dogs are suitable for breeding and ownership and concentrate on learning to use genetics and other scientific methods to produce superior dogs then the unwanted dog problem will begin to diminish. It will diminish even further as temperament testing becomes more generally accepted and used with respect to placement of dogs matching them with the best suited task and guardians whose life style match that of the dog's.
Of course with German Shepherds we have a breed that is very adaptive. When well bread these dogs can adapt easily to a wide range of situations and circumstances. Hence their usage is expanded and it becomes easier to place German Shepherds than some breed of dog which do not so easily train and adapt to a wide spectrum of environmental and social factors.
There really is no reason there should exist a single unwanted German Shepherd. Proper breeding with temperament testing should eliminate German Shepherds as an unwanted breed. Plus the application of the Internet in bringing together the right dog with the right person will further help reduce the number of unwanted German Shepherds. I imagine a day when, with sound breeding practices based upon science, not showing, established through genetics, not the circus mentality of prancing dogs around a ring, there will be not a single unwanted German Shepherd. Toward that end I endeavor and invite others to follow.
(c) 2000 by Terry Lynch, Founder of Project K9, an information and educational canine resource for all breeds of dogs and their canine guardians. Project K9 was established in 1996 in memorium to Ruby von Bremerhaven. I went through the horrible experience of dealing with an irresponsible breeder who had all the right answers to all the right questions and yet turned out to still be producing German Shepherds from a line of titled dogs that were, in my opinion, not living up to their titles when it came to producing healthy dogs. (16 May 2000)
QUESTIONS: With respect to the issues and ideas expressed herein I would appreciate constructive criticism. Why do you think there are so many unwanted dogs? I've given you my analysis of the situation, now tell me yours. With respect to German Shepherds what do you think needs to be done to reduce the numbers of unwanted GSDs. Is this a problem of how we perceive dogs or is it purely an over breeding problem? Are there really too many dogs or too many back yard breeders or is it that there are too many breeders trying to produce the wrong kind of dog and not having a clue with respect to how to temperament test dogs to place them in proper homes? Are there too many unwanted German Shepherds because people don't use temperament testing to establish the character of puppies and match them with suitable owners? What needs to be done in this respect as far as canine lemon laws are concerned? What states have good canine lemon laws and what states don't? What is your idea of a good canine lemon law? With respect to making breeders responsible what guarantees do you think breeders should include in there contracts? Can you provide a copy of the contract you use when breeding GSDs or other working dogs and marketing your puppies? What liability, if any, should breeder have for producing unwanted or unhealthy dogs? What other qualities do you look for in a responsible breeder and the dogs he/she selects to breed? Do you think people are prejudice with respect to wanting to breed only titled dogs or buy dogs produced only by titled dogs without every knowing, realizing or having access to data with respect to the history or number of dogs these title dogs produce that have genetic defects, health prolems, weak immune systems and/or end up with behavior problems and become unwanted dogs? These questions all have bearing on why there are so many unwanted dogs. If you have any additional questions related to this issue or sound advice to give it would be appreciated. Replies are appreciated. Replies may be incorporated into this document and posted upon the Internet to help people in making sound decisions with respect to whether or not to breed a dog and what to do to reduce the number of unwanted dogs. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this effort.
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