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| Basset Hound Rescue of Ontario and the Quest for Responsible Pet Ownership | |
On June 11, 2005, Basset Hound Rescue of Ontario (BHRO) took part in the Rescue-Me Walk in Toronto to benefit canine rescue groups across Ontario. The sweltering heat could not stop the walk from being a huge success: the walk raised over $35,000 in total for all of the canine rescue groups involved. Of all the participating groups, BHRO had the largest turnout. Walking with them were Boxer Rescue, Sheltie Rescue, Dachshund Rescue,Great Dane Rescue, Pug Rescue, Boston Terrier Rescue, Jack Russell Rescue and many others. Invariably the questions arises when we gather at these events: "Why bassets? Why does Basset Hound Rescue have such an enormous membership compared to so many other canine rescue groups?" The answer, unhappily, is that a lot of bassets need saving. But every breed needs help. Every popular breed creates a seamy underground of bad breeding and raises a whole series of questions about responsible pet ownership. Who Needs Rescuing and Why? During my over two years of volunteer work with BHRO, I have learned that the goal of saving dogs from the need to be rescued begins with public education. The first lesson that must be learned is the importance of responsible breeding and responsible pet ownership. I have seen first hand what poor breeding does to bassets: aside from the identifiable physical signs of bad breeding, these dogs have temperaments that are far removed from what basset owners know and love. The difference between a good life and a life of misery really comes down to the motives of the people involved. Responsible breeders - as well as owners and rescue groups - feel a sense of duty to each individual dog and to the breed in general. Pet stores, puppy mills and back yard breeders just want the money. It is dogs who have been pushed through these sordid systems that most often wind up in rescue. It is not enough to know that these operations exist; it is important to know how to avoid them and find responsible breeders. Well before I began to work with Basset Hound Rescue, I had the sort of experience that many others have undoubtedly had when looking for a pet. I consider myself the kind of person who researches things thoroughly and makes informed decisions. Nonetheless, I got my first basset from a breeder who advertised in the Toronto Star. I took her home when she was 7 weeks old. This should have been a warning: I knew the puppy should be at least 8 weeks old before leaving its mother. I wanted this dog so I overlooked it. Looking back, I can only describe it as a selfish decision. Fortunately, it turned out well. Five years on, Lucy has proved to be a fine, healthy basset hound. We love her so much that we adopted another dog from BHRO a little more than two years ago. Both bassets are gentle, playful, loving dogs with excellent temperaments. Poorly bred Bassets Coming from this atmosphere, I had a shock coming when I started to work with BHRO. Time after time, we saw bassets that were nasty, unsettled and sometimes even dangerous. There were dogs that had bit people and lunged at children, dogs that growled whenever an attempt was made to play with them. I could not understand it. I had never known bassets like this. What's more, I saw many bassets that were taller than normal; their general appearance was just not like other bassets. These, I discovered, are the sure signs of dangerous, irresponsible breeding. The breeder Lucy had come from, I was told, only charged prime breeder prices. She was, in fact, a back yard breeder. I also learned that many of the maladjusted bassets we were seeing came from pet stores that purchased from puppy mills and unreliable breeders. Many of them are the abused and neglected mothers and fathers of the puppy-mill dogs. It is difficult to detail all of the ways that bad breeding and general abuse affects these dogs. Spreading the Word These hard lessons acquired during my two years at BHRO have taught me just how important it is to spread the word about responsible pet ownership. And it all starts with making a responsible purchase. Avoid pet stores. Seek out responsible breeders. Never deal with someone whose motivation for selling the puppy seems in any way questionable. Indeed that is my motivation for writing this. If, with the best of intentions and what I thought was an educated approach to dog ownership, I did not know all this, how many others are unaware of these problems? So with the help of BHRO, I have been trying to spread the word. Telling just one person means the message will get on to another, and so on down the line. One more responsible, educated pet owner means one less customer for the bad breeders. Working with the many other rescue groups at the rescue walk simply confirms that all breeds are fighting the battle against irresponsibility and lack of respect for animals. By promoting responsible breeding and education about canine ownership we are all doing our part to control the unwanted and poorly bred basset population. And the work of BHRO ensures that all of the bassets that do find themselves homeless will end up in a permanent, loving home. We fervently wish we had no bassets to adopt, but sadly we get more and more each year. By spreading the word, we hope to reverse that trend and get closer to the day when every basset enters this world in a well-run breeding kennel and goes on to a happy home.
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