Should We Ban Dog Breeding until Every Dog Shelter Empties?

    FORT WORTH, TX, October 22, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates that 3.9 million dogs enter community animal shelters every year in the United States.

Some shelter dogs are returned to their owners, some are turned over to rescue groups, and some are adopted out. However, ASPCA estimates that 1.2 million shelter dogs are still euthanized every year in the U.S.

Although some dogs in shelters are too injured, too ill, or too aggressive to be adoption candidates, many others run out of time. Their deaths are a tragedy that some think could be ended if dog breeding were banned.

If dog breeding were stopped, supporters of dog breeding bans reason, more people would adopt pets at the local shelter.

"As someone who has a rescue dog and who has fostered dozens of dogs, I want to see every adoptable dog in a shelter get a permanent home," said Ron Sturgeon, a Fort Worth entrepreneur and founder of the National Alliance for Dog Breeding Reform.

Why would anyone breed dogs, supporters of banning breeding ask, when so many wonderful dogs are languishing in shelters?

Sturgeon offers some reasons that dog breeders breed dogs:

- To show
- To preserve and share a breed they love
- To take part in a hobby they enjoy
- To meet a need for working dogs of various kinds (hunting, herding, guarding, tracking, service dogs).
- To sell (extra income or a full-time business) to people who choose to buy a dog.

"A ban until every shelter dog was adopted would last a long time because shelters will never be completely empty," said Sturgeon. "A ban would affect the dog show world, make breeds hard to preserve, make working dogs scarce, and deprive people of extra income or breeding businesses they have spent time building."

"Not everyone wants to adopt a shelter dog," said Sturgeon. "Some people want the advice a breeder can give, and they want a dog with a known pedigree and known medical history," he added.

"NADBR believes Americans should have the choice to take in a stray, get a dog from a friend or family member, adopt a dog from a shelter or rescue or buy a dog from a reputable breeder," said Sturgeon.

Sturgeon also opposes bans because of unintended consequences. "A ban will drive law abiding breeders out and push breeding into dark corners, making it tougher to ensure puppies and parents are treated humanely," he added.

The final reason Sturgeon opposes bans is that he believes that the supply of dogs would not be adequate to meet demand for dogs if the ban worked as advertised. In 2008, No-Kill-Shelter Advocate Nathan Winogard estimated that twice as many people are looking for dogs as there are dogs entering shelters. The math does not work, a point made in detail in Ron's latest whitepaper: Should we ban dog breeding until every shelter dog has been adopted?

"Dogs are going to be bred," said Sturgeon. "We ought to be looking for ways to make dog breeding better and to ensure that dogs are treated humanely, shown kindness, and bred using only medically sound practices."

That, he says, is precisely the mission of the National Alliance for Dog Breeding Reform.

About National Alliance for Dog Breeding Reform
Reform Canine Breeders and Auctions (NADBR) is committed to the goal of ensuring that dogs bred for profit are shown kindness, treated humanely, and bred using only medically sound practices. To learn about volunteer opportunities, connect on Facebook or at NADBR's website.

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