Apples To Oranges
F
rom the beginning of time, Americans have always wanted to get what they
paid for. As Steven Dietz put it, “Getting your money’s worth is not enough. Get your heart and mind’s worth.” So, are the puppy customers getting what they pay for, when purchasing a dog? One that is relatively of a healthy quality at a reasonable price? I’m sure you’ve heard the old cliché, “apples to oranges”. When you compare two things that are so unlike that the comparison makes no sense, you are said to be comparing apples to oranges. Apples and oranges are very different from each other. Giving a person 2 apples and another person 2 oranges are defiantly not equivalent. And when comparing dog registries, this old cliché certainly rings true. Some registries, such as the AKC, are very prestigious by concentrating on the welfare of the purebred dogs and by offering very good benefits to the customers. While other registries (names not disclosed) simply issue a piece of paper. So, if a mind too, customers can “Pick and Choose”, when it comes to dog registries. But who would want too. We know, however, registries in and of themselves are not necessarily the reason dogs are not being registered. People just don’t seem to relate to dog registries, as in the past. Nor do they care, as the majority
of puppy customers never intend to show or breed their newfound friends. One need only to surf the internet, or talk to John Q. Public, to get a glimpse of the general attitude, when it comes to registering purebred puppies. Apparently, registration affiliation, breeding or showing the dog is ceasing to be a priority. Why is this happening? Here’s my short list of why individuals may not be registering the purebreds’. • Unenforceable special interest laws and regulations are targeting dog fanciers, at the city, state and federal levels. • Increased publicity is being given to the dog shelter activist groups. It’s the poor mistreated dog adoption syndrome. • Prospective buyers are losing confidence in professional breeders, due to the “puppy mill” crack downs. • The commonplace breeders losing compassion with the show ring. It’s the “good-old-boy” dog show syndrome. • The increase of diseased import dogs being readily available • Professional breeders getting bad publicity, on every hand, from disgruntled breeders, to the many dog activist groups. (This short list was very prevalent among the AKC breeders, over the course of my interaction with them ) And leading the way is probably “the economy down turn”. In this fast pace world, the dog business is no exception to the new “ struggling competitive mentality. With both modern day parents working, just to stay ahead of the game and their off springs being carted off to day care centers, prospective dog owners just don’t have as much time to devote to the tasks of research and kennel visits, as in the past. Dogs are just not a high priority these days. Thus, when they do get a dog, they usually get a free-bee or literally buy a cheap “pick in a poke”.
All In The Family by Charles C. Robey
116 Dog News
This society’s “instant gratification” mind-set seems not only to be hindering our free-market spirit but is also rubbing off on prospective dog sales. With prospective puppy buyers turning to such unproven less expensive dog advertisements as the internet puppy mills, the not-for-profit dog shelters or scant classified newspaper ads, it stands to reason why dog ownership relationships don’t last. This new social media information gathering, often times, leads to a mismatch between the dog and new owner. In other words, the right lasting companionships are just not being realized. Thus, purebred dog ownership is given a “bum-rap” .Why pay more for something that doesn’t last ? And in most cases, picking the “Pig-ina Polk”, by way of the new electronic social media turns out to be a grave mistake, as the proprietors of this form of advertisement tend to stretch the truth on occasion and offer inferior or deceased animals. This “hurry up” progressive mind-set will never be a substitute for the old fashion hands on kennel visit and being able to cuddle those little balls of lovable interruption Oh, an individual might buy a certain breed, after seeing the breed win a national dog show, or a certain breed may be bought, as a fad, after seeing the breed featured in a movie. However, in reality how many of the new found dogs turn out like the ones publicized? Can dog registries regain the public’s trust? I think yes, although, pure-bred dog registrations have defiantly declined in recent years. The light at the end of the tunnel will get brighter. Our country has bounced back from difficult times before, so it can surely do it again. As in other businesses, registries must think “outside the box”. Basically, in today’s environment, the prospective puppy buyer is only looking at two important factors. 1)That being a good quality healthy pet and 2) getting the pet at a reasonable price. First, quality is of the utmost importance, as questions of health and safety surface, due to a number of reasons. What about the quality of import dogs? What about breeders Continued on page 137