The Devil Wears Prada

“Breeders who post on Kijiji are in league with the devil … or words to that effect”

A reputable breeder who posts their kennel on Kijiji could be tarred as a bad breeder by their peers. There is a truly simple and silly reason why. I’ve actually already covered it here. Breeders can and do treat each other with disrespect sometimes.

It may surprise Average Joe that some breeders get along about as well as two male Betta’s in the same fish tank. You know those fish, they were long known as Siamese Fighting Fish – can’t have them together or they fight.

It’s not that breeders can’t get along, we are supposed to all be working toward the same goal, the improvement of the breed which means we are all working for the greater good(ha!). I have friends in the breed who I trust and respect absolutely and while we don’t always agree on type and structure we see past the differences and get along just fine. Some others I just can’t stand – and not because I don’t like their dogs but because I have a very low tolerance for hypocritical and passive aggressive behavior.

What would happen to you if you were a reputable breeder and you posted your kennel on Kijiji? You might find great new homes for your puppies BUT you may also reap the reward of disdain, judgements, rumours, libel, slander, lies, and snot-raggery of other breeders. It won’t actually matter the quality of your dogs if you post with an online board or in the newspaper; you could be shunned.

I guess I just don’t care what other people think unless they have first earned my respect. It’s hard to earn my respect and once lost is almost impossible to regain. Does anyone care? Probably not. There is a silent peer review when it comes to dog breeding and people are loathe to buck the norm in case they gain the ire of other breeders.

So what?

If you know what you are doing is ethical, moral, safe, sensible, and in the best interest of your dogs then do it. As a member of the breed club you will have read the Code of Ethics so follow it to the best of your ability, if you’re not a club member (for whatever reason) you should have a keen understanding of the rights and wrongs involved in dog breeding. Why does it matter where potential buyers saw your kennel name? There actually aren’t any breed police despite what some people think. Some people think they ARE the breed police and have libeled, slandered, harassed and harangued people out of the breed.

Is that okay? Clearly not but it has been done and will be done again in the name of ‘breed guardianship’ which is just a smoke screen of hypocrisy and dangerous politicking.

So as snotty as some breeders come across to the public … we are way, way harder on each other. Sometimes with legal implications if we’re not careful.