Originally Posted by
bckrazy
I completely agree with you, Sophie!!! Completely!
Lori Jordan, I'm not trying to be negative. I'm only honest with my concerns. I am in love with Border Collies. I have fostered a BC puppy, I have a BC, and I help out at BC Rescue events every summer. I see *countless* Border Collies who CAN work, who probably have good working lines, and who are sweet dogs, who die in shelters or cannot find a suitable working home because of the excess breeding of this breed. Please, for your dogs sake, at least get her hips tested and the same for the sire... hip dysplasia is running rampant in the breed, even in young dogs who seem ok. For a real working rancher, a dog with some working lines doesn't mean crap. If the dog does not work daily, has titles, has clearances, and is proven, the dog is not suitable for breeding - period. I've been around enough dedicated working dog people to know this as a fact. If you/your husband wants to breed her that badly, at least put fourth the effort to get her HIC and get her into herding lessons to prove her ability. I would never consider breeding a Border Collie unless they had exceptional drive, eye, and working ability, exceptional conformation, very biddable and a great temperament for the breed. Of course the necessary time, space & money is needed, but to breed healthy pups you need more than "shots". If everyone who could afford shots and a kennel bred their friendly dogs with "good lines", imagine the MILLIONS more homeless dogs that would be in this world. Gonzo is registered & has notable lines, has been through more herding & dog sports than your bitch has, and has decent conformation... does this mean I should've bypassed neutering him and bred him? No. Why? Only the best, of the best dogs need be bred when 4-6 million die every year. I do not consider him exceptional for his breed, at all. By exceptional I mean able to work all day, able to independently work livestock out of range of the handler, able to trial & take on unexpected events in training or on their own property, beautiful structure and excellent hips & elbows, superb, confident, loyal temperament that is called for in the breed, and superior intelligence that allows them to go from herding to flyball to obedience to hanging out with their family. Imagine if everyone just bred their dogs based on lineage. Sure, it's an indicator, but the only real indicator is working the dog yourself and proving she works like a Border Collie; which is most important in the breed, that they work like a BC should. If everyone bred based on lines alone and not working merit, how many dogs with poor drive (such as chasing instead of circling) would end up being bred, or dogs with no eye or dogs with very little drive at all? I also hope you'll be selling pet pups on spay/neuter & return contracts.
That is being honest & up front about the problems facing our country and what responsible dog owners NEED TO do about it, if it seems "negative", well, overpopulation and backyard breeding isn't exactly a positive thing.
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