Quote Originally Posted by Giselle
ScottieMommy, this "beagle lady" is middle-aged, unemployed, and lives alone. What is she so busy doing then? How can she not have any time to go to a show every once in a while? I find it EXTREMELY hard to believe that this "reputable beagle breeder lady" does not have, what, 1 hour per month to travel to a show?? She doesn't even have to go to a show every month. She could go to a few specialties and pick up majors there. Or is it, her dogs are not of breeding quality and therefore she does not burden herself with showing her dogs?

There are a LOT of perfectly healthy dogs who can get PennHip'd, OFA'd, and whatnot. Almost every agility person I know x-rays and examines their dogs' hips and elbows and sometimes their eyes. Their dogs almost always pass with good or excellent results. These people love their dogs. Should they breed? NO! There are plenty of dogs who can get health tested and pass satisfactorily, but the one major factor that differentiates breeding-quality dogs from pet-quality dogs is their contribution to the overall breed. The only way to prove such quality is through competition - conformation, herding, hunting, lure coursing, Schutzhund, etc.

And I don't know where you got that quote, but it is extremely inaccurate. The author of your quote assumes that the only way to prove your dog is through showing. False false false. There are plenty of other ways that we've already mentioned.

She owns a lot of land, and is busy most of the day out there. Even tho i would not call it a job is hard to keep up with land and when you are alone. She also visits her grandchildren a lot, and YES she does everything but show her dogs. That does not make her a bad dog owner/breeder to me. There are many worse out there. I dont know anything else since i dint ask her about her personal life much :x