It is the holiday season, as we all know. Who can escape it, when you're blasted with some horrific Muzac version of Here Come's Santa Clause or The Twelve Days of Christmas every where you turn. Not to mention the aisles and aisles of holiday lights, candies, stockings, and 50% off signs that popped up the day after Halloween.
I actually do not celebrate Christmas, but instead choose to celebrate the Winter Solstice. The shortest day of the year which marks, yes, the return of the light. That the days will once again be getting longer. And that it is only 196 short days until it is time for the Oregon Country Fair! Get your wings ready.
But that's not really what this post is about, actually.
It is no secret around here that I am quite passionate about dogs. Of course we all know that my dogs, especially, hold a very special place in my heart and soul, but that really I am in service to all dogs. I can't really say no to dogs. They have a magical power over me and I have been known to get quite passionate about other people's dogs even when it probably would have been best for me to keep my mouth shut.
In fact, this may be one of those times. But I am so incensed by what I just discovered that I feel the need to share it with the rest of you. All of you can make up your own minds about this, but I will just say that it truly upsets me.
There is a movement in the dog community that seems to be screwing around with mother nature in ways that just are not necessarily beneficial to anyone, but especially to the dogs.
If mother nature had intended Saint Bernards to be miniature, don't you think she would have created miniature Saint Bernards all on her own? Or had she intended Labradors to be "comfort sized", don't you think that she would have created a miniature labrador that fits neatly in your lap and under the seat in front of you while you're traveling on an airplane?
I can tell you from experience that Buddha fits kind of neatly in my lap and while he does weigh 90 pounds the idea of him being any smaller than he is is just preposterous to me. He is a big dog because he is meant to be a big dog. With a big head. And big feet. And a big wiggly body that bounces into a room and absolutely says, "Here I am!"
The folks at Dakota Winds Ranch would have you believe otherwise, however. They claim they're a small and careful breeder, but after spending far more time on their web site today than a girl who loves dogs should really have spent (as it truly made me so upset that I feel I need to report them, but to whom??) I believe these folks are a puppy mill. Who are creating a real aberration for multiple future generations of dogs.
Mini Saint Bernards? Comfort Labbes? Mini Aussie Doodles? Come on, people. Really. Let's think about this from the dogs perspective, shall we? These people claim that this mixing of breeds results in a healthier and heartier dog! That they're creating new breeds that are better. They are creating mutts, that is for sure. But honestly, are we supposed to be paying $600 for a mutt that most likely would not have happened at all if not for the instigation of these breeders? And I truly wonder what happens to the puppies that do not meet their "miniature" standards when they're born? Because we know that not all of them are cute and cuddly and tiny in this very odd experiment. Where do they go, I'd like to know?
I believe these folks (and the folks like them) should be stopped. There are hundreds of thousands of dogs sitting in shelters across America who need a home. They do not have pedigrees (although some of them even do!) and they want nothing more than to be rescued from their cold SPCA cages and taken home to your warm loving home for the holidays.
A $600 minature labrador puppy that can fit in your lap may sound like a good idea on your computer screen, but let me assure you that there are many many more cute puppies at your local shelter that can be had for a fraction of that price that will fill up your heart and soul with love and happiness for many years to come.
Please do not support these puppy mills. These are not designer dogs. These are a tragedy to the dog community. And if we're going to celebrate the dog this holiday season, we should start by putting these folks out of business.
