Katherine recently took on the responsibility of Rescue Chair at the Potomac Valley Bernese Mountain Dog Club. We always knew there were problems with the Amish breeders, puppy mills and back yard breeders but seeing this first hand has been very eye opening. Most of the dogs and puppies in need of rescue are coming from these places. We want to share what we are seeing with rescues and urge you to help us educate people on how to find a responsible breeder. Educating people is the only way to combat puppy mills. The lower the demand, hopefully, the lower the supply.
The majority of the dogs in need of rescue come from Amish and backyard breeders. These dogs may look like Berners but go beyond their looks and you will find major issues with temperament and health to name a few. There are weekly pickups made in the Amish community for Berners, mostly females who are too old or not producing enough puppies anymore. If they are not picked up they are killed because they are no longer a generating revenue stream. These dogs are not screened for genetic diseases or selected because they have good orthopedics. The only criteria for selection is that they are available through no fault of their own. Unfortunately, these breeders will have an endless supply of females to breed unless puppy buyers educate themselves. We have talked with rescue chairs at other BMD clubs and their stories are the same, and often worse than what we have seen. Bad breeders are fairly easy to spot but there are plenty who try to hide their breeding practices. They will bring puppies for sale to their home and make it appear that they have good living conditions and are eating high quality food when this is not the case. Usually, you will only find out about this after they have been shut down. Asking really good questions is the best way to make sure your puppy is coming from a reputable breeder. The breeders with bad practices will not pass your sniff test!
Finding new homes for these dogs can be challenging. Pedigrees, health tests, genetic tests, are usually non-existent, making the dog's health a great big question mark. They usually have some type of behavioral issue which means they will need lots of training and may only thrive as a single dog. Even with all of these things working against them, these dogs deserve loving homes and a second chance. If you are interested in rescuing please complete the rescue application on our homepage or go to your local BMD club's website and find their rescue section.
Please know where your puppy is coming from and what you are supporting. It is not fair for these Berners to live a life devoid of love, attention and the gift of a forever family. Please stop the unethical breeding of Berners. They don't deserve this kind of life.
We will be posting a list of questions to ask your breeder before buying a puppy soon! In the meantime, this link offers a lot of guidance! https://be.chewy.com/10-questions-to-ask-a-dog-breeder/
This link discusses puppy mills and lists several websites to steer clear from.
Comments