Panorama

[merledogs]

And having volunteered at a Dogs Trust branch I can tell you that the reason they have the luxury of "never put a healthy dog down" is because they get to pick and choose what dogs they take in in the first place!

 

I'm not knocking the Dogs Trust at all, I think they are a progressive organisation that does a lot of behavioural work with their dogs but the fact is they have the privilege of being able to say to someone who want s hand over their staffie - no. And I heard and saw them do just that on a number of occasions, because they had finite space and already had a number of staffies that they couldn't rehome.

The pound I used to visit was one DT used to take dogs out of. They would usually pick the smaller, friendly (non staffy type) dogs which would be easier to rehome.

 

I am not knocking them, because if you think about it, they can rehome more dogs that way, but you do feel for the dogs left behind.

[celeste]

 

I'm sure Brandy would have been a fabulous dog in the right home, but so would all the others in those rows and rows of kennels. I wouldn't want to see Brandy spend the next three years, the next six years maybe, in one of those kennels, and I don't think it's actually that unlikely that he could have done so. I guess they could use their money to build more kennels, hire more workers, expand their capacity and expand it again, so they could keep more of the dogs that are likely to take months or years to find a suitable home - but I'm not sure that it would be a good thing if they did that, really - would it not just encourage more irresponsible owners to breed, knowing that their dogs will be 'safely' cared for in endless ranks of kennels, when they get bored of them?

 

The whole situation is horrible.

 

 

Very well put Cycas

 

 

 

It's driving me nuts the number of people I've seen reacting to this program by saying 'but why aren't they like Dogs Trust, Dogs Trust never put a healthy dog down'.

 

If Dogs Trust had some sort of magic wand system for finding thousands of superb Staffie homes able to deal with dogs that need to be the only dog, one would hope they would have shared it. I can't believe the competition for pound contracts is so fierce that Dogs Trust couldn't have plenty of them if they wanted them.

 

 

Like Khanu I also heard (from an insider) that DT "cherry pick" to an extent, aggressive dogs just won't get through their doors.

 

 

[bonniebird]

Why should I watch a program like that knowing that I may be extremely upset over it of course it is real life, I know what goes on, I don't need to watch a program like that to tell me.

 

3 of my dogs came straight from a pound, 2 were foster dogs for a rescue, 2 were in bad condition and 1 needed tumours taken off before she came here.

 

If you want to sit and watch programs like that, that is up to you but don't expect me to because I won't.

I'm with you on this one. I know what go's on and to watch my own dogs at the end is terrible, I don't want to see the poor little Staffy, I hope the idiots have watched it though.

[barb]

I too am with Mrs Mopp. I know what goes on and by myself can do nothing about it but that does not men I have to watch these distressing programmes. I see no need in upsetting myself when I cannot help. People must be stopped from breeding for profit somehow. They don't care what happens to dogs.

I do not need to watch to know what goes on

 

Barbara

[Mrs Mop]

Thanks Bonniebird and Barb, I have just been to hell and back with my Staffy, it has been a nightmare 2 weeks. Ellie was a breeding bitch that was kicked out when she needed help. She isn't a good example of a Staffy either, but has been bred and bred for money. This is what needs to be stopped as well as the puppy farms. If they were there wouldn't be any need for any rescue to have to pts or cherry pick.

[murtle]

I don't think the comment was meant at those who knows what goes on...more towards those who think there is a happy ending for all those dogs that end up in the pound. Those that think all dogs taken to a rescue are found a wonderful happy home quickly, easily and with no fuss. Those that don't know 7 days in the pound and if a space isn't available they are destroyed.

 

There are many people *out there* that really don't know this that would learn a lot from watching the programme.

 

[gremlin22]

Exactly. I have been nagging the Beeb to do this programme for a couple of years - hopefully it has hit home with some people. I am sick of some people who have said to me "Oh I couldn't watch it, far too upsetting" however this is real life, it happens every day, and IMHO people need to watch this no matter how upsetting it is (and I won't lie, I cried) because information is power, and something like this will not be forgotten, and hopefully it will make people think.

 

my thoughts exactly

edited to say also

like others have said, if you know what's going on already you don't need to watch it, but to all the people out there who let their dog have " just one litter so she knows what she is.." they need to see the reality, they may not have watched it, but if enough people did maybe word at least will get around.

Edited August 3, 2010 by gremlin22

[Mrs Mop]

I don't think the comment was meant at those who knows what goes on...more towards those who think there is a happy ending for all those dogs that end up in the pound. Those that think all dogs taken to a rescue are found a wonderful happy home quickly, easily and with no fuss. Those that don't know 7 days in the pound and if a space isn't available they are destroyed.

 

It may not have been aimed at people who know what goes on but the way it was written it was aimed at everyone. This is something that keeps coming up on boards, people not thinking what they are writing and upset a lot of people.

 

The public do need to be educated on what is going on, but many don't want to know, especially those that are breeding and those that kick a teenage pup out and get another.

 

Personally I would like to see all breeding regulated, more that all litters of pups have to be registered and making things so difficult for bybs and puppy farms to breed by having a lot of regulations.

 

Micro chipping to be compulsory, puppies to stay with the breeder until they are 8 weeks old, this will deter a lot of breeders Pups to be microchipped before they are homed. If all dogs were chipped, the owners can be traced and the excuse I sold it won't work, the details are to them, they are responsible.

[zico's mum]

 

Pups to be microchipped before they are homed. If all dogs were chipped, the owners can be traced and the excuse I sold it won't work, the details are to them, they are responsible.

 

So someone dumps their 12 year old dog because,say,the vet fees are too high or they have become incontinent,and the breeder is responsible? Why,it's the person who buys the pup who is responsible for how that dog is treated imo.And what happens if the breeder has died,moved and is untraceable,where does the dog go then.I cannot see how microchipping is the answer.

[cycas]

The problem I can see with all the regulation ideas is the enforcement.

 

OK, we can say that breeders must do this, or must do that - but the problem in this particular situation* seems to be people like the chap in the Panorama program whose dog became pregnant because his mate's dog came round and it just sort of happened, without a plan, and then he was selling the pups to people he knew, rather than advertising publicly. You can make laws to say he must do this, or he must do that, but who's going to check or make him do it ?

 

* there are of course other problems with puppy farms, and regulation might well be more feasible and make a big difference there, but my impression is that the Staffy X numbers problem is less about puppy farms and more about backyard breeders?

[Mrs Mop]

So someone dumps their 12 year old dog because,say,the vet fees are too high or they have become incontinent,and the breeder is responsible? Why,it's the person who buys the pup who is responsible for how that dog is treated imo.And what happens if the breeder has died,moved and is untraceable,where does the dog go then.I cannot see how microchipping is the answer.

 

 

Ooops, sorry, wasn't very clear, the pup's details do have to be changed, for the breeder's peace of mind it would be better if they changed them or didn't chip them until they know who the owner was before they go to their new home.

 

I have sold the dog/given the dog away is now common with dogs that come into the pounds, if the details are not changed, they will need to prove the dog was moved on or be responsible.