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In reply to the discussion: Since the dog show was just on I'd like to bring up something that has been bothering me for awhile. [View all]Maraya1969
(22,480 posts)7. Should have put this one as the top post. Very interesting read.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/sports/many-animal-lovers-now-see-american-kennel-club-as-an-outlier.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Margaret and James Hamilton were a dog power couple, seemingly the perfect people for raising and selling purebreds. Margaret was a breeder and a dog show judge who owned prizewinning Chihuahuas. Some of her litters were registered with the American Kennel Club, a stamp of approval from an organization charged with maintaining breed standards and registering purebreds around the country. Her husband, James, was a leader in a local A.K.C. Rottweiler club.
But when the local police entered a home in Burien, Wash., in October 2011, they wondered what standard the Hamiltons were being held to. The police said they found 38 dogs that were under Jamess care, mostly Chihuahuas, living in small crates filled with fur and feces, the cages stacked on top of one another in a dark basement, according to court documents. A radio was blaring, drowning out the sound of barking, and many of the dogs were malnourished and had eye diseases and overgrown toenails, according to investigators. Thirteen dogs were euthanized the night of their rescue because of incurable health problems, including severe periodontal disease.
The same day at the Hamiltons residence in Issaquah, Wash., 62 dogs were seized and one was euthanized. The Hamiltons were charged with animal cruelty in the second degree.
It was a Silence of the Lambs scene down there, Kim Koon of Pasados Safe Haven, a local animal shelter that was involved in the investigation, said of the basement. Those animals were in horrible shape.
Margaret and James Hamilton were a dog power couple, seemingly the perfect people for raising and selling purebreds. Margaret was a breeder and a dog show judge who owned prizewinning Chihuahuas. Some of her litters were registered with the American Kennel Club, a stamp of approval from an organization charged with maintaining breed standards and registering purebreds around the country. Her husband, James, was a leader in a local A.K.C. Rottweiler club.
But when the local police entered a home in Burien, Wash., in October 2011, they wondered what standard the Hamiltons were being held to. The police said they found 38 dogs that were under Jamess care, mostly Chihuahuas, living in small crates filled with fur and feces, the cages stacked on top of one another in a dark basement, according to court documents. A radio was blaring, drowning out the sound of barking, and many of the dogs were malnourished and had eye diseases and overgrown toenails, according to investigators. Thirteen dogs were euthanized the night of their rescue because of incurable health problems, including severe periodontal disease.
The same day at the Hamiltons residence in Issaquah, Wash., 62 dogs were seized and one was euthanized. The Hamiltons were charged with animal cruelty in the second degree.
It was a Silence of the Lambs scene down there, Kim Koon of Pasados Safe Haven, a local animal shelter that was involved in the investigation, said of the basement. Those animals were in horrible shape.
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Since the dog show was just on I'd like to bring up something that has been bothering me for awhile. [View all]
Maraya1969
Feb 2013
OP
I like the "dog shows" where kids bring in their pets -- mongrels or "mixed breed" or what-have-you,
MADem
Feb 2013
#1
Am with you on that. I have 3 little dogs and wouldn't trade them for anything. All three
southernyankeebelle
Feb 2013
#27
There are good breeders, but they are far from typical. You mentioned hip dysplasia and
Egalitarian Thug
Feb 2013
#22
Exactly. The breeds were almost all created to perform some specific function.
Egalitarian Thug
Feb 2013
#35
After reading all these posts I think its high time we do something about it. I'd say a petition to
Maraya1969
Feb 2013
#6
A good point. I recall an incident walking down a sidewalk and seeing a poor cat near death.
freshwest
Feb 2013
#10
The Crufts standards are actually getting less extreme in the last few years--and geared to health.
MADem
Feb 2013
#30
Just found this out but in 2008 the BBC stopped broadcasting all dog show coverage
Maraya1969
Feb 2013
#24
Look too at the dogs that have developed major health issues because of breeding.
AngryOldDem
Feb 2013
#26
Give it time. Those dogs just happen to be very popular right now. What is he going to do
Maraya1969
Feb 2013
#41
That woman paid money for her dog yet was willing to have it euthanized. It says
Maraya1969
Feb 2013
#46