Since the dog show was just on I'd like to bring up something that has been bothering me for awhile.

[yewberry]

20. This is a subject I get unpleasant about.

This country euthanizes millions (yes, millions) of animals every year.

Breeders, kennel clubs, "fanciers"-- every single animal that is created out of this sick, stupid system means another unhomed animal dies. These beautiful animals are our responsibility, and we fail them and fail them and fail them in favor of some idiotic notion of breed purity. Wonderful animals die while stupid people breed and breed in the hope of producing the "best" color combination or nose shape.

Please, peeps, don't bother talking to me about the value of purebreds-- you're wasting your breath. My husband has been a dog trainer for decades and I know the whys and wherefores. I know dogs.

My dogs have all been rescues. I've had purebreds & mutts, I've fished a bag of puppies out of a pond, and I've fostered dogs that were on the destroy list because their supposed "caregiver" beat them and they were deemed unsafe for biting back. I spent years protecting a rescue Rottie girl who really wasn't ready for the real world-- she lived a long, happy life, and everyone who knew her loved her.

All of them deserve better. These are lives that exist because of us, and we owe them better. They should not be judged on worth; they are living beings, not commodities.