Dear Backyard Breeder --

I am writing this in a state of anger, frustration, and sadness. I
think you will understand why as you read this letter.

About two years ago, you decided to breed a litter of Shelties. Your
bitch wasn't really breeding quality, and you certainly didn't know
enough about the breed, so perhaps it was greed, ignorance, or the
desire to show the kids the highly overrated miracle of birth. You
managed to find a male of equally undistinguished parentage, and the
deal was consummated. Your bitch, who had previously been confined to
the backyard because she was not housebroken and had absolutely no
manners, must have felt like royalty when you allowed her to stay in
the garage while she tended her puppies. The puppies received very
little handling and only absolutely minimal vet care. After all, you
had to make money on the litter. You started to panic when the pups
were 6 weeks old, and prospective buyers were not exactly beating a
path to your door. The price dropped to $75, and the interview for
prospective buyers consisted pretty much of "Did you bring cash?"

One lively, playful male was sold to a young couple with a toddler and
another child on the way. Any responsible breeder would have known this
was a bad placement and would have counseled the couple to wait until
the kids were 4 or 5. Maybe you didn't know any better, or maybe you
just didn't care, so you sold them the puppy. Things were okay for a
very short time, but then the puppy, in his youthful exuberance, was
knocking the toddler down, and the kid was becoming afraid of him. The
parents, novice dog owners without a clue about training, banished the
pup to the backyard. Unfortunately he was lonely and started barking
and digging. They called you and offered to return him, but you said
you didn't want him back and that you were getting out of dogs. (Thank
goodness!) They ran an ad in the paper...free to good home, but they
were pretty lenient on the interpretation of good home.

A young man took the puppy. He saw this free, AKC registered dog as a
way to make extra money standing the dog at stud. I guess the income
wasn't that great, or the guy spent it too quickly. The dog was hit by
a car. The owner neglected to get veterinary care until 5 days later
and only did so because the leg was all swollen, and the dog was in
severe pain. When the vet told him how much the treatment would cost,
the owner said to euthanize the dog. The vet thought the dog was too
sweet to kill, so she called someone in rescue. This person paid for
the treatment and took the dog home to heal. When the dog was healed
and no adopters were forthcoming, she called me and I took the dog to
foster.

He really liked living here. I taught him some basic manners, and he
got to watch TV in the evenings. He liked playing with my dogs. When a
good possibility of a home came along, I adopted him out. Things were
fine for the first 2 days, but then he started to show unpredictable
aggression, not to the adopters, but to guests or people they
encountered when walking him. They reluctantly returned him to me. I
did more socialization and then got another rescue person to take him
for a week and see what kind of results he got. Same story. The dog was
fine for a very short time and then began displaying unpredictable
aggression. I took him back knowing that the only alternative now was
to put him down. A dog with unpredictable aggression is just not a
candidate for placement. We have so many more dogs looking for homes
than there are homes available that resources cannot be spent on a dog
with unsatisfactory temperament.

So, Back Yard Breeder, you produced this dog and then abandoned all
responsibility for him. I took him to the vet yesterday. He knew
something was wrong...probably because I was crying and my hands were
shaking. I knew I had to do this, but I really liked this dog and hated
that this was the way it would end. I held him in my arms as he drifted
off. There is no more confusion and instability in his young life, and
now he has playmates at the Rainbow Bridge. I know that for at least
the time he lived here he was happy and well-cared for. I can't help
thinking that if you had been more selective of buyers and if his
owners had been more responsible and provided him with care and
training, he wouldn't have had to die. Maybe it was genetic. Perhaps
his parents had aggression problems, and you never considered that when
you bred the litter. I don't know. I just know that I wish you could
feel as bad as I do over this.

I suppose the irresponsible people who owned him along the way have to
share the blame too. The young couple bought on impulse without doing
any research into the breed. They didn't train him and then just gave
him away when he became inconvenient. The young man who let him suffer
before seeking vet care should never own another pet. But by and large,
Back Yard Breeder, I blame you because you made a conscious decision to
create life and then refused to take responsibility for what you had
created.

Angrily yours,

A Rescue Worker
[Author Unknown]