@DebraDownSouth:
But I'll tell you what… go work in rescue. Spend one month, just one day a week, volunteering at your local shelter-- groom, walk, play with, love and then hold dogs being euthanized for lack of homes. Just one month. That's all I ask. THEN you judge me for my fury at people throwing in out and out lies to justify buying from a byb/petstore/puppymill.
Debra, I understand that you are passionate about this issue. I am very aware of the problem. My niece is a vet and has had to euthanize such dogs. I've helped out with unwanted and sick horses, more than dogs, but unfortunately for them, unwanted horses mostly end up in the meat market. Dogs and cats go to shelters in the vain hope of finding a home. The problem isn't only irresponsible breeders, it is also uneducated, impulsive people who buy totally unsuitable dogs, then discard them when they don't work out. (I know, a good breeder wouldn't sell to such people, but they can fool you!)
I have a friend who is in another breed. She started with one bitch. She bred her because she wanted a pup from her. My friend was educated in all facets of her breed, including health issues, and planned her breeding accordingly. My friend wasn't into showing, but the litter were quality dogs and some went to show homes. My friend has since gotten involved in showing and has done well. She expanded her kennel and has a good reputation. My point is that she was not an irresponsible breeder when she began with that one bitch, so there are exceptions to your assertion that anyone who isn't in the show ring is irresponsible.
You ask "why are they breeding?" If you have a bitch you particularly like, perhaps you want a pup from her for yourself. Hard to ensure only one puppy is conceived, so obviously you need to do something with the rest. (horse owners have it easier…..I have two horses standing in the field behind my house that are the offspring of a mare I particularly liked. They are not and never have been for sale) The people I bought my Border Collie from had a nice working bitch and wanted a pup to succeed her as farm dog. They sold the excess pups and I was lucky enough to obtain the best, most loyal dog I have ever owned.
I didn't consider the OP's response to be lying. As far as knowing the sire and dam names, I can't remember that information about any of the Basenjis I have owned without looking it up, and to be honest, I would be hard put to give their registered names without running upstairs to check their papers. People not into showing don't fuss much about such things once they have bought the dog.
In any case, there are better ways of telling someone you don't approve of their actions. Anger doesn't help you or educate them. A better approach might have been to ask the OP whether the sire and dam had been tested for Fanconi, PRA, PPM, etc. and see what response he would give. If it was the one you expected, that might be the right time for the lecture. But hopefully delivered in a civil tone, so that you don't turn people off of your very important message.
O.K. off my soapbox now....
Oh, BTW, yes, of course there are more issues in Basenjis than Fanconi, but do you happen to know if anyone is looking into the role that environment has in determining phenotype? There are just too many anomalies to believe that genotype is the whole story here. Research into epigenetics may yet enlighten us as to the reasons....
