Uh Ohhh… why does she need to say ANYTHING about politics on a rat website??

Because yes, my friends, it affects even those of us who want to continue to provide healthy, good-tempered, purebred animals to the loving pet-owning public.  There are those radical groups in our country who believe that breeding animals is wrong; they have misguided notions that responsible, ethical breeders are part of the problem rather than the solution to the animals that are in the shelter and those killed on the highways.  The truth is, the responsible breeders sell what they produce on contracts that not only insist on no breeding (pet only), but a lifetime return policy: if the animal cannot be kept by the purchasing/adopting party for it’s entire lifetime, then it is to be returned to the breeder — not dumped at the local shelter.

The breeding of purebred animals is also not the hotbed of inheritable disease that some would have you believe; I also breed AKC Border Terriers, and before my dogs are bred, they are OFA certified in hips, elbows, knees, cardiac and have a veterinary ophthalmologist examine their eyes annually (or nearly so).  They complete their AKC championship to verify their quality as a good example of the breed, and also obtain their AKC Good Citizen certificate to verify all around good temperament and basic obedience.  Please explain to me how it is possible that a dog with completely unknown parentage (or a cross between two breeds with KNOWN health problems, ie, Labrador x Poodle = Labradoodle), both being MUTTS and whose parentage has NEVER had any of the above mentioned health screenings because they are the products of backyard breeders or, worse yet, petshops and puppy mills, can POSSIBLY be healthier or free of inheritable maladies than the dogs I am producing?  Friends, it just isn’t so!

Yet, here is a quote/article from the Liberal website of an organization that would lead you to believe that they are looking out for the best interest of animals:

"Animal Rights Uncompromised: There’s No Such Thing as a Responsible Breeder”.

While their basic movitivation seems to be pure — that they would like to see all homeless animals in good homes before new animals are produced, it isn’t very logical.  In the first place, the rest of us can’t possibly be kept accountable for the irresponsibility of others; nor could we keep up with their practices.  It would be like ratifying a new law that there should be no new retailers until all shoplifters cease.  Hello?  I have to stop doing all that is right until everyone else stops doing all that is wrong??! 

The other problem with their illogical thought process is, if we ended all responsible breeding until the product of irresponsible breeders are homed… what kind of breeding stock would we have left to work with to restart our breeding programs for good, healthy, and temperamentally sound animals?  All the good animals belonging the the responsible breeders will have been spayed and neutered… all you will have left is a few mixed breeds with no records of health, pedigree, temperament, coat types, grooming needs, behavior characteristics (does this animal hunt, retrieve, herd, pull a sled, protect, eradicate vermin, or merely behave as a companion?) — not what I want to start with!

And what does all this have to do with rats?  It’s not only rats, but any type of pedigreed animal that involves good breeding practices, record-keeping, pedigrees, showing, etc.  All of these have come under fire from animal rights groups such as PETA, who are trying to exterminate ALL breeding; they don’t CARE if it’s a puppy mill, backyard breeder, or a responsible, ethical breeder that has taken a breed to heart and dedicated one’s life to the improvement and care of that breed.  They don’t care if an entire breed is wiped out… extinct.  And they are using POLITICAL means to reach their goals; trying to get certain laws passed which will get them, STEP BY STEP, closer to their goal:

1) Breed specific laws: laws that outlaw or make owning certain breeds more difficult, such as ordinances against "Pit Bulls".  The term "Pit Bull" is a generic term and does not apply to a specific breed; several breeds were used in pit bull fighting in years gone by, and some of those breeds have gone under AKC registration and responsible breeder programs and are as gentle as kittens: the American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and the Bull and Mini-Bull Terrier could all be considered Pit Breeds.  There is also a non-AKC breed called the American Pit Bull Terrier.  To the average citizen on the street, many could not even tell these breeds apart… especially if they came from poor quality breeders.

2)  Laws limiting breeding or mandatory spay/neuter.  Criminals do not care about spaying and neutering.  They do not care about the leash laws, registration laws, breeding ordinances, proper socialization, paying a fee to breed their dogs, the homeless dogs in shelters; if they want to continue their barbaric practices with large, aggressive dogs, they will continue to do so.  If the Pit Breeds are no more, they will pick another breed to use, and will breed in their basements, warehouses, or where-ever.  The ONLY people that will be hurt or curtailed in these mandatory laws will be the responsible breeders, who will be driven right out of the hobby of producing healthy, wonderful specimens of their breed and good pets for their adopters.

WHO is it that is putting forth this type of legislation?  By far, it is those who propose "more government" in your life — the far-left Democrats.  Now, many of my good friends are Democrats and I have a "live and let live" policy… many have a heart of gold and only want to see more of their hard-earned dollars go to help their fellow citizens, which is entirely their right; that’s what being an American is all about — the freedom to have the right to say what we believe.  And since this is my website, you came here to see what I believe.  For the life of me, I don’t understand how someone can be a breeder (of any species) and have a link to PETA on their website!  Talk about shooting oneself in the foot!  There are a lot of reasons for voting one way or another; economics (FWIW, I can remember standing in gas lines in the early 80’s, and not being able to buy our first home because mortgage interest was 17% — all under Democrat Jimmy Carter — so don’t think the current problems are confined to Republican rule!), war & peace (ehh, anyone remember getting into Viet Nam by Democrat JFK and getting out by Republican R.M. Nixon?)  and other social ethics (abortion, etc.) but this is one topic that is continuously on the line these days and affects what I do on a daily basis.  Having good animals is important to me, and I want sources other than my local pound and puppy mill… for this AND other reasons important to me, I am voting REPUBLICAN.

For more information that plainly explains the difference between Animal Rights and Animal Welfare, I strongly encourage everyone to click on this link and check this website where the goals of major organizations like PETA and the Humane Society of the United States are clearly presented: http://www.animalscam.com/rights_vs_welfare.cfm

If you want to do something to help animals and preserve the rights of those of us who want to OWN and breed GOOD animals,  check out and support the National Animal Interest Alliance.  (Click link and READ).  The National Animal Interest Alliance is a group started by some of America’s most respected animal professionals and enthusiasts in order to protect the rights of owners and groups involved in animal welfare with an interest in legislation and defending those from animal and environmental extremism.