Did you ignore the part where I said "until it is illegal to do so?" Child pornography is illegal. I don't know gun laws but I don't think a bazooka is legal either.
I'm still making the point that just because you can afford it doesn't make it right to have it, whether it violates the laws or not. On the other hand there are things that are ethical to have but not legal in some countries, like banned books.
But yeah, an SUV that gets 1 mpg highway is legal and I don't have a problem with a person owning one if that's what they want.
But is it ethical? Do you really think that owning an SUV is the right thing to do, or do you just not care about fossil fuel depletion or green house gases?
That animal at the pound may not have the qualities you want in a dog. I say it again, if you want a puppy that will grow to be a predictable size with a predictable coat and at least a ballpark predictable temperament, you can't get that at the pound. You can argue that until your fingers fall off, but it's the truth.
I agree with you that knowing what you are going to get in a dog is a great concept. I also think it's great that you can choose whether you want your dog to have hip dysplasia, breathing issues, and other problems that are associated with specific purebred breeds.
Dogs are property in this country. That's the law that you so tenaciously cling to in your prior argument. Obviously going into this field we care about our pets more than we care about a lot of our other property, but the fact remains that they are property. Animal-rights psychos are trying to change that and I fear the day they actually do because you know what it will do? It will take the right to choose the best care for our own pets right out from under us. I don't see how that would help a veterinarian at all.
I disagree that animals are "just property" in this country. If I want to forcibly remove the leg of a chair, I can do so and am completely within my rights and am not violating furniture welfare laws. If I pull my dog's leg off, I will probably face jail time. You see, animals have rights above and beyond the rights of a chair, a car, etc. The law recognizes these rights. Also, I can't leave twelve million dollars to my bed when I die, but I can leave my entire estate to my cat. So you see animals occupy a gray area of the law between property and human beings. Also, I don't think that viewing animals as property is the best view to have as a future veterinary professional. We're not trying to become auto mechanics here, but doctors. We need to not just blindly follow the client's will, but be patient advocates.
Why would you want to make it harder for good breeders to breed dogs? That's all those licenses and regulations would do. A giant puppy mill can afford all those license fees and hire people to ensure they meet regulations but a person who spends thousands of dollars and countless hours on showing their dog, health testing their dog, training for obedience/tracking/agility and selecting a mate who will make the offspring even stronger - they've already stretched themselves thin and proven themselves in my mind and I don't see why you would want to punish them for it. I'm all for neutering pet dogs for a hundred different reasons, don't get me wrong, and if you actually read my original post I don't think just anybody should breed dogs either, but I think that saying all breeders are unethical and that breeding dogs should be outlawed is quite a bit extremist of a viewpoint to take.
I didn't say that all breeders are unethical. I said that breeding dogs is unethical, so let me make my point a bit clearer. I think that to bring another litter into the world, even if you are extremely responsible and are doing so because you love the breed is just a tad irresponsible. You see, I don't lump all breeders together, saying they are all irresponsible, unethical drunken louts who smell bad and beat their children. Dogs have to breed or we wouldn't have any more! I wish I could put all breeding into the hands of the responsible breeders who do it out of love and not for profit. But I cannot. And again, as I explore this issue more I have warmed up a bit to the best of breeders. I'm really here to learn more than argue, although it seems that is what it has come down to. That's why I'm so "outrageous" about mandatory spay/neuter. I've worked at animal shelters where we have the same animals having litters year after year. It breaks my heart.
I guess it all comes down to this: I view the mutts dying in the pounds as equal to those being bred with the utmost care. It's a personal philosophical view, one that I have for my own reasons. I would rather have a world with pound puppies than of breeds selectively bred for positive traits if it meant that less animals would have to die.
And if believing animals deserve more than to be just property and that pound mutts and purebreds are equal makes me a bad veterinarian, then that is how it will be.
Their okay. Don't worry!
