Posted on 02/16/2010 10:07:14 PM PST by Zakeet
Sadie the Scottish terrier won America's top dog show Tuesday night, and that was pretty predictable. What happened moments before she took the title at Westminster was far more startling.
Two women walked into the center ring at Madison Square Garden and held up signs that said "Mutts Rule" and "Breeders Kill Shelter Dogs' Chances," the latter a slogan popularized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
The crowd of 15,000 gasped at the PETA-inspired protest, then booed the women and cheered as security ushered them away without incident. The women were charged with criminal trespass, police said.
The interruption lasted about a minute and was not featured on the USA Network telecast. Moments later, the 4-year-old Sadie climbed the purple best in show podium where one of the women had stood.
"I thought it was well-controlled by our people," Westminster spokesman David Frei said, without elaborating.
Sadie was a big favorite coming into the show, which is for 2,500 purebred dogs. There have been previous protests at Westminster, but none nearly this dramatic. As a matter of course, the public-address announcer at the Garden reads an announcement urging people to visit shelters and adopt their dogs.
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
These purebreds are an investment, but also can be very profitable, particularly the champions and any offspring of champions. I know of a cat owner/breeder who has made thousands on kittens of her prize-winning Siamese and Burmese cats. I will say that these owners are generally very good to their animals; they have to be or they won’t win at the shows and they can’t sell the babies. You aren’t going to find the abuse and neglect you hear about on tv.
Peronsally, I would rather have a “mutt.” All of my cats are/were strays or rescues from a shelter. They seem to have the best temperments and are sweet, loving critters. They may never win “Best of Show” but they are champions to me.
She might be cute, but they all have the intelligence of a turnip.
>Some of the owners I sure are fine but you have cases where more than a few people own one dog???
I almost tend to agree with PETA somewhat that some people may be too busy looking for the perfect pure bred dog just to win a trophy.<
More than a few people own a single racehorse. It happens in dogs, too. It can cost 6 figures to campaign a dog for a year to the top of the sport. If the dog doesn’t like to go to shows, it won’t win, so the dog is doing something it enjoys.
I think football is a colossal waste of time and money. Can’t figure why people make such a big deal over one team over another. I also think it’s disgusting how college football recruiters pick the perfect players just to win some dumb trophy.
You’re quite correct. I once dated this ravishing redhead who showed up in Playboy’s PAC-10 college spread back in university. Unfortunately, she was also a major airhead who belonged to the Greenpeace movement. I only dated her because she turned other guy’s heads when we’re out but everyday, the envirowackiness just outweighed the “you know what’.
“Wondered what the boo-ing was all about. We have shown dogs for several years and at nearly all big shows these morons show up making trouble, even going so far as to letting dogs out of their crates when no one else was around.”
Darn..why do they never show up when I’m at one of those. I’d love to have the opportunity to “play” with them some.
I think the dogs like the attention too. They hold their heads up and just prance around the ring. Plus, they are judged on temperment, so an ornery dog won’t get far.
Yeah, but PETA really kills dogs
http://www.newsweek.com/id/134549
I doubt I would ever adopt a dog from a shelter because I'm looking for something more than the "cute" factor. I'm looking for certain behavior traits that are difficult to pinpoint in "mutts." Unfortunately, not every "mutt" is a good fit for families and children.
If more people chose responsible breeders and took care of their pets to avoid unwanted litters, then we wouldn't have to worry about these poor animals in the shelters.
Instead of targeting responsible owners and rich people who donate to many worthy animal adoption causes...why don't they take their protest signs to the puppy mills, the pit bull fighters and the mom&pop's that just want their dog to have a litter so Junior can learn about the birds and bees?? Of course...they wouldnt' get their name and faces on TV if they did that.
Where’s a Neapolitan Mastiff when you need one?
Exactly, the dogs that are in shelters are not because of breeders, they are there because of irresponsible owners. Many reputable breeders will take the dogs they breed back, no matter what the age. People who show dogs will do a breeding, the show puppies are sold for big bucks, usually to a show home and some breeders retain rights, the puppies that are not show quality will go to pet homes and the breeder will not allow full registration so you are encouraged to get the dog spayed/neutered.
People get a puppy and then are shocked when the puppies take time to train, and that dogs like attention, etc.
It is far easier for people to commit to a season of ‘American Idol’ than it is to devote twenty years to loving and raising a pet...
You have stated it perfectly! All 5 of our guys come from show breeders and have a “take back” clause and we’ve remained in contact with the breeder over the years to update them on how the dog is doing.
PETA failed to acknowledge that a good many dogs turned in to shelters aren’t limited to only mutts; one just has to look at Petfinder to see the large amount of pure breds looking for new homes. Once cute little Rover gets a little older and rips up the couch cushions or runs into an expensive medical problem, the owner gets rid of the dog.
But that's their business, isn't it?
Think “booby trap”, cept it ain’t in her boobies.
“a lot of the owners are idiots.”
The owners range from the wealthy to average middle class people. That mix of classes occurs often on one dog because each owner has a different reason for wanting his name on the registration. Most owners and most breeders are not wealthy, don’t own many dogs and are amateurs but are able to compete against the wealthy and the professionals because of hard work and personal skill. The dogs are treated with better care than most people treat their kids.
PETA hates them because they hate dogs and believe humans are evil. The MSM hates them (and promotes PETA and the HSUS) because they hate the idea of pure competition, private property and believe in controlling what other people do.
> think the dogs like the attention too. They hold their heads up and just prance around the ring. <
They love it. Most folks travel in RV’s and take their older, retired dogs along. Those guys get very insulted when they see the dog show stuff being packed for a trip, if they get left home.
You simply cannot take a reluctant dog in the ring. They flatten their ears, refuse to stand or trot correctly and lean way back when the judge comes to look at them. A dog either loves the activity or he doesn’t. I have an older dog who used to get so excited when we went to agility class. That was her idea of heaven. She’d leap into the car, and the closer we got, the more excited she would become.
And oh...they don't ship. You have to go there to pick your puppy up :-)
What do they do with dogs that are not perfect? Send em to the pound? Put them down? I think probably the latter.
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