Back Yard Breeders

I'd like to share Sophie's story with everyone, and why breeding is not just for those that can get two dogs together and breed them. It is for people knowledgeable about the breed, do the proper testing, and spend years learning genetics. They care about the breed, and they work hard to better it.

Meet Sophie. Many of you know my Sophie girl either from seeing her on the forum for the amount of time I've been a member, or from meeting her in person. She has a beautiful personality, loving, and sweet, with of course, the Cocker quirks.

Sophie is from (I believe) a back yard breeder. Whoever owned her before me, dropped her off at Carson Shelter in CA on July 1st, 2007. Whoever "owned" her before, did not even leave a name for her. This girl has not always had the pampered life she is accustomed to now.

When I picked her up from the shelter, on July 3rd, 2007 she was 40lbs. That's about double what an average Cocker should weigh. She was matted, and hadn't been bathed in months. Her skin was flaky and peeling, and her coat was dull. Her ears were coated inside with a brown goo; it looked like someone melted peanut butter and dumped it into her ears. Whoever her previous owners were either had a collar on her that was too tight, or had her tied to something, as she had a bleeding wound on the front of her neck as well. A week after bringing her home and $400.00 dollars later, she had clean ears, clean teeth, was shaved down, a full array of medications, and had a new lease on life.

Now the work began. I put her on a diet food, to try and get her weight down, but it wasn't working. I was putting oils in her food to get her coat to shine, and it started working, but her ears weren't getting better.

Now starts the constant battle with her ears. Vet after vet prescribing ear drops and antibiotics, and nothing was working. Different ones, and still nothing. Less than 6 months after bringing her home, she came down with pneumonia. Another $800.00 dollars to get her healthy.

That Christmas was her first Christmas with us, and although i would love to tell you, much had changed with Sophie in that 6 months we had her at that time, it had not. She was still 40lbs, her coat was still dull, her skin still flaky, and her ears still full of goo.

During the next 9 months, I went to vet appointments, and searched online for answers to her issues. I learned a lot, and we kept trekking through, trying to find a solution to her problems. I tried a dozen different cleaners, homemade "fixes" and such for her problems. I finally stumbled upon the forum, and learned a lot more. Finally in October of 2008 I learned more about foods, and how they could help her skin, coat, ears and weight. I found yet another vet to try and help me, and off we went. She prescribed different things than the vets before, so i was hopeful. This approach worked for one ear, better than the other, so for the past year, i have been cleaning Sophie's right ear, daily, to keep infection at bay. This wasn't a fix, but a bandaid. Finally in December 2009 I took her in to yet another vet, just about to give up hope for her, and request that he quote me for the amount an ear ablation surgery would cost.

In tears I drove Sophie to the vet. After 2.5 years of different vets telling me there was no hope for that darn ear, I had finally given up, I couldn't stand seeing Sophie in pain, and knowing how badly she was hurting. This vet gave us some hope on that front.

Sophie has allergy problems, which are causing the skin, and ear issues. She has minor hip problems. She is much larger than your average female Cocker should be, and larger than most males should be as well. Her front legs are shorter than her back legs, giving her the impression of walking downhill, which (i believe) contributes the minor hip problems. I still have problems with her skin, but it is much better. These issues are minor compared to the horror stories i've heard from others who bought from a back yard breeder or a pet store/puppy mill.

The back yard breeder that bred her parents 7 years ago, probably sold her for $200 dollars. The people that bought her didn't care enough about her to even leave her name when they dropped her off at the shelter. They had never cleaned her ears, in the 5 years they had her. They hadn't bathed her in months, and she was more than likely an outdoor dog.

I spent more on Sophie's health problems in the first 6 months I had her, than it would have cost me to buy a puppy from a reputable breeder, and pay for the puppy shots, and puppy visits. I love her dearly, and she is worth every penny I spend on her. She will need me to constantly be on top of her ears for the rest of her life. She will need to take prescription antihistamines for the rest of her life as well.

For the past 2 years, i have looked at Sophie in a bittersweet way. I love her dearly, but I look at her, and I know that people did this to her. The people that bred her did this, the people that bought her from them did this. She lives in pain because of them. I'm paying for this. I'm cleaning up their mess, because i rescued her. I took that on, and I don't regret it at all, but I want to educate others, and help them understand WHY buying from back yard breeders and puppy mills is NOT ok, it is NOT saving a life...it is putting money in the hands of scummy people to continue to do what they are doing, which is essentially neglecting, and causing harm to the animals in their care, and the future animals they breed.

This is Sophie's first day in her new life...overweight, panting, matted, and dirty