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This assignment originated with the summer reading textbook Student Voice, a collection of short student-written editorials, published by the New York Times. The students were assigned to read one from each category and annotate, about 12-13 essays. After we discussed several of the essays in the book, each student chose their own topic, wrote a first draft on paper, completed research, participated in peer review and feedback, and then submitted a final, polished third draft. There was a 500 word limit and they had to use two outside sources. Ms. Lowe picked the three strongest essays from each section for a total of 12 finalists. Those finalists were invited to FLEX to revise their essays once again. The revisions were passed along to a panel of judges, Mrs. Kanipe, Madame Tedder, and Ms. Lord, who narrowed down the winners.
Exceptional breeders are constantly being bombarded with malicious comments such as, “You’re putting more dogs in shelters! Stop breeding!” or “What you’re doing is terrible! Adopt, don’t shop!” People who believe in this fallacy of “Adopt, don’t shop,” are contributing to the increase of dogs in shelters. Purebred dog breeders pour endless amounts of time and money into their dogs to ensure owners have a dog that is healthy. They also provide resources to decrease the likelihood a buyer should run into the circumstance where they can no longer keep their dog.
As purebred breeders, my family runs an exceptional Bernese Mountain Dog breeding business named Sunny Chestnut Farm. We take pride in the extra steps we take that ensure the health of our dogs. All of our dogs have had extensive orthopedic and genetic testing. Their pedigrees have been examined going back multiple generations, providing vital information about their health which is “helpful to ensure you’ve added a healthy, well-bred dog to your home” (Riney). Our litters and dogs are vaccinated and receive the best in veterinary care. They have 12 fenced acres to explore as well as places to come inside and rest. They are fed a diet of top quality dog food combined with fresh food such as beef, oats, spinach and eggs from our farm.
We are very careful about who buys our puppies. We review each buyer individually with a survey and phone interview to ensure their lifestyle and living situation is suitable for a puppy. We provide detailed information about raising our puppies and support for the life of the dog. It is impossible for any of our puppies to end up in a shelter because owners are contractually obligated to return the dog to us if for any reason they are unable to care for the dog at any point in its life. This is something we do gladly, but is also required by the American Kennel Club (AKC) for all registered breeders. The truth is that breeders provide families with dogs that do not end up in shelters.
According to a recent NAIA (National Animal Interest Alliance) study written by Patti Strands, purebred dogs are not a significant contributor to animals in shelters comprising only 5% of the shelter population. Of the 5% of the shelter population that are purebred dogs, the majority end up in shelters for normal reasons that have nothing to do with breeders such as the dog becoming lost and the shelter being unable to locate the owner.
Reputable breeders provide exceptional dogs to vetted owners with lifetime support and a failsafe if anything happens. Breeders are a helpful part of the national dog community and not a meaningful contributor to the shelter overcrowding problem. If anything, more people should buy dogs from breeders, making an appropriate commitment to their new pet while receiving the support from their breeder that helps to ensure a great life for the dog and that it will never spend a night in a shelter.
Works Cited
“Animal Welfare Stats.” Best Friends Animal Society, https://bestfriends.org/no-kill-2025/animal-welfare-statistics. Accessed 15 October 2023.
“Pet Adoption Statistics in 2023.” The Zebra, 11 July 2023, https://www.thezebra.com/resources/research/pet-adoption-statistics/. Accessed 15 October 2023.
Riney, Cornell. “Benefits of canine DNA testing.” Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/riney-canine-health-center/canine-health-information/benefits-canine-dna-testing. Accessed 15 October 2023.
Strands, Patti. “NAIA study confirms fewer dogs, scarce purebreds in US animal shelters.” National Animal Interest Alliance, 14 July 2015, https://naiaonline.org/articles/article/naia-study-confirms-fewer-dogs-scarce-purebreds-in-us-animal-shelters#sthash.eVrpn8cN.OfMdGdmY.dpbs. Accessed 16 October 2023.
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