Sarah, yes you are giving bad breeders too much credit
It's not supply and demand - it's now supply and 'I want'
Ages ago I spoke to a friend who breeds working working cockers and asked what her pre-requisites for buying her puppies were - here are the bones of them (and this is purely so you can see how she chooses where they go, it's not a stab at anyone at the board
)
The Musts
- Must go to working & pet home - if solely working then she must know them personally and how the dogs are trained and kennelled etc
- No children under 10
- Must have country home, definitely not city
- Must have experience of at least a working gundog breed
those are the ones that stuck in my head - she has dozens more 'rules', very much like a rescue really. She only breeds from her bitches twice, all her litters are pre-sold and in the very unusual event that a dog has to be re-homed (emigration has been the only reason she can recall) then it comes back to her.
Her dogs are bred first and foremost for working ability, biddability, health and temperament. Colour isn't a factor. It's rare that you can actually get any of her puppies as they are always pre-booked.
Compare that to the 'I want' free ads on the internet with the cute photo's of hundreds of puppies on them - I want a working cocker puppy, I want a chocolate/lemon/black and tan one (insert favourite colour there
) and I want it NOW....and I bet you can get one within a few hours if you have the cash available.
But is that right for the breed?