Most of you have met my Jack Russell, Morris.Yesterday we got an interesting phone call from a lady who owns a JRT mix female.
This woman works at the Tomah VA and her dog is a Certified Therapy Dog.
She has been searching to find an appropriate JRT to breed to so that she can train more Therapy Dogs.
Her main concern is temperament, attitude, and of course a *people friendly* dog.
She called around to the local veterinarians and asked their opinions. Two vets recommended Morris.
Yes Morris is not neutered [my veterinarian had said at one time to leave him intact as he was such a well bred and well mannered dog, that he should be allowed at some point to pass on those exemplary traits].
I've not considered 'breeding' at all until now.
I know the argument against breeding any dog.
But if one were to breed for a specific purpose such as Therapy Dogs or even a dog trained as a a Service Dog would you consider that responsible breeding?
Morris has proven to have all of these capabilities. He spent the first 3 years of his life at a Doctor's office greeting patients and sitting with them while they waited to be seen.
Morris used to get Christmas Cards from patients. Some patients would only come in if Morris was *scheduled* to be there also.
I think I will have to visit with this lady and her dog.
This is a huge decision, not to be made lightly.
I'm mulling things over of course and expect to have plenty of opinions on this matter.
Besides the obvious reason .... that there are already too many unwanted dogs in this world .... are there any physical/emotional reasons to not do it in regards to Morris? I mean can servicing a female JR cause any personality changes in him??? AND if you chose to could you arrange to have one of the puppies?
ReplyDeleteI know I would have trouble deciding whether to do it or not! Good luck deciding....
Those are all questions that need to be answered.
ReplyDeleteI spoke with the vet and he said that he didn't believe one servicing would change Morris's attitude any.
Everyone is asking me if I would get a pup and everyone who knows Morris also would want one of his pups.
This is perplexing to me.
I'm going to call and meet with this lady and her dog before I make any decisions at all.
One more thought ..... I have always thought that careful, conscientious breeding, with good thought to what the outcome will be, is the key to correcting most of the problems of canine overpopulation. It's just too bad that everyone didn't give it the careful thought that you are giving it!!!!
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