It is important that all animals are given a home, loved and cared for as the living beings they are. Rescue and other such programs have a place in society to tackle overpopulation efforts through low cost veterinary clinics, spay and neuter programs and TNR (trap, neuter, release) programs. In fact many breeders work closely with their local rescue or shelter to foster kittens or volunteer their expertise to help the facilities in numerous other ways.
Unfortunately, it seems that as soon as one mentions the word “breeder” many people get this sad look on their face. Many people believe all breeders are the same, simply contributing to the over population of animals who are being over bred and poorly taken care of. They often reference kitten mills and other horrendous kitten operations.
These breeding programs do exist and they certainly are a problem. Ethical breeders do not condone this and actively aim to educate, report and prevent these operations from continuing.
Believe it or not, there is a whole spectrum of breeders from Hoarders and BYBs (backyard breeders) to Hobby and Experienced Breeders that fall under the “breeder” label. There are major differences that distinguish these various breeders from each other. It is important to recognize this to break the Breeder Label stereotype.
There is certainly the good, bad and ugly of every industry so its important not lump breeders all into one pile and understand these differences so one can support the good and phase out the bad.
The following chart displays numerous topics and how each of the types of breeders or animal “suppliers” would fall into that specific categories.
