Top 35 Most Unwanted Purebred Dogs
By Amanda St. John
Many people resist
the calls to have their animals neutered. The common refrain
is that it is a purebred, and they might want to breed him one day.
Chances are, that occasions occur where the breeding does not occur
between another dog of the same breed. And there you have it -
another litter of unwanted "mutts".
However, shelters cannot blame the mixed breeds either.
Purebreds are born every day, and the average shelter has one in
four unwanted purebreds. This is the result of people
who are careless, greedy or just don't get the idea, that every dog
out there has to have a family. Fad breeds, like "Taco" or
Paris Hilton dogs, and Disney Dalmations over-run shelters when the
fad passes along to the next top dog.
The statistics by the Seattle Purebred-Rescue provides a sobering
thought. Not all unwanted pets are Mutts.
SPDR TOP Most Unwanted Breeds
|
BREED |
2003 |
|
AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIER |
434* |
|
BEAGLE |
315 |
|
LABRADOR RETRIEVER |
236 |
|
GERMAN SHEPHERD |
219 |
|
SIBERIAN HUSKY |
211 |
|
COCKER SPANIEL |
190 |
|
DACHSHUND |
160 |
|
AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG |
152 |
|
LHASA APSO |
107 |
|
GOLDEN RETRIEVER |
104 |
|
BOXER |
102 |
|
AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD |
97 |
|
JACK RUSSELL TERRIER |
67 |
|
POMERANIAN |
59 |
|
BORDER COLLIE |
58 |
|
ALASKAN MALAMUTE |
56 |
|
SHIH TZU |
53 |
|
SHETLAND SHEEPDOG |
52 |
|
AMERICAN ESKIMO |
43 |
|
BULLDOG |
43 |
|
DOBERMAN PINSCHER |
41 |
|
PUG |
37 |
|
YORKSHIRE TERRIER |
35 |
|
KEESHOND |
31 |
|
POODLE (TOY & MINIATURE) |
27* |
|
BASSET HOUND |
27 |
|
ROTTWEILER |
* |
|
AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER |
* |
|
GERMAN SHORTHAIRED POINTER |
* |
|
MASTIFF |
* |
|
ENGLISH SPRINGER SPANIEL |
|
|
TOTAL DOGS HANDLED |
3,333 |
The SPDR "Top Most Unwanted" are the
top breeds that SPDR sees the most of. The number after each breed
is that breed's total number of dogs handled by SPDR during the
year. Our appreciation goes to all who struggle to meet the needs of
these dogs.
Spay and neuter! Altered animals are healthier and make calmer, safer
pets with fewer behavior problems. If you don't want to spay
because you want more dogs, and are in love with your pet's breed,
visit the shelter to find another purebred pet. That way you
don't make five puppies, so you can have just one.
As for the breeders, there are those who are in it for love of their
breed and a passion to preserve the breed's distinct
characteristics. They are responsible for breeding healthy,
emotionally sound dogs.
It is when the money factor becomes the prime factor that they
contribute to the problem. When dogs are bred for profit and
over-reach the market we end up with the need for purebred shelters.
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