Why is backyard breeding a problem?

Backyard breeding major concern
Trevor Pritchard

The sleepy-eyed dachshund on Helen MacPherson’s armchair pokes his nose up, looks around lazily, and slumps back into the cushions.

“We’re getting old,” laughs the 72-year-old MacPherson, trying unsuccessfully to coax ten-year-old Texas off his comfortable perch.

Today, MacPherson has only two dogs – the purebred Texas and Prudence, a half-blind Cairn terrier. But for almost twenty years, MacPherson was one of the top rottweiler breeders in Southern Ontario.

Now retired, MacPherson has scrapbooks filled with mementos from those days, when she and her husband bred and raised the dogs on their pig farm in Ankona. Along with dozens of photographs, she also has the certifications from the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) for all of her purebred rottweilers.

For two decades, Helen MacPherson was a registered rottweiler breeder. But many breeders are not certified by the CKC, and it’s these “backyard breeders” who are now causing concern – both to legitimate breeders and the public alike.

Irresponsible breeding

In most cases, irresponsible backyard breeding means that litters of unwanted puppies end up in pounds and animal shelters.

But when it comes to rottweilers, akitas, and other so-called “dangerous dogs,” backyard breeding can turn into a deadly problem.

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The CKC has a stern code of ethics designed to curtail unregistered backyard breeding.

"It shall be the aim of every breeder to breed dogs that are healthy and sound in both mind and body, to ensure that the dogs are true to their heritage and that they meet the requirements of the CKC Breed Standards." - CKC Code of Ethics "Very dangerous"

Don French is a professional rottweiler breeder and trainer in Ingersoll, and the former Ontario director of the Rottweiler Club of Canada. He wants to see governments at the provincial and municipal levels come down hard on unlicensed breeders.

“We as professional breeders really look down on backyard breeding,” says French. “It’s very dangerous . . . We’ve got dogs of unknown origin being bred, producing puppies whose temperaments may be uncertain, (and) whose ability to be trained or be socialized (as) a good dog in society is sometimes hampered.”

"They have no responsibility!" French says the problem with backyard breeders is that they’re usually more concerned about profiting from their dogs’ litters than making sure the puppies are properly trained.

And often, it’s the new owner who’s left to deal with the consequences - like finding someone who can train an unruly, unresponsive animal.

“They have no responsibility to the people who buy the puppies,” says French. “A lot of times if people have problems with the puppies, the breeder doesn’t give them any follow-up.”