By
Gail Toracinta
As I was reading last September's President's message it brought to mind a topic I have been thinking about lately and that is breeder ethics. As we well know the breeding of dogs involves an enormous
amount of responsibility. Sometimes daunting in its work and degree of
commitment when one seriously considers what it all means, the creation of new
life and the lifelong accountability for that life. Such moral obligations
require thoughtful consideration and ethical awareness. Are you prepared for
the worse? Can you admit failure
when something goes wrong?
I received a
phone call the other day from a woman who lost her TT after fourteen years.
Simon came to her as a puppy, and soon she discovered he had several medical
problems that she battled against his entire life. What was most disturbing was when I asked whether she had told her breeder she said she had, and the response she received was "can't be, not in my lines" thus suggesting it was not their problem. The breeder essentially abandoned the
dog and woman. This brings up the
question, what is or is not ethical?
Ethics is a
system of moral principles with moral being the distinction between right and
wrong. These principles govern the
appropriate behavior for an individual or group. They are fundamental to practical decision-making in
providing a code of conduct, which emphasizes the rightness, and wrongness of
certain actions. By what set of
values should a breeder conduct himself? The TTCA has twenty-two guidelines for
responsible breeding that we have agreed to abide. Have you studied them and do you follow each requirement?
Deciding to
breed is a moral decision that involves the careful consideration of a set of
principles along with other significant factors. Foremost being the need to examine the positive and negative
consequences for the breed. Are we
not their custodians devoted to preserving that which is a Tibetan Terrier? This necessitates a thorough
understanding of its origin and purpose, knowledge of several TT standards not
only our own, study of structure and movement, knowing type, and having
qualified mentors. Only then can
one seriously think of breeding with correctness the traits and characteristics
set forth in the Standard.
The protocol for
ethical breeding is to better the breed. This implies only breeding dogs
possessing traits of value to the breed to be passed on to its progeny. Each
generation should be at least as good as the previous, and preferably it should
be superior. This can be
accomplished if one is discriminating in selecting and using only dogs of sound
body and temperament. It is crucial that you have the ideal specimen
firmly established in your mind, with that as your guide you can then work
towards producing dogs that most resemble the Standard. We should work to improve and strive for perfection, but we
must always be mindful of not altering that which constitutes the Tibetan
Terrier. Current trends such as
exaggeration, lack of undercoat, over-angulation, are not aspects of a correct
TT. Yet, they are appearing in the
show ring, being rewarded and hence used in breeding programs. Something is amiss, and ignoring the
problem will only lead to a steady decline in the quality of our dogs.
Breeding must be done solely for the protection and
enhancement of the breed. But, what
is a breeder doing when they breed for less noble reasons for instance their
ego or money? Such a breeder is not motivated by a love for the breed. No
matter how they justify their actions they are ultimately in it for themselves.
They might even be considered reputable and be very successful, but one thing
they are not is ethical.
Therefore, what is an ethical breeder? The ethical breeder must have the ability to be completely honest with himself or herself and others. He or she is a person of integrity who in their decision-making process follows a set of moral principles by which they analyze and examine their choices formulating a resolution based on the simple question ... is this breeding right?