Peggy Sue,
I believe that those of us who breed have a responsibility not only to make sure the dogs we breed never end up in a Shelter but also to help place those dogs who actually do end up in a Shelter. I've been involved in Rescue for over 40 years and got involved a full 10 years before I had my first dog -- a Rescue St. Bernard. I worked at a no-kill shelter and my job was to train the street dogs that found themselves there. Every dog I personally worked with, got adopted.

When we decided to get a pure-bred dog and to show it, I was already active in Rottweiler Rescue. I saw first-hand what happens when a Rottweiler is bred by folks only looking to make money and bought by people only interested in being seen as "tough" by their neighbors. Those are the dogs that end up on the street and, unlike many other breeds, untrained, unsocialized Rottweilers are not dogs you cavalierly place into any home. My job then as now was to meet the dogs and decide whether or not we could and should try to place them. It's one of the hardest decisions I have to make in life, and I do it every month.

When we decided to breed Rottweilers, we vowed to each other that we would never do it for the money. We would only breed to improve the Breed overall and we would only breed for ourselves or our friends. Each litter we have bred has been pretty much pre-sold by the time we actually put the mom and dad together. Our puppy contract is iron-clad. We know where every dog we have ever bred is and we talk to those puppy owners at least every 3 months. And the criteria we use in vetting prospective puppy-buyers is the same process we use to find great, forever homes for our Rescues. I can only pray that none of the puppies we've ever bred find themselves in a Shelter but, if one does, I can only hope that there is somebody nearby like me who will find it a wonderful new home.

So, as breeders, I feel we have a responsibility to the breed we love to not just add more good dogs to the pool of available dogs but to ensure that the ones that are already out there get placed if they are good dogs. Lots of people who come to us looking for a puppy, really should be adopting a Rescue and I tell them so. Often, I match them up with a Rescue I've personally evaluated. Sometimes, it works the other way and folks looking for a Rescue really should be looking for a puppy. Since we know all the ethical and responsible breeders of Rottweilers on the North American Continent, we point these families to good breeders with puppies on the ground.

Our motto is very simple: If you don't Rescue; don't breed.

Hope that answers your question.

Jim