Becoming BY JACQUELYN FOGEL Breeders Have a Story To Tell
I am no longer too shy or embarrassed to talk about being a dog breeder. Much as I’d like to blame my former quiescence on the AR people and their disdain for breeders, the problem was internal to me. As a former white collar professional, I was a little embarrassed to say proudly that I was a dog breeder. It sounded, so, well, mundane. I didn’t think it sounded inter-
genetics of your bloodline. They don’t want to know any details about whelping a litter, or the critical life- stages you monitor as the puppies grow. Few people train their dogs, so they don’t even ask you for tips or advice on training. Some want to tell you why their Goldendoodle is the best dog they’ve ever owned, even though they know you breed pure-bred dogs. I used to try to inject something about most dogs being wonder- ful, but usually got shut down with the F1, F2 hybrid nonsense the producers of their dogs fill their heads with. One thing is certain – few people want to know about the life of a breeder. Even most veterinarians look at you sideways when they find out you’re a breeder. You can almost see their thoughts as the words come out of your mouth, “Oh, you’re one of THOSE.” Yes, I am the same person who has spoken often about developing an elevator speech for why purebred matters. I can talk for hours about the problems in retail rescue, and why monitoring dog-related legislation is important for every pet owner. I often discuss problem behaviors and dietary issues with people, but it’s usually related to their dogs, not mine. I can talk about what’s happening in the AKC, and I am often asked about whether or not I go to Westminster, though that conver- sation usually devolves quickly into what I like about New York City, and there’s a lot to talk about on that subject.. What I rarely lead with is. “I am an AKC breeder of Basset Hounds and Bedlington Terriers, and I own a boarding kennel.” Usually the kennel part comes first and that immediately opens the doors to the other per- son’s Fido stories. Lately I have reversed my traditional response to the question of what I do. I have decided to lead with my life-long passion instead of the occupation I chose to support that passion. This week I had a meeting with an advisory board for a local career college. Several of the board members were new, so introductions were required. I tried out my new opener when they asked for my name and occupation. The room went completely silent. Nobody there knew how to react to a breeder being on their board. I was fine as a groomer and boarding kennel owner, but breeder was not what they expected. The committee members were polite as we did the work we were there for, but none of them tried to engage me in conversation. When the meeting ended and most of the members started leaving, I positioned myself near the new young veterinarian who was overseeing the pro- grams. I explained that I was not spending time in the cat rooms because of my allergies, and I was disappoint- ed that there were no dogs on site, so the people learn- ing to become vet techs had no opportunity to work
esting or special. It was just something I did that made me happy – like sailing a boats or playing poker make others happy. I knew how much I didn’t enjoy heating about those hobbies, so I naturally assumed nobody wanted to hear about my passion, either. The animal rights movement added another layer of doubt onto my willingness to talk about breeding, but the reluctance had started long before that movement took hold in this country. I don’t know why other people’s passions seemed so much more interesting than my own, but they did. Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that most people own or have owned a dog, and perceive themselves as canine experts. Someone with a passion for sailing can be assured that few people in their audience will share this passion, or even own a sailboat. Everything they talk about is new to the listeners. Same thing with peo- ple’s occupations. Even an accountant can seem inter- esting to people who do not deal with numbers and finance every day. And anyone with a CPA is at least widely respected. While most of us can balance a check- book, few of us know anything about managing the finances of a corporation. The stories these people tell are interesting because their listeners readily admit they don’t know much about the topic, and will often ask interesting, if not mundane, questions. Then there are dogs. I have learned over the years that everyone who has ever owned a dog considers themselves to be an expert on all things canine. Even worse, if they find out you own a dog, they all think you want to hear about every cute thing their dog Fido has ever done. They immediately pull out their phones to show you dozens of Fido photos, and excitedly tell you every detail of their pet’s life. It was always easy to not talk about my own life in dogs because everybody else always had their own Fido stories to share. I just had to listen, smile and nod as they droned on. Nobody ever asks you how you manage your 18 dogs, or wonders about how you plan a breeding program or manage the
52 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , O CTOBER 2017
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