If It Looks Like A Duck

A local dog breeding company in Shawville, Quebec is suing Lorie Gordon, a Brockville woman who purchased a Labrador retriever from them. The dog had a heart murmour and hip dysplasia and had to be euthanized two years later. Ms. Gordon has been posting on various forums about her experiences with Paws 'R' Us and they are now suing her for libel. Among the issues of contention is that Ms. Gordon labelled Paws 'R' Us a 'puppymill'.

Here are some facts about Paws 'R' Us.

• Paws 'R' Us is a commercial dog breeding operation.
• They have over 30 breeds of dogs.
• They had over 100 dogs on the premises when the Citizen reporter visited.
• Paws 'R' Us dogs are not registered with the CKC, UKC or AKC, and as such are not legally purebred dogs under Canadian law.
• They register their dogs with the 'North American Purebred Dog Registry'. Here is an excerpt from the NAPDR's application for registration, which shows their extremely rigorous requirements (I have left the spelling errors in):

A PUREBRED DOG THAT DOES NOT HAVE REGISTRATION PAPERS MAY BE REGISTED WITH THE NAPDR. IF YOU ARE 100% SURE OF THE DOG'S BREED FILL OUT THE INFORMATION YOU KNOW AND WRITE UNKNOWN ON THE OTHER PLACES. IF YOU ARE NOT 100% SURE PLEASE SEND A SIDE VIEW PICTURE WITH THE APPLICATION.

• Paws 'R' Us dogs are kept in pens or kennels with mesh floors to filter urine and feces

Now, here are some facts about the breeders that I purchased my dogs from:

• The dogs' parents were DNA tested for all possible hereditary health conditions before the breeding took place.
• The parents' hips were OFA certified to guard against dysplasia.
• The parents were Canadian champions registered with CKC.
• The breeder has about 5 or 6 dogs on site.
• The breeder breeds just one breed of dog.
• The breeder raises her puppies for the love of the breed and makes no profit, and often a loss, on the sale of her puppies.
• Puppies are raised in the home, alongside the family.
• Puppies are socialised with children, other dogs and commonly encountered environments early in life.
• Puppies are partially crate and house trained before leaving.
• Inspection of the dogs' living conditions by purchasers was encouraged.
• The breeder undertook a detailed examination of our suitability to adopt her dogs.

The Doggerel Party is not interested in lawsuits. Readers may draw their own conclusions.