Altruistic Elitism

Meet Odin

Odin joined my family about 3 months ago. He is a healthy and (in my humble opinion) beautiful Bernedoodle. For those of you not hip to the doodle jargon, a Bernedoodle is the intentional breeding of a Poodle...

And a Bernese Mountain Dog...

With the end result being this magical creature. 

Yes -- I am one of those crazy dog people, who thinks my dog is my actual child and treats them as such. I love Odin with my whole heart, and now that he is here, I can't image him not being a part of my life.  

Before I got Odin, I did a crap ton of research on all of the different dog breeds. I myself grew up with Standard Poodles (pictured above) and loved their temperament, their intelligence, and the fact that they didn't shed. My dad was allergic to dogs you see, and so we were very limited to the kind of dogs we were allowed to have. Back then, Doodles weren't really a thing -- I mean -- they were -- but people weren't necessarily making them on purpose.  Nowadays Doodles are all the rage, and with good reason.

Research is starting to show us that not much unlike the royals of Europe, pure bred dogs tend to have a lot of inbreeding in order to keep the line pure, which leads to.....issues....

And while purebreds are still very much in demand, the "mutts" are what the people want. 

In general, mixed breed dogs tend to be healthier, and free of a lot of the genetic disorders that are common among the purebreds.  Not only that.....

But they are freaking adorable. 

For all these reasons and more, when it came time for me to get a puppy, I knew I wanted a doodle of some sort. Not because it was trendy, not because my favorite celebrity owned one, or because someone else told me to get one -- I did my own research, combined with my own experience growing up with Standard Poodles, and concluded that a doodle was my best option. 

There were other factors to consider as well.

I like big dogs. The bigger the better. Part of the reason I was opting for a doodle mix was because I knew there was the potential of getting a larger result.  My dog is not only my companion, but also my protector, and my PTSD Aid. I have terrible panic attacks, and I knew I needed a breed that was both intelligent enough, and compassionate enough to deal with me during one of my melt downs.  Like I said before, Standard poodles are damn smart -- like the second smartest breed of dog in the world next to the Border Collie. I also realized, that much to my dismay, I developed my father's dog allergies later in my adult life, and so unless I wanted to spend the next 10-15 years sneezing my ass off, I had to either get a poodle, a doodle, or another hypo-allergenic breed.

Are you starting to get the picture? I did a lot of research. My decision to get a dog was thought out well in advance of me actually going out and getting Odin, which when it happened, sort of felt like lightening striking.

I had had my eye on this particular breed for a while, but unfortunately, the only breeder I knew of was in California and there was a wait list of about 2 years, on top of the hefty price tag of over 5k. Five grand for a dog.....ouch.  I can't afford that, and so I starting considering other breeds and other options.  Then one day I was on a local classifieds page (specifically for dogs) and I happened upon a woman who was trying to sell the last 3 of her enormous 12 puppy litter -- And right there....starring at me with those soulful brown eyes....was Odin. My heart exploded. I couldn't believe my fortune -- some random woman out in the middle of nowhere Utah was selling my dream breed. A beautiful Bernedoodle male.....the last one!  I called her immediately and told I would be down in the morning to look at him, and the rest....is history. 

Oh, and in case you are wondering...I paid $1,000 for Odie. The pups we originally $1,500, but since he was one of the last (and the runt of the litter) he was less expensive.   Oh, and in case you are even more curious....typically speaking these more desirable doodle puppies range anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500 -- and this is from "backyard breeders" as they are commonly know. All that means really is that someone with a dog decided to breed their dog and have puppies, and then sell them -- Which....in general ....is how a lot of people get their dogs.  There are of course pet stores and puppy mills, but it seems like most dogs are either the result of the intentional or unintentional impregnation of the family pet.  I've known this for a long time, and it's never bothered me.  If not for these sorts of people, I would never have found Odin.  I myself plan on studding Odie out once he is old enough and I can be sure he is healthy enough to do so.  As part of my stud fee, I would be given first pick of the litter, which I also intend to do so that Odin can have a life long play mate. And of course I am going to name him Loki ....because....I'm a nerd.

So why am I telling you all of this? Well, firstly I hope it helps educate those who might not know a lot about the different breed options, or those who are possibly looking to get a pup themselves.

Oh, that's one thing I forgot to mention....and here is where the title of this piece comes into play.

After I brought Odin home I had several people (friends and strangers) ask me where I got him and how much I paid for him.  I don't mind telling people how much I paid since I figure they are curious because they are considering a puppy as well. I also don't mind telling people that I got him some nice old lady who breeds dogs out in the middle of nowhere because I would love for everyone to get exactly the kind of dog they want, and, if after seeing Odin they decided they want a Bernedoodle, then more power to them. 

What I didn't anticipate, however, was the backlash of righteous moral indignation I would receive from individuals who are obviously much more altruistic than I am.

Before I go on...let me say this...

I have a lot of respect and admiration for people who decide to adopt dogs from homeless shelters and humane societies. I recognize that there are a hopeless amount of abandoned and abused dogs out there who desperately need good homes. I myself have visited these shelters on numerous occasions, and every time I do, I turn into a weepy mess of a human because it literally breaks my soul to see their sad eyes pleading at my from inside of their tiny sterile boxes.  Even thinking about it right now makes me a little misty in the eyes.  So again, I love and respect those individuals who choose a shelter pet as their "furever" friends.

That being said.....

I feel like it's a pretty shitty thing to do when a person guilts, belittles, or is condescending to a person who chooses NOT a shelter animal. These are also the same people who try to make you feel like garbage because you don't drive a hybrid car or recycle every piece of garbage you own. 

And just because it makes me happy....Watch this....

ELECTRIC CARS AREN'T AS GREEN AS YOU THINK

Yeah....yeah.....anyway...

I find it extremely odd and disturbing that the people who claim to be super altruistic sometimes turn out to be the biggest douche canoes.  You might be surprised how many intense eye rolls I have received from people after telling where I got Odie and how much I payed for him. Here are just some of my favorite "altruistic" responses.....

You know that there are literally hundreds of dogs at the shelter right now who need homes. 

Yeah I do, and you know what, if I had seen Odin staring at me from behind those bars I would have snatched him up in a New York minute. I didn't give a flying fetch where he came from, I just knew what kind of dog I wanted.  And I don't know about shelters anywhere else, but in my city our shelters are chalked full of pit mixes and labs, neither of which would have made a suitable companion FOR ME.  There is also the problem of the fact that most dogs in a shelter are several years old and I needed  and WANTED a puppy for several reason. I wanted him to bond with me as a parent, and I needed him to be young enough to train for the services I need him to provide. Again, I didn't just wake up one morning and decide to buy a dog. I have specific needs and considerations, and if I had found a puppy at the shelter that had fit those criteria I would have bought him.

You are just adding to the problem. There are already enough dogs here. Let's take care of the ones we have before we support bringing new ones into the world

OK, let me first say that if you are a person who owns a dog that you never intend on breeding, then you are being negligent by not getting your animal fixed. I'm not sure if people quite understand the concept, but sex leads to babies, and animals are pretty much just breeding machines.  They don't sit down and have a moral conversation with themselves about whether or not this is the "right time" for them to become a parent.....they just go and Do.  So again, if you have no plans to responsibly breed your pooch (or kitty for that matter) then taken them down to the local shelter and they will fix them for FREE. FOR FREE. You know why? Because they are sick of all of the irresponsible humans using the excuse of expense to keep them from being part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

Also, I am not saying it is never justified, but I  personally have never dropped a dog at the shelter. I look at pets as family members, and the same way I am not going to drop my mother in a home the moment she pees herself, I am not going to abandon my dog the moment they become inconvenient for me.  The reason we have so many dogs and cats and bunnies in shelters is because apparently there is a huge population of humans who lack impulse control or foresight and run out and get a puppy because they think it will be "fun" only to realize that puppies are worse than babies in many regards, and all of a sudden it isn't as "fun" as they thought it was going to be and so they decide that the dog is no longer "their problem" and then drop them off at a shelter and expect the rest of society to be responsible for them. No skin of their ass right? I mean, if nobody takes them then the shelter will just put them down, which they will never have to see and be emotionally scarred by. And make no mistake, if you are a person who has  ever had to put down an animal that you loved, there is literally nothing worse. I have had to do it once, and I will be forever traumatized by the event.  I literally can't even think about it without getting nauseous and overwhelmed with grief.  

So how dare you tell me that I am part of the problem? The ass hats dropping their dogs at the shelters are the problem. And you know what else? Without breed shaming, I am just going to say that there are far too many aggressive breed dogs at shelters that SHOULD NOT be going home with people -- and especially people with children. If I had a nickle for every time a shelter dogs description read, "Not good with children or other pets" I could have built a dog out of nickles.  Do I feel compassion for those dogs? -- obviously. But do I feel a moral obligation to take one into my home? No I do not.

Also -- this idea that we shouldn't be having more puppies until the ones we have are taken care of is tantamount to telling someone that they shouldn't have their own biological child because there are plenty of kids to adopt already.  Or better yet, what if a person couldn't have their own kid and decided to go through a surrogate program instead of going to an orphanage? Are you going to give them shit? Are you going to tell them that they are wrong to want a baby that they can raise from the beginning? Are they part of the problem of over population? Or is it the irresponsible, and reckless group of people who have children they never wanted nor had any intention of raising in the first place? Not all foster children come from those kinds of people, but a LOT of them do.  So instead of belittling those who are responsibly raising children REGARDLESS of where they came from, why don't you instead go hand out some condoms and teach sex education to the thousands of people who either don't know, or don't care how babies are made. 

Backyard breeding is immoral. It is criminal to charge that much for a puppy

First. Market Value. People pay what they are willing to pay. Inflation is a real thing. The price of puppies has gone up over the last 20 years because the price of literally everything else has gone up too.  Do you know how expensive it is to responsibly breed a litter of puppies? Do you know how much hard work goes into it? The cost of the materials? The shots? The vet visits? The loss of sleep and sanity? And let's get one thing clear, there is a world of difference between a responsible home breeder and a criminal puppy mill where animals are living in their own feces and crammed in cages from ceiling to floor.  There is also a difference between a responsible home breeder and some yahoo that let's their unfixed dog roam the neighbor and get pregnant every heat cycle. So if someone decides to invest the time, money, and energy that it is going to take to responsibly breed and raise a healthy litter pf puppies, then who the hell are you to tell them that their asking price is criminal. If you don't like/can't afford their price, then don't buy from them. Capitalism.....fascinating.   

Your "designer dog" is elitist

No. My "designer dog" is exactly what I wanted and needed in a dog, and in a companion. 

Tell me something....what kind of car do you drive? I assume that when it came time to buy a car you researched how many of each specific car was on the market, and then chose the car that there were more of in order to help with population control. Oh you didn't? Well then I suppose you went down to the used car lot (because obviously you would never buy new) and you simply pointed at the first car you saw regardless of it's history or potential mechanical issues. Or you didn't? Huh.....

So you are saying that when you decided to make an investment in something that was going to be a part of your life for the next 10-15 years you took the time to research all of the factors that go into such an investment, and then you went out and found exactly what you wanted? 

Interesting.

But I'm the elitist right? I am. Because of a dog. Because I am responsibly raising a beautiful healthy puppy, whom I am never going to dump onto the tax payers because I got bored with him. I'm the elitist.....naturally. 

How about this.....I won't tell you how to live your life, or have children, or buy a car, and you stop telling me how more altruistic you are because your mutt came from a shelter, and I payed $1,000 for my mutt from a responsible breeder.  Then we can both take our new children to the dog park and they can enjoy one another's company, not giving a single fuck where the other one came from. 

Deal?