Michaela, I think that Lisa's point is primarily that no one who loves Berneses, warts
and all (literally and figuratively), wants to see the breed go the way of the
Dalmation, the Rottweiler, or even the Golden...bred in numbers to meet perceived
demand, often bought up by people who "saw the movie" but may be ill prepared to deal
with the realities of health or temperament. There are always going to be
unintentionally bred "mutt" puppies up for adoption, but it seems particularly sad to
walk down the rows of cages in the humane shelter, filled with Dalmations a year after
"101 Dalmations" or Rottweilers because they happened to be the "dog du jour" until
unwitting owners realized they could be a lot to handle...
It's true that we want to share and champion what we love, so we show off our
wonderful dogs as someone might their children, knowing all the while the sleepness
nights, trips to the pediatrician, and how darn expensive they can be. Just as not
everyone is cut out to be a parent, not everyone is prepared to face the realities and
commitment of loving and caring for a dog, whatever its breed.
I personally think the current relatively high demand for BMDs will peak and wane, as
people become aware of their relatively short life span and proclivity for health
problems...fewer repeat owners, not as many buying what they see their neighbors have,
etc....then maybe it will be back to a core group of dedicated breeders and owners
with a firmly entrenched love for this particularly endearing companion. Probably all
these issues have been faced by other popular breeds through time...
Anne Henoch
Cranford, NJ
with Maddie and Titan
