Why are dog breeders so afraid to speak out?

Between PETA and other various animal rights organizations, dog breeders are painted to be some cold-hearted money-grubbing bottom feeders who make a living off the abuse of animals.
Farmers raise cattle, pigs, chickens, and so on and are seen as the “salt of the earth” types. Their lifestyles are glorified in movies and most often they’re portrayed as humble, honest, loving folk. Horse breeders can sell their animals for huge prices and gain world wide acclaim for it. Not so with dog breeders.
So why is it different for dog breeders? PETA’s goal is to eliminate pet ownership entirely. If they can convince people that breeding dogs is shameful, their battle is half won. If they had their way, no one would own a dog… no dogs would exist! Does that sound like a group that loves animals?
They scream about the huge number of dogs that are in shelters and have to be euthanized each year… but don’t advertise the fact that their shelters are among the highest kill rates known. They’ve been proven to kill dogs before their owners have time to even pick them up or anyone has a chance to adopt them. Their kill rate is over 90% in many areas!
A responsible breeder health tests their dogs, carefully chooses the parents for health, temperament, personality and intelligence. If you’re looking for a puppy, isn’t that the kind of effort you WANT put into their breeding?
Most dogs aren’t show dogs or working dogs. Many more are simply beloved family pets .
The dogs in shelters aren’t there because of over breeding, they’re there because of careless, thoughtless owners who either haven’t trained the dogs so can no longer stand to live with their bad behavior; who have neglected to spay or neuter their pets so end up with unplanned litters; who’s life has taken an unexpected turn so they can no longer keep the dog; etc. HAD they gotten the pup from a reputable breeder who always takes back any dogs produced in their kennel, they would never have gone to the shelter. The responsible breeder would have gotten the dog back and found a decent home for them or kept them themselves.
Dogs have been family companions for longer than any of us can remember. When properly cared for, they live happy lives with people who truly care for them.
So what happens when responsible breeders are afraid to speak out? Puppy millers flourish! They do everything on the cheap, including the food and medical care the dogs need. They crowd the dogs into wire pens and treat them like items rather than beloved beings. They sell to pet shops and other mills so they never have to deal with the public reaction to their way of raising dogs. For each responsible breeder that hides, a puppy miller is able to grow their business.
I don’t work my dogs; I don’t show them; and I am a responsible breeder. My goal is to produce healthy, well tempered animals that can be therapy dogs, and wonderful family pets. I SELL them and try to make a bit of income because I put a lot of time and effort into doing things the right way and deserve to be paid for that. I refuse to hide and am proud of what I do. I encourage others who have been shamed into hiding to step up and speak out too. We do provide a valuable service that can change lives and improve a system that’s really fallen into bad hands.
Stand tall beside me. Be proud when you do the right thing . Lets work together to educate and correct the MISinformation that’s being stuffed down peoples throats. It’s high time the record was set straight.