Dog breeders are the professionals who do the most for the development, improvement and conservation of purebred dogs in Spain. And, without a doubt, they increasingly represent a greater growth space for self-employed workers.
The majority of breeders are small and family-run, dedicated to one or two breeds out of passion, not practicing breeding as a profession, understood as a way of living for an economic and profitable purpose. There are also professional breeders, with facilities and means adapted to a regulation traditionally based on breeding and zoosanitary criteria, which, in turn, has left aside, in a legal vacuum, those who have not been able to access the long-awaited market. Zoological core.
With the Royal Decree on zoological centres for pets, which is being prepared as part of the development of the Animal Protection Act, this could change radically and open up endless opportunities for the group of independents.
The development of this law, approved a year ago, lays the foundations for parenting to become a stable, sustainable and, why not, competitive activity. “In Spain, it is essential to have another economic activity to be a specialized breeder,” explains Antonio López, who breeds Golden Retrievers in Córdoba.
“There is economic insecurity because there are uncontrolled events. I am a civil servant, a forensic doctor and my wife is dedicated to tourism. In other words, either you have financial resources elsewhere or it is not enough to support the family. That is why we see the importance of regulation.”
The new law is in the midst of regulatory changes that will revolutionize professional parenting and could offer a new outlet for self-employed workers. The General Directorate of Animal Rights (DGDA), dependent on the Ministry of Social Rights and with which the RSCE recently held a working meeting, considers it feasible to authorize more than two litters per breeder, which was the limit set in the first draft.
Likewise, the DGDA considers it positive that associations such as the RSCE can play an important role in the management of breeder and litter registers, provided that the autonomous communities competent in the matter deem it appropriate or that breeding tests are universalized. and inbreeding for all types of breeders but also for dogs, including crossbreeds. The most important novelty will undoubtedly be the distinction between specialized breeders, conventional breeders and occasional breeders.
Breeders, for the love of art
“Specialist breeders can represent 80% of breeders in Spain,” explains Pepe Bolaño, also a Golden Retriever breeder and member of the Welfare Commission of the Royal Canine Society of Spain (RSCE), the country’s largest and oldest dog-related organization.
And here is an interesting point for anyone who wants to undertake and dedicate themselves entirely to breeding as a professional activity: although there are industrial breeders with hundreds of puppies who earn millions of euros, “most of the network of breeders works with a maximum of About 10 dogs”, Bolaño emphasizes. They are the most appreciated because they work with dedication to improve the health and genetics of their puppies.
“They are the most sought after, for one reason: they usually breed a single breed, they study it and know it better than anyone else, they dedicate themselves to the kennel activity and seek excellence. They have the most coveted puppies because they are the ones that offer the most guarantees.
The Royal Canine Society of Spain is dedicated to distinguishing responsible breeders from unethical breeders, whether it is their professional activity or not. An unethical breeder can be detected quickly, they explain to the Royal Canine Society. Bad breeders, without scruples, only seek profitability without worrying about the health of the animal, its genetics or its living conditions.
On the other hand, a good breeder will flood anyone interested in acquiring a dog with information, bombard the owner with questions about the suitability of his home and will surely have a waiting list. You will also not be able to get rid of the dog until eight weeks after birth, it will be vaccinated and identified by a microchip. The law is aimed precisely at this class of professionals who are distinguished by their good canine skills.
For Pepe Bolaño, with the new standard, the protection and control standards of breeders in general will be strengthened. And this benefits specialized breeders who raise a very limited number of puppies. “The Animal Welfare Law will promote a model with optimal quality standards. The dogs will be raised with high guarantees and in the family, which favors a correct socialization and emotional development of the puppies and, therefore, a better integration into their future home and into society.
Likewise, it is hoped that the law on animal welfare will help to eradicate illegal breeding, the extent of which the European Commission warned of last December. “In recent years, the sale of dogs has been growing more and more via online platforms and social networks,” warns the Community Executive in a document. And this has led to “sick puppies that did not arrive at their destination because they had to be euthanized due to parvovirus, that tested positive for Brucella Canis, cases of dogs suffering from extreme stress, diarrhea, respiratory infections, dehydration, …”.
A 360° vision of canine care
Until now, the essential condition for breeding was to have a zoological nucleus whose characteristics and obligations vary greatly from one autonomous community to another, but which were designed according to schemes closer to breeding for income than to pets. Many professionals hope that the new law will consider a global vision of the dog and its needs beyond reproduction: training, educational advice, daycare, holiday residence or grooming. All this would make dog breeding more important and more attractive.
“Regulating this figure is fundamental,” says José Miguel Doval, president of the Royal Canine Society, founded in 1911. “We have been working for decades with breeders who are dedicated body and soul to the well-being of dogs. In addition to being the guarantors of the dog’s health, they are a tool against abandonment since only 5% of dogs abandoned in shelters are purebred. The canine world in Spain needs to develop the figure of the breeder.
It has long been known that in Spain there are more pet dogs than children under 14; 9.2 million compared to 6.7 million. Having a dog is a trend because it is man’s best and most faithful friend. Today, a new adventure is making its way: that of the specialized and responsible breeder.
