The Dog Merchants

by Kim Kavin

  Perhaps we haven’t crowdsourced our knowledge because the directors of some shelters aren’t interested in our learning how they really spend our tax dollars, because if enough of us exposed the truth about the level of killing still going on in some places, the outrage would put the directors out of their jobs and pensions. Instead, they teach us to think “Adopt, Don’t Shop,” which is an admirable sentiment, but also one that keeps us from looking any deeper into what’s really happening in the worst shelters today. It’s the easy, uncomplicated way to make us feel like we’ve done our part without doing any actual research.

  Perhaps the reason we haven’t crowdsourced our information is polarization, the “us versus them” mentality that chokes us when it comes to breeder dogs versus rescue dogs in more and more nations. Groups like the HSUS put out lists of puppy mills, but there’s no list of the worst shelters coming from advocacy groups. They keep that information quiet. Nobody relying on donations to support his rescue-based job wants to be seen as failing to solve the problems on his own side of the fence, and a website telling the truth about all sides—that there is good and bad happening everywhere—would be wildly off-message for most of today’s dog industry leaders.

  Luckily for us, we don’t need any of them to make this happen. We can do it ourselves, for free, with just a few minutes of our time.

  It starts today.

  This book is being published in conjunction with the launch of a website, DogMerchants.com, where all of us can share our knowledge through ratings. We can promote the best breeders and rescuers, and we can put their irresponsible counterparts out of business through honest, product-style reviews. Please log on and take a look. Our combined clicks will take minimal time and will have maximum impact for the health and welfare of dogs all around the world.

  Think about all we’d know if we simply compiled the knowledge in one place. Just as we dog lovers are the biggest financial force for pups around the globe, we also are the biggest repository of information about pooches and the people who sell them. Some thirty million of us buy dogs every year. If the average pooch’s lifespan is a decade, then the equivalent of the entire population of the United States of America is currently a dog owner somewhere on planet Earth. Collectively, we dog lovers are an encyclopedic force of information that has yet to be harnessed and deployed for the greater good. If even 10 percent of us are willing to answer a few quick questions on DogMerchants.com to rate the place where our dog originated and tell other buyers how our dog is doing over time, then the site will fast become the biggest international database of information about dogs the world has ever known, available for every dog buyer to see, every minute of every day, for free.

  DogMerchants.com is an important tool for several reasons beyond the obvious shopping advantage. The first reason is that, no matter how loudly we scream from the skies that it’s a huge mistake to buy dogs via the Internet, some people are still going to do it. It’s going to happen with rescue dogs and breeder dogs alike, and the trend is only likely to amplify as the “digital native” generations become adults. The click-to-buy habit stuns even the biggest sellers of dogs today, including the team at the Hunte puppy distribution company, where vice president Ryan Boyle admits, “Mr. Hunte says his one big miscalculation in all these years is that he never thought someone would buy a puppy without seeing it and holding it in his arms.” Abby Anderson, who co-owns the commercial Sugarfork Kennels in Missouri, says she, too, is continually astounded that people will put a thousand or two thousand dollars on a credit card to buy a puppy sight unseen. “We live in the age of convenience,” she says of buyers. “They want it online and sent to them.” Even if we can’t get it through our heads to stop buying puppies this way—because it gives the worst offenders a way to hide the truth about how they treat their dogs—we can at least have online reviews easily accessible to encourage click-to-buy consumers to spend their money in the right places.

  The second reason DogMerchants.com is an important tool is because even those of us who are local to a breeder, shelter, or rescue group and go in person to examine the property and people as well as the dog for sale can’t possibly figure out everything on our own. While some sellers are honest, we all know we live in a world where others are not, and some people are pretty darn savvy about pulling the wool over our eyes. The bad guys often look just like the good guys. It’s their superpower. Their kryptonite is our talking with one another and exposing their shenanigans. Some of us are going to think of things, and notice things, that others among us don’t. Even if we are neighbors on the same street, we can often communicate more clearly by having our information organized digitally. If just two of us visit the same seller and upload what we know, then all of us will have twice as much information ahead of the next sale to help us decide whether or not to hand over our money.

  The third reason DogMerchants.com is an important tool is that over time, we have seen that the biggest controllers of the dog industry rely on databases for their internal advantages in shaping the marketplace. Dogs are no longer a small, fancier affair. The notion that we buyers should be researching them in a small, personal way is at best quaint and at worst naïve. Everyone from the kennel clubs to the shelters are keeping global databases, figuring out what we’re buying, where to get the best supply of those types of dogs, and how to market them to us. We need to put the database concept to work for us—and for all the dogs—instead of only for the good of business interests trying to control market share.

  DogMerchants.com has been designed as a quick, click-the-box solution that lets users register and then rate the place where they got their dog. Users can upload photos as well as videos, and can talk about whatever they feel is important for other buyers to know. Comments can include information about the dog’s health and temperament, as well as the source’s honesty and business practices. Users also can leave a simple one-to-five star rating and move on with no further comment, an effort that takes perhaps one minute at most and could help countless other buyers avoid a untrustworthy seller.

  If all of us dog lovers combine our knowledge about sellers in this single place, DogMerchants.com, then we will quickly create the world’s largest-ever database of information on the subject. We’ll no longer have to take anyone’s word for the truth. We’ll no longer have to trust the sales pitch. We’ll have the data ourselves.

  This isn’t hard. This is business—the business of the conscious consumer who loves dogs.

  The other big thing that must change on a global scale is the mass media’s tendency to promote some dogs as better than others simply because of the way they look. This notion is the biggest marketing asset for the least-responsible breeders everywhere. It’s also the most insidious stereotype that keeps so many homeless dogs’ lives in jeopardy. Hobby breeders can continue to hold conformation dog shows—that’s their right under the law, for now—but when those shows are put on prime-time television and the winners are paraded around the morning news, the result is thousands upon thousands of dogs being produced in copycat fashion and sold by some truly unscrupulous people. What is happening inside some breeders’ homes may, in fact, be a hobby, but when it is shown on television, it becomes a financial bonanza for a global industry.

  Calling for a boycott of beauty pageant shows like Crufts and Westminster won’t change the current reality; we saw as much in Britain, after the Pedigree Dogs Exposed blowup, when the most pressure that frustrated dog lovers could bring to bear was a brief moratorium on the show’s television presence. We also can’t click a Delete key and make these types of dog shows go away. They make too much money for the networks that air them.

  Instead, from a purely business perspective, the smartest option is to replace these shows, and the income they generate, with an alternative for the financial interests that rely on them—and then vote with our viewership to have advertisers follow us, in support of all dogs instead of just some.

  Here’s one way we could do it: Th
ink about the Idols television show concept, which is known as SuperStar in some parts of the world. It’s a singing competition that started in 2001 in Britain as Pop Idol, and it has grown into versions called American Idol, Canadian Idol, Bangladeshi Idol, Nigerian Idol, Pakistan Idol, and so on, with about fifty world regions watching in some one hundred and fifty countries and an estimated six billion or more viewers. It’s the same format in nation after nation, tweaked just a bit for cultural sensibilities. It works, and it gets huge ratings.

  Now think about replacing the singers with pooches in a series of next-generation dog shows called Best Dog America, Best Dog Australia, Best Dog France, and so forth, featuring all the best dogs in every nation judged not by their looks but instead in terms of health, temperament, and skills.

  The Best Dog shows could be managed by a combination of an Idols-type producer and an X Games–type producer, updating the tone and style of the old-school dog show into something more exciting and modern, similar to the way the Idols series updated the age-old talent show and the X Games modernized the Olympics with new events. Sexy graphics, great music, and innovative camera angles with slow-motion replays of dogs doing fantastic tricks and stunts would snap our brains out of the tired routine of pageantry-style dog shows and wake us up to the fact that there is, in fact, a different way to attract a huge dog-loving audience to mass media during prime-time viewing hours. Yes, some agility-based shows are already on television, but dogs doing sports moves and other tricks needn’t be relegated to Saturday-afternoon programming if television producers take a state-of-the-art approach. We can, and should, demand an annual show that is at least as polished as the one put on by the Westminster Kennel Club.

  In terms of scheduling, the Best Dog shows could air every time there is a Westminster-, Crufts-, or FCI–sanctioned show held anywhere in the world, in the exact same time slot, on the exact same days. Advertisements would encourage us to “vote by remote” for which show we want to watch, and we’d show business interests worldwide where we really stand on the treatment of dogs when we’re given a fair choice in the matter. Television networks could keep the old-school dog shows on the air, of course, but quite a lot of us will have changed the channel. We don’t have to protest, and we don’t have to scream. The networks, and their advertisers, will hear the deafening silence of us tuning our attention elsewhere, and the change we want will happen. Again, it’s just good business.

  Imagine it: Dogs competing in the Best Dog shows could be any breed or mix of breeds, since they would not compete in breed classes. They would do things like agility, obedience tricks, and demonstrations of being respected members of their communities—things that actually matter to us when we bring a dog into our lives. The format, like the Idols format, could be tweaked a bit here and there for cultural norms. For example, in America, where Pit Bulls currently face enormously unfair stereotypes, there could be a category for Best Pit Bull and Child Trainer Team. In South America, where more people than anywhere else list “breed for commercial gain” as a primary reason to own a dog, there could be a category that features the Healthiest Purebreds from Brazil to Chile—rewarding breeders who put dogs’ health before profit. In the Middle East, where dogs traditionally have not been pets but more and more people are now buying them for protection, categories could include Most Responsible Training of a Guard Dog. And so forth, all around the globe.

  We’d of course need big names to kick off the inaugural event, just as the Idols series regularly features singing stars mixed in among the contestants to get us to watch. Here are just a few possibilities we could hear coming over the loudspeaker in the voice of an announcer as practiced as Westminster’s Michael LaFave, if some dog-loving celebrities were willing to participate:

  Before the dogs take the ring, film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Bradley Cooper will demonstrate the agility jumps in a short race.

  Who will run faster in response to the command “come,” our dogs or movie heartthrob Orlando Bloom?

  Let’s see if former television host Jon Stewart can catch more flying discs than our last-place dogs in that event.

  Camera 1, let’s check in over at the Sit and Stay competition. Amazing! It’s been ten minutes and Fido is still sitting while Broadway star Bernadette Peters sings and dances around him!

  Film actor Ryan Reynolds will now try to outmatch our best dock-diving dog in a twenty-five-meter pool race.

  Here to demonstrate the Most Sits and Downs in Sixty Seconds competition is comedian Ricky Gervais.

  Country singer Miranda Lambert will now present the award for Healthy Dogs Who Live the Longest.

  Who will respond faster to the command “go lie in your bed,” our dogs or television host Ellen DeGeneres?

  Who can catch more tennis balls in sixty seconds, our dogs or comedian Kathy Griffin?

  Celebrity chef Jet Tila will now try to sniff out the hidden piece of sausage faster than our nosework-trained dogs.

  Which contestant can do the best dance routine in three minutes, our dogs or singer Justin Bieber?

  Film star Katherine Heigl will now judge our Best Display of Affection by a So-Called Dangerous Breed.

  Singer Sarah McLachlan will now present the award for the happiest, most effective animal welfare commercial.

  It takes precious little imagination for most dog lovers to embrace a concept like this, to see how giving awards for ability, responsibility, and inner qualities differs from judging dogs by their looks. Such a concept has never evolved from the old-school dog shows for two reasons: because no television producers have been willing to stand up and acknowledge that the dog shows are really about the business of setting the top-dollar dog market prices, and because we consumers haven’t yet proved that we are going to put our money behind the alternative. We’re still giving big television ratings to shows like Westminster and Crufts, which means we’re still buying into what they’re selling. Too many business interests are protecting their livelihoods, and too much money is at stake for one of the most sought-after products in the world.

  Ultimate change on a mass-media scale has to come from us, the conscious consumers, demanding a new option. We have to show breeders and shelter directors and media advertisers alike that we will no longer pay to support the global market as it exists today. Offer us a better option, one that makes all dogs’ lives better, and we’ll take it every time. We’ll give you our billions of dollars’ worth of business, with pleasure. We’ll tune in with television ratings that decimate previous records.

  Perhaps the first television commercial might look something like this:

  A shiny, “champion” dog is sitting on a dock at a Southampton summer house. He’s being pampered by a well-dressed trainer attaching a blue ribbon to his collar.

  The dog looks downright bored.

  Along comes a flurry of running and playing dogs who are catching flying discs, doing dock diving, and nailing incredible agility moves. Some are purebreds, some are mutts. Their ears are flapping. Their lips are blowing in the breeze. They are as filled with life and fun as a dog could possibly be.

  The champion looks around, still sitting pretty, but confused. The trainer seems annoyed. She scowls at the ruffians making such a ruckus.

  Suddenly, a dock-diving dog makes a big splash in the lake. Water washes over the trainer’s head. She crinkles her face like a schoolteacher who has just been hit by a water balloon, soaked from her hairdo to her sensible shoes.

  A voiceover comes up in a deep male baritone, the kind we all associate with a professional sports event: “Who are you going to root for, dog lovers? The so-called champions, or the real players?”

  The text fades in: Best Dog America, Best Dog Britain, Best Dog Canada, Best Dog everywhere.

  Because all kinds of dogs are the best, and all kinds of dogs deserve to be cheered.

  A NOTE ABOUT SPAY/NEUTER

  My previous dog book, Little Boy Blue, included extensive reporting about the importance of sp
aying and neutering dogs, and about the positive impacts the surgery can have on the financial burdens and killing levels in shelters. No matter what type of dog you buy, please get your dog spayed or neutered. If you are uncertain about the concept, then look at it from a financial perspective, knowing everything you’ve just read about the complexities of the global dog industry. Unwanted litters of puppies only contribute to the existing problems, creating expenses and heartache that can easily be avoided.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Countless people involved with dogs worldwide helped to make this book possible. Breeders, rescuers, government officials, attorneys, researchers, and everyday dog lovers often have wildly disparate opinions about what is in the best interest of dogs, and many of these people entrusted me with the stories of dogs from their perspectives, even if they knew I might personally disagree with them. I am grateful for their insights and their openness, for the sake of dogs everywhere.

  Gwen Moran, Salley Shannon, Cheryl Alkon, and Mary South encouraged me to get the best possible representation for this book, and I was thrilled to land Scott Mendel of Mendel Media Group as my literary agent. His assistant, Elizabeth Dabbelt, flagged my proposal. Scott believed in this book from the start, helped strengthen my original proposal, and shepherded the final manuscript through easy and trying times alike, always with grace and skill. Jan Constantine, general counsel for The Author’s Guild, and attorney John R. Firestone at Pavia & Harcourt LLP provided invaluable advice when challenges arose. Members of the ASJA Contracts & Conflicts Committee were always close by with smart ideas about contract negotiations.

  Jessica Case and Claiborne Hancock at Pegasus Books championed this book not only because they appreciated the journalism that went into the manuscript, but also because, as fellow dog lovers who believe in animal welfare, they are keen to make the world a safer and better place for pups everywhere. Also at Pegasus, Michael Fusco put great thought into creating a smart jacket design, Maria Fernandez contributed her eagle eyes to page proofs and typesetting, and Phil Gaskill scoured the pages for every last typo during proofreading. Iris Blasi in marketing offered smart ideas for helping the book get traction in the marketplace.