-=> Quoting Kathy Johnson to Jerry Rudoff <=-
 KJ> I believe the opposite--most people don't realize they CAN buy a pet
 KJ> that isn't healthy, etc., from a pet store until it happens to THEM.
 KJ> They don't consider the prospect of "AKC registered" little Fluffy
 KJ> having hip dysplasia because he really came from a puppy mill, and
 KJ> they don't think about the cute cockatoo possibly having Beak & Feather
 KJ> Disease because they just don't know about the disease itself.
Yup. Just 'cuz a dog has the AKC registration, it doesn't mean the
dog isn't carrying genetic problems or is adhering to the breed
standards. It simply means the dog is allegedly purebred. (And I
say "allegedly" because some breeders have been caught making bogus
pedigrees up for completely trashy dogs sold to pet stores.) When
my ex and I were raising Siberian Huskies, we always had our
puppies checked for dysplasia and a retinal degeneration that
Huskies sometimes inherit, and certify them as being free of both.
We never had a problem with it, because we never bred with unkown
dogs, and those we bred with had certificates for being free of the
conditions signed by vets, we knew the dog's show history, we
saw progeny, and sometimes parents and grandparents were available
for inspection, we could look at the pedigree and evaluate prior
breedings.
There really should be some sort of bird equivlent of the AKC that
would set breed standards and have a registry of birds that met
those breed standards through a judging process like there are for
dogs, and set breeder standards and certification processes for
breeders, particularly considering how expensive some parrots are.
If I'm gonna put out a Grand for a Cockatoo or a Macaw, and spend
another Grand on a cage and toys and food, I want that bird to be
healthy and free of genetic defects.
 KJ> Too many people trust the pet stores to provide them with perfect,
 KJ> healthy pets. While many stores DO go out of their way to make sure
 KJ> their animals are well and healthy, many also do not. Buyers don't
 KJ> think about this until they've already fallen in love with that
 KJ>cute furry or feathered face, and by then it's too late. While
 KJ>no amount of education will fully protect a person from their
 KL>own emotions in this  type of situation, hopefully the knowledge
 KJ>of potential future problems might temper the emotions enough to
 KJ>make a logical decision instead of an impulse purchase.
How many people actually DO do some research and learning before they
go purchase a bird? I mean, *I'M* reading and researching because I
did not know anything about birds at all, except that they fly and
lay eggs. I wanted to get a parrot from watching the PBS program,
and that decision was impulsive, but I knew the level of my
ignorance. :) I didn't know parrots scream until I started reading...
didn't know some of them were so naturally destructive (except for
the Keas in the show, of course...), etc...and then there's that
statistic that indicates most owners get rid of their parrots and
don't keep them. What was it? Five percent keep the bird? That has to be
based on owners not knowing what they were getting into when they bought
their parrot.  Of course, buying the parrot book with the bird is
buying the book too late...
... Am I free?  No, but I AM on special this week.
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
--- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 
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