I'm afraid I don't know the stories of all the dogs in the stamp above, but I do know some-

The second girl's name is Valentine who was dumped at a shelter after she fell pregnant to another mutt and her owner decided she couldn't look after her. She gave birth on the 14th of Feb (hence her name) to 11 healthy pups and is now up for adoption.

The fourth girl's name is Ruby - she was a stray, found on the street covered in sores and scabs and missing most of her fur. Fortunately a friend of mine was good enough to take her in and rehabilitate her. After a few months of a lot of care, she's fully recovered and has been rehomed where she's having the time of her life. See here for before and after pics of Ruby-

Before- [link]

[link]

After- [link]

[link]

And the last boy is one of Valentine's pups, who were all looked after well at the shelter and have now been adopted.

Unfortunately a huge percentage of shelter dogs are put down each year because no one is able to adopt them and all backyard breeders and puppy mills are doing is contributing to that percentage. You can help stop them by refusing to support pet stores that sell puppies and kittens and buying your pets from registered, ethical breeders or rescuing them from a shelter.

Look here for more info- [link]

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Why I'm passionate about animal shelters and ethically purebred dogs- Animal shelters all across the world are overflowing with unwanted dogs and cats because thousands of people buy them from pet stores and unethical breeders impulsively and then decide they no longer want them. If you adopt from an animal shelter, you're helping to tackle this problem and you're most likely saving a life.

Thousands of dogs and cats are put to sleep each year because there aren't enough people adopting them and puppy mills and backyard breeders (BYBs) are simply inflaming the problem. Puppy mills and BYBs don't breed for the love of their dogs, they breed for profit, so as long as people keep buying animals from pet stores, puppy mills will continue to churn out dogs, meanwhile hundreds of shelter dogs are are being put down every day because no homes can be found for them.

Dogs that come from puppy mills are very badly bred and the majority of them end up with severe health problems. Dogs used for breeding in these mills are kept in incredibly poor conditions and are bred over and over and over until they eventually die. There is no health testing done on them, they have no pedigree, you have no idea what genetic problems they may have, they are severely neglected and uncared for, many of them are probably barely alive. But the people who run them don't care as long as they profit.

If you buy from an ethical, purebreed breeder you can be sure that their dogs and their pups are health tested, elbow scored and hip scored, vaccinated, microchipped, registered, pedigreed and well looked after. If you adopt from a shelter, you can feel good knowing you have saved the life of an animal and are helping to battle puppy mills and backyard breeders.

Why I'm opposed to 'designer dogs'- Designer dogs are unfortunately an incredibly popular and deceptive trend sold by people who lie about their supposed 'breed' to make some money. There's no such thing as a Puggle, Jackipoo, Labradoodle, Moodle, Shipoo, Maltipoo, Cavoodle, teacup Great Dane, teacup Rottweiler, teacup Poodle, teacup Chihuahua, the list goes on and on- they're all just mutts. They're simply crossbred dogs, they are not a breed.

If you buy a designer dog, you have no way of knowing what you'll end up with because none of them are a registered breed with any kennel council, they have no standard and no pedigree. The people who breed them claim you'll get the best of two (or more) breeds, but the fact is that there is no way to determine this and more often than not you'll end up with a dog with serious health problems and genetic disorders that it's gotten from its un-healthchecked, un-pedigreed parents.

When you buy a pedigreed, ethically purebred dog you can know what its lineage is, how healthy its parents are, what it will look like, what size it will be, what grooming and exercise it will require and what its temperament will be. Purebred breeders not only breed for the love of their breeds but also to attempt to improve them, where as designer dog breeders are destroying pure breeds and breeding dogs riddled with problems.

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Article-

"Adorable mixed breeds" get cancer, epilepsy, allergies, heart
disease, and orthopedic problems just like purebreds. I see it every
day in my veterinary practice but mixed breed dogs aren't tracked like
the purebreds so they have a reputation as "healthier" that is actually
undeserved in many cases."

It is so sad that a lot of folks, including young veterinarians these
days, buy into the "hybrid vigor" baloney. The vet schools have been
infiltrated by the Animal Rights Extremists, who are teaching them this
junk science in order to push their agenda.

All animals have a certain amount of genetic load, which is to say
there is absolutely no animal without some genetic problem of some sort
of another. Know anyone who wears glasses? Has allergies? Thyroid
problems? Weak knees? Flat feet? A skin condition? Arthritis? A gap
between their front teeth? These are all genetic imperfections.

No human is genetically "clean." Neither is any individual of any
species on earth. So this idea that dogs should not be bred because
they might have a genetic problem, and that breeders are somehow "evil"
for breeding them, is ridiculous. Every single individual of every
single species has at least a few genetic conditions.

To use PeTA's logic, all breeding of all kinds (including having human
babies) should halt immediately. And to be honest, Ingrid Newkirk (the
woman who founded PeTA) does believe exactly that. She thinks that
humans should become extinct, along with dogs, cats, etc. This
ridiculous scenario is precisely what she would like to see happen.

So folks, if that is what you want...if you agree with Ingrid
Newkirk's whacky views, send your hard earned money to PeTA. They will
help to ensure you are not able to own a dog or cat or hamster or any
other pet in the future. They will see to it that you can't eat meat or
fish or eggs or any type of animal-based nutrition. They will work to
shut down places like Sea World, the zoos, etc. so you cannot observe
the many wonderful animals on the Earth. Eventually, once they
accomplish these things, they may turn their efforts to making it
illegal for humans to procreate.

If you don't agree with their extremist views, wise up and start
supporting those who truly do love, care for and enjoy interaction with
other species here on our little blue planet.

The fanciers of the breeds, those you see exhibiting their dogs at
Westminster and other dog shows, work very hard to eliminate serious
genetic conditions. They screen their breeding stock with every
available test. They research pedigrees before breeding into other
lines, to check for similar clearances in those animals. They
contribute money to research organizations to further the work being
done to track down genetic problems. They contribute blood, cell
samples, etc. from their own animals to help with DNA and genome
studies. They have made great progress so far, and they continue to
work hard at it.

Are there unethical breeders? Certainly, there are. Just as in any
group of humans, you will find the good and the bad. United States VP
Elect Joe Biden, for example, managed to find a not so good one when he
got his new German Shepherd puppy. I don't know who did his research
for him, but they obviously didn't do their homework if they were
looking for a responsible breeder. Joe has the right to get his dog
from whomever he wishes, but if he was trying to set an example of
purchasing from a responsible hobby breeder he went off the track this
time. That's too bad, but it was his choice.

Unfortunately, breeders like that may be a lot easier to find because
of their high volume and high profile. If you are looking for a nice
family pet from a breeder who will be there for you forever, you need
to do due diligence. You won't get that from a pet store. You won't get
that from the guy selling dogs out of his pickup truck in the WalMart
parking lot. You won't get that support from a high-volume breeder,
either. Yes, it takes a little more time and effort to find someone who
really cares and does all the work to breed the healthiest, happiest
puppies possible and then stands behind those puppies.

This is a living being that will be part of your family, hopefully,
for many years. Isn't it worth a bit of effort to find a breeder who
will be there for you and that puppy forever?

And guess what? Shows like Westminster are a very valuable resource
for finding breeders who do care and who use the best possible
practices, as well as for learning more about the various breeds.

Bravo to USA Network for broadcasting the Westminster Kennel Club show
all these years. May they enjoy continued success through the ongoing
inclusion of such programs. I will be eagerly watching this year's
show!"

Taken from [link]

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Great article- [link]

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If you fave any of my stamps, I'd really appreciate it if you had a look at the rest of my gallery

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