Kate Dalman, a German Shepherd breeder from Crystal Lake, Illinois, is on a mission: to improve breeding practices and inject humanity into the competitive and largely unregulated world she inhabits.
The owner of Herzog German Shepherds and founder of the nonprofit Herzog’s Heroes created the Herzog Conscientious Breeders Alliance, all named in honor of her first shepherd. The alliance is open to those who work with any breed, not just German Shepherds.
“It’s the first of its kind,” Dalman says. “We have assembled a group of dedicated breeders who are currently developing guidelines that will be offered nationally. We also want to bring the rescue and breeding communities together with the common goal of eradicating unsafe breeding practices. scruples.”
She has a big job ahead of her. Illinois is part of what’s known as the “puppy mill belt,” made up largely of Midwestern states. Breeders in Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri have the dubious distinction of receiving the most citations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for neglect of their dogs and puppies during the first half of this year.
Regulating and stopping unscrupulous breeding practices is a game of chance. Dalman’s approach, therefore, is to encourage breeders to join the Herzog Conscientious Breeders Alliance (HCBA), establish best practices to minimize their impact on the shelter community, and mentor them. and future breeders.
“‘Backyard breeder’ is a derogatory term for someone who is a hobby breeder or just unscrupulous,” says Dalman. “Many breeders fit this definition, but many would be willing to follow the guidelines if they were in place.”
Breeder guidelines will encompass the latest industry standards, genetic diversity recommendations and responsible puppy placement strategies. The HCBA training program currently under development will teach breeders ways to minimize their footprint on the shelter population.
“These guidelines will make unscrupulous breeding practices much less lucrative for breeders trying to make a quick buck by exploiting dogs,” she says. “On the other hand, dedicated breeders will be recognized for their work.”
Membership in HCBA is free. “I believe every breeder has a duty to minimize their footprint on the shelter population, and those who deserve our support,” Dalman says.
Dalman is also rolling out a first-of-its-kind breeder directory that will allow people looking to buy a puppy to search for breeders with good reputations, and even see if a breeder has a bad one.
Once the directory is live, the focus will be on educating potential puppy owners about why choosing an HCBA breeder is so important. “This will allow people to research a breeder before deciding to work with them and it will prevent unscrupulous breeders from continuing to go unnoticed,” says Dalman.
So far the response from breeders has been mostly positive, with responses coming from all over the country and even the UK. “I have breeders who say to me, ‘Thank God you do this,’” she says. However, Dalman is bracing for backlash from breeders who don’t want to change.
Dalman was in her late teens when she began her journey to becoming a breeder. “I’ve always been a dog person,” she says. “Growing up, I looked after litters, and when I was a teenager, I helped with a friend’s litter. I didn’t expect to have a dog at all!”
That changed with Herzog. “He was the puppy in the litter who needed more help. He had trouble socializing and he only loved me. I never imagined how hard it would be to have a dog with a bad temperament. It made me want to be a better breeder.”
“Lack of knowledge on the part of a breeder can lead to poor results,” she says. “The people who bred Herzog knew very little – they simply put two AKC-registered dogs together, and in doing so you can end up with puppies who have serious social and behavioral problems. It’s difficult for a dog like that to be successful.”
When Dalman started her own breeding program, she contacted the American Kennel Club (AKC) to find out what guidelines she needed to follow. “I thought they would tell me I had to do tests on my parents’ dogs and go to shows or something,” instead she was told she just had to send in the entry parents. “At the time, I was completely ignorant of the dog breeding world, so I figured my dogs must have already been approved as good breeding candidates because they were registered with the AKC and AKC l ‘authorized.”
Over the years, Dalman discovered that this was not the case at all. In her quest to become the best breeder possible, she discovered that good breeding candidates need genetic and temperament testing as well as correct conformation. “I learned the hard way because I wanted to make sure I did it right, but there are a lot of breeders who don’t. Every breeder follows their own moral compass, some good, some bad. This is why we need to put guidelines in place.”
It’s been 15 years since Dalman started his business, located on five acres about 50 miles northwest of Chicago. She specializes in German Shepherds from the West German Show Line.
“West German show lines are more docile German Shepherds,” she says. “They make good service, therapy and family dogs.”
She is careful when selecting parents. “I look at temperament and conformation: body structure, how they stand, how they move, do they have good fluidity when they move, appropriate size and weight.” It also includes genetic testing. “It’s far from a perfect system, but the goal is to minimize puppy health problems.”
Dalman remembers how difficult it was when she first started. “Raising can be an isolating job,” she says. “You deal with losing puppies, countless hours spent caring for mothers and babies, and if you don’t have breeder friends, people don’t understand that you live on your breeding schedule .”
Ending this isolation and building a more supportive community is important to her.
“I remember being there where they are,” she said. “”Honesty and integrity are far more important than shame for mistakes. As breeders, we learn new things with every litter, regardless of our experience level, and breeders who have the ability to accept this improve that much in the long term. »
“Yes, we want to recognize breeders who are doing their part, but also help breeders who need help. This will create a higher standard of breeding for everyone, which is what we want for dogs everywhere .”
For more information, visit Herzog’s Heroes website (herzogsheroes.org), email info@herzogsheroes.com or call 779-800-5589.