Work together to elevate Iowa’s dog-breeding standards

It's great to be an Iowan! Unfortunately, there is a lot of hate and anger speech toward breeders, even the caring responsible ones. Breeders that love their dogs, every day. Work with their dogs, every day. Work with their veterinarians, every day. Care for their puppies, every day. Care for their dogs, every day.

Why aren't we supportive of our breeders, every day? Are you motivated to improve when people show hate and anger toward you every day? Just like everywhere else, there are some bad apples, but we need to be careful not to paint all with the same broad brush.

So the question becomes, what can we do to help our breeders, a great resource of the State of Iowa? We need to work with them to do better, not work them out of business. We all want higher standards, but we need to be educated on the current standards and work with the breeders to improve them. They need to be part of the discussion. We all want the best for all of the animals in our care in Iowa. Our state senators, representatives, city council members and other officials work in our best interest and want the best for Iowa's animals. Let's treat the people that represent us with respect and let's work together to make this an issue that can be agreed upon and resolved at the state level.

We all want to be ranked first in America for care of animals!

What is the consequence of not joining forces as Iowans and working this out together? It will drive breeders underground, onto the Internet or auctions or flea markets, where there is little to no regulation. Unfortunately, many people get their puppies from sources that are not inspected or regulated, which encourages puppy mills and backyard breeding.

It's great to be an American where we have the ability to impart change. Let's make Iowa ranked 1st in love for our animals together step by step!

' Ron Solsrud and his wife, Wendy, have owned Petland Iowa City for 10 years and are active in improving care standards for all animals. Comments: www.petlandiowacity.com