# German shorthairs victims of overbreeding in Utah



## Gumbo (Sep 22, 2007)

In KSL this morning, http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=2506733

A couple of dogs that may have been abandoned and abused have been rescued, but animal lovers are having to go to unusual lengths to find them a home. That's because of what they call Utah's "phenomenal overbreeding" of German shorthaired pointers.

If someone dumped Gunner and Sawyer on a road near Grantsville, they must not have liked them very much. "Their ribs showed. The whole spine was showing. Their back hips were sticking up probably about this far," explained Randi Johnson, Grantsville animal control officer. "I would say they came from an abusive home, and they probably just were probably abandoned."

Johnson tries to find adoptive homes for all dogs in the shelter, but these two faced probable euthanasia. Utah shelters get way too many German shorthairs. "There are a lot of them in the area, and it's hard to find them a home," Johnson said.

The Utah Animal Adoption Center agreed to take them temporarily. They say breeders in Utah are churning out way too many German shorthairs. No Utah rescue organizations specialize in the breed, so abandoned ones are often euthanized or sent out of state.

German shorthair puppies are often bought as hunting dogs, but owners sometimes get rid of them later because they're no good around the house, or because they can't hunt. "They dump them at the shelters, or in this case, it appears they were just abandoned out in the desert," said Cheryl Smith, of the Utah Animal Adoption Center.

The center found a rescue facility that will take them, but it had to go out of state to do it--a long way out of state. "It appears that they have a foster home to go to in British Columbia, Canada, of all places. So, this is just the first leg of their journey to a safe and happy life," Smith said.

Right now, a chain of volunteers is being organized to drive Gunner and Sawyer across the border to their new home.

Shelters in Idaho and Colorado have taken some German shorthairs from Utah, but at the moment, they couldn't handle the newcomers.


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## jahan (Sep 7, 2007)

Why are people such cowards? Why would anyone drop a dog out in the desert? Take them to a **** shelter at least if you don't want them! I hope they find who did this and starve them then drop them off in the middle of the Saharra Desert and see how those SOB's do.


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## utfireman (Sep 7, 2007)

****, I have been looking all over for those two dogs. They got out a couple of days ago.


What they hell are people thinking, people are so quick to jump to conclusions. Hills around Grantsville and Skull Valley get hunted all the time for chukars, who is to say that these dogs where out hunting and got lost, or they escaped from some where. There is alot of GSP in Grantsville. GSP are skin and bones anyways. I have one and I still worried about it not eating right. Honestly people get a life not every animal gets beat and mistreated.

I tell you what's getting over breed and that those **** human being's


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## Red-Grouse (Sep 22, 2007)

> "Their ribs showed. The whole spine was showing. Their back hips were sticking up probably about this far," explained Randi Johnson, Grantsville animal control officer. "


I get so tired of folks who think dogs should be *FAT* telling people who have dogs that are in shape that their dogs are too skinny I hear it all the time "hey do you feed them dogs" "man those dogs sure are skinny" hunting dogs (not Labs) are meant to be skinny (read healthy) My first thoughts when I saw that theypicked them up in the desert was chukar dogs...... I don't know if Utfireman was serious or not but I know of one dog that was sent to a foster just 3 days after he was picked up!!!! that seems a little quick on the trigger........

As for you GSP folks I hope for your sake that they don't end up on the top 10 list for AKC registrations every time I hear some one give that as validation for why the lab is such a great dog I laugh I can't think of anything that has hurt Labs as a breed than that!


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

GSP, the "other" Lab. :mrgreen:


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## Ironman (Sep 7, 2007)

I think this says it all...


> German shorthair puppies are often bought as hunting dogs, but owners sometimes get rid of them later because *they're no good around the house*, or because *they can't hunt*.


:lol:


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## jahan (Sep 7, 2007)

utfireman said:


> ****, I have been looking all over for those two dogs. They got out a couple of days ago.
> 
> What they hell are people thinking, people are so quick to jump to conclusions. Hills around Grantsville and Skull Valley get hunted all the time for chukars, who is to say that these dogs where out hunting and got lost, or they escaped from some where. There is alot of GSP in Grantsville. GSP are skin and bones anyways. I have one and I still worried about it not eating right. Honestly *people* get a life not every animal gets beat and mistreated.
> 
> I tell you what's getting over breed and that those **** human being's


Wow, sorry to ruffle your feathers. :roll: If you are referring to me, have the balls to say it, if not sorry  and I agree with some of what you are saying. I probably did jump to a conclusion that these dogs were abandoned which is what the article said. I also agree after I read the article you could tell it was pretty biased like Ironman eluded to. I am sure that the author knows nothing about these dogs, which is pretty obvious. At the same time to assume that these were hunting dogs that were lost is just as bad of a conclusion. Don't most hunting dogs have several collars. I would hope that they had collars they would have mentioned that because like many have said they could just be lost hunting dogs, or runaways. At the same time, if they are lost dogs hopefully someone comes forward to claim them. I just see and hear way to many dogs being neglected and it is one of three things that piss me off most in life. People who abuse children, people who abuse the elderly and people who abuse animals. All put me into an instant rage, I guess it is just the helplessness of all of the before mentioned. Once again sorry for jumping to conclusions if you folks are talking to me.


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## DEVIANT (Sep 11, 2007)

After reading this thread and the article when it first came out, I have to say/ask the question........after all of the time and money that a person puts into a hunting dog, why don't they do a responsible thing and mico-chip the dog? Besides the chip, I also have an engraved collar with all of my contact information on it. Call me crazy, but $25 for a chip and $5 for the engraving is chump change to what a person invests into a dog, whether a house pet or a hunting partner (Trust me, my wife lets me know on a regular basis how much I have put into "Your Hillbilly Blue" as she calls him). As far as abandoning, the pound and/or classifieds are the responsible thing to do.

Either the owner has not come forward and claimed their dogs, or he/she just doesn't care....in that case I hope they catch and punish them to the fullest extent of the law!


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## utfireman (Sep 7, 2007)

I was being a smart a$$ earlier.

They are not my dogs, but I do live out in Gville. I think its funny that people jump the gun and are quick to point fingers. These dogs could have escaped or been lost. We do have a farming community so they could have wandered for days. I know my dogs did when we first moved out here.

As far as chipping goes. It is not a for sure thing. And there is alot of citie's and vet's who do not scan animal's when they take them in. I have alot of money into my dog's, and I don't chip them for this very reason. I just keep collar's on them when they leave the kennels. Inside of the kennels I leave the collar's off since I lost a dog due to a collar being on in the kennel.


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## DEVIANT (Sep 11, 2007)

I kind of figured that they were not yours from your first response. I also agree that some people as well as the media are quick to jump the gun for pointing blame as well as saying that there is an over breeding problem. Hell, if Disney puts out a movie with a dog as a main character the kids and parents run out and get one not thinking about the long term commitment.

I chipped Blue as well as having an engraved tag. To me that is extra insurance to try and get my dog back home. Either way, it is something that I see as being a responsible pet owner. If the chip scan doesn't happen than the english language should get through (I think that is still the language of the land). Besides Blue being my hunting buddy, he is also a member of the family. As much crap as the wife gives me about "my hillbilly", she has gotten quite attached to him. 

Since I have been reading and posting on this forum, I have a feeling that if the owner was part of this network, they would have posted something the very first night the dogs were missing. I know that I would have!


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