Is social media hurting the American bully breed?
I used to believe that social media was a huge benefit to the American bully breed. Now, I’m not so sure. I belong to two maybe three groups on Facebook that the whole member base is solely American Bully owners. I’m certain there are 10, 20, even 30 more groups dedicated to this breed as well. I’m hesitant to say the members are breeders or lovers of the breed because it’s clear that 80% of members are not breeders and do not love the breed. This article is hoping to shed some light on how my thoughts about social media turned from positive to negative.
Up to about a year ago, I believed that social media was great for the American Bully breed. My reasoning is because with so many eyes daily on the breed the popularity and understanding of the breed would spread fast. Social media makes it possible to link up with people you’ve never even heard of before and work with them because they have a great stud or female. It makes the news of who won what show almost instant. The live streams of the events make it so that almost anyone can sit, watch and enjoy the show without having to attend. Social media makes it possible for you to see pictures or videos of dogs that you only previously only heard about. Lastly, social media does just that, it combines people from across the world onto one platform to be social and be a community. Though, I rarely see any of those things being practiced
Now, let’s talk about the bad. I’m typically a very optimistic person and I never harp on the negative, but like Zig Ziglar once said, “the first step in solving a problem is to recognize it does exist.” This is me saying now the American Bully breed and its community has a huge problem. Every single day, maybe multiple times a day on one of the groups I’m in someone is advertising their dog or “stud” is open for stud and people advertising that they’re looking for a stud for their female. I’m not one to get bent out of shape over simple marketing tactics that the community uses. You know the “lock-in my stud before he closes or the stud his fee going up,” or “my dog is 2x, 3x, 6x, a certain dog.” The one that always makes me laugh is when someone says that they have a direct great-grandson or daughter off Dax or some other famous dog.
Anyone I see using these marketing tactics I hope you know I put you in the category of HYPE breeder. Those of you that hit the boards looking for a random stud or female to jump out at you. Those of you who call a breeding “fire” without even understanding what the dogs being breed together are bringing to the table. Those of you who claim a single dog in the pedigree 2,3 or 4 generations back like there isn’t other dog’s genetics available. Seriously, think about it, when you breed two dogs together, 4 generations back equals to 28 dogs! I sometimes wonder if that thought even crosses their minds. All of you are hyped, fake breeders. If it’s one thing that social media and these American Bully groups have taught me is common sense is the least common of the senses.
Now that I’ve blown off some steam a bit lets get back to why Social media is generally bad. It is a mathematical rule that adding two negatives together equals a positive but not when you put two unethical fake breeders together. That an exception to that rule. Social media makes to easy for one unethical fake breeder with a female to find another unethical fake breeder with a male. What makes someone unethical? How about breeding a female on her first heat before she’s mature? How about someone who breeds their male before a year old? I know someone personally that’s done this, and I’ll tell you now I’ve lost all respect for them. I once told a fake breeder I was mentoring (before I figured out his character) to not breed a certain dog because the dog obviously had hip dysplasia. It was so bad in fact that when I have seen him walking the dog the dog basically pulled itself with his forelegs while dragging its hindlegs. This person asked what my advice was, I said to quickly get the dog to a vet, fix him, and possibly get the dogs some wheels if not put it down. Low and behold not two weeks later I see the guy is breeding the dog. Not only did the fake breeder not take my advice on fixing the dog they decided to spread his genetics into the American Bully gene pool. Goes without saying I will never associate myself with that person again.
The fact of It is the only posts I almost ever see anymore are posts of people who own female dogs posting that they’re looking for their next stud or their first stud. People with dogs that haven’t been evaluated in the ring, calming a singular dog in the last couple of generations looking to breed their dog. They have no idea that the dog lacks breed type, lacks structure, lacks everything yet they still want to breed him or her. It doesn’t matter if the dog not only lacks the type and structure but has genetic health problems to pass to the next generations. So I’ll state again the American Bully breed has a problem and it is with fake breeders. Don’t get me wrong there are a lot of things I find disconcerting but that’s what these articles about so ill stay on topic.
I’m not here to tell everyone what to do or how to think. I’m not here to bust anyone out and call them an unethical breeder. If you thought to yourself while reading this “damn I do that” then I’ve got some news for you. You may be a fake unethical breeder now, but you don’t always have to be. This isn’t one of those games that you pick your character and you can never change it. There are no black and white but huge fields of grey. What I’m here to do is raise awareness that 80% if not more of the people in this community are FAKE UNETHICAL BREEDERS. We do have a problem; will it always be a problem? I don’t know but I don’t foresee myself changing my stance on this anytime soon.
