Every day there are more webpages, more advertisers, more breeders… more available litters at many different prices. I ask myself where this breeding boom of Spanish Water Dogs is headed.

Almost forty years ago I took the initiative to show to the world MY BREED, I made the standard, I acted… without any subsidies from the government, dog houses, etc.

I never would have imagined that my passion for the Spanish Water Dog could infect so many enthusiasts and lovers of this race as there are already, but this also brings a serious risk motivated by the large demand of puppies that a fashionable breed implies.

After the boom of Dalmatians, there was a downturn; after the boom of Siberian Huskies, there was a debacle… could the same thing happen with the yorkshire Terrier, the French Bulldog, or the Spanish Wate Dog, some of the most desired breeds in the present day?

Regarding our breed, more than 1000 puppies are being registered annually in the book of spanish origins, LOE or in the RRC, and there are also many puppies raised without a pedigree, without health control, without taking into account the most basic norms of breeding… these puppies are sold in pet stores, street markets, to whoever and for whatever price.

My question is: those who sell a dog as well as those who buy and take it home should think if they are acting correctly, since this dog, so cute at first, will grow up and live for around 15 years. Have you ever asked yourself how you would like to be treated if you yourself were one of thes dogs?

I applaud those breeders who respect and love their dogs as if they were members of their family and require of the new owners certain conditions of good treatment and love for the dogs, as he who is not ready for a dog should neither be able to have children.

I again think of how the use of chains with humans was abolished long ago– when are we finally going to stop using them with the innocent dogs who only want to be with us all the time? There are true dog abusers who condemn their dogs to be restricted like this for life. Certainly, they have not thought what this poor dog must be feeling. One should neither sell nor gift a puppy or an adult dog to an irresponsible person.

Locked-up dogs, without direct sunlight or freshair, in wet environments, spending cold winters and suffocating summers… how many hours would these owners themselves bear these conditions? One cannot sell or gift a dog to someone who is going to leave it abandoned in a kennel, in a closed patio almost without light, or on a terrace with “weak sunlight.”

Perhaps I am repeating myself in what I write year after year, but I cannot keep quiet when someone calls or writes me reporting that in so-and-so town lives so-and-so breeder or owner who keeps his dogs in poor conditions.

If anyone who reads this feels alluded to, they should know that it is not my intention to offend anyone; but it is an outcry for the wellbeing of dogs wherever they be, regardless of their owners, be they rich or poor.

What does it mean to have a dog? Is it just a birthday gift, or a Christmas present? Is it meant only to satisfy another of our cravings? How do we know that we are prepared at home to have a dog for fifteen or more years? Would a psychological test be necessary to know if we are capable or not of living with a dog as another member the family?

If I were a Spanish Water Dog, with whom, where, and how would I like to live? With a good pastor or goathearder, helping him work with his cattle? But what would I hope for in return? Good food, attention, and a nice bed?

If I were a fisherman or seaman’s dog, would like to go with him on his boat to help him to catch dying fish floating in the water or would I stay at the port to jump around in the water and pick up the mooring lines of his boat and bring them ashore?

If I were a hunter’s dog, would I be scared of the firing of his shotgun, by the animals that he would want us to chase?

If I were the dog of a surfer, would I like to get on his board with him?

And if I were a football player’s dog, would I like that he bring me to his practices to run behind the ball while some players passed it to others?

If I were the dog of a paralyzed person, how would I treat him? Would I help him to better make do?

If I were the dog of some very lively children, would I go on adventures with them? Would I jump on their beds or on the sofas in the livingroom?

If I were the dog of a presenter of dogshows, would I be a mere statue, like a robot or toy doll, like a stupid clown just to satify his whims and shallowness although I would never understand them?

If I were the dog of a fireman, policeoffice or security guard, what would I have to do? Look for drugs, explosives, or missing peope?

Why do I, a Spanish Water Dog, have to do all this work? Because I am alive because I have been a dog used for work all of my life, and to that ends I owe my existence…

Please, possible owner of mine, dont chain me up, don’t lock me in a kennel, don’t condemn me to a terrace or patio. I will conform to your way of being and living, to your environment, and I will respect and love you as long as I live. What do you think your contribution to our long relationship should be? Please think about this before bringing a dog into your life– that we may love our dogs for life and never abandon our loved ones.