The Dogs Queensland Code of Ethics can be found here:

https://dogsqueensland.org.au/.../rules-2017-v38-16323.pdf

Every now and then I hear people refer to a Code of Ethics as though it were simply a list of rules breeders are required to follow. I see it differently.

The Code of Ethics did not appear out of nowhere. Every point in that document exists because generations of breeders have already faced the consequences of poor decisions, short-term thinking, conflicting interests, or a failure to consider the long-term future of the breed. When you read it carefully, a pattern becomes obvious: almost every requirement is designed to protect dogs, preserve accurate records, and encourage breeders to think beyond the next litter, the next sale, or the next opportunity.

That is why I support it. Not because I am worried about complaints or disciplinary action. Not because I think someone is watching. I support it because I fundamentally agree with the principles behind it.

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When people read a Code of Ethics, they often focus on the restrictions. I see something different. I see a document built around a simple idea: breeders have a responsibility not only to the dogs they own today, but also to the future of the breed itself. Once that principle is accepted, most of the requirements become remarkably logical.

The requirement not to breed registered purebred dogs to unregistered dogs or crossbreeds protects the integrity of pedigrees and breed records. The requirement to register every puppy ensures transparency and accountability. Expectations regarding honesty, health, welfare, and responsible breeding practices help ensure that decisions are made with the long-term future of the breed in mind rather than short-term convenience. Restrictions on breeding age and frequency recognise that breeding dogs are living animals, not production units.

None of these requirements make breeding easier. None were written to increase a breeder’s income. In fact, many of them do exactly the opposite. Registering every puppy costs money. Health testing costs money. Importing new bloodlines costs money. Keeping promising puppies for the future instead of selling them costs money. Retiring a dog from breeding, limiting breeding opportunities, or deciding not to proceed with a planned litter can all have financial consequences.

That is hardly surprising when you consider the purpose of the document.

The more I read the Code of Ethics, the more I am reminded that it was never written with profit in mind. Businesses exist to generate profit. Preservation breeding exists to serve a breed.

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Those are fundamentally different objectives, and they naturally lead to different decisions.

If the goal is profit, then producing more puppies, reducing costs, and removing restrictions may seem sensible. If the goal is preserving and improving a breed, then accurate records, health testing, breeding restrictions, registration requirements, and long-term planning become essential. The Code of Ethics reflects that reality throughout. It consistently asks breeders to place the long-term interests of the breed ahead of their own immediate interests.

That does not mean preservation breeders should be ashamed of charging appropriately for their puppies, nor does it mean that a breeder can never make money. Responsible breeding is expensive, and those costs need to be covered. Sometimes a breeder may even have a particularly successful year. However, any financial return should be viewed as a by-product of doing the job well, not the purpose of the breeding program itself.

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The purpose of preservation breeding is not to maximise what we can take from a breed. It is to ensure that we leave the breed in a better position than we found it.

That is why I do not see the Code of Ethics as a burden or a list of restrictions. I see it as a reminder of what preservation breeding is supposed to be. It exists to help ensure that when the interests of an individual breeder and the long-term interests of the breed come into conflict, the breed comes first.

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I am not particularly interested in judging how other people choose to run their programs. Every breeder must make their own decisions and live with the consequences of those decisions. I can only speak for myself.

For me, the principles contained within the Dogs Queensland Code of Ethics are consistent with what preservation breeding is meant to be: the careful stewardship of a breed, not the pursuit of short-term gain.

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That is why I follow the Code of Ethics. Not because someone is watching, but because I believe the future of the breed is worth protecting.