Sorry for such a long post--
I also hate when breeders give up their pet. My parents had a collie, Rufus, before my older brother was born. He passed away when I was very little, but my parents always talk about him like he was an older brother. They still get a wistful look in their eye when they speak of him. They got a kick out of his interactions with the family. I literally cannot imagine a family without a pet.
However, sadly, life happens. I know of some people who had to make the very difficult decision to give up a pet. There was one who had a job opportunity that was once in a lifetime, and the only apartment she could afford in the state where her job was did not allow pets. She managed to get her cat into a good home through her vet. I know another woman who had lupus and the litter box was stressing her immune system...
My parents once had a dog that attacked everything that moved. They were literally afraid this dog was going to kill a neighbor's dog, or the neighbor himself when he was jogging. They took the dog to a trainer, and the trainer said that she couldn't train the dog. She took it, but I don't know what happened. They also had another dog that barked all the time. They tried everything, training, medication (this was before shock collars) and this dog just kept barking and barking. The police were getting involved. So, they went to the trusty vet, and the vet hooked Sammy the Samoyed up with a couple who lived on a farm. The couple sent us letters semi-regularly, telling us all about how happy Sammy was following the farmer and his wife around the farm, barking to his hearts content, and then falling asleep in between the TV and the fireplace.
Our last letter we received told us Sammy had passed away, at age 15, curled up in his accustomed spot between the TV and the fireplace.
Everyone I know who had to give up an animal felt truly terrible about it, and did their best to make sure the animal would be happy. That, of course, is not what most breeders do, but I really feel for someone who couldn't help it, which sometimes happens. I would hate to give up my cat, but if my mother was elderly, and had nowhere else to go, and she's deadly allergic to cats (nothing that can be cured with Benadryl, she can't breathe) it would be difficult to find a compromise.