Intact drakes (male dragons), unless they have special certification, are illegal under the law, and most of them are made into "vixens," which is the preferred term for male dragons that are forcibly turned into females. True females are called "hens" for their ability to lay eggs. This really isn't hard to enforce at all, since most people who buy anthro dragons are men, and they really want females, anyhow.
Thanks to intensive lobbying, the League of Anthro Dragon Trainers (LADT) has total control over which males get certified, and for males to qualify, they must go through intense qualifications and competitions for obedience, superb beauty according to their breed, and physical prowess. For those dragons that are trained competitively, only 5% ever stay intact long enough to breed even one clutch, and only 0.1% make it to the end of their breeding days, making a lifelong stud a one-in-a-thousand thing to see.
Jake is really quite ashamed of how he was deceived into signing up for this in the Chronivac. He had thought that being made into a pet dragon would be less work and mostly just flying around and doing what he pleased, but the threat of being made into a vixen is not exactly the goad he had expected for working hard during his training. On the bright side, it had made his body incredibly physically fit, and for an 11 year old, his chest has become amazingly sculpted. Nevertheless, he had really secretly liked Mary, and he wouldn't want her to see him made into a vixen in case he failed to qualify, knowing she had coveted him.
It soon becomes clear why dragon-owners prefer this park. Far away from any human settlement, this area out in the desert has plenty of room for anthro dragons to fly, and overhead, these dragons are being drilled until they drop by their owners, who call out sharp instructions from below. Hens still compete in the races, since being able to perform well is more likely to get them bred with the higher-stakes studs out there; for hens, not pushing oneself equates to being cheap. Vixens, on the other hand, are kept mostly for the pleasure and vanity of their owners, and they are often more talented as sky-dancers than as competitive racers, looking substantially more feminine than either hens or drakes.
Younger dragons, closer to Mary and Jake's age but still older and just learning to fly, occasionally try to sneak away from the park in some attempt at escape, but anytime that happens, one of several stern-looking older dragons will gently herd them back to the center of the park, only using drafts from their wings to thwart such attempts. Mary wonders whether the disobedient behavior is due to them having been transformed, like her, only to find that being a pet means truly being a prisoner kept most of the time on a leash, or are they truly just young and impetuous?
Mary would have liked to see more adult drakes up-close, but they are seldom seen doing anything besides racing each other across the sky, their incredible pectoral muscles pulsing majestically over their chests as they scoop the cool air with their powerful wings. On the rare occasions that she has seen these dragons on the ground close enough for her to see them clearly, she has only seen them on all-fours, looking almost like they must have been built that way. Somehow, seeing a giant, muscular male in such a bestial pose strikes a chord within Mary, who blushes. She remembers this was how she had felt as a child, when Beast off of the animated Beauty and the Beast had struck similar poses, and only now does she realize WHY she had reacted that way.
Jake, being only 11 years old, has only recently begun to learn how to fly very well. A few times, he shows Mary some tricks that involve him somersaulting in the air, but mostly, he walks hand-in-hand with her or plays with her, enjoying her company. Mary notices that Jake usually walks in just the way that she is being trained to walk, holding his hands up to his chest with his wrists bent in a cute and puppy-like sort of way, and having him there as a role-model helps her remember to hold the posture. She never would have liked looking so silly when she was free, but in her life as an enslaved and debased creature, she finds it calming.
As she and Jake return to their respective masters, who are standing there talking, they overhear the tail-end of the conversation between Mary's master, Cody, and Jake's mistress, Laura.
Laura: "...and if you find her papers, then we'll talk. If I can get my boy to qualify, a Tiawanese would make a clutch of eggs I'm sure would sell at a most amazing price."
Cody: "I must admit he's a drake of unusual beauty. Nevertheless, if I can find her papers, a Tiawanese that is as pure of breed as I suspect she is would be quite rare; there'd be a fee.
Laura: "A champion drake is rare! Illegal intact drakes might make a clutch. While there are many, they are barred from here while Jake will be a champion of repute!"
Cody: "Obedience is key to getting through. A willful drake is made a vixen fast, so does your boy obey commands?"
Laura: "He does."
Cody: "Then show me now, and I will sign her up. I'll pledge my girl to breed with only Jake for only half the share of eggs she lays, no matter what her pedigree might be, and he will only need to qualify. He's very handsome; I'd have it no other way."
As Mary and Jake approach, Laura summons Jake over, and she puts Jake through his paces while Mary and Cody watch the show with awe.