Fuming!!

ejsmith

con1888 wrote: »

Why would you not want one from a proper breeder ?? Surely you are not serious. If you defo want a puppy then PLEASE do not fund the pockets of back yard breeders, also some 'in home' breeders are actually a front for puppy farms.

Best thing to do is look for a breed club and get a puppy through that avenue. 9/10 back yard breeders do not have relevant health tests done on their dogs, they do not know their ancestory ( so can't rule out any painful hereditery conditions).

Yes they are not all evil people who neglect the animals but they are breeding for money and money only and not because their pet is a great example of the breed as is the stud so are breeding to produce another line of excellent quality puppies.

What I'm trying to say is that I don't want a puppy from a licensed breeder where they turn out puppies like Mr Kipling turns out cakes. I don't want them raised in a kennel where they only ever see someone when they get fed (usually a female which is why when I taught dog training so many turned up with a phobia of men) and who've never been outside. I want a dog that is used to the TV, the hoover, being handled by loads of people, playing in the garden and basically knowing a bit about the world in those crucial early weeks. You talk of a 'proper breeder' Of the three sitting at my feet one was from a lady who showed and bred because she wanted another dog herself, one was recommended by the breed club and one was found advertised locally. And I took no-one at face value, googled all I could, spoke to people in the dog world to try and see if any 'alerts' came up and visited and questioned them a lot. And also walked away from a lot of litters because they was something, or even a hint of something, not quite right. Being 'involved' in the breed is no guarantee either. Another group of people who used to turn up at dog training were older dogs who'd been sold on because the breeder was going to keep them because they thought they'd be the next Crufts champion but changed their minds a few months down the line - a couple of whom had been tethered for much of their young lives and when stressed (which was most of the time because they never experienced life as a normal pet) they'd turn in circles frantically. And some breeding for obedience and agility dogs, because they are sure that 'the next one' will be the one that will make them win everything, may not be out to make money but their concern for ALL the lives they've created is seriously lacking. My brother has been looking for a pup and came across some horrendous situations, people who'd 'never had a litter before' letting slip about previous puppies, others who had absolutely no idea about inherited health problems let alone whether they could be tested for (ask them for advice, keep referring to their superior knowledge and it's amazing how much people will tell you)... Licensing and/or the KC Accreditted Breeder Scheme may seem an answer, but only if they provide the whole truth, not, for instance, registering 2 litters of pedigree puppies and failing to omit the other litter(s) the poor dam had who were sold without papers. I emailed someone advertising themseles as an "accredited breeder" asking just whom they were accredited by because I'd checked the kennel club site and they weren't mentioned and got a very, um, terse/colourful reply. And lets face it, until DNA testing is cheaply available, what value is a piece of paper? If you've several dogs of the same breed how do you know if what you are being shown as the mother really was the real dam?

Buyer beware indeed. Be aware and however much your heartstrings are pulling and telling you need to rescue a pup from a bad situation (unless it's in a rescue centre) walk away, fast. Don't encourage them to have another litter. But also don't assume that a 'hobby breeder' isn't get to put the homework in and "licensed/proper breeders" are removed from selfish reasons to breed.

So I continue to look for a new puppy and if it takes me over a year to find a breeder and dog I'm happy with then so be it. We had a Vizsla reach age 17 and one of my beardies is two months away from the same milestone and, like every other potential puppy buyer I want long and happy lives for my dogs. I can't afford the monetary or emotional costs otherwise.

con1888

Ejsmith - Sorry I took what you said the wrong way, I thought you meant you didn't want a pup from a proper breeder in the way I mean a proper breeder, not a puppy pusher. Know exactly what you mean. My boy came from a KC assured breeder but he was their first litter for 7 years as they don't breed year after year like some do.

moggymutt

Just look at my signature to see what my views are.

After decades of doing (cat) rescue, what I both see and know about amounts to pure carnage of both cats, dogs, ponies and other animals.

Always wondered if people who insist on pedigrees have much of a pedigree themselves. People can be so fussy about what an animal looks like, and yet most of us are quite ugly looking sods.