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One thing that we in the world of rescue are seeing is breeders who are calling themselves "rescues". If someone just happens to have a litter of pure bred ________ and they want more than about $250.00 then be cautious, especially if the pups they are "adopting out" are not spay/neutered, have not been vet checked, fully vaccinated etc. If over about 7 months they should already been tested for heartworm. If younger they should be on monthly preventative for heartworm and for fleas. Find out if they are a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and get proof, don't just take their word for it, they can provide you with a copy of their IRS determination letter.
There are legitimate rescue organizations for just about every breed and almost all of those dogs are housed with foster families, not in a shelter and so you can get very good info about the dog. However most of them will be adult dogs, not puppies but many of them will be just a couple of years old and have many good years left in them. Keep in mind that it doesn't take long before a cute puppy has turned into a full grown dog.
I notice there are a lot of people that want to get puppies from breeders, vs. shelters or rescues. Before you hand over thousands of dollars for your purebred dog, make sure you do your research. First, if you found the breeder through a newspaper listing, run and don't look back. It took us over a year to find a reputable breeder for our English Bulldog, and another 8 months of waiting for our puppy because he does not breed on a regular basis.
Contact the national club of whatever breed you're looking at. They in turn should point you towards a local chapter, where you can get in contact with a local breeder. Once you find a breeder you like, use this checklist to identify a good breeder:
Make sure your breeder strives to improve the breed. Ours regularly shows his dogs and does extensive medical testing before breeding to ensure that they have no health issues.
Lastly, there is no such thing as a reputable breeder breeding things like Labradoodles, Chiweenies, Schnoodles, etc. These are mutts and can be found at your local animal shelter. Also, no reputable breeder will allow their puppy to live in an aquarium at the pet store. While you will get instant gratification by purchasing one there, you are in for serious health problems and housebreaking issues, since your pup sleeps where it pees and poops. Let's stop supporting puppy mills and backyard breeders. They are the reasons our shelters are so overcrowded.
Major reps to you MAK, in bold flashing neon letters!!
All of your points are dead on, regardless of what anyone here may want others to think. There are so many people with backwoods mentalities that want people to think that even a BYB is better than a shelter dog, and it's a bunch of crap. Many of the shelter dogs are dogs that came from those same BYBs.
One thing I want to add. Registration papers can be a false sense of security. If you see CKC run like hell. CKC makes money by selling registration to 'breeders' who want to hand over that golden paper to some brain numb twit that thinks it makes their dog worth more money.
CKC will register mixed breed dogs, so how can their registration possibly be worth anything? Even AKC has many 'breeders' with crappy, poorly bred dogs. They may have papers, but it doesn't make them worth anything more than the free to good home dogs in the newpaper classifieds.
I've got an AKC chihuahua at home. Sweetest dog you'll ever meet. He was given to me for free by someone that saved him from a home where he was being used as a stud dog and then thrown back in the backyard with large breed dogs that didn't let him eat and he had no shelter from the snow. Amazing he even survived.
Is he a chi? Good God, no. He's a freaking mutt. Somewhere along the lines someone obviously had access to AKC paperwork for a male and female and when their litter of mutts was born they lied and stuck the AKC paperwork on there and sold them. Those papers didn't do a thing to change the fact that he's a freaking mutt, who we promptly neutered.
Does it make him any less loveable to us? Of course not. He's our little burger dog. (His name is Angus, we're not planning on eating him!)
Be honest with yourself when looking to bring home a new family member. Are you wanting a companion in your life? Or are you just wanting to drop some money on something with papers that you can show off to your friends? Short of showing or working dogs, there's just no point in buying from a breeder.
Many great registered non show dogs out there. Some of us still breed for intended purposes not pretty standing no brainers. I breed bloodhounds and do so for the nose not the wrinkles.
Make money on breeding? Dang I must be doing something wrong.
Yes a breeder will ask questions but the buyer must also have done the research and ask loads of questions also or red flags go up for us.
Watch TV portrayal of dogs also as what is seen on TV is not always what they are.
I have people ( to many ) thinking bloodhounds are lazy porch dogs, maybe when asleep otherwise very active. The dog is bred to use his nose which it is required to be in a fenced yard or leashed at all times when outside.
I have had mutts and registered dogs all my life. I do rescue and adopted a purebred bloodhound and also a registered english setter doing this.
Anytime buy from a breeder get references from previous buyers, vets and other breeders if can. Go see animals and how raised (mine are in house, both parents on premises and socialized well) if in house,kennels outside with little human interaction and all.
Look at contract and ask questions on that also.
No contract red flag! Good breeders will require dog come back to breeder if cannot keep for any reason so not get resold or end up in shelter.
Follow through is one of the most important things - sure you get advice like make sure you see all the dogs in the home....and then the breeder cancels the apt and wonders if you can meet her at a friends house because......Don't fall for it. People can be really really wiley - do you really want to find out later that you bought from some total skank that was housing dogs in abusive conditions?
Do some research, follow through on the advice period.
We all have our thresholds. Some breeders have crates all over their houses and I don't think their dogs hardly ever get out. Won't buy from that. Up to you if you will.
My dogs all have free roam of first floor doggie door to deck and kennel. I just had a MICH. state trooper pick up a pup this am here. I actually prefer people come to house and see parents and sibling and also size these dogs will get and how rambuncious they are.
I do not want someone getting a dog thinking they are as on TV lay on porch and I state that right away. Others do not realize how large they get either. Research it all as a breeder always willing to take back but better if know what getting into and knowing you will have dog through it's lifetime, research and possible health problems with breed, listen to breeder if tells you things to not do or wait until certain age and things also.
Another thing I dislike is these that have billboards advertising pups for sale... How many dogs do they have whelping a year and how many different studs? Have that many dogs how do they socialize them all?
. Reputable breeders do so to improve the breed (- the expenses outweigh the money they make on selling pups - especially considering they have a very limited number of litters hence the waiting lists). Sometimes that includes showing or other competitions depending on the breed (ie sporting dogs with field titles). People who breed for profit tend to care more about the money than the dog. The reputable breeders i know of have actual jobs to pay the bills.
amen!!!
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