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Responsible breeders are NOT graded by how
long they have been breeding, how many puppies they sell, and how many CH titles
they bring home. *Most breeders that the general
public has met are NOT responsible breeders. Please do not label all
breeders as irresponsible, though most of them are irresponsible.*
Copyright ©2002-2008
Jennie Chen, M. S. All images and
articles are copyrighted.
Unauthorized use is strictly Prohibited.
Links (If you don't have the time to read a few articles,
then you don't have the time for a dog!)
THINK before you buy. Can you afford yearly vet care?
Can you afford a nutritious food? Dogs are time consuming and costly.
It isn't something one ought to just jump into. Dogs are not toys (I still
have to tell full grown men and women this)!
I started this page because I have been overwhelmed with people who jumped
into dog ownership without researching what they really wanted. These people
have come to me with a plethora of severe behavioral problems and health
problems. This page consists of links to other well-written pages about how to find a good
breeder, how to pick a breed that fits your lifestyle, and etc....
What are "DOG PAPERS?" What do "DOG PAPERS" mean?
(I could turn this into a page, which I might in the future).
 | In short, dog papers mean little to nothing. There
are numerous so called "dog registries" which are nothing but organizations
that print off "papers." These papers mean nothing. They DO NOT
guarantee pedigree. They DO NOT guarantee health. They DO NOT
guarantee quality. They DO NOT guarantee breed of dog.
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| How can I tell what is a reputable registry and what is
not reputable? There's no cut and dry on this one. The most
reputable in my opinion is the American Kennel Club (though they have their
own problems). The AKC does issue repercussions for individuals or
clubs who abuse the system or are dishonest. Other registries do not
have those in place. |
| A huge red flag of a bogus registry is one that does not
have dog shows or dog events of any kind (and even those who do are often
times fraudulent). Another red flag of bogus registries is one that
allows mixed breed registration. |
Below are a few of my reasons to not buy a dog from a pet store, online
puppy finding/buying site, newspaper ad, other online puppy listings, or from your
neighborhood backyard breeder. Responsible breeders would
not use these
sources to sell puppies nor should that be a goal for breeding. They may
come up with 1000 excuses for selling their dogs through newspapers or online.
I've heard them all, all of which are aimed as selling those puppies for as much
and as fast as they can. Proper breeding practices rarely
even cover expenses (showing, health clearances, finding the correct sire/dam,
travel to shows, training, proper vet care, etc..). If you are making money through breeding, then you're
probably doing something (or many things) wrong.
Why not to buy from a pet store, online puppy finding/buying
site, newspaper ad, or other online puppy listing service.
| Puppies from irresponsible breeders statistically have more health
problems, temperament problems, and are not conformationally correct. i.e. The
dogs do not look like how they are supposed to look. FYI, I am a
statistician so don't even think about debating the numbers. |
| Puppies from irresponsible sources lack proper socialization and health
care. |
| Irresponsible sources don't care about your puppy. Once they have
your cash, they'll run. There is no support. |
| Irresponsible breeders may offer you a discount or claim that their
puppies are a few hundred dollars cheaper than from reputable breeders. I
assure you that you'll be spending that difference and much more at a vet or behavioralist. Some of my clients have horror stories. That $600
puppy racked up over $1600 in vet bills over 2 days. |
| All puppies are cute. They'll also grow up to be dogs. Many of
these dogs will have preventable behavioral or health problems. Too bad the
irresponsible breeders didn't care. |
| Do you know what a puppy mill
is? Do you really want to be funding puppy mill operations?
Getting a dog from a puppy mill via pet stores only supports them and their
greed. Pet stores can come up with their own "papers." "Papers"
from a pet store just means that you've been duped. |
| You might think that you're saving a few hundred dollars by buying an
alleged purebred puppy from the newspaper or online instead of going to a
reputable breeder. Chances are that you'll be paying for that
difference exponentially. Contrary to popular belief, reputable
breeders do not make a profit when placing puppies. It is rare that a
reputable breeder will even break even. The expenses that go into
producing a quality litter include show fees, training, health clearances,
stud fees (collection and shipping alone can cost over $2,000 without
guarantee of a litter), travel expenses, and etc... |
| Buying someone a live animal as a gift a terrible thing to do.
This gift may come with burdening vet bills, frustration, and heartache.
If someone you know wants an animal, please talk it over with that person
first. |
| Myth: I want a very young puppy so I can train it. A newborn would
be ideal. Face it.
There's not really that much training with a puppy, nonetheless a very young
puppy. Most of what you'll be doing is listening to it cry at 2 am, 4
am, and 6 am. Then you'll be cleaning up pee and poop. You'll
also be losing much of the learning a puppy gets from staying with it's
mother until it is 8-10 weeks old. See the
Consequences of Not socializing article for
more detail. |
| Myth: All breeders are the same. This one has X number of Champion
dogs! Responsible breeders are NOT
graded by how long they have been breeding, how many puppies they sell, and
how many CH titles they bring home. |
Other alternatives for finding a companion dog (it is perfectly fine, if not better to
get an older dog):
| 1. Shelter. Unless you want to show a particular breed in
conformation or obedience, there is no
reason why you need to have purebred dog. In fact, many dogs at
shelters are indeed purebred dogs. They just may not conform to the
breed standard. This should not matter if you aren't interested in
showing. If you have problems with
the way a dog looks, then you probably need to rethink the idea of getting a
dog, period. |
| 2. Established Rescue. Dogs in breed specific rescues are just as lovable and
typically rehabilitated to be great pets by the time they are ready to be
adopted. These people have dedicated their time, effort, energy, money,
and soul into saving dogs. These are the people who are cleaning up
after irresponsible breeders and owners. Rescues also get puppies
often, so don't rule them out if you just have to have a
puppy.
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| 3. Reputable breeders usually have pet quality puppies and retired show dogs
available. These dogs are generally perfect pets that just happen to not
show in conformation. Unless you've been judging, showing, or handling in
AKC conformation, you will never know the difference between a show quality
or pet quality dog. Note: There is NO such thing as a reputable
designer dog breeder. In fact, there is no such thing as a designer
dog, just high priced mutts. If you would like to throw 2,000 away
on a dog you can get at the shelter, please throw it my way. I would
like to retire early. |
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