Deciding to purchase a puppy is hard! Figuring out where to get your new puppy can be harder! Here is our 'starter' list of what we feel any perspective buyer should look for in a breeder.
REMEMBER: A "back yard breeder" might only breed one litter per year, raise it with love in their home, and try to find a good home for each pup. But they don't do any or enough health testing; they don't have a solid knowledge of trying to preserve or improve the breed; they don't have that strong sense of PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for the breed and for each individual!
REMEMBER: Pet stores know people know about puppy mills. Many well meaning people buy from pet store because the pet store said, "Don't worry, we buy from breeders." Unfortunately, no ethical breeder sells their puppies to Pet Stores. An ethical breeder will not sell a puppy without knowing exactly where and to whom the puppy is going, and they if something goes wrong they will get the puppy back!
- Breeding should be limited, ethical breeders do not breed to supply a pet market
- All breeding dogs have been health checked and screened for all hereditary diseases by licensed Veterinarians
- All Health Certificates should be readily available for you to view
- An Ethical Breeder does not breed their females every heat cycle (2x's a year)
- An Ethical Breeder does more with their dogs than just breed them, ask about what activities your perspective breeder and their dogs participate in!
- You should be able to meet the parents, providing both are on site. There are times when the stud dog does not live with the breeder, however the breeder should be willing to give you the information on how to contact the owner of the sire.
- The environment in which the breeder keeps the dogs should be clean and well-maintained. Do not agree to meet the breeder off site. A breeder that is not reputable discourages or won’t allow you to come to their home for visits, and or won’t let you meet the parents or other dogs.
- The puppies should be sold with a contract! An ethical breeder provides a written contract with the sale of the pup. This will vary from breeder to breeder, but usually spells out the rights of the seller and buyer, health information, genetic health guarantees, required altering and buy-back/return policy.
- An ethical breeder requires that their puppies be spayed or neutered and sells them on Limited Registration, unless the puppy is to be sold to a show home. Be wary of breeders who do not mention altering.
- An ethical breeder shows passion, love, and tremendous knowledge about the breed. He or she cares about placing puppies in excellent homes and will often interview potential buyers thoroughly, ask for references and will refuse to sell a dog if the home is not appropriate for the breed or for a puppy.
- An ethical breeder will not allow their puppies to leave their home prior to 8 weeks! The puppies should have had their first round of vaccinations and have been wormed. Vaccinations can be done by the breeder, but we like to see at least one well-puppy check by a Veterinarian.
- An ethical breeder should not charge you more for registration papers!
- Beware of breeders that offer 'rare' colors or patterns.
- Beware of breeders that offer specials on "Christmas Puppies" or other special occasions.
- Beware of breeders that charge too much or too little for their puppies! An ethical breeder does not make money selling puppies! And those who charge too little are not obtaining the proper clearances for their breeding animals.
REMEMBER: A "back yard breeder" might only breed one litter per year, raise it with love in their home, and try to find a good home for each pup. But they don't do any or enough health testing; they don't have a solid knowledge of trying to preserve or improve the breed; they don't have that strong sense of PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for the breed and for each individual!
REMEMBER: Pet stores know people know about puppy mills. Many well meaning people buy from pet store because the pet store said, "Don't worry, we buy from breeders." Unfortunately, no ethical breeder sells their puppies to Pet Stores. An ethical breeder will not sell a puppy without knowing exactly where and to whom the puppy is going, and they if something goes wrong they will get the puppy back!