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GRA-Wind Presents...
Finding A Responsible Breeder
So, you have decided on the breed of dog you want and
now you want to find a breeder, a chore that may be a little less difficult than actually selecting a breed. Horror stories abound about puppy mills where dogs are crammed into dirty cages, wallowing in their own filth. I am not an animal activist but believe me, every one of these stories you hear are probably true. Puppy brokers are here and as long as there is a market through pet stores they will continue on. The puppies are raised as an agricultural commodity, solely for the purpose of making money. The females are bred every time they come into heat, the brokers care little about the health or condition of the parent dogs, when they can't breed any longer they are destroyed.
The prime time to sell puppies at a pet store or for an
irresponsible breeder, is between 4-8 weeks of age, when they are the cutest. Puppy mills ship the pups to brokers at 4 weeks or younger so that they will get to their retail outlet at optimum sale age. The puppies are shipped by air or hauled by truck, crammed with puppies in crates. (Did you see the piece on Dateline about puppy mills?) Most of the most notorious puppy mills or brokerages are in the heart of our country, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas and Wisconsin.
When you buy a puppy from a pet store, you are
perpetuating the problem. You may have heard the term "backyard breeders" and you think, "well, don't all breeders have their dogs in their back yard?". The term is used mostly to describe someone that just put two dogs of the same breed together to make puppies to sell to maybe recoup some of the money they spend on the purchase of the dog or just to make some extra spending money at Christmas. They do not understand, or take into consideration the need to find a compatible mate, one of good temperament, free of genetic diseases common to its breed. They do not test for hip dysplasia, cataracts, or any other health problems, nor do they care about continuing the breed to be true to type.
All puppies look cute, but you want to have the adult
dog, look like a good representative of it's breed as well as live a long healthy, pain free life don't you? Most backyard breeders don't even know there is a standard for their breed or what genetic problems there may be in their breed. An irresponsible breeder is generally not prepared to guarantee their pups and certainly not prepared to keep puppies they can't sell, they go "Free to Good Home" in the news paper, and many end up in shelters or rescue.
What is a Responsible Breeder?
Ok, now you know where not to go, but we still haven't
discussed what a responsible breeder is or how to locate one. There are responsible breeders that breed one litter every two or three years and those that breed two or three litters a year, but the difference is they care about the breed, not the sale of puppies! The test their breeding dogs for hip dysplasia, eye diseases, brucellosis, thyroid diseases. They carefully select the parents for each litter for health, temperament, study pedigrees and weed out dogs of poor structure or that don't meet the breed standard. They always try to make the best possible animals they can, always trying to produce excellent show quality dogs The puppies are born and raised in the home, and have the pups accustomed to the every day sights, sounds and smells of an active family. They spend time evaluating each puppy, handling them everyday, checking for problems and watching them as they grow. They will know which puppy is dominant and which is submissive and know how to place them in the proper homes. They will have the puppies vaccinated and wormed before they leave the breeder and the registration papers will be in order. Most breeders won't let the pups leave before 8 weeks of age and will keep any pup they did not sell until a proper home can be found. They will take back any puppy that does not work out and guarantee their pups free of genetic diseases common in their breed and replace a pup if the disease should crop up. Responsible breeders also ask and answer buyers questions, after all, they are proud of the pups they produce and want to make certain you will take as good care of the pup as the breeder would.
They consider the puppies they produce to be their
responsibility for the life of that pup. They evaluate their puppies as show and breeding quality or for pets/companion dogs and sell their pet puppies on a spay/neuter contract. Pet puppies after all, are not deficient - they just may not completely meet the breed standard for size, color, coat type, bone structure etc. When you are trying to breed the best, even the littlest thing matters.
Locating a responsible breeder
Area kennel clubs are an excellent source of
information about local breeders. The internet has become a valuable tool also. The breeds parent club is also a good place to look, most have their club members listed. Obedience clubs, veterinarians, groomers are also helpful. Once you contact the breeders, interview them with out seeing the puppies, so your judgement doesn't get clouded by those cute fuzzy faces! Ask to see the parents and assess their temperament. Many times breeders will use an outside stud dog and they can give you the name and address of the person that owns him. Ask about genetic diseases that affect the breed - you should have a good idea from your previous research on selecting this breed as to what they might be. Any breeder that tells you there isn't any, or they don't know, or "I have never had a problem with my dogs so I don't have to test", head for the door! A good breeder will be very forthcoming with answers to your questions and information on the breed, after all, they are proud of what they have produced, and love the breed. |
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