Some reasons to buy a dog from a responsible breeder

1. You have access to the entire life history of the puppy or dog. In many cases you have access to the life history of at least the mother of the puppy or dog as well. Not only will you know if there are no traumas in the puppy or dog's past, you will also know if there have been any developmental issues of which you should be aware.

2. A responsible breeder health tests the parents of any puppies that s/he breeds. Depending on the breed, s/he will spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars checking the status of the parents' eyes, ears, heart, blood clotting factors, thyroid, hips, knees, and elbows--at the very least.

3. Most breeders will take your puppy back if you can no longer afford to keep it, no matter how old the puppy or dog is when it must be placed. You may not get your money back, but you can be certain your dog has a place to go if something should prevent you from keeping it.

4. Your breeder has a great deal of knowledge about his or her chosen breed. A responsible breeder loves the breed that s/he has chosen so much that s/he wants to preserve it for future generations. Even if your dog's breeder does not know the answer to a particular question you may ask, s/he will probably know where you can find the answer.

 

This is really great tips, and I agree with you 100%!

 

Those are all good tips. And someone insists on a pure-bred dog for a certain reason then I hope they use a responsible breeder like you described. But so many dogs die each day because there aren't enough homes so I advocated adopting.

 

Very true.

If you are inclined to get a pure-breed, then a breeder with a proper reputation is the only way to go. After all you will be paying a lot of money. So you must make sure you really get what you paid for. Find a breeder who keeps proper records, so you can get a pedigree certificate, too.

This is very important if it's a rare breed. When it's time to breed your dog, the certificate will help you to make sure you don't end up breeding it with its litter mates or parents.

 

Just please everyone, I BEG of you. Don't buy your dogs from a pet store or a puppy mill. Some of the most horrific places in the world

 

You said the truth. "Some of the most horrific.." not all.

Puppy mills, of course, should have been totally banned and the owners put in cages. As for the pet stores, there are puppies sold there which come from homes which are suffering from canine overpopulation. Buying such puppies is giving them a home. Shouldn't be contrued as encouraging their parents' owners to breed more.

 

Very true, but even though some puppies at a pet store come from people's homes you are encouraging those people to be irresponsible pet owners. If they were responsible they would have their pets 'fixed' so that they no longer had new puppies.

 

This thread is not about "puppy mills," which as yet have any legal definition. This thread is not about buying a pet from a pound or a rescue. This thread is about buying a dog from a breeder. As to the "spending a lot of money" to buy a dog from a breeder? Many pounds are now selling their animals for prices not far below those charged by breeders, using the excuse that they lack outside funding or that the animals needed medical care. The same can be said of responsible hobby/show breeders, who support their dogs with the same jobs with which they support their families and who provide both preventative and restorative care to their animals. In addition, breeders are more than willing to work with a new owner to help lower a price, through payment arrangements and co-ownerships.

 

The co-ownership arrangement is interesting. How does it work?

 

The thread is about buying dogs from a breeder, but talking about hte alternatives to a responsible breeder would be part of that thread. My argument would be that;
1. not all breeders are responsible, and there are some 'breeders' who operate more as a puppy mill
2. I still argue that if you go to a breeder, even a responsible one it's a dog at a shelter that wasn't adopted. People can do what they want but I prefer to rescue a dog who really needs me.

 

No question about that. A dog from a shelter can make just as good a pet as one with a pedigree. Just look at Benji. He's noted as one of the smartest dogs ever to hit the silver screen. Yet, he was picked up from a dog shelter.

 

This just came to mind after reading this. Um, do breeders sell their dogs in the pet shop and check their conditions afterwards? Because you would find lots of beautiful pure breeds there. I love looking at the different dogs on pet shops it’s just that sometimes they look sad and sick.

 

Dogs in pet shops do not usually come from RESPONSIBLE breeders. Pet shop dogs are 90% the result of a puppy mill, which a horrible place where dogs are forced to give birth to litter after little. They treat the mama dogs poorly and euthanize them when they are no longer able to have a litter.

Most responsible breeders sell their dogs privately.

 

Now, that’s really terrible. So I searched for causes that support the closedown of puppy mills and I’m glad to find out that there are many causes that are on their way in trying, fighting and hoping to shut down this kind of business. Let’s add to the support as well because profits above animal welfare are cruel. If this may be made legal (or is it?), there should be strict regulations for the well-beings of dogs under the breeders care and there should be inspection that these regulations are being followed. But then again, I’m not really in favor of mass production of pups and dogs being treated as mere manufacturers. I believe there’s a good way and reason for breeding dogs but breeders should not concentrate on it as their sole means of living.

 

in most states of the US puppy mills aren't illegal There are regulations bu tthere are so many things that the puppy mills can get away with and still be in compliance. The other thing is, people who own puppy mills sometimes masquarade as 'breeders' or 'small town folk' who's dog just mated with the neighbor dog and sell their dog to various pet stores before getting caught.

 

Argh, that’s very bad news. Yes, there are still cases against puppy mills that still get away with the law inspite of their revolting operation.

Let’s help with the closedown of puppy mills. Cruelty to animals must stop.

http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/puppy_mills/

 

No, this thread is about buying a dog from a responsible breeder. It has nothing to do with backyard breeders or buying a dog from a shelter. You can take your prejudices to another thread or start one of your own.

 

The Humane Society of the United States is an animal rights organization that has nothing to do with animal welfare except as it furthers their animal liberation agenda. If you choose to start a thread about the HSUS, I'll be happy to discuss all of their shortcomings there. However, this thread is about several reasons to buy a dog from a responsible breeder.

 

Good suggestion. I really think you should let us know what you know if you think we are misinformed.

 

So where is that new thread about HSUS? I am interested in knowing more about it. Especially things which do not show up in their press releases.