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WHAT
IS A "REPUTABLE BREEDER"
Recently I have been discussing with many other
rescuers
and 'dog people' what the definition of a reputable
breeder
is. What it all comes down to is:
Are they a good
breeder
or a bad breeder?
There
are show breeders, hobby breeders, backyard breeders,
puppy
millers and accidental breeders.
The definition of types
of
breeders varies so much, that it is much easier simply to
stick
with bad breeder and good breeder.
A
good breeder has AKC, show quality, pointed dogs with
excellent
parentage. Their dogs are obedience
trained,
socialized
and a part of the family. Not only
do they do the
testing
appropriate for their breed, but they make the correct
decisions
after getting the results. A good
breeder would
never
breed a dog who didn't pass their OFA (or other tests).
They
would never breed a dog that had temperament problems.
They
would never excuse a dogs behavior with 'Oh, she just
isn't
used to kids', etc.
When
they adopt out a pet quality puppy, they make sure the dog
is
neutered/spayed. They guarantee
that they will forever be
willing
to take the puppy back should things not work out.
They
guarantee the health of the puppy to the extent that they
can
and make the new owners aware of any faults in the puppy.
They
would never hide the fact that the puppy has a congenital
defect.
Good
breeders love their dogs. They
feed them high quality
food,
make sure they always have fresh water, bring them to the
vet,
and keep them up to date on vaccinations and heartworm
tests.
They do not breed a dog year after year.
They do not
breed
dogs under 2 years of age. They do
not breed elderly or
defective
dogs. They do not banish their dogs
to outdoor
kennels
or chain them in the yard. The dogs
are not crated
whenever
they are in the house; they are not kept separate from
the
family.
Just
because a breeder is a member of a breed club, breed
rescue
or some other sort of group, does not mean they are a
good
breeder. Just because they do the
testing, does not mean
they
are a good breeder. Just because a
breeder shows a dog
does
not mean they are a good breeder.
Case
in point: When I adopted my German Shepherd from a breeder
at
the age of 18 months, I had no idea how bad this breeder
was.
I had suspicions because the dog had gone through 2-3
homes
in as many months and given back each time because the
new
owners were afraid she would be a fear biter.
On meeting
my
dog for the first time I found her to be incredibly timid,
shy
and fearful. I took her anyway and
it has been an uphill
battle
for the past few years. I love this
dog, but for most
laymen
she would be too much to handle.
My
dog's breeder crates her dogs 24/7 unless she is showing
them
or letting them out to go to the bathroom.
She tests
them,
but also breeds siblings and half siblings who are under
2
years of age. Many people would
look at her and see that she
shows
and tests, that her dogs are not out in the yard, that
she
has won dogs shows and that her dogs are gorgeous. They
would
assume she is a good breeder until they find out that she
does
not include the dogs in her family or breed responsible
when
she feels like doing otherwise. I
also met a female
German
Shepherd of hers who was 7-8 years old, maybe 45-50
pounds,
short and stunted. That dog was
pregnant with her 5th
or
6th litter.
It
all goes to show that people need to be more careful when
deciding
whether a breeder is 'responsible' or not. "
~Jennifer,
Please check out this link below for more information:
https://www.angelfire.com/md2/mdpetrescu/index.html