How to Choose A Dog Breed and find an Ethical Breeder

So you’ve decided to pursue adding a canine family member, but how do you find the right breeder? The first questions you need to ask, are what breed will fit my lifestyle? Am I prepared to offer a lifetime commitment, which for most breeds is 10-15yrs? Am I financially stable and able to afford premium food and care to my new addition?

The first step in a successful lifetime commitment to a dog is ensuring that you’ve chosen a breed that fits your lifestyle. There are more to breeds than looks. Each breed has its own set of characteristics that guide its instincts, behavior, temperament, training needs and care. Consider your lifestyle in the size, activity level, grooming needs, healthcare needs, trainability, etc. Some breeds have a large number of health problems that require extra medical attention and cost. Do they require professional grooming? Consider all aspects of upkeep and care rather than the purchase price of a puppy. Visit http://www.akc.org/ and read about breed groups, and breeds that you think may fit your needs. After narrowing down to a few breeds, contact breeders and discuss with them what you are looking for in a companion. Ask for more information and guidance about their breed. Are you able to be home with a puppy, or let them out mid day, or would an adult fit your needs better? Ethical breeders retire adults to loving forever homes, and this may be a way to avoid the negative aspects of puppy-hood.

The next step in acquiring a new addition is understanding where to look for a puppy and what an ethical breeder is about. Puppy mills flourish on uneducated buyers and those that believe they are rescuing a puppy from undesirable conditions or pet stores. The fact is, continuing to purchase from non-ethical breeders and pet stores supports the puppy mill market. Dogs in puppy mills live a horrific life, producing as many puppies as possible in their breeding career, only to suffer emotional and physical abuse, and then be euthanized. Purchasing puppies from non-ethical breeders or back yard breeders (those that breed their pets) supports ongoing ignorance, poor quality pets, and as a result, pets with ongoing health problems that could be reduced or eliminated with ethical breeding methods.

An ethical breeder abides by a code of ethics. They maintain a quality breeding program, and provide clean and healthy conditions with emotionally healthy environments for their puppies and breeding adults. They have goals to improve the breed rather than to make money by breeding. Ethical breeders seek to educate the public and place their puppies in the best of homes. When searching for an ethical breeder, understand what the code of ethics is, and have a check list in hand:
1. Puppies are born on premises
2. Breeder does not sell to brokers or retails shops
3. Facilities are clean and well kept
4. Puppies have been handled, and introduced to children & other dogs
5. Breeder interviews you and offers information on the breed to ensure a good match
6. Puppy comes with limited registration and is to be spayed/neutered
7. Breeder promises to take the dog back (not return your money) if you can’t keep it
8. Breeder provides a 3 day money back guarantee, and a 1-2yr health guarantee by contract
9. Breeder raises no more than 2-3 breeds, it’s difficult to be competent in more breeds
10. Breeder’s primary concern is finding a good home for the puppy rather than making a sale
11. Breeder was happy to answer questions and makes you feel comfortable asking for advice
12. Breeder is familiar with and abides by breeder’s Code of Ethics

The internet is a great source to find an ethical breeder, but it may take a lot of searching to sift through an array of back yard breeder’s advertisements and even scammers. The websites that are free classified advertising have been abused by scammers by posting fake ads. They steal photos from reputable breeders and pose as a seller. They are easy to recognize if they push the sale of the puppy, require wired money, and don’t offer additional information about the dog such as pedigrees. Most recently I had my name, phone number, and website posted in multiple ads for various breeds, but they used a different email. They were hoping people would email, never realizing they weren’t communicating with an ethical breeder. If you have any question, call. If a Cairn Terrier breeder has a “pug for sale”, you know something is wrong! Check a breeder’s website. It should be thorough and offer information about the breed and their breeding program at a glance. Visit http://www.crookedcreekcairnterriers.com/ for more information.

If you find a bargain puppy, know that it is no bargain. Back yard breeders or puppy mills may sell a $350 puppy, when market value is generally $800, but if you consider the quality and health problems with the puppy, it’s not a bargain! Nothing is more heartbreaking than to adopt a puppy that dies at a few months of age of liver failure. Bad things happen to good breeders, but it’s not as likely when the puppies come from careful breeding programs. Visit websites that are paid advertising for breeders rather than classifieds. http://www.breeders.net/ promotes ethical breeding and you can search for a breeder by zip code. http://www.puppydogweb.com/ is also a paid advertising site, where the ads are posted by the webmaster. It would be more difficult for a scammer to use these sites.

When you’ve found an ethical breeder, be prepared to wait for a puppy. It’s a good sign if they have a waiting list and don’t readily have puppies available at all times. If they don’t have what you are looking for, ask if they know of other ethical breeders that you may contact. They should be happy to assist you in finding a good match rather than making a sale.

It’s a great idea to visit the breeder in person. However, don’t be surprised if the breeder doesn’t allow casual visits. Closed kennels don’t allow dogs or frequent visitors for risk of communicable disease being brought into their facilities. Many breeders don’t allow visits until after puppies have had their 1st vaccine, and there is a contract on file. Not only do I personally have so many inquiries that I can not entertain a visit with all of them, but I’m fearful for my safety, opening my home to the public. Breeders have been murdered by casual visitors, and their children kidnapped. Understand the breeder’s need to keep themselves and their families safe from the general public. Check a breeder’s references and offer references and/or photos of your home in return. They want to know that you are an honest forever home for a puppy that they have a lot invested in emotionally.

New Spay/Neuter Program

We're adopting a new program for spay/neuter at Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers. Families who adopt a puppy from Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers will place a $200 deposit, that is refunded upon proof that their puppy has been spayed or neutered. We recommend that the spay or neuter be completed by 6 months of age. The attending vet will then send a letter citing the microchip number of the puppy, and the surgery performed. When we receive confirmation that the puppy has had it's surgery, we'll refund the $200 deposit. Although I'm not a fan of laws requiring all animals to be spayed or neutered, I do believe we have the responsiblity to do our part. Our program will give an incentive to keep buyers on track with timely spaying and neutering. It will also keep buyers honest in their intentions when they know they can not purchase a pet puppy and then breed it to produce "pure bred puppies without papers".

A puppy as a gift?

The sentiment sounds romantic and sweet, to give a puppy as a gift. But the fact is, puppies are a lifetime commitment, a big responsibility, and a puppy is not usually an appropriate gift. Adopting a puppy is like adopting a child. It takes a lot of thought, preparation, training, and care. Puppies aren't cute when they've soiled your carpet, chewed up your furniture, and are bundles of destructive energy. Even as they mature into adults, they need ongoing training, care and a lot of time. If you believe a friend or family member would benefit from a companion, involve them in the process. They need to choose the breed that fits their needs, and be fully involved in the planning and preparation for a 12-18yr commitment to a dog. For children, the parents need to take the ultimate responsibility and even though a 13yr old child may seem very responsible, they need the support and assistance from their parents. Minors are not mature enough to take on the responsiblity of a dog. Involve the whole family in the training of the puppy to avoid dominance issues. The puppy needs to realize it ranks below all members of the family and it takes the whole family to reinforce the status of the members. So if you're thinking of a puppy as a gift, think through the process thoroughly, involve the person who is receiving the gift, and talk with your breeder to ensure that they believe it's a good placement for a puppy. The breeder ultimatley knows what is best for the puppy.