How to Find a Reputable Breeder

So you've decided the Cairn Terrier is a good fit for your family, and have considered the commitment despite the hard work. You're prepared for sleepless nights, teething, potty training, and have began to read about the subjects in preparation for a new family member. Consider if you are better suited to a puppy or an adult. Adults are available through rescue organizations such as Col Potter Cairn Terrier Rescue. Breeders often have adults available upon breeding retirement, and they make wonderful pets. But if you're interested in finding a puppy, ensure that you only buy from reputable, ethical breeders. We know the horrible conditions that dogs in puppy mills endure. The only goal for a puppy mill is to produce puppies for a profit. As a breeder I will tell you that they have to sacrifice the dog's care to make a profit. The dogs are housed in less than ideal and sometimes abusive conditions. They don't track health disorders or even breed to benefit the health of the breed. So puppies are produced in unhealthy conditions, and are sold to brokers who then sell to pet stores. Although some pet stores attempt to place the puppies in an appropriate manner, they are still not tracking the health disorders back to the breeding animals, to correct the lines of breeding. If I sell a puppy to a family and a puppy develops a disorder, I'm looking at that breeding bitch and dog to see if it is hereditary and if it is, I don't breed them to each other again. That connection of communication is so important!