Tips on Finding a Responsible Breeder
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Comments below are for Borzoi only.
Buying a
puppy or a dog is a serious decision that requires much thought and
research BEFORE going out "puppy shopping". After all, a puppy
should be with you as a member of your "pack" for at least 10-12
years.
A puppy should NEVER be purchased as an impulse or as a gift for
someone, without first making absolutely certain that the person
receiving the gift actually WANTS a dog.
You must REALISTICALLY evaluate your lifestyle and determine first,
if a dog is suitable. Do you work long hours and seldom Home? Have
any possible allergies? Live in a house with a fenced yard or an
apartment? Do you have children and what are their ages? Are you
aware of the cost of upkeep on a dog, including food and veterinary
care?
If you have honestly addressed all these questions, read all the information out there you can lay your hands on and are still thinking a dog can add something wonderful to your life, your next task is determining what dog is most suitable to your lifestyle.
Check out Bonnie Dalzell's
Borzoi Faq
sheet for general information on the Borzoi.
Read
Corrine Miller's
So, You Think You
Want a Borzoi
Also read as well this Borzoi Review
OK, you've
done your Homework and have decided that a Borzoi is for you. How do
you find the "perfect" puppy for your family?
PET STORES:
Pet stores are convenient, located in most large suburban shopping
malls, and offer a large variety of puppies of different breeds.
Great place to buy a puppy, right???
WRONG!!
Pet store puppies come from "puppy mills", large commercial
businesses who breed large nembers of puppies, then sell those
puppies to brokers, who in turn, sell those puppies to pet stores.
The dogs being bred at the puppy mills don't even have to be good
examples of the breed; they don't have to be healthy or free of
genetic problems...they only have to have AKC papers and produce
puppies. When the dogs can no longer produce puppies, they are
auctioned off to other breeders, sold to labs for research, or
killed.
Some pet stores are now claiming their puppies come from local breeders. NO responsible local breeder is going to sell a puppy to someone to sell to a third party. They work too hard to bring those babies into this world, they want to know where they are going, meet your family, and provide support. DO NOT listen to pet stores who say they buy from good breeders. There is no such thing when it comes to breeders who supply to pet stores.
Borzoi Club of America on Ethics
Borzoi Club of America's Breeder Guidelines
Good general info that'll aid you in your quest.
Don't
forget to use your back button to return to this page
BREEDERS:
The ideal place to get your
So,
how does one tell if a breeder is responsible?
ASK QUESTIONS!!! Remember, you have already done your research on
the breed.
Ask: Do
you show your dogs? Do performance events?
One of the hallmarks of a responsible breeder is that (s)he ONLY
breeds with the intention of improving the breed. This person is
usually someone who actively exhibits their dogs in AKC events,
usually conformation shows, but this can also include performance
events such as agility, obedience, and coursing. Those Borzoi
breeders who only exhibit in "UKC" or "RARE BREED" shows are more
than likely not responsible. . .what this usually means is their dogs
aren't good enough to win in the AKC ring. I have heard every excuse
for why people only show in those rings, there is no reason, other
than easier to win. Beware the American breeders who say they only
show in "Europe", especially if you want a show dog.
Borzoi can excel in the show ring, coursing(AKC & ASFA), racing(LGRA & NOTRA), and a myriad of agility/obedience work.
With the use of AKC's website, you can research dogs the breeder has finished, to prove they have. They should be glad to send you information of their breeding program listing dogs who've finished, in which venues, etc.
Ask: How
often do you breed? How many litters have you bred/cobred?
The demand for Borzoi is not high. There are in fact only a little
over 600 bred each year. A responsible breeder is usually
not going to have one or two litters at a time, so someone with
several litters at once to choose a puppy is one to be wary of.
If they get angry at this question, turn away. A breeder should have
no problem with you asking, and anyone who tells you you have no
right to ask, is not someone you want to deal with.
And
some breeders will ONLY count the litters born on their property, to
make an educated opinion, you need to know how many litters they
bred/cobred period. Do not let them smoke screen you on this.
Ask questions, always remember to ASK QUESTIONS.
Ask: Do
you breed other breeds?
They also are not going to have the time and energy to do more than
one or two breeds, if you see a breeder advertising a number of
breeds, run away!
Beware breeders who have nothing good to say about any other breeders. Yes, there is a lot of BS between some breeders, competition can be fierce, but a responsible breeder will have peers who respect them. Contact those peers and ask them if they'd recommend you buy a dog from the breeder.
Beware breeders who get ugly with you for asking questions, get ugly with you for not doing something ASAP. There is no reason for a breeder to get nasty with you.
Ask: May I have references of past buyers?
Ask for references from buyers, preferably repeat buyers or people who've had dogs from them for many years. Be sure to follow up on them, question the references for any second thoughts or problems they may have had. Ask about the quality of follow up care, if the breeder was at all interested to know about the pup they sold. This is especially important with Homes who have pets. There are breeders who don't care about pets once they leave the household, make no effort to keep in contact. A good breeder cares about all their puppies.
Then contact the Breed club and rescue and ask them about said breeder. I know of one Borzoi breeder who is looked down on for many things, including dumping excess dogs in a disreputable rescue as well as being part of the cause of a number of rescues, including two that equaled almost 50 dogs.
Do your research, contact the owners of outside studs the breeder has used, ask them if they had the chance to do it again, would they? Contact the breeders of dogs the breeder has purchased, ask the same question.
Ask: What faults are in the parents?
Ask for reasons why a litter was bred. A responsible breeder will be honest about the faults in their dogs(and any breeder who tells you their dogs have no faults is a breeder to run away from). A good breeder will be able to explain the standard, as well as how their dogs may fall short of the standard. They should be able to explain to you why any one puppy or dog is show quality vs pet quality and be able to explain what faults are in their line.
Ask: What
health problems are in your line?
Since you have done you research into the breed, you should know
what genetic health problems can affect Borzoi, but to reiterate:
1) Bloat*
2)Cancer*
3) thyroid
4) Eye
5) heart
*Unfortunately, two of the biggest problems in Borzoi has only the test of time. And don't believe any breeder who tells you they haven't had at least one of those problems crop up in their dogs.
Now,
even tho the breeder tests for these things, does not mean that all
their dogs will be clear of it. Breeding is a gamble, you do your
research, you try to do it with the best hand you can, but sometimes
Nature likes to step in to make us remember we are just mere
mortals. So, the next question to ask the breeder is:
Ask: If
one of these pops up in my puppy, what happens?
A responsible breeder will do the utmost to make up for the
heartbreak of a puppy diagnosed with a disease resulting in death or
causes the quality of life to suffer. If you bought a show puppy, a
good breeder will ask you to alter the puppy and upon that, will
give you a replacement puppy. If you bought a pet puppy, a good
breeder will either replace the puppy or give you your money back
for any disease that kills your puppy up to a certain age. Thyroid
and eyes
are thankfully not a disease that will kill, so the way a breeder
will respond varies. Any breeder who gets angry at you for asking
this means walk away.
Ask: What age can I take my puppy Home?
A responsible breeder will not let the puppy go before at LEAST eight weeks, many are keeping them past ten weeks, RUN AWAY from any breeder who says you can take them Home at younger than eight weeks. In many states, it is illegal to sell them before at least eight weeks.
Ask: For a copy of the contract before you send a deposit
There is nothing more frustrating than having already sent a deposit on a puppy, only to find out the terms are not what you wanted. Get the contract before you send money, question ANYTHING you are unsure of or are uncomfortable with. There are some things that will be set in stone for the breeder, but they should be able and willing to explain the why of it
Legends:
When talking with new buyers, breeders will often give out some
impressive sounding claims. It is your job, as a buyer, to really
look into those claims and make sure they're not a smoke screen to
fool you.
Breeder for X Number of years
Longetivity in the breed means nothing as long as there is a 'fool born every minute'. There are breeders in this breed who've been breeding for thiryt plus years, but have no respect from ANY of their peers. They may produce nice speciments, but their breeding practices and ethics are so questionable, that nobody respects them.
Breeder of X Champions or Dogs with X Titles
Some of
the claims of this, are scary. Ask how many dogs were bred/cobred to
create those champions, how many litters. Hearing someone having 30
champions out of 40 puppies bred is much more outstanding than
hearing someone quoting 300 champions out of 700+ puppies bred. And
some breeders will ONLY count the litters born on their property, to
make an educated opinion, you need to know how many litters they
bred/cobred period. Do not let them smoke screen you on this.
Ethical Breeder VS Unethical Breeder
What is a Responsible Ethical Breeder?
Finding A Responsible Breeder: Myths & Facts
Don't forget to click your back button to return to this page.
Here is the
most important question of all to ask yourself: Do I like this
person? Is this breeder someone I want in my life for the lifetime
of my dog? Because that is exactly what is going to happen. Rely on
your instincts about this person, and follow them.
Be prepared to be inspected as closely as you just inspected the
breeder. The more questions asked, and the more references required,
often indicate the degree of dedication of the breeder to his or her
dogs, and how much follow-up assistance you can expect.
This site is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Schatzi, Obie, Sushi, Cleo & all my other loved ones waiting patiently for me at the Rainbow Bridge