I went with a friend last week-end to look at a puppy she was interested in. I was really impressed with the puppy. He was just beautiful. And the adults were very friendly and sweet dogs. Very nicely marked, and healthy and they all got along great in the small area of the kitchen. However, I write this to warn you of a problem when visiting any breeder. The lady was very nice, friendly and couldn't say enough good things about her dogs. There were ribbons hanging on the wall from dog shows and everything was going fine. That was until I asked her about her guarantee. Turns out there is no written guarantee. She stands on her reputation. Apparently the only one who would get hurt by her not standing behind her dogs is her.
It was unfortunate that I had to recommend to my friend not to buy that puppy; in fact my opinion was that if she did and there was a problem, she should blame no one but herself. And I decided to write this today to encourage the rest of you to follow that example. It seemed to me that if her reputation was as good as she said it was, she would have no problem putting it in writing. Even if she was telling the truth, didn't she understand that that little piece of paper isn't just a guarantee, it is a strong source of confidence for the purchaser?
The pup was such a beautiful little boy, but everything just didn't add up. In spite of all the talking about her dogs she did, there was no mention of pedigree or registration and her comment that she "has no problems anyway" was odd to say the least . In all her years of breeding she has never had one problem? I wish it were true. I'd like to meet a breeder who has never one problem with a dog after many years of breeding. I'd buy them dinner.
My friend took my advice not to buy the pup. I write this to you today because when your out there looking for a pup and going to visit breeders, it's really hard not to want to take them home with you right there on the spot. Resist the urge to do so, no matter how beautiful they are. Keep a firm motto: No (proper) written guarantee = no purchase.
On the more humorous side, my husband told me that when she said she had no written guarantee I should have said great, you'll take a cheque right? ;) (I love his sense of humour) |
