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Acquiring/Purchasing a dog, either from a breeder, a
rescue group, or a shelter is a major decision. Breeder Referral contacts
receive many inquiries from people looking for dogs. Do some basic research before
calling/writing these volunteers. The more you know, the better a Breeder
Referral contact will be able to help you.
The following assumes that you are interested in
providing a dog with a quality life, whether in the role of companion or guide.
If you are interested in breeding, please join us at our meetings. Let breeders
know the purpose for which you are seeking a dog. Good breeders don't want you
breeding dogs that they have classified as pets, as they have spent time and
money to improve their breeds. Let them help you breed the best.
1. Narrow
down your search to one or two
breeds.
SPORTING,
HOUND,
WORKING ,
TERRIER ,
TOY , HERDING ,
NON-SPORTING ,
MISCELLANEOUS
2. Visit the National/Parent Club's site for your breed.
Read the Official Standard.
Parent
Club sites Alphabetical
Check the site for any upcoming specialties in your area, or the
presence of a Regional club close to your area. Also, note the date and location
of the next National Specialty.
3. Meet the dogs:
All-Breed Dog
Shows are a great way to meet dogs of various breeds,
especially if you haven't truly developed a strong preference for a particular
breed.
Onofrio superintends most of the shows in our area. Check for
upcoming shows, and note the BREED COUNTS, which will show you how many of the
dogs in your breed are entered in a specific show. Also note that although
entered, dogs are not guaranteed to be present.
Specialty Breed shows WILL have dogs of a particular breed
present. Information on these will be available on the Parent Club web site. Dog
shows are also a great place to speak with breeders, exhibitors and handlers
about the breed(s) in which you are interested.
4. Look at these:
See the AKC page Buying A
Puppy. Interested in a pre-owned dog? Dogs are available from Rescue
Groups due to various reasons: divorce, death, abuse, neglect, etc. Also, each
National/Parent club will have a rescue program. Don't neglect to check city
shelters and private shelters in your area. What is an Ethical
Breeder? This is at the Bhe-Jei Maltese site, and
includes discussion about evaluating the pedigree.
5. Heed the following cautions:
Unless you are acquiring a Rescue or shelter dog, you should
*know the source* of your dog. If you
acquire a dog from an individual owner, find out where they got the
dog.
Beware of sellers using
words such as "Teacup", "Tiny Teacup", "Rare"or other words used in the
advertising of the puppy if the words (or rarity!) cannot be found in the
Official Standard. "Grand Champion" is not an AKC title.
Be informed before you acquire a puppy/dog.
Good breeders do not
sell puppies to pet shops. Period. No
exceptions. Most Specialty Clubs address
this in their Code of Ethics, as well as many All-Breed Clubs
Good breeders do not
sell their puppies at flea markets.
Good breeders do not
sell puppies from their vehicle on the side of the
road. (selling any goods by the side of
the road requires a permit in our city, by the way)
Puppies cannot
legally be sold in the state of Texas
unless they are 6 weeks old.
6. Collect your thoughts. Then
contact:
your National/Regional Specialty Club's Breeder Referral
Contact/Rescue Contact (listed on their web site) your local all-breed kennel club's Breeder Referral
Contact- Although, HPKC is happy to assist in putting you in touch with
breeders or rescue groups, HPKC cannot and does not guarantee the services of
any individual or group.
7. What's in it for you?
A puppy or adult dog, whose sire and dam have been proven
(either in the ring or the field), have been screened for health concerns known
in their breed, and have been mated with a purpose (and not just because they
live on the same block).
Consider a good breeder as a resource for now, and for the
future.
8. What if you already have a dog...
"But My Dog Doesn't Look Like The Ones In The
Pictures!"
There may be several reasons: Your dog may be groomed differently than the dog in the photo.
An Afghan Hound in a "kennel clip" or "puppy clip" will not
have the length of hair/coat that an adult Afghan being shown will
have. Your dog may still be in its puppy coat, while the dog in the
photo is in its adult coat. Length of hair and texture will
be the two main differences. Your dog may have a "fault" which doesn't affect the dog in the
role of a companion, but may be "incorrect" according to the breed's Official
Standard.
The bite may be incorrect, the color or markings
may be a disqualification, the texture may be incorrect, etc. The most commonly
and easily seen disqualifying fault in our local area is found in the Poodle.
Poodles should be solid in color. Poodles with markings, or two colors, *can*
compete in AKC Agility, Obedience, & Tracking, but are *not* eligible for
Breed competition, and are not breeding quality.
But, by far, the following is the worst
reason: Your dog may not be the breed designated on the registration
papers (ooops!). Contact the AKC Customer
Service department. Unfortunately, you have not purchased your dog from a
reputable breeder. Consider it a lesson learned, love your dog, and do better
next time! And, again, know the
source of your dog.
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