Yet another email today.   Asking me to give details of my dogs and 'weather' I have pups.  No introduction, no information, no mention of my breed, I suppose I should be grateful for the 'thanks' at the end?

I'm afraid I can't be bothered to reply, in the same way as I wouldn't reply if someone knocked on my front door and said the same thing.

Am I expecting too much? or is this the way total strangers contact people these days?

not grouchy at all...

Sadly, this is the way many enquiries go nowadays.  I, too, cannot be bothered with them and have a standard "Sorry, no puppies now or planned" response.  No doubt someone will be able to fix them up :-(

> Am I expecting too much?

Nope!

But this is why there are breeders who sell puppies easily (don't care where they're going)

And then you have the third degree from people like me.  And I turn down a large proportion of enquiries.

I find a lot of people don't even respond to my questions.  Fine.  They can go elsewhere.

Don't you just love the ones that don't even do you the courtesy of an introduction.  They just say.

How much r ur pups.

MMMM  delete, delete, delete

Apart from wanting to know MY dog's details, all I got was "do you have pups?" :(   

They would only have got my email address from this website as I have never advertised, just a basic contact on CD, mainly to direct people to the breed clubs and responsible breeders.

Can't believe how rude some people are these days :(  

I've never understood how people can just hand over pups to total strangers and not want to give them the 3rd, 4th and 5th degree?   Seems totally heartless to me :(

> I've never understood how people can just hand over pups to total strangers and not want to give them the 3rd, 4th and 5th degree?   Seems totally heartless to me :-(

Someone that came to me for a pup, told me that the last dog they bought, the breeder didn't even take their name and address.  It wasn't a KC pup, but I don't care, it was like selling a commodity.  As long as you had the asking price, it was yours.  I have a lot of difficulty handling that one.

I had an email today asking if I would have pups at the end of the year, I asked if they had my breed before and was told No it was one of mine or another breed which was totally different, I suggested they went away and did some research on the breeds as I as a breeder would be asking lots of questions.

Some people take more care over choosing a handbag or mobile phone :(

Not at all - I too can't be bothered to respond to these one-liners.  I wonder whether they think along similar lines as to when texting?

It is so refreshing when you have an email with loads of information about the family and they ask sensible questions.  Sadly, they are very few and far between.

I do take your point,but I wrote to my Jess s breeder(she d been a present from my son,I had his address from her vaccination and worming card)I dont think I was rude,I explained Id got one of his pups and went on to say how perfect she d been for me,And I wondered if he d got any more pups due with her breeding.I even included a sae,but never got a reply,was quite disapointed!

At the risk of upsetting some of you (Sorry in advance) I also get lots of these sorts of e-mails. But I think it is in my breeds best interests to try to send a reply back to them with some basic information as to how to go about looking for a good pup. After all we are very quick on here to scream and shout about education for JP and puppy bying...but you get cross with those who you could educate!! OK OK I know lots of them are time wasters and not interested but surely it is worth the time to type a few words to help out the genuine ones.
Aileen

I actually do reply to such requests with a short, why do you want the breed, what do you know about the breed, tell me more about your family etc.  I have to say that they quickly reply with lots of details and many of them have done a lot of research.  I think sometimes people just don't think of what to put in a first e-mail especially as they are not talking to someone firing questions off to them.

It's been very rare that someone has come back with nothing to say about themselves and their families etc.

i suppose at the end of the day, puppies are sold for money. many people probably think you can buy them just like a handbag

Asking me to give details of my dogs and 'weather' I have pups. 

What kind of details did they want? Isn't their pedigree already on show, these people make me shudder I always think scammers can't help it, cynical old me. Though sometimes people just don't know how to communicate or write properly today as was apparent yesterday:

I drove passed a sign which said PUPPEYS HERE **rolleyes**

I've found that 75% of the time when I reply to emails explaining that my breed is numerically small, there are no puppies available and that you normally have to go on a waiting list with breeders, I don't hear from them again.

Unfortunately I think that in todays society people aren't prepared to wait for a puppy, they've made up their minds they want one and want one now.

but I wrote to my Jess s breeder(she d been a present from my son,I had his address from her vaccination and worming card)I dont think I was rude,I explained Id got one of his pups and went on to say how perfect she d been for me,And I wondered if he d got any more pups due with her breeding.I even included a sae,but never got a reply,was quite disapointed!

A good breeder would NEVER sell a puppy to anyone to give as a present unless they met the person who was going to have it -so that sounds very dodgy from the start I'm afraid.

I drove passed a sign which said PUPPEYS HERE **rolleyes**

Very common here. There's a house about 5 mins drive from here which regularly has such a sign. Twice to three times a year it's Toy Poodles, once a year Shar Pies. When we drove back from training class on Sunday we drove past a sign saying Labrador puppies for sale. I wish it was illegal to advertise this way. It's not like these breeders would ever get GOOD buyers this way. Who in their right mind drives past such a sign, decides to stop and buy a puppy on a whim? Not the sort of person I'd want any of MY puppies to go to!

Just for interest do those of you who. Breed prefer to be contacted by email or direct by phone for a first enquiry ? I have always rung people as it feels more personal and you can get afeel for someone or at least - think so. Also how much contact do you like expect from someone who is having a pup before they have theor pup ? I. Ask because I am in the lovely position of getting a pup soon and wod like ageneral view from others . - ampleased to say I passed the grilling from the breeder lol

I have to say that my puppy's go to the most suitable homes. I do get referrals from all sorts of odd places. One or two of my best homes have been from us taking the girls to country parks, fayres and such places. People who have not met the breed but love them and go from there. As I am always saying to the OH...it don't matter where the initial enquiery comes from if it is the right person. I have had one pup go to a lady who had never seen the breed, saw us at a local counrty fayre,  and said those words "Ohh I want one of those...what is it?" We got to know one another in the time before my next litter was due and they are a wonderfull loving family and the little girlie who went there is 4 years old now and a much loved member of the family. Not the best of starts but with time and patience it worked out fine, you just have to delve deeper and do some education...They are now great friends and we often meet up.
Aileen

> Someone that came to me for a pup, told me that the last dog they bought, the breeder didn't even take their name and address.  It wasn't a KC pup, but I don't care, it was like selling a commodity.  As long as you had the asking price, it was yours.  I have a lot of difficulty handling that one.

Even worse are those who can happily sell a whole litter to a dealer/pet shop, and the buyers believe the sellers that their puppies come from good breeders!!!!

How can anyone believe that a person willing to hand over their puppies to be sold on to people they have never met and will not know where they have gone????

> Just for interest do those of you who. Breed prefer to be contacted by email or direct by phone for a first enquiry ?

I prefer email as I don't give my phone number to many places, I am ex directory too.

With email I can direct them to my and other websites, with links to information etc so that when I finally talk to them they are more informed about the breed generally and we can then get to more specifics about their lifestyle etc.

It is maybe different having an unusual breed that many will rarely meet.

I absolutely hate phonecalls -I hate talking on the phone, I will never make a phonecall unless I have no choice (such as if I need to call the vet urgently -anything else can wait -well maybe the fire brigade......) but if I have no other choice I will accept initial puppy enquiries over the phone. (There are still some people who do not have a computer, although not many.)

However quite apart from not liking phones, I don't like phone enquiries because it's very VERY easy for potential buyers to say something and then you have NO record of what has been said. I much prefer e-mails as that way I can keep each and every e-mail exchanged (for ever). If then somebody somewhere down the line says something different, I have proof of what was originally said -on both sides. Like if somebody said they wanted a pet and the try to claim they bought for  breeding or showing. (There have even been courtcases where buyers have been awarded damages if a pup they bought turned out to be unsuitable for breeding even when bought as a pet NOT to be bred from.)

I know it may sound paranoid but believe me, certainly when it comes to kittens it has been invaluable. You wouldn't believe some people that try to con you. They buy a healthy animal, then try to claim it's ill just so they can get the money back.I once managed to stop such a person by showing them a copy of an e-mail sent to me where they said how well and healthy their cat was  (this was a full YEAR after the sale) -four weeks later they were saying the cat was really ill and had never been well at all since they bought it and would probably die. Turned out it was nothing wrong with it at all. A friend of mine had somebody claim the kitten they bought off them had died when in fact it was still alive and well. Sadly I've learnt not to trust people too mcuh too soon so I play safe and keep everything. Sometimes it doesn't matter how careful you are when picking buyers as some people do lie through their teeth. :(

This approach of saving all e-mails also works really well on ex husbands -keep anything important said in an e-mail. ;)

I prefer email as I don't give my phone number to many places, I am ex directory too.

Yes forgot to say this -me too. Ex directory and do never give out my number or address on websites, show catalogues etc etc.

Ditto,

I do think people no longer are used to formal letter writing and view email like text messaging just the basics.

I answer every enquiry like that.

Basically I ask them for more info about themselves, their lifestyle, experience, knowledge of the breed and their care arrangements for a future puppy/dog.

prefer to be contacted by email or direct by phone for a first enquiry ?

First enquires for me always used to be by phone as they often came via contacts of my previous puppy owners, or via other people in my breed. So my phone number often gets passed on.

To be honest, I hated it as don't phone calls always come at the wrong time? Half way through dinner, whilst I'm working away in the office, or expecting an important phone call, or have friends over or just got back from a dog walk and want to get changed, always at the wrong time and you can't rush that first contact, you need to talk to them properly.

Sometimes I've made an excuse and said I'm just on my way out can I call you back later and then done so to talk properly. Now, I always make sure that my e-mail is pushed to be used for contact rather the phone. So much easier as you can reply at your own leisure and sort through those unsuitable so much quicker and then speak personally afterwards.

Once my bitch is in whelp and post whelping the bitch and pups are always my only priority so I expect phone calls for updates and keep myself free, but do e-mail and photo's all the time to hopefully stem the flow, and puppies new owners are always understanding if I don't have long to talk, though I much prefer them to visit.

But, a phone call for me shows they are really keen, whether they are the right owners is another thing, I personally think you get so many more impulse and time wasters by e-mail than phone, but for me as well, e-mail is more convenient. :-)

Thanks folks thats really interesting I will bear that in mind in the future should I be looking for a pup "cold" so to speak. This time has been a kind of mixture ,mainly word of mouth from others in the breed some emails and also phone calls
I am very happy talking on the phone but can see your point that not everyone is and also the unfortunate need for records which emails covers so well

I once had an email asking for "one of those things" and if I didnt have one did I know anyone who did have "one of those things in the same colour"

I was livid....

> I once had an email asking for "one of those things" and if I didnt have one did I know anyone who did have "one of those things in the same colour"
>
> I was livid....

   
Gobsmacked!

I have had my puppy a week so its still fresh in my mind how I got her. First hubby and I sat down and worked out a list of breeds we would be comfortable with, we then talked about rescue/puppy from breeder choices. Once we had a short list and knew we needed a puppy (due to our home situation) then I went to all the breed clubs websites and we finally decided to go with the breed that my hubbys family had bred a few years ago. I then went out and bought 3 books on the breed and read those. Then It took me a few days to track down the number of the breeder that we wanted our pppy from. I had an address and a telephone number so I rang her. I was expecting to be put on a waiting list but I was very lucky in the fact that her stud had just bred a litter with a bitch that from a bit of internet searching I was happy with. I then rang the bitches owner and talked on the phone with her for 2 hours!  I also came on here and asked a few questions to just calm the few nerves left. I did find that my process went quicker than I thought it would I was thinking I ould be waiting 6-12 months for a puppy but just lucked out.

Since then I have been offered puppies while we were waiting for our girl to get big enough to come home with us. People seemed amazed that we would rather wait for her than just take the puppy they were offering there and then - even though the breeds were different etc.

I will say that my previous dog was an impulse buy - she was 4 weeks old and in a pet shop and I just couldn't walk away from her - totally wrong I know but I was 13 years younger and more impulsive then.

I once had an email asking for "one of those things" and if I didnt have one did I know anyone who did have "one of those things in the same colour"

Blimey, that one would have got deleted pronto. :-(