Just wondering when people actually give people an assurance that they will get a puppy? I have had several email and phone conversations with someone who seemed idea for a puppy. I said I was happy for them to have a puppy provided I was happy when we met and they liked the puppies.It seems now this wasn't enough so they have gone and bought a 6 month old pup from someone they met at Crufts. I really don't want to fully commit myself until I have met in person. Am I being unreasonable?

You are being very reasonable ! I always expect prospective owners to visit and that only occurs after much correspondence by email and telephone. If the visit goes well, I ask them to go home and discuss between themselves and email/telephone to confirm that they are interested and wish to proceed. I haven't taken deposits up to now, my word is my bond, and most certainly would not at the time of the first visit. There have been a few occasions when prospective buyers have 'passed' the telephone/email stage but I have had to turn them down after the meeting them.

No you are being totally reasonable. Unfortunately I think this is a sign of the times. I have found many people that have contacted me re puppies are not prepared to wait and want their pup NOW!

I have people visiting me for the first litter visit this weekend and wander how many of the pet buyers will be happy not knowing exactly which one of the pups is theirs at this stage (pups are 4 weeks) as I still don't know which one I'm keeping.

I said I was happy for them to have a puppy provided I was happy when we met and they liked the puppies.It seems now this wasn't enough so they have gone and bought a 6 month old pup from someone they met at Crufts.

This sounds like one of the many potential buyers who simply cannot be bothered to WAIT. I'm sure it would have made no difference at all if you'd said YES you can definitely have a pup -as long as any other pup was ready BEFORE yours, that's what they'd go for. Too many buyers like that these days -and you're better off without them!

oh dear how I hope these people don't live to regret and the pup suffers. As a puppy buyer who has done it wrong in the past I completely agree with the previous comments. Spur of the moment is not right and yes I think you should all meet up and have time to think it over. I did once years ago when I was very naive have a 6month old from people I met at a show. It was a complete disaster nothing they told me was true and I couldn't cope with a very nervous and a unhappy pup. She went back to the breeder ( that bit they did do right) leaving me a salutary lesson learned
My last pup I wasn't sure which one I would be having right until the day before we picked her up. I had met Mum and Dad and the whole litter after travelling halfway across the country and the cost of petrol and hotel. That was no problem it was this litter I wanted a pup from. I knew the breeder was breeding for one for herself for show and work and that she wasn't sure which one actually until the day before I picked up my pup. We spoke regularly and I knew what was going on.
I was perfectly happy with it all as she ticked all my boxes as did the litter and lines she was breeding from and I guess I must have ticked hers as I was allowed to have a pup. It actually took me two year to research and get my pup
I would expect exactly the same when I have another pup. I have learned a lot in the 20+ years since my big mistake :(

Thanks for the reassurance. It came as a bit of a surprise this morning but the more I think over it the happier I am that he has gone somewhere else. Whilst he seemed ideal on the phone he was so adamant that I should promise he should have a pup and I just can't unless I am totally happy. I was not going to be bullied into agreeing to him have a pup. and he hadn't even seen the pups or met mum.

If he has gone to the breeder I think he has then he will almost certainly be buying a load of trouble. It will be a pup that has been kept in kennels and had very little socialisation. I would be very reluctant to take on a 6 month old pup of my breed unless I was absolutely certain it had been very well brought up and this will almost certainly not be the case from this breeder.

This is interesting.  I think you were being completely reasonable.

I am replying as someone who has had dogs for very many years but have always been the 'buyer' and not the breeder.  From my point of view (as a buyer) I have always put so much planning and thought into a prospective puppy purchase.  It's not something to be taken lightly, and actually, my last purchase took me many months of looking around potential dogs/litters/breeders etc and along this process I was actually made to feel like a timewaster by some breeders, yet all I was doing was making sure I was happy with everything including my relationship with the breeder.  Dog ownership for me is a 15+ year commitment and I want to get it right. 

I agree with what others are saying, so many people these days are treating dog ownership as some sort of disposable fashion trend and are in too much rush to get a pup without thinking ahead for the next 10-15 years or more.  It's very sad.  I have some customers that bring their dogs in for grooming to me and they can tell me very little about the reasons behind their purchase, other than the fact that the pup was bought on a whim during the school holidays or something {sigh}.  Then they moan later because they've not done their homework and cant manage grooming/behaviour/training etc.  Why don't people take time to educate themselves first.  Anyway, I diverse. 

Rant over, lol!

I definitely think you were better off without this particular buyer.

:-)

I do exactly the same as you so I don't think it's unreasonable!

I do also remember when I first starting looking for a puppy being called a timewaster as I enquired about a litter of puppies but wasn;t as yet sure whether it was the right litter/puppy for us... not nice!

I make it very clear to prospective buyers that they only come for a visit the first time and to think things through and get back to me. If one says they don't want to or finds another pup somewhere else, it's fine by me and probably for the better.

Just wondering when people actually give people an assurance that they will get a puppy?

The day they leave me with the puppy :-O

Not as harsh as it sounds, well, I guess some may think it is. I want to meet people, and their immediate family, until I meet them then they are not officially on my puppy list. I don't take deposits, I am quite open in saying the pup is mine until the day it leaves. If someone specificially wants a bitch or dog before pups are born, I can't guarantee it. How could I? I also need to see what characters my pups have. I will not send pups to homes they are not suited to, and I will not home a pup to a home that is not suited to the pup - that doesn't mean that the home isn't a good one, but the character match between pup and potential owner isn't right.

I think what you have done is absolutely fine. There are always people who wont or can't . I am sure that if you thought the 'sale' was the most important thing then you wouldn't be in this predicament. Don't worry about them, they may have been a good home, but they weren't the right home for one of your pups :-)

Trialist
Totally agree with your post

Well said Megslegs ( love the name !). I get a lot of enquiries from people wanting a puppy NOW/ LOCAL/CHEAP.
Many have no idea about the implications of dog ownership and have done no research into the breed and the health issues that should be addressed by the breeder. I also dislike the term 'timewaster'. I'd rather people looked around at litters before deciding on a breeder and most certainly prefer a buyer to change their mind before ,and not after, taking a puppy. Okay 'serial' puppy viewers could ( possibly  !!!) pose a risk of cross infection but I'm sure we all take adequate precautions to protect our puppies from such risks.

To me a time-waster is someone who has said they will definitely want to have a puppy, and then change their mind late on (like when pups are ready to go home). 

That person is perhaps stopping someone else getting a puppy, or having to run around looking, (we don't have a lot of pups in my breed, it's most often feast or famine with only around 50 registrations a year).

People researching and visiting to ascertain if the breed or even me are right for them is not time wasting.

Some may not agree, but this is exactly why I do take a small deposit roughly 10% of puppy purchase price, (enough for someone not to want to throw the money away if they are not serious, but not enough to make someone have a puppy they don't really want).

Obviously I don't take a deposit until after I am happy with the potential buyer and of course pups are on the ground and thriving.

People do want some certainty, as they can't simply find another litter quickly, especially as they most likely have already been waiting months.

Not unreasonable at all. I went to look at a prospective litter a few weeks ago, I made no assumption that the breeder would let me have one of her puppies, but as it turned out, she was happy with me and I paid a deposit on a bitch pup. And I totally understand her reasoning for asking for a deposit- there are so many timewasters out there that dont want to wait/will buy another pup if they see one ready sooner.

I still have a 3 week wait for my pup, part of me wants her NOW, but the other part is actually liking being able to fully prepare/puppy proof the house (read- buy her lots of things!)