One of the ladies I work with asked for my opinion at the end of last week. Her daughter has a KC reg Papillon dog, and she wanted to buy a bitch to breed with it. Whilst her daughter did a lot of research into pedigrees and looked at many litters, she has seen a cheap bitch advertised and decided it is the one. She wanted to know what questions to ask. I gave her a long list of things (not Papillon specific, just general questions about health tests, registration etc) and told her if she wanted to breed in the future, she must be sure the bitch is 110% correct.

This morning she comes to work with the most awful looking Papillon I've ever seen. I am certainly no breed expert, but I'd question the pedigree of this little dog. No, it does not have KC papers (or any registration) and it can barely walk, despite being 11 months old! I asked her why she bought it when she wanted to breed, and she replied that it was only £500....

Now is it just me thinking this, but what is wrong with people?! Buying the cheapest dogs possible, no thought to registration, pedigree or health tests, and then going to breed litters that cannot be registered, and are not true to breed type!  It drives me nuts! IMO £500 for an unregistered 11 month old bitch is insane!

Sorry, just a rant! I am so fed up of all the thoughtless breeding going on because "its fun to have a litter".

I wish some of these people who think it's 'FUN' to do a litter, would also experience the 'pain' of breeding, when it all goes wrong - if it didn't mean the bitch had to suffer of course. 

Clearly this was ALL about income - and in that, I hope the woman has a good sum of money set aside for the C.Section this bitch may well need.   Sadly when living in a 'free society' we can only spread the word and hope some of it doesn't fall on deaf ears.    And for those who are still breeding (responsibly) make sure the new owners realise what an ENDORSEMENT actually means - not that that prevents the dogs from being bred, producing puppies that can't be registered.   I guess the only solution, to making sure anything YOU  produce doesn't fall into the wrong hands, would be to run them all on to the age they can be neutered!    Not realistic.

Sad, very sad and I feel your pain.

Someone I've seen had a litter which I suspect was to make money, they've had nothing but problems, the mother that is since giving birth and the cost has risen hugely that even with selling these cross breeds at £500 each for instance they would still be out of pocket...
So I know they won't be doing it again and howl fully will advise others who think it's a good way to make money

Funnily enough I just looked at adverts a few minutes ago (I like to know what is going on in my breeds), and spotted "My puppies are REAL Papillions -dad is a tiny Papillon and mum is Papillon/JRT." (They could not even decide how to spell the breed.) Right, so being 75 % of a breed makes them pure-bred now?!

Papillons are NOT easy to breed. They are a recipe for heartbreak for those that do not know what they are doing. I learnt that already with my first litter of them -stillborn pups. No live ones. In my latest litter there were one stillborn and two live pups, and the mother rejected the dog pup, so I had to handrear him. Your story actually makes me hope this lady will have a bad experience. Oh, and the dogs will typically start cocking their leg indoors EVERYWHERE after having been used for breeding. Sounds like she deserves that too.

The breed should be patella checked by a vet and DNA tested for PRA1.

I didn't know the specific DNA tests to advise for the breed (I breed Parson Terriers and have no experience of Papillons) but I did tell her to go on the KC website and check out what tests she should ensure her girl has either had, or the parents have had.

Obviously this advice was all ignored.Why do people specifically seek you out for advice, only to ignore it?!

I don't think this person is doing it for the money, I think she genuinely thinks it is "fun" to have puppies.

Poor bitch is currently sat in the car, parked in full sun, as said colleague thought it would be "fun" to bring it to the office to show everyone! I have told her to go and open some windows/leave her boot open, but apparently she is "ok as its not hot out" (no, because there is a strong wind! the car will still be like a greenhouse!)

I'm am so fed up with ignorance!

You have my complete admiration for your restraint with your colleague. I think I would have made myself very unpopular with her by now. You have to wonder whether registration is enough for some people - maybe they should have to prove competence to have a dog? It won't happen though, poor dogs.

Did she see the dog wasn't walking before she brought? Eleven months old and for sale to me smacks of "nightmare had with this puppy want rid!" A thorough check over by vet needed check if a deformity or just not used to being on all fours?
I'm viewing adverts now re future puppy but for me the price is the last item on my agenda, maybe I'm in the wrong?

> Funnily enough I just looked at adverts a few minutes ago (I like to know what is going on in my breeds), and spotted "My puppies are REAL Papillions -dad is a tiny Papillon and mum is Papillon/JRT."

Typo - they meant to put "aren't REAL"

Wouldn't Trading Standards be interested in this?

Not in the wrong Saxonjus, price came last for us too. We wanted that breed, and we looked for health and temperament as a priority (and only KC reg'd too). She was bought as a pet, but at 10 months turned out to be a cracking show dog!

I see jack russels being bred year after year in my work. It makes me so sad that they could have a quality terrier with good breeding and no slipped patella for the price they pay for these :( But were preaching to the choir here!

The people I know like it do it because they want 'just a pet', 'I'm not a breeder and just having a litter from my pet' or 'I'm only breeding pets not show dogs'.

My boss at work wanted a beagle despite the fact they say pedigree dogs are all messed up thanks to the kc and show breeders. So I said I would give them a hand and told them what health tests the parents should have. Well I started sending them litter adverts of one's who's parents had been tested and the reply was that they were too expensive and that they wouldn't pay that for a dog. They seemed to expect them to be £100. So I sent them a cheaper litter advert from a working breeder with no mention of health testing and advised them to ask about the tests.
They went with the cheaper one, and their boy looks tall for a beagle, they said they had some foxhound there as well so they think there boy may have some in him. Which they like as this this somehow means he will be healthier. Then then went out and got a puggle for company for it.

Sometimes though, people will listen.
My daughter asked if I would mind giving a good friend of hers some advice about getting a Westie puppy. She had dogs as a child, but didn't really know how to go about looking for a puppy these days and was worried about ending up with a pup from a puppy farm.
I told her where the best places were to look, like on here, the KC or the breed club, explained about making sure bother parents were health tested and kc registered, explained how people that show there dogs need to bring new young dogs on, but will have a surplus of puppies that they will sell and so on.
Bless her, she took it all in, researched the breed well and when they went to see a breeder, she went armed with questions as well. Apparently the breeder was so impressed that they were allowed to have a puppy even though the breeder had turned down someone from London already (not sure why exactly).
They finally bought their new pup home last weekend and are thrilled to bits.

Why do people ask and ignore?   Lord knows!   I guess 'we' can only keep banging the drum ...... one situation I was faced with ages ago now, was with my nephew's ex.   She took on a terrier and somebody had asked to use him.  I gave her the usual speel about opening Pandora's Box, only using top quality animals for breeding - you name it, I said it.  

Next I heard she had a new puppy - yes, sired by the terrier!