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Hi its a sign that they care about their puppy. Alot of thought, time, love and care on their part has got this puppy to nine months old. He was probably kept because as a young pup he showed good potential to be a show dog but one way or another that potential has not been fulfilled and now they want to find him the best possible pet home they can. A good breeder will give you what appears to be the third degree to try and make sure yours is the right home for their puppy as they will still feel responsible for him even when he belongs to someone else.They dont want him used at stud because they dont feel he is good enough and so want him castrated so that they can be sure of that. Unfortunatly there are people who would use him regardless and never mind the consequences(not meaning you).
Lets put it this way my puppies are my babies and just as I wouldnt give the care of a human baby over to just anyone without finding out about them nor would I sell a puppy to anyone I wasn't happy about so would need to ask very careful searching questions and these days it is more common for homes to be vetted, after all if you went to a rescue centre they would want to do a homecheck before you could adopt a dog .
Sorry this seems like a sermon, but I hope it explains why they seem to be putting you through such an interagation.
Best Wishes Gillian

I too agree 100% with what Gillian has said , i too am in the process of vetting prospective owners and i only own the sire of the pups but both me and the bitch owner are doing it between us and if i was letting a 9 month old dog go due to the fact that it hadn't come up to show standard or whatever i too would insist on castration before letting said pup go and if they are arranging it and footing the bill then good on them as responsible breeders. Why would you feel uncomfortable about them vetting you and your home?.Put yourself in their place, as all good breeders should the most important factor is making sure the pup is going to the right home.My goodness sometimes with the questioning i feel like the KGB, but what the heck our babies come first.

If I were you, I would really be putting the pressure on my boyfriend to accept everything that the breeders of the puppy want you to do - these are really responsible breeders.

I know, I feel like I'm grilling like the Gestapo when one of our puppies leaves home - I'll make as many enquiries as possible about the prospective owners - and I've turned people away - but I bred the puppies, I want to know what is happening to them throughout their lives - and this is what your breeders seem to be doing.

With breeders like this, you'll have all the backup you need, throughout your puppy's life.

If your boyfriend was wanting a dog for breeding, then the fact that this puppy has a bad mouth would mean that he certainly shouldn't be in a breeding programme.

Hope this helps - and I hope you come through the questionnaire/home vetting!

Regards
Margot

I have Bulldogs and i have just had a male castrated because he is not good enough to show or breed from.The breeder is doing every thing right so if your boyfriend is un happy them i would leave it and go and buy a puppy from some one else but you wont get a better deal. they must love this pup and if it was me i would have said to your boy friend( no sale). and every good breeder will vet homes i go to every home before any one has one of my pups/or get some one i trust if they are closer, why are you concerned about it?

I have tried to email you direct but your addy is hidden
would you email me.Click on my name and you will see my email addy

The things that your breeder is saying would really put my mind at rest about the sort of upbringing the puppy has had. They sound like very responsible breeders and have every right to judge the potential owners of their dogs. If you don't want a castrated dog then walk away, you have no obligation on your part.

I think its really reponsible of the breeders - especially paying for the castration as well .
In their eyes there is nothing to stop new owners walkng away with their pup and breeding from it later on in life against their wishes .
If you dont want to breed anyway I cannot see the problem but it is your choice at the end of the day and you have every right to walk away if you are not happy
Hope everything works out :)
Lel

Hello Hailey,
My personal opinion is that you have found an excellent breeder, who really cares about the welfare of the dog, and will no doubt want to stay in touch with the dog's new owners and give them any help they need. They care that the dog goes to a suitable home, which is why you were asked all the questions - it's one of the signs of a good breeder! They don't want to just take your money and puch the dog out of the door, as many people do. They also care about the breed, which is why the pup will be castrated (at their expense!!) to make sure nobody is tempted to use him at stud just to make money.

Even general rescue kennels will send someone round to check your home, so there is no reason to object to that. That is good practice.

Beware of anyone who doesn't put you through the "third degree" - it could well be a sign of a puppy farmer who doesn't give a damn.

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I would guess that the husband was covering up his emotions in the way men do - his wife was crying, but he wasn't able to.

The grilling prospective owners are put through has two reasons - one, for the breeder to discover whether the new home is suitable (it's nothing personal) and two, to deter time-wasters. Not saying that you are wasting their time, but some people do, and that has to be discovered before the dog is uprooted. It's the dog that is the important one here, not the breeders, and not you!

With a contract not being signed until you have been checked out, it means both parties are free to change their minds.

And regarding home-checks, I do some homechecking for a breed rescue, and our neighbours had people from the NCDL come out to check their home when they adopted a dog from the local rescue. As I said, it's normal practice, and is a sign of a responsible person/organisation.

Hope this clears up some of your queries.
:)

Hailey, it's really simple. Until the breeder is assured that you are the best home for the dog, it's not yours. Your job is to convince them that you can provide the best home by answering any questions that they might have and showing them whatever they would like to see. Driving such a long way to see the dog and meet the breeder without any commitment is not unusual.

Hailey

Put yourself in their shoes. You have bred a puppy, which you intended keeping, you have loved him and kept him, and now at 9 months, you find that he cannot be part of your breeding programme. A large part of you would say, well, that's it, he's staying with us. However another part of you says no, we must rehome him.

Wouldn't YOU give anyone coming to look at him a hard time?? I know I certainly would.

Margot

(But then again, I'm too soft for my own good, and I would just end up keeping him :D D :D)

when we saw reef his breeder gave us a real grilling. the first time we went we werent even allowed to hold him. we also travelled a long way. when the time came to pick him up he went into the garden whilst his wife settled reef in our car. he was a big softy really and couldnt bear saying goodbye. :) :).

Hi Hailey,
I would take some comfort in the fact that the breeder is asking you so many questions. She's put a lot of time and love into raising this puppy and she wants to feel 110% sure that she's sending him home with the right people - Maybe if all breeders did the same, there would be less people having certain types of dogs for the wrong reasons, and rescue centres wouldn't be overflowing with unwanted dogs.
I know - I'm getting a Great Dane puppy in 6weeks time, and we're the same, we're about 6hrs away from the lady who's bred him, and I know that I want to prove to her, that we are the right family for the puppy as much as she does. You'll have a lifetime of support with a breeder like that. Good Luck and let us know how you get on.
Sharon
X

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I don't know you or your boyfriend at all, so don't think this is aimed at you personally!

When I am homing puppies, or people enquire after a rescue dog, and they don't like the idea of a homecheck, my immediate reaction is "What are they trying to hide?" After all, they are total strangers to me, and could be puppy-farmers, dog-fighters, sadists or murderers for all I know!

Edit: You wouldn't believe some of the lies I've been told, that have only come to light at the homecheck!

I agree with you

We get a few people who lie to us to get a rescue GSD I do the home checks locally & had to laugh when I got an address described as a semi detached house. Didn't even bother with the home check the address was a tower block flat that had been pulled down two years before ! But the address sounded really nice :D

Hailey, you still do not seem to accepted what all replies have said so far......why are you still questioning this? I am sure that you care for your dogs fine , but what is coming across to the board, and likely to the breeder is this.....
1. you still dont feel it necessary to have a home check....It may be coming across to the breeder that you have something to hide (even if this is wrong)
2. you seem to think that a 6 hour drive gives you the right to take a pup home, you admit to being miffed. It is NOT usual to let a pup go to a new home after meeting up for a short time, and the distance driven should not influence that
remember that the breeder does not know you, and has no obligation to trust you.
I am not surprised that the breeders are reluctant.....your reluctance to have home check, and moaning about travelling distance will not exactly make them trust you! you are fortunate that they are still even considering you at this point, many would not be.
The breeders are being very reasonable...its your choice, either accept the clauses with good grace, or dont take the pup.

Hi Hailey

I rehomed two 5 mth old pups last week. We had lots of enquiries and so I picked 2 families to come and meet us (we are in Plymouth, Devon). The first family were from Windsor and the second from Scotland. The family from Scotland travelled down one day and arrived in Plymouth at about 11pm, they then stayed in a hotel overnight. The next day they came to me and got a good grilling and asked why they should be allowed the dog. They were here for 4 hrs and had been warned in advance that they could well drive all that way and leave with nothing. They were happy to take that chance. They left after lunch with a lovely labrador and were over the moon. They then drove back to Birmingham and stayed in a hotel and then the next day back to Scotland. They really wanted the dog and they came to prove that they were the best family for my dog.
It is hard to let puppies go but if that dog is older it breaks your heart to let go. This is the first time I have rehomed dogs to people I did not know. In the past I have let a 3 yr old and a 1 yr old go on to friends homes.

Hi,
From what i can make out the main problem was Hailey and her boyfriend travelled all that way to come home empty handed..It looks like the breeder didnt' explain this to them before they set out on there journey..I am just starting out in the dogworld but i have bred and exhibited cats for quite a while and if someone kicks up a fuss about an animal not being neutered when they have approched you for a pet does' set the alarm bells ringing..You can vet anyone as much as you want'and visit there homes but this is no sure fire way to ensure your dog/cat will be cared for properly all it does is make the breeder feel better in himself..I feel you can be too harsh with "vetting"as this opens the door to commercial breeders who dont care where there pups go.I can understand peoples thinking of not wanting people in there homes especially in this day and age so in the end these people will buy puppies from commercial breeders..Dont' get me wrong everyone should get vetted but i think there is a limit to it,i have been known to throw totally unsuitable potential owners out of my house before and would do it again..In the end i am trying to say there should be a balance.A long standing judge once said to me"the only way to stop worrying where your animals go and are being treated is to stop breeding them".I wish you luck in the future finding your dream puppy and the wait is worth it but please make your intensions clear before you go on any more long journeys to avoid more dissapointments..

Hailey, I am not surprised by the breeders reaction. I wouldn't have let him go to you either. Your reactions to the requests of the breeder would have made me very suspicious - whether warranted or not. 1st impressions are vital, try and learn from it so that you are more successful next time.

sorry you didnt succeed hailey. it sounds like your b/friend was the problem and not the breeder. he will have to change his attitude i'm afraid before you get a dog. you were very lucky in the first place to be offered a bulldog. they are like goldust at the moment.