On this site we frequently discuss  how to point people in the right direction to find the right dog, a reputable breeder etc, etc, but it sometimes gets brought home forcibly to me that we might be fighting a losing battle!  In the past couple of weeks no fewer than 6 people have asked me if I will ever be breeding from one of my bitches - not an unusaul question, you ask?  Well, on each and every one of these occassions, the question has been asked about Puglet, my tiny, "disabled" pug, and  came after a lengthy conversation about how small she is, how many health problems she had at birth, why the reason I carry her on walks for a lot of the way is that her little legs can only do short distances, and how she must not get too excited as she has trouble breathing (sort of hyperventilates).  Yet after hearing all this they have each and everyone then said word to the effect , "oh she is so sweet, will you have pups from her?"  What on earth are they thinking - having just heard how far from perfect she is, with multiple health problems, they still think that "sweet" would be a reason to breed!  How on earth do we stand a chance on getting the message across about buying from quality, healthy stock, when vast proportions of the GP dont even have a clue what a healthy dog looks like (you just have to see Puglet move to know something is seriously wrong!)
bye
Gwen

Hi Gwen I am not sure why folk ask these questions and i agree with you on how your feeling , in our breed we have problems and when I get puppy enquires I try to give advice on the health issues we have , some are very interested and others just reply ..OH WE ONLY WANT A PET !!!... GRRR yeap makes me cross I suppose we can only do our best ...

The type of people you are describing here we will unfortunately never educate.

We can only hope that there are more out there that do understand what we are saying and appreciate the advice given.  If you were GP having never had a dog before then the first place you would look is probably the local paper, most of the GP don't have a clue about the Kennel Club or the importance of finding a decent breeder, let alone health checks that are required for the breed that they want. 

Nowdays the internet is educating people more then books or media have ever done.  We can only hope their seaches bring them in the right direction and they take note of what is being advised.  There are also some excellent websites that breed clubs have set up.

We also need to make sure we don't ridicule those that ask what seem stupid questions to us.  It does wind me up when some people are so rude to the newcomer just because they think they know it all.

I only wish I had this level of information 25 years ago and I wouldn't have made so many mistakes before getting it right.

Sandra

Hi, I'm listening honest. I had a bad experience buying from the wrong sort of breeder some years ago and I will never repeat that mistake. I came on here asking how to choose a breeder of the right sort,ie; someone who cares for the breed. I have found comments on my own post (I think you call it)very helpful and will go to any site I'm directed to to learn more.I for one am very glad there are people on here I can learn from. I am finding out things I didn't know dispite having dogs all my life.Please don't dispair some of us welcome any help and advice given.

Glad to hear we get the message thorugh sometimes!

bye
Gwen

I dont even breed, and it annoys me no end... ppl keep asking me if i am going to breed from any of my dogs (nope adn they are all done).... some one asked me last summer, why Dill had baldy patches and was itchy, i said he has allergies, and with the next breath was asked if id consider mating him to their whippet x bitch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ive been replying to posts on another board lately, someone wanting a staffie, i could be wrong, but im afraid that this person will end up going to the wrong place for their pup.

We all have this belief that 'it wont happen to me', and for all the right reasons, it IS much harder to buy a dog properly than it is to buy one 'improperly'.....

I could go to a number of 'rescues' or a couple of well known 'petshops' tomorrow, pay my money and come home with a pup. Pick up a copy of a well known free ads paper, and come home with any number of dogs.

But, my one and only attempt at buying a pedigree... well lets see:
Went to Discover Dogs in London (and im in Manchester ) , talked to owners and breeders of loads of different breeds.
Spent hours and hours talking about various breeds, quizzing owners, visiting ppl with different breeds.
Months of weighing up the pros and cons of my final short list.
Finally made an appointment to visit a breeder, with a view to buying a pup from them, or a close friend of them (who i had also spent a few hours on the fone to)...
Sadly, the lady i was to visit tragically died, and i did not have the money to visit the other breeder at present..... and then of course, in the meantime, along came a skinny orange dog, who needed a home, so no puppy for me. Had that not happened, i would have visited her, if id got the ok from her, id have more than likely visited the other lady as well, probably several times (manchester to scotland, by train!) before bringing any puppy home!

It is VERY easy to see, how people who do not have all the facts, can think its just a matter of choosing your breed and picking up a pup, most people wouldnt consider waiting more than a few weeks. My unsuccessful search was for 6 months, and it would have been a further three or four before any pup came home with me.
It hasnt put me off, and when the time is right, i WILL have a dog of the breed i chose.
I can see though it can really put people off, even if they DO know the facts, because its in our nature to think 'ill get away with it, itll be ok'.......

Just my observations, not that i can think of anything that could be done to improve this, other than educating people (but, we all know smokings got its risks, of horrible painful death, i still smoke though!) and trying our best to put an end to unscrupulous breeders and puppy farms.

Em