hi everyone,
I thought I'd post this and see if anyone else has noticed this. As everyone knows you're recommended to contact the breed club when you are looking for a new puppy, but I have noticed that often when contacting certain clubs even when requesting information they can be quite rude especially it seems when it involves toy breeds and younger people (myself being 23). Anyway here's my rant my friend desperately wants a maltese puppy she's 27 and has owned 2 previously in her life but has found that they are harder to come by in this country than they are in her native south africa. Anyway she asked me how would she go about finding a puppy and I pointed her towards the maltese club which she called yesterday to be rather rudely cut short and hung up on and all she wanted was information. I have personally found that when I was looking for Nemo (my gorgeous chihuahua) I found some breeders to be amazingly helpfull and I still keep in contact with them for any problems etc but the vast majority were just rude to me. Now this is something I dont understand I've owned dogs all my life, am a trainee veterinary nurse and am more than capable of giving a puppy a great home but I was spoken to rudely.

My friend was very taken-a-back by the response she recieved after all she was doing what you are supposed to right? The problem I have found is that if breed representatives are so uncoroperative when someone responsible wishes to become involved in the breed then how can they say they are doing everything they can to stop people buying from unreliable or unregistered breeders. Afterall if that is the only way people are able to obtain a puppy then thats they route they will take. I am not having a rant at all breeders because over the years I have met many amazing people who are always willing to help and only wish to look after the well being of their dogs and breed.

Why do breeders wish to scare away younger owners from breeds when they should embrace the new found interest in them and promote the breed they own. Not everyone under 40 is imcompetant of giving a dog a great standard of life.

anyway I had to get that off my chest

Sarah and Nemo

I agree with you entirely.

What you do have to remeber though is that club secretaries are all volunteers.  there is no excuse for rudeness,b ut they may ahve been disturbed from their dinner for the umpteenth time or had rude callers themselves. 

Sadly at teh moment there is a lot of the wrong sort of interest in may toy breeds as they seem to be somewhat of a fashion staement due to celebrity ownership and films.

I would suggest writing a nice letter, with perhaps a mention that the phone had been tried without success???  Might prick the grumpy persons comncience :D 

I am 41 but think that many in the breed consider me a youngster :D

Yep I have found this too your not alone by a long shot. Also SOME people who own certain breeds think anyone who hasnt owned 1 of their dogs before will be no good as a owner. I came across this when wanting a Husky. I have now owned them for 8 years and consider myself a good responsible owner(maybe better than some of the know it alls I first came across).

I agree, You can get some pretty gruesome people out there!
But some people are like that from previous experiences of selling puppies and cruelty occurring!
But there is no need to hang up when all you did was request info!