I’ve really debated what to say here and how to say it. The breeding “world” is small for ethical breeders because we rely on each other to consult, to recommend, to brainstorm a puppy or a mother through a particular challenge. These are people I trust and respect, and interact with often. I care about these ethical breeders who sacrifice to bring dogs into a family in an intentional way. I care about you as a new puppy owner, and above all, I care about these dogs. Because of this, I thought it might be helpful to give you some behind the scenes information about the different ways to obtain a dog.

This will be helpful to you as you make a decision of where to purchase your pet.

Ethical Professional Breeder

There is no substitute for education or experience. Many of us started as hobby breeders, and then, because we realized the vast amount of focus, experience, and time necessary to breed correctly, paid for education, learned by experience, and became professional full-time breeders. Some choose to breed in a kennel environment, and some choose to breed in a home environment, as we do, because we feel that is the best way to socialize a family pet.

Think about your own profession – are you better at what you do after you’ve done it hundreds of times and learned by hard experience? Is this experience and knowledge able to help you process information and understand data? Are you producing better results more consistently now than you did at the start of your career? Paying for genetic and health testing (absolutely necessary), and being able to interpret those results and make appropriate breeding choices, is a complicated process. I’ve learned from experience and education.

I have done several classes and continued education that has been invaluable in caring for our moms and puppies.

I still learn new things every day. Breeding is incredibly more advanced than it was even a decade ago, because of the amount of genetic testing that continues to come out. Science and technology are constantly evolving to help me improve the health, temperament, and structure of my puppies and adults.

I do this because I love the puppies, the developmental side of training, the sweet snuggles, the science, and the satisfaction of a gorgeous well-bred puppy who will bring years of quality to another family’s life. Because my puppies are the focus of my life, I am happy to make the significant investments in quality breeding stock, genetic testing, high quality health care from my Veterinary Specialist, ultrasounds, nutrition, training programs. These things give the puppies diverse and appropriate experiences while they are young and impressionable. I am up every single night for one reason or another with a puppy or dog. I am not overstating when I say that breeding has affected every aspect of my life, and it has been a joy.

Hobby Breeder

Someone who loves their pet and thinks it would be fun to have puppies. There are varying levels. Some educate themselves and pay for genetic/health testing. Some decide they just want to buy an adult dog quickly to capitalize on making some money. Some charge as much as I do for their first litter of puppies. Some play with the puppies in their home like we do. Some leave them in a crate in the garage for 8 weeks. My advice to you is this: Make sure you are able to see what happens with those puppies on a daily basis. Ask to see adult puppies, as genetic “furnishings” and other physical characteristics will manifest later. Ask to speak to other owners (Not made-up reviews on a website), who can tell you about temperament and them experience with the breeder and the puppy.

Puppy Mill

This is a very sad reality. Puppy Mills do not pay for genetic health testing. Often, they do not even pay for basic healthcare for the mom and puppies. Inbreeding is common, as the parent dogs do not come from pedigreed lines so lineage can be tracked. Inbreeding causes issues like deafness, blindness, and other serious issues that may not be apparent as puppies, but will definitely be apparent in your vet bills

(And worse, the suffering of the pet) later in life. Parents are kept in kennels in dirty conditions, fed cheap food, and overbred to the point of exhaustion. You will not be allowed to see where these puppies and dogs really live. They are much more likely to experience behavioral issues later in life because of lack of socialization.

Puppy Mills are a major contributor to animal shelters.

Rescue

These poor dogs need loving homes as much as any dog does. It takes a special person to be able to give them the patience, healthcare, and remedial training they may need. This doesn’t make the dog of any less value. Dogs have always been bred to perform specific “jobs”. Our puppies have been bred to do the job of a companion and family pet. It is in their DNA and their early socialization to give snuggles, play gently, have even temperaments, and be tolerant of a family environment.

Rescue dogs will also be able to contribute meaningfully to a family. Sometimes this is smooth sailing, and sometimes it’s not because breed origin, health, and training backgrounds are unknown or unfavorable.