How Do You Find A Good Breeder

"How do you find a good breeder?"
You make a list of what is important to you. OFAs? Titles? Extensive Pedigree? Well known kennel? Color? Size? Gender? Temperment? Tails? Docked? Location? Price? And then you look at all the breeder pages you can find and determine who has the type of dog you like. Who has litters coming up of the type of dogs you like. Then you write and ask the breeder all the questions about the above list that are important to you. You listen to your gut, and your brain about the breeder's demeanor and answers and you narrow your selection down to the right breeder and the right litter at the right time. Then you DON'T deviate your plan at every cute puppy you see. Waiting for the right one is sometimes hard - but it pays off in a big way!

"Contracts? Do they really matter?"
Absolutely!!! One of the things you should ask when you are interviewing a breeder is to see a copy of his/her contract. Then put it through every "What if" scenario you can think of. If you find a stumbling block at some point - talk to the breeder - don't just write them off. Sometimes there are things breeders will rearrange or rethink about, if you point out your "what if" scenario and why the contract makes you nervous. Sometimes there are things that are not alterable and you just have to deal with. Often times people want a particular pup so bad, they don't even bother to read the contract they are signing - to them it's just the only way to get the puppy they want. But if anything goes wrong, or is misunderstood between parties, they are usually the ones with bad feelings. If part of the contract contraindicts itself - you need to ask the breeder to clarify. It might be your only chance to see beforehand how a breeder will react to questions and deal with you. Even if your concerns change nothing about the contract, you will have an understanding of how your breeder works and how much he/she is willing to work with you.

"Can the breeder change/not honor them?"
Once you have both signed the contract it is a legally binding document that BOTH parties must adhere to. Both parties must honor what the contract says or they can be held liable. There are certain things in contracts that can be open for interpretation - and this is what you should have resolved with your "what if" scenarios. These areas are where either party usually runs into problems of "not honoring." What you consider to be "not honoring," the other party may feel they have fulfilled their responsibilites and the contract may not be specific enough for a certain scenario. You also have to throw into the whole "honoring" what state and federal laws say. Even though you may sign a contract that says, for example, "Breeder is not responsible for internal parasites in a puppy." (I've seen contracts like this!!!) BUT if those internal parasites lead to bloody stools, dehydration and baldness - state lemon laws (yours or theirs) may hold the breeder responsible for vet care regardless of the contract. With internet sales certain contracts may fall under federal regulations instead of state regualtions, or negate contractually agreed upon jurisdiction. But if a contract states anything specifically and that is not adhered to despite other gray areas, the breeder and buyer do open themselves up to legal action.

"Why can't people post the troubles they have had with a breeder provided they have proof?"
For one thing any public posting of anything could jeopardize legal action for either party. But too many things are open to personal interpretation and people often times have a very hard time presenting the facts without personal bias that could lead to liable, defamation and all kinds of other nastiness. This is up to an individual to decide for themselves, and if you ask enough breeders about one another (privately) you are going to get idea about who you want to deal with and who you don't. Whether we want to believe it or not, reputation precedes us. Reputation speaks volumes of the quality and health of the puppies produced and their owner's satisfaction becomes public knowledge. The good and the bad. Ask for references - from other professionals, pet owners, vets. Then ask these people if they can direct you to anything else you may need to know. Be patient and ask questions BEFORE you sign that contract!!!! It won't be hard to find the breeder that will be suit your needs.

"Doesn't this help others from getting ripped off?"
You would think so huh? But really it doesn't. All publicly posting dissatisfaction does is anger people and make them unreasonable. It accomplishes nothing. It might or might not affect their reputation but the problem is, the amount their reputation is affected has little to do with the depths of whatever problems they may have and everything to do with the vehemence of the person making the complaint. The closest thing you get to an unbias report is OFA - it's a tool all buyers and breeders should use. EVERY living thing has problems - ALL our dogs will too at some point in time. It's the knowing about them that is important - so we can breed selectively and chose selectively what is best for our lines and our families. But we all know OFA doesn't tell the whole story. So NO, sadly, this public reporting often only causes more problems than it solves.
By: Tracey K
K2 Rat Terriers