Why shouldn't I buy a puppy from a pet store? What is so bad about them? Aren't I in fact rescuing a dog from what could be a bad situation?
The majority of Pet shop puppies come from puppy brokers. They in turn buy their puppies from commercial breeders. These breeders & brokers are USDA licensed to mass produce dogs (or are supposed to be licensed). The commercial breeders may or may not be puppy mills, depending on your definition of what a puppy mill is. These "breeders" breed dogs for one reason only, profit. Some do not care or even know if the dog is a good example of the breed. Most do not test for any genetic diseases. They do not know where their puppies end up or what health problems they may be producing. Their breeding stock are not shown or in any way proven or inspected by anyone who knows what the breed should look like. They usually have several different breeds, whatever one will make them the most profit at the time. This is a business venture. Some are treated very poorly. They may spend their whole lives in small cages with wire bottoms, having litters every heat until they can no longer produce puppies. They are typically then sold at auction or killed (put to sleep). Many never see the outside world, let alone get to cuddle in a warm lap. In the worst cases, some cannot even stand or walk right because of these conditions. By buying a puppy from a Pet store you may be supporting this. If the puppies they produce are bought from the pet stores, they will provide more puppies for the public to buy. If there were no market, then they would do something else to support themselves.
But the pet store says they buy their puppies from local breeders.
Ask them for names and numbers to see if they truly are local and not from Missouri or Kansas. (Local may mean in the USA). But even if the breeder lives down the street, I still wouldn't buy a pet from them, What loving breeder would sell a whole litter of pups to be sold to anyone who has the money? How would they know if they are producing some sort of genetic defect or dogs that make good family pets? How would they know that their dogs are not ending up in the shelter or being mistreated? Let alone, how would they know if they are truly improving the breed without ever seeing them as adults?
Where should I get a puppy from then?
Buy directly from a reputable breeder. A reputable breeder carefully plans each litter to try to improve the breed. They do health testing. They keep track of their puppies by remaining in touch with puppy owners. You may gain a friend and you will get lifetime support for your puppy. They prove their dogs in the field and/or show ring. They are very familiar with the breed standard for their breed. They genuinely care about each puppy. They carefully screen their buyers. They will require a contract promising to give them the pup back anytime in its lifetime if you can no longer keep it. Their dogs get the best of care. They are in it for the love of the dog, not profit (which they don't usually see). They usually barely break even. These are the people you want to get your puppy from. Their dogs usually do not end up in the shelter or rescue, if they do, they are known to travel for miles, (very upset) and get them out. They will keep them until a loving home is found. They know it is their responsibility because they chose to bring that dog into the world and they take that commitment very seriously. They are usually pulling their breed out of the shelters and placing them, themselves. I know a very caring breeder who actually carries dog food in her car to feed the strays she can't catch just to give them a meal for that day! This is the type of person who you want to support. And as an added benefit, most of the time, these puppies cost less than they do at a Pet Store.
I am just looking for a pet with a good temperament, I don't need a fancy show dog. Why should I buy a pup from a breeder who breeds show dogs? A show dog has to have an exceptional temperament. On the internet, I see breeders who only produce puppies, advertize that they breed their dogs for temperament alone, but if a dog never sees anything but the backyard how can their temperament be truly tested? Show dogs must be handled by many different people and they must be around lots of different dogs. They have to have a stable temperament to handle this. If a dog bites or shows aggressive behavior towards other dogs or especially people (the judge), they will be disqualified. The UKC will permanently bar them from showing, pull their registration papers and they will not register any of their offspring.
Where do I find these type of breeders?
You can contact AKC or United Kennel Club or local breed clubs can give you good referrals. Contact local vets, they usually will know who breeds and takes care of their dogs. Go to local AKC shows and meet the breeders. Local dog trainers can point you in the right direction also. You can email me and if I can't get you to take a rescue dog then I may be able to refer you to someone who is reputable.
Once you find a breeder(s), you will need to do some research before you buy your puppy, as all are not what they appear to be. Be careful about buying a pup out of the newspaper. You may find a good one or you may be dealing with a back yard breeder. (These are folks who usually care about their dogs but don't know anything about them and are out to make a quick dollar. Most of the time they have inferior dogs).
Some questions to ask
Do they do health screening on their dogs?
Should be yes, not: it isn't necessary, I've never had any of these problems. For our breed: CERF (eyes), BAER (hearing) & checked for luxating patellae (OFA), are a few of them. They should be able to provide paperwork showing that these tests have been done.
Where are their dogs registered?
If they are not registered with a reputable registry (AKC or UKC), go elsewhere. The breeder should at least care enough about what they are producing to record and preserve their bloodlines for future generations. And they should be accountable for their breeding practices. The AKC has strict policies on DNA. And they do routine kennel inspections, requiring DNA on any dogs registered with them. This insures the accuracy of their stud books. And it helps to keep breeder honest.
Do they have both parents? Can I see them?
They should have at least the mom. If they don't I would be concerned. (There are people who ship in puppies from out of state or even other countries to sell. Ireland is a popular country for people to import entire litters) Allot of times they won't have the father because they want to find the right male to breed to their female. They should at least have pictures of him. Don't be surprised if they go into great detail describing what a perfect match he was for their bitch.
How long have they been breeding?
(You decide this one)
How many different breeds are they breeding?
It is very difficult to learn all that needs to learned for more than 2 or 3 breeds. If they have more, be wary of them. Ask more questions.
What involvement do they have in the breed?
(showing, obedience, etc). They should be giving something back to the breed. They should be involved with them other than producing puppies. This to me proves that they truly love the breed and the sport of dogs. It's not just a business to them. I think they should be also involved in rescue to some degree. Ask for references, go and see where the dogs live. Ask about their health guarantee & contract. They should have a written contract detailing this.
Spay/Neuter Contracts:
They should require or at least strongly encourage spay/neuter on all dogs sold to pet homes. If they tell you to breed the dog and make your purchase price back, don't buy from them. They are a backyard breeder or worse.
There are many more questions you can ask (check out the links below). The breeder should be happy to answer them. They should be happy that you are asking because this means to them you are taking this huge commitment very seriously. They should also be interviewing you. Don't be offended at them for asking you specific questions. They should be very concerned about where their puppy will live. Again, they should require you to spay or neuter the dog unless you are planning on showing, becoming very educated in dog breeding and this particular breed. If you are interested in showing, etc, the breeder will usually co own the dog with you, to help you along with this breed.
Prices:
You should expect to pay approximately $500 to $800 for a good pet quality Russell Terrier. These dogs should come with AKC limited registration. Beware of unregistered dogs, outside of the breed standard sometimes shipped in from other countries for very high prices. This unfortunately is becoming a common practice over the internet. Many times these can't even be proven purebred. Buyer Beware!!
Websites:
Another thing to consider is their beautiful website does not mean they are everything their website makes them appear to be. Anyone can put up a nice website or hire someone else to do it for them. The website should be bragging about the accomplishments of their dogs, not geared towards owning a pet or selling more puppies. There should be far more pictures of adult dogs than there are puppies. They should be pointing out how well their dogs fit the breed standard & their awards in the field and/or show ring, not how cute they are even though they have serious faults.
Be very wary of websites with fan clubs or contests or tons of comments from satisfied customers (unless it is in their guestbook). Serious breeders are too busy showing, training and caring for their dogs (and probably a rescue or two) to do these types of things.
Beware of rare and unusual colors and sizes outside of the breed standard.
Usually when you see the words "rare", "toy", "minature", this means the dogs are disqualifiied from registration and are not good examples of the breed.
The acceptable colors for a Russell Terrier are mostly white, with tan and/or black marking. Any combination of these colors is acceptable. All white is acceptable. Brindle or blue or merle are examples of disqualifing colors for this breed. These are signs of a mixed breed dog, Solid colored dogs advertized as Russell Terriers are not pure bred.
Russell Terriers are from 10 to 12 inches tall. Every breeder ends up with puppies that are over or under the height standard but they should not be breeding for dogs that are over or under the standard. The parents of the pups should be within the standard for height. A knowledgeable breeder when asked, will be able to point out the faults in each dog they own. There are no perfect dogs.
To sum it up:
Reputable breeders usually have no problem selling puppies. You may have to get put on a waiting list. It is well worth the wait. You will have to do your homework but you won't be sorry. Our breed, Russell Terriers, can live a very long time, up to 19 years!! So you want to make sure that you get the best chance at getting a healthy, well tempered dog as you can.
Here are some good links for further research:
Pet Shop Puppies
