underfoot Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 I have to admit I am usually weary of emails or calls of people calling on behalf of friends or relatives. I am of the opinion of talking directly to the people interested. I do let them know this though as I reply to all emails and calls. It is sad that people are feeling this way but I do know that with breeding issues can arise preventing a promised puppy to people. In our breed they can be deaf and we have them euthanised by the vet when the hearing test is completed (at 6 weeks of age). For this reason we will try our best to accommodate people and if by some chance there is not one available we do our utmost best to find another breeder to help them. I have even heard stories of whole litters passing away and this cannot be prevented either. mmmmmm a tough one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toy*dog Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 i'd have to agree with what some are saying and that is that it is much more personal if you ring the breeder or meet them in person at a show and give your name. With us we know a person is serious when they give their name and tell us a bit about themselves. We play it by ear, usually getting a feel for the kind of person they are, most of the time we have been spot on with a few exceptions, but even the exceptions they have not been a really bad owner though. My brother owns goldens and he was not after a puppy but an adult and he had to wait a while for an adult as it is a popular breed Goldens. then he put his name down with the rescue and got a male desexed alongside his desexed female. I found the female from here on DOL forums not in DOL breeders area. but he wanted to go to a petshop as he was just looking for the breed and at that stage didn't know whether he wanted a puppy or an adult so i guided him a bit, i said, if you get a petshop puppy I'll kill you. lol that seemed to do the trick. lol lol i get so many emails with the words looking for a puppy, no name no taking the time to introduce themselves, so i consider that rude too. its a two way street i don't know how many rude enquirers i've had. I always take the time to answer them back and also if they give me more information and are genuine i will help them as i feel it is my duty to create good PR for us pedigree breeders. lord knows we need it after all the negative media coverage in the last few years. I've met quite a few people at dog shows just the public wanting to take a look and learn, so i've been quite happy to help and all the while creating good PR, i invite people to come along, and encourage people to contact their states' breed club too. just my two cents worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 My brother owns goldens and he was not after a puppy but an adult and he had to wait a while for an adult as it is a popular breed Goldens. then he put his name down with the rescue and got a male desexed alongside his desexed female. I found the female from here on DOL forums not in DOL breeders area. but he wanted to go to a petshop as he was just looking for the breed and at that stage didn't know whether he wanted a puppy or an adult so i guided him a bit, i said, if you get a petshop puppy I'll kill you. lol that seemed to do the trick. lol lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toy*dog Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 yeah i know not really guiding him at all, the only thing that works with my brother is threaten him into submission. lol after all the info over the years why not to go to petshops and puppy farms he announces he was going to look at petshop puppies. NOT!! lol lol over my dead body he was..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha bet Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I do agree with this tread that it can be very difficult for families to find a pup thru breeders. But like everything it works both ways - I might get 20 emails (often just like "we see you have a litter due and we are after a puppy" Not much to go on. Leading up to the pups birth and I always send a short reply even if just to ask for more information (family details, location, what sex of pup). Families also have to realise that getting a registered pup could take 6-12 months or even longer with some breeds. It is always difficult tho when you get people who ask for " i want a blue bitch with a tail and lots of white on her chest" Sometimes family need to be more flexible in their needs. the best way to make initial contact is email - advantage of emails is that you can create a listing of interested parties and then send them all updates of where things are at with mum or babies. Much easier for breeders to keep organised during the planning stages. Once pups are born tho I prefer to start having phone chats or even visits. Have to say my priority is usually to people who have been up even before litters are born and met some of the different adult dogs - this gives us a chance to get to know each other and also can feel more confident that this breed is what they really want. there is a big worry tho that families might try to get a pedigree dog and if they feel it is all too hard, they have no choice but to go to petshops or online puppy farms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Good opportunity for a dog loving geek to work out some solution. Finding pups can be a mess. There should be a better, easy for lister, easy for 'wantsapuppy'-er to locate quality pedigree pups . . . and facilitate transfers of information associated with finding quality homes . . . or finding quality pups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freundhund Posted January 16, 2012 Author Share Posted January 16, 2012 Thank you everyone for your replies, it has been very interesting to read. I had always been under the impression that as a breeder, when I was contacting another breeder, I was helping the breeder I was contacting by saying I believed the people I was inquiring for to be a suitable home. I also thought telling the other breeder I was a breeder, explained why I had a few questions about things like health certificates etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Thank you everyone for your replies, it has been very interesting to read. I had always been under the impression that as a breeder, when I was contacting another breeder, I was helping the breeder I was contacting by saying I believed the people I was inquiring for to be a suitable home. I also thought telling the other breeder I was a breeder, explained why I had a few questions about things like health certificates etc. I agree with this. I am more than happy to have a reputable breeder with another breed make initial enquires for friends. I always tell my friends and family to never buy a puppy without letting me suss out the breeder first. The average pet buyer has no idea what to ask so it is always better if they have a knowledgeable friend to find the right breeders before making contact themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 (edited) Sway, I know how many puppy listings are on DOL, we contacted all the breeders and people that had puppies listed as well as the breed club in both states. I can assure you the email I wrote for this family went along the lines of:- Hi We are looking to buy a XYZ puppy from a registered breeder, we don't mind either a boy or a girl. We are looking for a healthy puppy with the relevant health certificates that the clubs breed secretary stated we should look for. We are a family/single person who owns our own home, has a completely fenced garden, however, the dog is to be an inside dog. Could you please email us back to let us know when you would be expecting a litter and whether we could put our names down for a puppy. Kindest Regards This is the basic email that was sent by the potential buyers, Please note this is not just one breed but a number that have failed to respond or at least reply to politely. The phone calls have been made in the same vein, and if I have made them it has been along the same way as well. So you do mention that you are a Registered breeder then, enquiring on someones behalf? Some people are suspicious of third parties. Or you may just have been really unlucky. Edited January 16, 2012 by LizT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwaY Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Thank you everyone for your replies, it has been very interesting to read. I had always been under the impression that as a breeder, when I was contacting another breeder, I was helping the breeder I was contacting by saying I believed the people I was inquiring for to be a suitable home. You believe them to be, doesn't mean the breeder/s you are contacting thinks they are. Unless you know the breeder you are contacting I dare say your opinion on the potential home means little to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkyTansy Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Thank you everyone for your replies, it has been very interesting to read. I had always been under the impression that as a breeder, when I was contacting another breeder, I was helping the breeder I was contacting by saying I believed the people I was inquiring for to be a suitable home. I also thought telling the other breeder I was a breeder, explained why I had a few questions about things like health certificates etc. I agree with this. I am more than happy to have a reputable breeder with another breed make initial enquires for friends. I always tell my friends and family to never buy a puppy without letting me suss out the breeder first. The average pet buyer has no idea what to ask so it is always better if they have a knowledgeable friend to find the right breeders before making contact themselves. I agree also, however I have found that being a breeder, and making that initial contact for someone else, but mentioning I am a breeder, has not really got me anywhere... It seems that some of the questions I am asking are just too hard and they would prefer not to answer. Only one person helped me out with recommendations as they didn't have anything available and in every instance I have given some initial information, asked the questions i wanted to know, and then said that if they think that X (person i am enquring for) is suitable, I will have them contact the breeder, and what is a suitable time to do so. I would be wary of someone making contact for someone else, but only if they didn't seem to want to give up the owners details or get the owners to speak with me. I would have no issues with someone contacting me to ask questions about my breeding practices or how I raise my puppies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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