So, my partner and I were looking for a boxer baby, and someone told us about a "good breeder" a couple of hours from our house. I gave them a call and was told the pups were registered, raised in the home, she's just starting showing, parents were tested, vet checked, had a number of dogs but they were in the house, etc...
So, we arranged to go out and see the babies.
I knew the moment we drove up that we would not be getting one. When we got there, we found lots of dogs in kennels around the yard. There were two boxers in the front yard, and one was snarling but in a timid/fearful way. The other was just boisterous boxer barking. The woman took them inside, and then invited us to see the babies.
The pups were tiny, scrawny, and without that "healthy puppy" look. I asked what she feeds and she told me "Retriever"1! It turns out, the pups won't be checked before going home, the mom is CKC and dad is AKC, and their "raised in the home" means stuck in a backroom, closed off from everything except mamma. Several seemed utterly terrified, backing away and trying to hide.
One of the babies actually still had a stitch stuck in his tail. They were 4 weeks old! She said the pups would have 2 sets of shots before going home. But that if they were doing well, she might let us have one at six weeks!
Then she took us to see the rest of the place. She had a room where she kept 6 kennels. Her idea of "dogs in the house" was that she had 6 females she brought inside to the kennels at night. The rest of the time, they were in dog runs outside.
In the backyard, there were 3 side-by-side runs, where a dog and 2 bitches lived permanently. There was also a beautiful flashy brindle male, about 4 months old, running in the small yard that surrounded these kennels. In another part of the yard, there was a pen with 3 babies, all about 3 months or so old. She had just bought them. I wanted to rescue them so badly!
Finally, we got to see the two 10 week olds she had just bought. One was a little flashy fawn that would knock your socks off. This is the one she is "going to try to get into showing." I wondered if his breeder had any idea the environment he was going to.
Not including the litter of new babies, there was a total of about 20 dogs, all but 5 in outdoor runs.
It was so depressing. I have actually been having bad dreams about it. I just haven't been able to shake the experience off, and I thought talking to you guys might help.
(I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place.)
So, we arranged to go out and see the babies.
I knew the moment we drove up that we would not be getting one. When we got there, we found lots of dogs in kennels around the yard. There were two boxers in the front yard, and one was snarling but in a timid/fearful way. The other was just boisterous boxer barking. The woman took them inside, and then invited us to see the babies.
The pups were tiny, scrawny, and without that "healthy puppy" look. I asked what she feeds and she told me "Retriever"1! It turns out, the pups won't be checked before going home, the mom is CKC and dad is AKC, and their "raised in the home" means stuck in a backroom, closed off from everything except mamma. Several seemed utterly terrified, backing away and trying to hide.
One of the babies actually still had a stitch stuck in his tail. They were 4 weeks old! She said the pups would have 2 sets of shots before going home. But that if they were doing well, she might let us have one at six weeks!
Then she took us to see the rest of the place. She had a room where she kept 6 kennels. Her idea of "dogs in the house" was that she had 6 females she brought inside to the kennels at night. The rest of the time, they were in dog runs outside.
In the backyard, there were 3 side-by-side runs, where a dog and 2 bitches lived permanently. There was also a beautiful flashy brindle male, about 4 months old, running in the small yard that surrounded these kennels. In another part of the yard, there was a pen with 3 babies, all about 3 months or so old. She had just bought them. I wanted to rescue them so badly!
Finally, we got to see the two 10 week olds she had just bought. One was a little flashy fawn that would knock your socks off. This is the one she is "going to try to get into showing." I wondered if his breeder had any idea the environment he was going to.
Not including the litter of new babies, there was a total of about 20 dogs, all but 5 in outdoor runs.
It was so depressing. I have actually been having bad dreams about it. I just haven't been able to shake the experience off, and I thought talking to you guys might help.
(I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place.)
