Red Flag on breeder????

[Trish727]

A little background on this breeder. She is known in the obedience ring. She has shown before and this is the second litter and the last on this bitch(she is 4). I don't personally know this woman but a friend of mine does.

I went today and tried to decide on either a little brindle girl or boy. As I was there another woman was asking questions on the female she had picked out. Which led me to this question. I asked the breeder if she was going to make all pet homes sign a spay,neuter contract and she said "no". I must add that all pups out of this litter are very beautiful and by the look of their head and bite I think they could all be shown.....but I am no pro at this by all means.
Anyway it just put a red flag in my mind that this "breeder" wasn't going to have that in the contract.
Not only did that cause a little doubt in my mind but she was going to only guarantee the hips on health...nothing else until I brought it up this morning and said most breeders do offer some type of health guarantee. Then she changed her mind to a 1 yr health guarantee on any genetic disorders.
I just want your opinions.....I decided not to go with a show dog. I know I am wanting a brindle pup. Should I be concerned with this?

 

[samsonite]

I read in another post somewhere that some disorders can take several years to show up, so a one year guarantee really isn't much. It sounds like she did not do all the testing on the parents. Has she finished any dogs/bitches in the show ring? Is she breeding to continue showing? Who sired the pups? I'm just wondering what her motivation for puppies is. I think the lack of spay/neuter contract is a red flag. Are the pups expensive? Is she just concerned w/profit? . . .

 

[Trish727]

Well pups are $700.00...normal price. As far as the father and mother the father is the only champion in this line.....the mother has points but didn't finish(I hope I am getting that right). And I know she is keeping one of the flashy brindles to be her next bitch to breed. She can't breed the mother of these pups anymore this is her second litter. I have no clue if she is only interested in $$$ But the whole spay/neuter thing is really bothering me.

 

[Jan]

If she doesn't show the dogs and doesn't do the appropriate health testing, I would be looking elsewhere for my pup.

 

[Kerry Jane]

Yes, the lack of a spay/neuter contract would bother me too. However, the MOST important thing should be whether the parents where health tested (hips, heart and thyroid). If the parents were not health tested I would definately pass on the puppies.

 

[boxer]

Well, a one year health guarantee really is the absolute minimum. Not that it really matters in practical terms - if a dog develops cardiomyopathy or hip dysplasia, a guarantee doesn't actually mean much. Possibly a replacment puppy, possibly a little help with the vet bills... but the condition is still there, and the dog may still die.

What is more useful about a guarantee is that it reflects, to some extent, the confidence a breeder has that the stock they're breeding from - and the puppies they're producing - are free of those genetic disorders. And that confidence comes from the testing of consecutive generations So a breeder is only likely to offer a 5 year guarantee if they have confidence that their stock is unaffected.

And for you, the buyer, this can give you reasonable confidence that (a) the puppy you purchase is unlikely to develop these conditions; and (b) if it does, the replacement puppy you get is unlikely to also be affected. After all, what's the point in replacing one sickly puppy with another?

So if I were in your position, it is the health testing I'd be concentrating on. Have the parents been properly screened for hip dysplasia, cardiomyopathy and aortic stenosis? And were their parents screened? If you've got multiple generations of properly tested and cleared breeding stock, I wouldn't be so concerned with guarantees. If the testing wasn't done, then the guarantee is pretty worthless, irrespective of it's length.

I would not be at all concerned that the dam "only" has points - it means she was shown, and that she was good enough to get points. Eventually, she might have got a championship if not retired for breeding. Maybe not either, but she was still a good enough example of the breed to be awarded points toward a championship.

Other than white puppies, I don't think that spay/neuter contracts are actually that widespread. Probably they should be, but I really don't believe they are. In some cases, breeders may wish to keep their options open for future breeding rights (though that's likely to be contractual) - but more often, I think it's something that puppy buyers are less willing to accept that restriction or won't pay the same price. Technically, that should not affect the quality or otherwise of the puppy you're considering buying. It may affect your willingness to buy based on ethical considerations

 

[KonaKoffe]

I had no luck in finding a breeder in my area that met all the criteria advised on this website. I searched for months and considered neighboring states.

If I found one that did all the suggested health testing and my only concern is the spay and neutering issue I personally would not rule her out just for that.

I would think the spay and neutering is more for her benefit rather than yours. The health issues are what is going to effect you directly.

 

[Angie K]

I was wondering if you checked out the Tampa Bay Boxer Club for Breeder Referrals? I am from Bradenton FL and that's where we started our search when looking for our first little girl. We ended up attending some dog shows and approaching people with dogs we thought were beautiful and asking questions. We ended up meeting some wonderful people and got great referrals. I don't know if you are aware of Florida Boxer Rescue but we are going to have a Boxer Bash in Tampa in the Fall open to all Boxer Lovers. I volunteer for them and will be there working and enjoying all the boxer babies. Alot of our volunteers have been involved in showing or know people involved maybe you could look us up on the web and give a call for a referral. Keep your eyes on the site for the date also I'd love to meet you and Domino.

 

[apollosdad]

i agree with jan and boxer, perhaps continuing your search for a breeder that you felt more comfortable with and offered all the appropriate testing and documentation would be a better choice.