Personally I don't think that's true, and who's doing the 'judging'? I'm not having a pop at anyone here but I'm afraid it seems a bit narrow minded to me.

Mahooli is an ethical and responsible breeder and I personally only think more of her for trying to be an ambassador for her breed in all areas, as she has said she rarely has to sell pups on the site as she has a waiting list, it's more to do with being out there educating and if just one person reads her ad or rings her up and consequently makes a better choice how can this possibly be a bad thing?

As for finding this site, like many people I am sure, I only found it after I got my dog, why? because you won't come across it if you are searching for pups for sale.

J

But that is the whole point , you wont get your equally nice healthy pup, for half the price.


Will those pups who cost half the price , come from health tested parents, from breeders who adhere to breed ethics, who care about the health and breeding of the dam.

Or will they come from breeders who breed only for money, don't health screen their breeding stock, breed from to young, to old bitches, or have to many litters from a bitch , and so on ans so on.

Is this the sort of breeder you would rather give your money to , just so you can get a puppy for half the price.

Everyone may not be into showing, most puppies out of any litter will go to pet homes, not many actually make it in tot he sho ring.

But why would you compromise your requirements on your new puppy, surely you want a dog to look like the breed you are buying , surely you want it to be fit and healthy, with a good temperament?

What ever breed you go for , you should have done your research into firstly whether it suits your life style, then find out as much about temperament /health and so on as possible in your chosen breed.

As for the price, I understand not everyone can afford the price of a well bred puppy, but that is the whole point, you will not get the well bred pup from a reputable breeder for less than the average price, there will be a set price in all breeds, and to be honest most will go around £500/£800 only a few breeds will be in excess of £1000.

There is nothing wrong in having a mixed breed, (from a rescue centre) there is something wrong in purposely breeding mixed breeds, and mongrels, there are enough in rescue without adding to the problem.

I defy anyone not wanting a healthy puppy, and the only way you will get that is by buying from a reputable breeder.

But even with the internet for research etc these days, the majority of the general populace have no idea about breed clubs, what makes a reputable breeder, what to look out for in a dodgy breeder.

Sadly, a lot of people think (for example):

"I like Boxers, we used to have one when I was little. Hhmmm, wonder where I can get one? I'll google "Boxer puppies".... Oh look at all the cute puppies on Ep-pz! Aw, this one says there're from KC champion parents. Great....

Here's £650. What a cute puppy"

I know that several people at dog training went down this route

I'm sorry but that's not the case. You only need to look at most freeads sites, which I do on a daily basis, to see that the majority of homebred/BYB/PF dogs are the same as th reputable breeders, and this is what I have a problem with.

As I said, the biggest puppy farmer in my breed charges the same for her dogs as the top kennels in the UK, and people know no different because she has a big flashy website full of lies about health testing etc, when her dogs are not health tested, yet the public believe it.

In many breeders there are no differences in price between breeders, so often, (as people in my breed have found) they've ended up with a badly bred/sick puppy for the same price they would have paid for a top show dog !!

It's often hard to do more research when breeders tell blatant lies about what they do etc, and the public don' know what health test results to expect or how to check them for validity or that the BRS exists to check the amount of litters registered by a breeder, or how to check the different names that a breeder registers litters under !!

It's a minefield !

Yes that is true, and there will always be an element of people who either don't want to learn or are not interested, a puppy is a puppy, and so on.


That may be the case in some respects, but on the whole most adverts in free adds and local papers will be for Half the price of well bred puppies.



As you say , sadly that happens in your breed, the breed I own , you will see an obvious divide in price, most advertised in local papers or free adds will be half the price of a reputable breeder. In saying that, sadly we do have a couple of unscrupulous breeders in my breed, who charge the going rate , but dont health test their dogs. but they are few and far between.


Yes, and that's the trouble, to many unscrupulous people out there, cashing in. so do your research look for recommendations, there are good breeders out there, and they don't advertise on free adds, simply because they don't need too.

You will never stop the unscrupulous breeder or the buyer who wants a bargain.

My Reputation from epuppies is this, I have converted one breeder to Optigen test her stock for prcd-PRA and have helped many other 'ordinary' people find a well bred health tested puppy. They all thank me for the help in pointing them in the right direction and making them aware of the health test requirements for the breed. They come back to me asking me to look at ads for puppies to see if there is anything suspicious or not quite right.
Now that is something I am very proud of.
Becky

Q.E.D!

ie I'd say that proves my point.

J

But is this not something the site should be doing? And do all the breeders or dealers have your aims?
I personally know of a man selling puppies at the moment who are bred from a brother and sister mating on the bitch`s first season. (And we have tried to do something about it, but there isn`t anything we can do) And we have had experience of a local dealer selling stolen puppies. So I`m not being narrow-minded - maybe I`m a bit more cynical about people.

IsoChick has hit the nail on the head ! Not everyone is involved with dogs in the way we are. A lot people who decide to get a dog do so because their family maybe had one when they were children. Or , they wanted a dog and their parents wouldn't allow it. Now , as an adult , they decide they CAN get the dog they had always wanted so they do. They do not know how to go about looking for a reputable breeder , have no contact with show or working dogs. Maybe they like the look of a friend's dog or one they have seen being walked so they go out and buy a paper , knowing there are always dogs advertised for sale. Maybe the breed they like isn't in that particular paper so some of them may then look on the internet. Now we all know how many sites on the internet we sometimes have to trawl through to find what we want , so these people might then look for the easiest option to them , which may unfortunately be one of those sites that advertise a variety of pups. Now , I just had a quick look on one of those sites. A couple of clicks and hey presto , PUPPIES ! Lots of them so it seems the buyer now has a good (?) selection to choose from. You all know that is the wrong way to get a pup , BUT , most people unconnected with the " Dog World" do not know that . Maybe reputable breeders should think of placing adverts in national papers , not to advertise their pups , but to point potential dog owners in the right direction and educate them about the dangers lurking in free ads or internet sites. I certainly did not find this site until AFTER I got a dog , so why should anyone else automatically assume there is a dog chat forum out there , where they can find out a lot about dogs , breeders , health tests etc.
Most people in day to day life buy a paper , so it is usually the first place to look for a puppy. That is unless someone knowledgeable points them in the right direction first.

And if I were going to spend hundreds of pounds on an animal that would share the house with my children and myself I would research the subject, not just click on Puppies - the same as if I were buying a computer. I still think the sites themselves should have a good breeder policy.