Unfortunately, things like newspapers and internet ads are open to abuse, both with regards to puppies and to other items. How many times have people bought things of ebay only to get a bum deal! However I don't think this shoudl prejudice us. Some breeders will need to resort to these media to find suitable homes.

I myself am quite happy to look at internet ads and local papers, but I then trust my judgement on whether the breeder is ethical, or out to make a fast buck! I have to say without the local paper I wouldn't have Kahn or Zoe. I believe it is down to us as individuals to buy a pup responsibly and to educate others when they are looking to buy a pup!

We also must remember that some breeds are always likely to sell by word of mouth, breed councils etc, but there are some breeds that are so popular, there will aways be an excess of pups, that a breeder needs to home. And a paper and the internet are good ways for new breed lovers to be found

Surely it is all to do with common sense as well... if you want a set breed and have researched it thoroughly, which you should do anyway, regardless of what breed of dog you are getting...(IMO) you should know what to look for... and you should ask to see the dogs family....
Yes that may be an ideal... but I have always thought that all animals, not just dogs , should be researched and nothing is bought on a whim...

If all reputable/ethical breeders advertised on these sites then there quite simply wouldn't be the disproportionate amount of bad breeders. You don't even have to have pups available just advertise that you are planning a litter and wait.
We all go on about waiting lists but how do you get a waiting list without advertising. If you show you may get a few calls for show quality stock but what about the other pups, you need a ready supply of good pet homes as well.
So go out there and advertise, stop complaining about all the bad breeders that advertise, that's how they sell so many pups but if they had a decent amount of competition then it may not be so easy.
Becky

You get waiting lists by having a good reputation, people seeing your dogs out either working or showing or even in public life, asking you if you are planning any litters, people who have had a puppy from you before and are prepared to wait till you have a your next litter.

A friend of mine, has had 3 litters to date, she has never advertised her pups, all have gone through word of mouth and being on the breed register (ok you could say that was advertising) but has never used the free adds or these free Internet sites..gumtree and so on. She now has her own web site, so her new litter is on there, but even then, she has 5 pups reserved well before she even mated her bitch.


The trouble with these free add site is you will see the same people advertising over and over again, one litter after the other, and the other obvious thing you will see is the price...half the price you would pay if you bought a puppy from a reputable breeder.

You get what you pay for! as the saying goes. And sadly there at to many people who want a pedigree dog , but not willing to pay the pedigree price. So it becomes a vicious circle, the supplier breeding fo the demand.

Great post. I know if I was reading ads and came across one like Mahooli's where she would mention tests being done it would certainly make me think why other ads don't say this and I know which one I would go to first.

I think you are making a good point, but what reputable breeder would want to put their name to one of these sites, where advert after advert shows irresponsible breeding.

Good breeders are far and few between on such sites, you may get one or two, who feel they may be able to stir people in the right direction, but on the whole most people who sell on the free adds are not reputable.

There is enough information out there, to educate people into the right way to buy, how to stir clear of PF /BYB , but unfortunately there is still large proportion of new owners who will only want to pay as little as possible for their new pup. and all the education in the world will not sway then to reputable breeders.

When I was finally in the position of getting a dog I was just after a family pet, I had no particular desire to get a pedigree I just wanted to give a good home to something smallish and friendly that a novice dog owner could manage. But I had no idea how to go about finding such a dog. My first port of call was rescue but despite several visits none of the dogs they had were suitable for a family with younger children, mine were 3 and 5 at the time.

So having decided to get a puppy a friend recommended e pups and I looked into different breeds and decided that a mini schnauzer would be suitable. Please remember that at this point I am new to the dog world and more importantly I hadn't discovered Dogsey! So I found a breeder with KC registered (I thought this meant they were a reputable breeder) pups who did eye tests and off I went and got my lovely Pepper. I think the breeder was ok but with hindsight and knowing what I do now I probably wouldn't have picked her.

The point I'm trying to make (rather long-windedly!) is that people new to the dog world have to start somewhere and not everyone has their heart set on a particular breed or understands why they should pay £600+ rather than £250 for a family pet, never mind having a clue about waiting lists and ethical breeders. Their first point of call will be sites like e pups and if good breeders boycott them then how can they expect people to know how to find them?

J

I agree with Mother*ship. Not everybody is into showing so they dont need to pay top wack for something which has excellent conformation. Perhaps their main concern is temperament and good health. I know genuine breeders have these 2 points firmly in mind also but why pay top price unless you are going to show? Not all of us have limitless budgets neither and cant afford to pay £600-£1000 for a dog. You could get an equally nice, healthy dog for half the price top breeders are asking.

I also dont see what is so wrong with having a mixed breed. It's like racism within the dog world!

Because you are judged by the company you keep. I run events for the public, and I am very careful where and how I target my advertising. If people are computer-literate enough to get onto e-pups, they can also find reputable info sites (like this one!)

But surely just because your not into showing does not mean you should compromise on breeding ethics? Reputable breeders should always be breeding to conformation, health and temperament, if not they are not ethical IMO, but will still produce dogs that are not show standard and sell to pet only homes. They will also have homes lined up so will not have to resort to those sort of sites or the free ads. I dont understand why a dog thats going to be a pet deserves any less breeding standards than a show dog.

I do disagree with the racism comment - there is a lot wrong with breeding mixed breed dogs and I think thats what most people on here think, nothing against the dogs themselves just the people breeding them.