Hi all! I am looking for some insight and found this community! I'd love to hear from you and if you think I'm overthinking this whole thing...I have been looking into and researching dogs to get for quite a while (we also do actively keep an eye out in the local shelters). I previously had been wanting a shiba inu however last year I was injured in an accident, and realized I probably need a more mellow dog now that I am less active. So we have settled on a zuchon / shicon (bichon and shih tzu mix). There are a handful of great breeders in my region but with long waitlists (I consider that a good thing) , however last week I came across a breeder that had an available litter. I went to visit, and put a deposit down after falling in love with one.However I am wondering if I should have waited, as now a number of red flags have come to light that I didn't give proper consideration to at the time. The dogs seems happy/healthy and facilities were fine, and I realize that maybe I'm overthinking it - not all people are purebreed show-dog breeders so they might not meet the standards I'm used to seeing with a shiba breeder for example. A few things gave me heartburn:
The property was nice, big, clean and warm facilities for the dogs BUT they mentioned they have around 40 adult dogs. That seemed like a lot for how few people seemed to work there.
There was no screening/application process for me either before visiting or putting down the deposit
They let me visit the puppies and hold them even tho they were only 2 1/2 weeks old
They let me negotiate the price
They said their dogs are genetically tested, however conveniently the parents "just had theirs done and still in the mail" so they bred them BEFORE testing
They supposedly have 3 year health guarantee but it turns out, they don't actually ever get the puppies cleared by an actual Vet, they only take them to the vet if something is wrong. She said they do that themselves "but are really experienced!" I get doing all the shots and everything themselves is fine but seems weird to NEVER be seen by a vet. She also made an offhand comment about potential for puppies to come home with giardia or worms...I know that is more common in shelter dogs but I would hope it's unlikely for a legit breeder, or maybe it is common? I don't know for certain.
The worst thing, there are a number of super scary reviews online, mostly pertaining to health issues - like young dogs getting cancer, or having severe allergies. When I asked about these, she said that it was a disgruntled former employee and they were all fake. I don't buy that bc they were all very specific and very different periods of time.
Am I over thinking this and being too neurotic? Is it common for puppies to go home never seeing an actual vet? I love the puppy but still have the opportunity to back out and get my deposit back.
@butbeyedoersoftheword You will feel very silly if you go through with it and end up with a very sick or maladjusted puppy. If it were me, I'd take the deposit back and keep looking.
@galiaw Yeah...as I was writing it all out, and I saw how long that list is, it kinda confirmed it to myself. But it's still hard, I really want to give them the benefit of the doubt since the little puppy was so sweet, but it seems like such a huge risk. An actual customer who I got in touch with, who has had dogs from there, said one died from cancer fairly young...pretty scary. That's a big fat nope. Let's hope they aren't dicks and refund my deposit like they promised...
@butbeyedoersoftheword Hello there. It's kind of late considering the date of your post but I wanted to give you some insight.
Dog breeding is a serious hobby. Like very serious. A person who breeds seriously will always have numbers in mind. And I'm not referring to money. As you said. If the dogs outrun the people. It's more likely to be something fishy in there. I tell you by experience. Also, among the breeding community theres a lot of envy and gossip but as people say. If the river sounds is because water runs. The benefits of buying a purebred dog is that you can get closer to a breeder who shows and begin your search process from there. Let me be clear I'm not against adopting nor mix breeds. But breeders are basically guardians of their breed. They will always health screen their dogs. They will not have them in colors or traits their standard doesnt demand. All animals require love and mindfulness to be raised. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Many of these designer breeds have no idea of the medical background or issues they are provoking my mixing dogs. A pedigree is not a sign of quality either. You need to sit down and seriously ask yourself what I want my dog to be like? Before going out there and getting risky. I'm unaware of the deposit you've done but. Trust me. Theres more in this for you and that pup to lose than just money. Sorry for being all over the place I just get too passionate and carried away with all that there is to cover. Good luck!
@vinter Thanks for the reply. As I wrote out that post, it made me really aware of the sheer number of issues and I knew I wouldn't feel good about it. I backed out and luckily they were cool about it and I'm getting the deposit back. I knew I absolutely had to when I talked to my vet and relayed all my concerns/red flags, and she said that if it were her she would almost be tempted to report them (yikes!). She said the biggest red flag to her was the number of dogs they have...that's starting to encroach into puppy mill territory. I ended up finding another breeder who is absolutely amazing and I feel really good about, and you can tell they really care about the dogs and do all the proper health-related things. I should of listened to my gut from the beginning!
@butbeyedoersoftheword Yes! A good dog breeder sells the breed to you. You can hear it in its tone of voice. It's like talking of your favorite football team. Have a good day
You will feel very silly if you go through with it and end up with a very sick or maladjusted puppy. If it were me, I'd take the deposit back and keep looking.