North Texas Boston Terrier Club - Buying a Puppy

Take back clauses

By Meilani Marischino
A responsible breeder is one who is not part of the shelter overpopulation nor does anything that may contribute to it. This means that if, for any reason, an owner cannot keep their dog a responsible breeder will require "first right of refusal". That means that the dog is to be given back to them or that they be involved in the placement of it into a new home.

In *my* experiences, BYB's and pet stores/commercial breeders, do not not take back nor assist in the placement of the dog. Now I like to find out these things BEFORE I visit a breeder. Why? This is why....

You see those sweet faces? It's kinda hard to resist them when you see them in person regardless if the breeder is a responsible or irresponsible one. This is why you ask questions BEFORE you visit the breeder. It's to avoid temptation and from making an irresponsible purchase. So you ask these questions via email or phone. A responsible breeder will not have any problems answering any questions. A lot of them welcome the questions and may talk your ear off. If a breeder gets offended by asking questions or doesn't want to talk about anything, be cautious. In fact, if a breeder refuses to answer questions or gets offended, you might as well leave well enough alone because I can guarantee you're going to be wasting your time with an irresponsible breeder.

You find the breeder you like and you decide to visit them. A responsible breeder will want to visit with you prior to selling you a puppy. Some responsible breeders my not even have puppies available when you visit them but they want to get to know you. It's also very rare that you will visit a responsible breeder and take home a puppy on the same day. I feel it's important to see where your puppy is coming from. The only exception from this is if the breeder lives in another state and you can't get out there. In that case, I would do a whole lot of research and ask for referrals. If other responsible breeders recommend this particular breeder and vouch for him/her, then it's usually safe to say that the breeder maintains their dogs correctly as other responsible breeders will not risk their reputation by recommending someone irresponsible.

In *my* experiences, a lot of BYB's and commercial breeders do not really welcome visitors. Some of them may not even let you in their house and some don't even want you to know where they live. They'd rather meet you in a parking lot. A lot of them are using the excuse about a pregnant dog breeder who was killed by someone posing as a puppy buyer. While what happened is absolutely horrible, this is also extremely rare. It is true that homicide is the leading cause of death for pregnant women but the reality is they are not killed by crazed nutjobs posing as puppy buyers to steal a baby, they're killed by someone they know and it's usually the baby's father. So if the breeder isn't pregnant or is a man, this is a poor excuse to use. I believe that if someone doesn't want you to come to their house to see how they keep their dogs, there's a reason for doing so and it's not a good one. It's usually because they have something to hide and it's something that would be big enough to have an impact on their ability to sell puppies.

With that said, these are some things to look out for:

1. Cleanliness
You can't expect pristine conditions but the place should be clean and shouldn't stink to high heaven. Some breeders keep their dogs in kennels. Some people have a problem with this and some don't. I personally don't but it depends on the breed. I personally can't see keeping a small breed, such as Boston Terriers, in kennels yet I can understand if someone has a large breed, such as a Rottweiler, kept in kennels. Now I have seen some kennels that I wouldn't kept a stuffed animal in and I have seen some kennels that are so nice that I'd live in them. If a breeder has a kennel, you want to make sure they are kept clean, the dogs have access to the outdoors, and are checked on regularly. They should have fresh water, food and they should be well socialized. Well socialized meaning they are friendly and they welcome interaction and don't cower away. All dogs, whether they be kept indoors or kennels, should be free of parasites.

A word about kennels. Some breeders have kennels for various reasons. Some reasons include that their breed of choice is rather large and it can be hard to have several large dogs running around the house, because the law says if you have a certain amount of dogs and if you breed as a business they have to be kept in kennels. I think the worst reason is because the breeder has way too many dogs and it's impossible to keep them all in the house. Now "too many" is very subjective. For example, I can properly maintain 4 dogs(although I have 3 right now). Some people think that's too many while some people can properly maintain 10 dogs. Properly maintaining meaning that you don't have to cut corners(such as using a low quality food or not providing proper vet care) in order to maintain all of your dogs. I, personally, would be leery about someone who has over 20 dogs and I'm being generous with that number. If someone has that many dogs kenneled, I wonder how much time and socialization they receive and I would hope that properly maintaining these dogs would be a full time job for them or they should employ someone(s) to help maintain the dogs. If the dogs are kept in kennels, they should be nice in size. There should be more than enough room to move around.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a kenneled dog may be harder to housebreak. Dogs, by nature, will not soil their sleeping quarters but if they are forced to because they have no other place to potty, they will learn that that's where they're supposed to go and it can be extremely hard to break them of that habit. This is why a lot of pet store/commercial breeder pups are never fully housebroken.

2. The sire and dam
You should be able to see the dam. Keep in mind, she gave birth and has been nursing a litter of puppies for the last 8 weeks or longer so she may not look her best. You may or may not be able to see the sire. A lot of responsible breeders use sires that belong to other breeders. In this case, they should be able to show you pictures and provide his pedigree and any health information, including health test results, for him. If they do own him, you should be able to see him as well. If you do see him, he shouldn't look ragged and tired like the dam. Unfortunately for her, he really doesn't help rear the pups.

3. The breeder
How does the breeder act towards you? Do they act friendly and are more than willing to answer any questions you have? Do they ask you questions? A responsible breeder will ask you questions. They want to know why you're interested in that particular breed. They want to know how you plan on taking care of the puppy. They want to know you're serious about getting a puppy. They may inquire about your living situation, if you're married or single and if you have children and/or planning to have children. They just want to make sure that your home will be a forever home and that the chances of things not working out will be very slim. More importantly, how do you feel about the breeder? Do you feel comfortable with them? This is a person who is a wealth of information and will be there for you should you have any questions after you bring the puppy home. This person will be a new friend in your life.

In *my* experiences, BYB's and pet stores/commercial breeders do not really ask questions beyond "Will that be cash, check, credit, debit, Link card or food stamps?". They feel once you buy the dog, it's yours and if you have any problems, too bad.

So now you visited the breeder and you feel comfortable with this person and they have what you like. The time comes when pups are available and you're at the top of the list to get one. A lot of times, a responsible breeder will actually choose a pup for you. This is based on what you told the breeder about your lifestyle. For example, if you're a novice to dogs, the breeder may decide that a pup with an easy going temperment may be best for you. If you are interested in participating in dog related events, the breeder may decide that a pup with a lot of spunk and drive may be best for you. Don't be discouraged by not being able to choose a puppy. The breeder has been taking care of them for over 8 weeks and knows what their personalities are like. Placing the right dog with your circumstances ensures that the placement will be successful and the chances of things not working out will be small. If you're lucky, there may be more than one pup with the qualities that will be best for your situation. In that case, you may be able to choose which one you like.

These are some common questions people have when it comes to picking out a pup:

1. Male or female?
In *my* opinion, sex doesn't matter. I've owned male and female dogs, I currently have 2 males and 1 female, and they all act the same... like total flapjacks. Some people say that males act better with children and some people say females act better with children. Some people say males are more outgoing and some people say females are more outgoing. Some say males are more territorial and some say females are more territorial. Some say males are more protective and some say females are more protective. It can go on and on but I haven't found any of those statements to be absolute truths. We have children in my house and my dogs get along great with them and all of my dogs are outgoing. The main differences *I* have found with male and female dogs is that males tend to be bigger than females. Females go through a heat cycle twice a year and males can lift their leg to mark their territory in and outside of the house. These issues can be taken care of if you spay or neuter your dog. Spaying removes the ovaries and uterus which means no heat cycles and neutering removes the testicles which means this will reduce unwanted male behaviors such as marking, aggression towards other dogs and the urge to wander to find a bitch to mate with. There's a lot of debate of when to spay/neuter a dog. Some think it's fine to spay/neuter a dog around 8 weeks of age and some don't think it's a great idea to do an early spay/neuter. It's best to do research on the subject, discuss the issue with your breeder and with your vet and make the best choice for yourself and for the dog. Speaking of spaying/neutering, that brings me to my next subject...

2. Pet or show quality?
For those who don't know what the difference is, a pet quality dog is one that has flaws that would disqualify it from the show ring. This doesn't mean that the dog is "defective" in any way, it just means it can't be shown in conformation. A disqualification can range from being a color that is not permissible in the breed standard to having the wrong eye color to being too tall/small or having ears that don't stand up. That doesn't have any effect on it's health(barring a few things) and it doesn't mean they can't be loving pets. The majority of dogs in this world are pet quality dogs. With that said, pet quality dogs should not be bred. The main purpose for breeding should be to preserve the breeds. Responsible breeders almost always sell pet quality dogs on limited registration which means the dog can be registered but it cannot participate in certain events such as conformation and if it is bred, it's offspring cannot be registered with that kennel club. Responsible breeders almost always require that the dog be spayed/neutered by a certain age if it's not already spayed/neutered when you get it.

A show quality dog is one that has the potential to be shown in conformation with the hopes that it will attain a champion title. Responsible breeders don't part easy with these dogs, as these are the dogs that will hopefully be bred therefore carrying on the breed, and if they do part with them, they usually place them in homes that intend on showing them and perhaps breeding them in the future. They will be sold on full registration meaning that they can be shown in all events and their offspring can be registered with that kennel club as well. They are usually sold on a contract that stipulates that the dog must be shown in conformation and the dog may be sold on a co-ownership which means the breeder also owns the dog as well to make sure the dog is shown and he/she has a say in breedings or any other issues concerning the dogs. The breeder may sign off on co-ownership and give you full ownership once the dog has attained a champion title. Showing a dog in conformation not an easy nor a cheap thing to do so it's best to do research on that subject before you decide to get involved in it.

In *my* experiences, a BYB or a pet store/commercial breeder does not care which puppy you pick out. They really don't put much into the evaluation of their pups temperment. A BYB or a pet store/commercial breeder usually does not have show quality dogs and are usually breeding for "pets" anyways. They almost always sell all dogs on full registration, if they are registered at all, and don't require you to spay/neuter your pup. If you want to spay/neuter, that's fine with them. If you want to churn out litter after litter, that's fine with them as well.

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