Breeding For The Love Of The Breed.

In my new job, I talk with many, many dog people. I have only met 2 people, in the 3 weeks that Just Dogs! Gourmet has been open, that were not true dog people. Today, I got to talking to a family that raises rough coated Collies. I was skeptical at first, since that is my nature. I figured they were just backyard breeders that did it for the money.

As we talked more, I found out I was wrong in my assumption. The lady truly loved her dogs. She has 5 Collies that she is totally devoted to. They have been breeding for 2 yrs. and have only had 2 litters with one of their females, whom is now 8. They are getting her spayed soon. The husband began talking with me and said that they don't need the money, they just love the breed. They don't sell to pet stores or on the Internet or through the paper. They do word of mouth.

I thought that was fabulous. I told them how I felt about people that just breed to make money and don't care about the dogs or where the puppies went. They agreed whole-heartily. It was really refreshing to talk with people that breed for the love of the breed. They live in Hurricane, WV.

Buyer Beware.

In a classified ad running in this paper, a "breeder," and I use that term very, very loosely, is advertising toy and mini Schnauzers. It says that the "breeder" is the only "breeder" of rare colored Schnauzers. The description is: toy parti's in liver, salt/pepper and black/silver. I want to refute a bunch of information in this ad. First, there are 3 sizes to the Schnauzers: Giant, Standard and Mini. No toys. That is the first false statement.

Now on to the colors. The black/silver, salt/pepper and solid black are the only colors accepted by AKC. Any other color, hence the liver, is considered a fault. This means that the dog is either not pure, or of very, very bad breeding. This "breeder" is asking an exorbitant amount of money for these puppies. 400.00 to $500.00 per pup. Don't be fooled into thinking you are getting a "rare" dog. This is just purely false.

Always do your research when you are getting ready to add a new member to your family. And, remember this one very important fact, there are breed rescues out there. Check them out first before going to a "breeder" you found in the paper or internet. Reputable breeders do not sell their puppies through those means.