Chinese Cresteds :)

Oh, that's adorable. I wish Zhi's furnishings would grow out over her eyes like that - she is such a tomboy I"m afraid she's just going to go with the sporty look forever.  [8|]

I'm told that  the puff ears should stand if you keep the ears shaved clean until they are done growing (about a year).  It's posslbe his will just be droopy, however.  That's fine with regard to the standard - I think the drop ears are neat, kind of like a mini-Saluki look.

So apparently my last "session timed out" and with my lack of computer knowledge I said a few choiced words and decided to try back later. My appologies for the delayed replies!
 
I am located in northeast Florida just south of Jacksonville in answer to previous questions...
 
I just took a trip to Orlando for the weekend (about a three hour drive) and Rafiki did wonderful. With a Mom in pet retail, we're constantly shopping around on latest trends and whatnot so this weekend was no different. We went to a distributor's warehouse for an openhouse and it was an impressive event. With representatives from all sorts of companies from Naturvet to Evangers orangic can foods to the Kong toys, I had plenty of discussions regarding Chinese Crested and Rafiki in particular. At any rate, a friend of our families has several rescue connections in the area of the breeder and she is going to notify them of his breeder. She felt it was not ethical for a breeder to just dump puppies because they were not "worth" anything. I completely agree and hope some good will come out of this.
 
In question to Luvntzus, the breeder considered Rafiki worthless because he could not sell a hairless dog that had hair. Any common monkey would realize that is not ligit to send a dog to a pound, but then again there were several other details that didn't match up. While I was concerned why the breeder was so aggressive in riding himself of Rafiki, after a vet examination and several weeks of companionship I can see it was completely his loss and my gain. I have had several offers to buy him and many more interested in powderpuffs of their own. For one, I am very pleased at the interest Rafiki has stirred in his breed as many people think he's one of those designer dogs.
 
It's amazing to me that prior to me becoming Rafiki's human, I had no clue about puffs but recently I have heard so many amazing stories of ownership and their recent fame in the showring. I actually feel sort of honored to have such a great dog. I'm sure that feeling is the same across the board !

Wow, you're just about an hour and a half from me

That breeder is crazy, and doesn't know much about Cresteds. Puffs are sought after, and are a valuable part of breeding programs (as their dentition is superior to hairless cresteds).  Anyways, who wouldn't love that face? Rafiki is *gorgeous*!!!!

The open house sounds like lots of fun.

OK, well I never thought I'd ever want to own a chinese Crested. But ever since someone on another forum suggested the breed would be a match for me I did some research.

So, I'd like to ask a couple of questions. One, what would be the best books that you would recommend for me to read about them? A lot of sites comment more on caring for a HL and the AKC standard. I rather read up more on just the Powder Puff variation and on Temperment.

Second, do you know any rescue groups in the Southern California area? I'd like to encounter a few CC's so I can see their temperment in person through volunteer work.

Lastly, a lot of sites stated that the CC is a hypo-allergnic (sp?) dog, even with the Powder Puff variation since they have hair and not fur which sheds very little. Is that true? I do not have allergies, but my boyfriend claims he does. So, I do want to find a breed that fits all of my requirements and that won't upset his allergies.

Right now it's between a Powder Puff  or a toy/mini poodle. I was leaning towards the poodle because I do enjoy their personality and for the non-shedding factor. But I'm not sure they are the best fit for me.

There's a couple of good web sites that I used to research when I thought Zhi was a PP. (By the way, I'm just speechless at the ignorant breeder who thought a hairy hairless was "worthless" - they are highly valued by breed specialists because their rich furnishings show well in the ring.  Plus the more hair the fewer health problems.)

Crest care is the rescue org - you can google them and find some info pretty easy.

Cresteds are still animals, and therefore will create dander-related allergies in really sensitive people (or people who think they are sensitive, lol).  It's true that they can be much less irritating - mine sleeps on the pillow and as long as she's reasonably clean she doesn't bother my asthma, which my other dogs do.

One big issue with the Crested is it's really hard to find a good breeder since they are still fairly rare.  Most good breeders  have long waiting lists.

Thanks for the suggestions brookcove.  It was actually a coordinator for Crestcare that suggested I look into getting a CC on another pet forum and I posted the description of what I was looking for in my next dog.  She's been a great mentor and has given me a few sites with good information and the contact info for a few reputable breeders.
 
There is a local specialty show in my area next month so I hope to meet a few of the breeders there as well as meet quite a few chinese cresteds.  Hopefully I'll get a good vibe from one of the breeders and will be able to move forward from there.

You are welcome.  My pup is from N'Co lines and I'm finding from interaction with other owners that lots of what I love about her comes from that breeding.  Of course, I'd have to go on the list NOW to adopt a pet quality N'Co pup in ten years, lol.  But the best breeders are like that and this is a breed in particular that you don't want to mess around with less than the best.