"But all I want is a healthy, happy family pet!"

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Posted : 9/21/2009 2:26:45 PM

Liesje
I feel for people like this guy that don't show or work dogs and don't care to show or work dogs b/c how is he supposed to know which people are legit and which are taking him for a ride?

He's doing the right thing simply by talking to you about the whole thing. He's getting himself educated; and he's smart enough to know that he needs to get educated by someone like you.

I would suggest that you tell him to take his time, don't rush. Think about it for a good long while until he is good and ready to take the plunge. Since he is not going to rescue (for his own reasons, not for any of us to judge); he'll want to get his next pup from a reputable breeder, of which you know many. The arguement of spending more on the purchase so as to (possibly) help keep health maintenance costs down later is a good one. Of course, you'll explain its never a guarantee, but it does help tip the scales towards health cost savings and potential heartbreak of losing a sick dog from complications of bad breeding.

It will be his ultimate decision as to whether he wants to pay the big bucks for a dog of his choice or go to Petfinders and find a rescue that will be close to his original desire. You'll tell him those are the decisions he will need to contemplate. Tell him not to make that decision right off the bat. Tell him to spend the next 6 months to a year searching. He should visit the breeders on the list that you can furnish him. He should also consider Petfinders for a potential match for his lifestyle if his wallet just can't cooperate.

When I was ready for a new GSD pup, I took a year to do it; talking to other GSD owners, talking to breeders, competitors, until I found Heidi's breeder. Then I asked folks about this breeder; and he (and his dogs) came with good recommendations. I then went to his property and fell in love with Heidi's sire...that was all it took. Smile Yep, she was expensive and comes from a good line of competitors, but I had already decided to spend the money on a "well-bred" dog even though I had no desire to show or compete.

When I was ready for a Heidi companion, I wanted to rescue. Even that took a while...then I found Bruder, and I just knew it was right.

That's the other thing you could encourage with this fella. Encourage him to wait until it "feels right." Don't rush it; if he does, he may miss out on the dog that is supposed to be "his."

AgileGSD

Posted : 9/21/2009 3:23:03 PM

RidgebackGermansShep

I just don't believe in supporting someone who is not doing right by the breed. If someone wants to, that's fine by me. I have a BYB dog...i've had quite a few in my life. My 4 year old GSD probably wont be alive this time next year, my rhodesian ridgeback died before age 2, my JRT is seriously aggressive, and one JRT is sweet as pie. You never know.

If you go through a rescue you're not directly supporting a BYB, different story.

Who is or isn't doing right by the breed is extremely subjective. What is a "BYB" anyway? And how does a "BYB" dog go from being sub par when the breeder sells it to being the ideal choice when a shelter does?

I had a very well bred GSD who didn't live to see his 3rd birthday. He had uncontrollable seizures - no health testing for it and no one is quite sure how epilepsy is inherited. His great grandsire and sire's half brother had produced epilepsy but none of his first degree relatives had it that anyone knew. Or maybe it was a brain tumor, which is just bad luck. Either way, had I paid for him he would have easily cost $2000+, he didn't live very long and it wasn't really anyone's fault. A friend of mine had a GSD they adopted from the local shelter who died young of the same thing - uncontrollable seizures. And another friend had a well bred Newf who died of the same thing too (and a BYB one who had severe HD).

Breeders can only do the best they can do. Most diseases don't have genetic testing available at this point so it is impossible to know which dogs are carriers and which are non-affected. The mode of inheritance is unknown with many diseases, so even test breedings can't give an accurate idea. As a puppy buyer, you can choose to go to a breeder who does everything possible to produce healthy, well adjusted puppies. Such a puppy will cost more but you generally will at least know what health risks there could be and which are likely going to be avoided, as well as knowing what the status of the parents and dogs int he pedigree is. You can get a pretty good idea of what sort of temperament to expect. You also get the added bonus that the puppies have been raised, cared for and socialized in an ideal way and a breeder who is knowledgeable enough to help you with any problems which may come up. Or you can go to a breeder who bred their seemingly healthy pet dog with good intentions but doesn't know the pedigree real well and does no or incomplete health testing. The puppies may or may not have been raised in an ideal way. If you can meet the parents and other relatives though, you may still be able to get a decent idea about temperament. For such a puppy you would pay much less because there is more "unknown" about it, although there is more known than there generally is with a rescue/shelter adoption. I personally don't understand why people would spend $800++ on a puppy from a pet breeder or a petstore but can understand why they would spend $200-500 on one, since they generally can't get a puppy with more "known" for the same price range. On the same note though, I can't see paying $1000+ for a dog from a breeder who has well bred dogs but isn't knowledgeable or isn't honest about the pedigrees or potential risks. As Liesje said, it can be hard for pet owners to know which breeders are knowledgeable which just put on a good show.

Liesje - just another thought but have you suggested he keep an eye on classifieds for a "second hand" GSD puppy? I have certainly seen GSD puppies from time to time on my local CL that people had gotten but couldn't keep for whatever reason. That might be another option for him to keep in mind if he doesn't want to/can't spend more than a few hundred.

Bruister

Posted : 9/21/2009 5:05:24 PM

espencer
Liesje
He wants to come to our house to see all three dogs and get more info on breeders.

I would have him come and i would do 2 things:

1)Tell him that if he wants a dog from a breeder he better start saving, there is no other way out, thats how it works

2)I would tell him to come with me to my computer, there i would show him a pretty good amount of GDS puppies found on petfiender that most likely are purebreed and if they are not then they pretty much they look like one

The difference is that he actually does not HAVE to go to a shelter with an already defeated state of mind that he wont find there what he wants.

Good for you for helping the individual out, but he's dreaming if he thinks he is going to make a $1500 to 2000 purchase for $300-500. Dogs are like diamonds; you can buy them from the jeweler or sometimes folks change their circumstances and you can buy them on eBay. On the other hand, you can buy them from a jeweler and it turns out they have flaws, but they are yours.

I'm with espencer...good old bottom line common sense. Also, if I've learned anything in life, it is to stay within my financial comfort zone.