[Gail P]

While I'm absolutely against puppy mills and byb's, and do believe that good, ethical, reputable breeders should be getting all necessary health tests done {and putting championships on their dogs is most cases}, I do believe that there are exceptions.

Some breeds should not be put in the show ring and titled with show championships, period. To do so destroys the breed because it encourages breeding to conform to a conformation standard, rather than for the breed's original purpose. Case in point, border collies. Though they are now able to be registered and shown with the CKC, the CBCA (Canadian Border Collie Association), feels so strongly that this is a detriment to the breed and will ultimately destroy the working ability of the border collie that CBCA memberships will be revoked if a breeder chooses to go the CKC route (I believe, though the exact wording may be different, but it is on the CBCA website for anyone who wants to take a look). Border collies come in a wide variety of sizes, colours, coat types, ear stances etc., however, the ones bred for the show ring are all remarkably the same: fluffy black and white dogs with perfect markings - "Barbie collies" to those who prefer a working bred dog. That's not to say that border collies shouldn't still be registered, however their registries would be the CBCA, ABCA (American), or ISDS (International Stock Dog Association I believe). And before being bred they should be proven working dogs, either working to a high level on the farm or competing and placing well at herding trials - i.e. earning working titles, not show titles.

As for numbers of dogs a "good" breeder has, it is true that usually the good breeders will have only one breed, or maybe two and not huge numbers. But again, there are exceptions, and again my example goes back to working dogs. Take a look at mushers. Their kennels can range to upwards of 100 dogs depending on how many strings they're running, the size of their strings and if they're offering tours. Yes they do breed, their proven working dogs, to ensure they have up and coming youngsters. A serious musher needs to have many dogs. In the long distance races they run big strings (16 dogs start the Iditarod, but they have to bring 24 I think that all must pass a vet check and then they choose their 16 starters). In sprint races they may run 4 dogs, 6 dogs or 8 dogs, but often if they've traveled long distances and are spending the weekend at the race they will enter 2 or more classes with different teams, which could require up to 18 race ready dogs. Plus more at home; spares in case of injury or illness, plus youngsters in training. You get the picture, the numbers begin to add up. Often more than one family member is involved and that requires more teams. Or, the big kennels may have an "A" team and a younger "B" team and hire help to run "B" team in some races to give them race experience. One other thing about many sled dogs - most of the best, fastest dogs do not have papers and are not found in any registry. The Alaskan Huskies, the Scandanavian Hounds, the Eurohounds - all mixbreeds bred for the sole purpose of pulling that sled as fast as they can go. Of course there are other breeds that can and do sled, and classes are offered for purebred northern breeds but by and large it's the open class dogs, the mixed-breeds that are seen in larger numbers. I believe that the breeding of these type of mixed breed dogs, bred with a specific purpose in mind (improving their working ability), is vastly different than puppy mills and backyard breeders producing mutts they market as "designer dogs" with huge price tags.

I think that anyone thinking about getting a puppy or dog needs to do their research first of all about what kind of dog will suit them best; energy level, temperament, coat type, size, habits and eccentricities (barkers, diggers, chewers, good off leash or around other animals) etc. and then research more about the breed they choose. What was the breed originally bred for? Are you prepared to fill that breed's inherent needs (i.e. border collies need to work or be otherwise stimulated) What health problems are inherent to the breed? Does the breeder you're interested in test for these potential risks? Can both parents be seen? Are they registered? If so with what registry - not all registries are created equal, some are basically not much more than a way for puppy mills to put papers on their dogs to better market them. Are the parents titled? Should they be titled or should they be proven in some other way? i.e. working ability vs. show championships. Do all the dogs on the premises (not just the puppies and their parents) appear to be healthy? What health guarantees are offered? How often are their females bred? Does the breeder have a contract to sign? Do they insist that any dog they sell be returned to them in the event that the buyer can't keep it sometime in the future? Does the breeder want to know everything about you (family members, children, other pets, type of residence, rent/own, fenced yard, etc.), or do you just hand over your money and be on your way with your new puppy? Will the breeder be willing/available to answer questions, offer tips etc. if you experience any difficulties raising your pup? Sometimes it seems like a lot to go through to get a dog/puppy but the good breeders really care about who they place their puppies with and the kind of life they'll have. Rescues are very similar, most will make you jump through hoops to prove that you're good enough to adopt one of their pets but it's because they care so much about making sure that the animal will have a forever home. These are all things to consider that will help to differentiate between the truly good, ethical breeders and the rest. And if you've done your research about the breed you're interested in, you'll know what to be looking for in a breeder, what questions to ask, and what things are red flags to watch out for.