Which breeder did you get your pup from?

[jackie999]

And would you recommend them to others looking for the same breed?

We have gotten our last two Mini Schnauzers from Drewsar Kennels, Moffat, Ontario. I would recommend them. Puppies are raised in the home and Mary, the breeder, makes sure you are suitable. We were allowed a few visits beforehand and were quite impressed on how well the dogs were treated.
We were given food and instructions on care and were told if we changed our minds, to bring the pup back. The adopted pup is also given a fluffy toy that we were instructed not to wash since it carried their littermates scent on it :) They were microchipped and guaranteed for 5 years. She has two litters a year..spring and fall...s&p, black&silver and black from champion lines. I'm not sure if she still breeds but when we were last there she was also breeding Portugese Water dogs...a breed I'd never heard of...but was becoming popular.
Anyone else have a breeder they'd send a friend to?

[okaywithme]

I'm very pleased with my breeder. I don't wish to post her name publicly but I'll certainly provide her name and number under a PM to anyone interested in an English Bulldog. She's highly knowledgeable and skilled. Will stop at nothing to research and treat health problems with her dogs before ever resorting to euthanizing them, even cancer stricken ones. She is also known to have purchased her bulldogs from the UK directly. She's selective and good temperament and health are her main focus. She doesn't advertise online nor does she need to. Can't say for sure if she's still breeding as I've not spoken with her for a few years now. She's also highly regarded by the pet owners I've met personally who have purchased their bulldogs from her. As of over 6 years ago, she provided a one-year health guarantee and all the bells and whistles that should accompany a new dog purchase (care book, microchip registration, tags, food ...). Many of her customers communicate with her on a regular basis providing up-to-date pictures of their dogs, information and seeking guidance from her. The 5 dogs I've met of hers thus far have all been reported as being in good health. She only breeds CKC registered purebreds and no registration papers are given to the owner until proof of spay or neuter has been provided to her in advance.

[CalvinM]

I got both of mine from the humane society. One was abused so it hurt, literally when we first brought it home. Now after 7 years, it's like a normal dog!! Like.

[jackie999]

That is wonderful CalvinM ...your post reminded me of this youtube video. It's of a schnauzer..but I think any dog lover would be moved by it :)

They deserve a loving home.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D7YY6Cf1Pk

[Patrick.Bateman]

Excellent post jackie

I've been looking to get a Miniature Schnauzer for awhile and was suppose to get one this month but something unexpected came up. I won't be ready to commit until August.

Someone else on this forum recommended Nanny's Kennel for Mini Schnauzer and she just recently had a litter. I talked to her about it but before I could come and see the pups I had to change plans until August.

I've been thinking a lot about getting a Westie lately though, it'll either be a Mini or a Westie so any breeder recommendations would be wonderful.

EDIT: if anyone knows of a westie or mini that's up for adoption then let me know!

[jackie999]

Some good information from this website (http://britmorschnauzers.com/breeding_and_breeders.html) on picking a puppy..again, it's a Mini Schnauzer ..but picking a good breeder applies to any breed.

edited to add ...I had to wait 3 months for my pup. A good breeder WILL NOT have a puppy available for pick up when you call. You should be screened..and then you may be put on a waiting list.

[king_george]

We got Emma from the Jack Russell Rescue Ontario (http://www.russellrescue.org/).

She was a dog with problems so the previous owner dumped her. The only issue she has now is that she is very much a dominant female and will assert that dominance with any other dog.

Since coming to our house, she has never had an accident (except when she got ill once) and has never done anything that might bring down my wrath upon her. I can leave a sandwich on the floor and she will not eat it, but drool a huge puddle while staring at it. She is a very male-centric dog. The wife can't get her to jump up on her lap but all I have to do is give her a hand-signal and she's up on my lap in an instant. :lol:

JRTs weigh about 18 lbs but have a 200 lb attitude.:lol:

Breeders are usually providers of fine dogs, but we prefer to rescue dogs that need it.

[jackie999]

Here is a link to rescue organizations. I've never adopted a rescue but I have the utmost respect for anyone that does :)

http://www.canadogs.com/Rescue.htm

[Lucky Ducky]

Our 'girls' are both from rescues, I was asked if I would please take them within a year of our 'boy' passing away. Thankfully!

They are the sweetest pups and a lot of fun.

Our beloved 'boy' came from a breeder who was great with information sharing and health related issues after purchase but she no longer breeds dogs as far as I know.

The only comment that 'bothers' me, is this health guarantee 'stuff'.

It sounds great on the surface, but IMO, if you have a pup and fall in love with it (as we tend to do), are you really going to return the sick pup to the breeder if he/she has been part of your family for any length of time???

I know I could not, guarantee or not......and I do firmly believe that breeders know that, so feel free to give long term health guarantees.

One friend did return a pup, she only had him 2 days, he was coughing from the first day and died during the 2nd night. He was obviously sick when she picked him up.......she returned his corpse to the breeder, as they suggested he may have been hit by a car!!!

Everyone else I know, is such a pet lover, that they just pay the vets bills and keep their loved animals.

Anyway, just my sceptic pov about health guarantees.

Animals have so love to offer to the right kind of home, we could never live without a furry child in our family. :)

[jackie999]

It sounds great on the surface, but IMO, if you have a pup and fall in love with it (as we tend to do), are you really going to return the sick pup to the breeder if he/she has been part of your family for any length of time???

Oh...now I didn't even think of that. No, I would NEVER return an animal that is sick...I would take it upon myself to pay what I could for treatment. If the cost was just too great, then I would do what was necessary..since once you adopt, you take on the responsibility to decide for these creatures..no matter what. I've had a dog with cancer and I can't say I would go thru the surgery again...which brings me back to your comment....
I look upon that health guarantee to mean the breeder felt that 'her' pups were as healthy as she could guarantee, and if they died, from some illness, then you should contact her (the breeder) so that she knows there is a problem with the line, and she would replace the pup....

[okaywithme]

A health guarantee isn't always about the replacement of a sick pup with a new one or a refund. We owned a purebred which required eye surgery within weeks of bringing him home. Soon after he was diagnosed with epilepsy. It was suggested by the breeder to return him for another (and no written health guarantee then) but that wasn't an option as we chose him knowing how much we loved him. He died at 1-1/2. Soon after he passed, we bought our second golden retriever from the same breeder. The breeder waived full payment for him on account of the first having been sick. He was in perfect health. He was an excellent breeder and it just so happened the first pup had serious medical problems. We didn't doubt the breeder's credibility for a moment.

As for my bulldog breeder, her guarantee was for reimbursement to us of all medical bills for the pup within the one-year guarantee period. Accidents excluded. She supports the owner keeping a sick pup while she covers the medical expenses. She would certainly replace the sick pup with a new one if that's what the owner insisted on. She does not euthanize returned bulldogs without a valiant fight on her part to restore them to good health. You immediately know when talking with her how passionate she feels about her bulldogs. I think she's quite a remarkable lady. To date, I've met 5 individual owners of her bulldogs, all dogs in great health like mine.

It's always best to learn of the breeder's philosophy, reputation on breeding and position on health problems, short and long term, with or without a health guarantee, before deciding who you'd like to purchase your purebred from. If you find one like ours, consider yourself very lucky.:)

[Lucky Ducky]

All of the breeders that I know, and I know more than a few, expect you to return the sick animal to them in order to 'use' their guarantee.
ie for a replacement animal.

Very few, if any, animal lovers will give up their pet when it becomes ill.

I do agree, Jackie, that the breeders also mean that they believe their pups to be healthy when sold and that they feel they've done the 'best' with their knowledge of genetic diseases when breeding dogs/cats.
I called our breeder when our 'boy' got so sick but most of his problems were from over-vaccination and weakened immune system, not genetic.
He did live for over 14 yrs but his mother lived to 18 and died from accidental drowning, not illness!!

I doubt many breeders would 'replace' a deceased animal, that would be very rare.

One of my friends breeds our type of dog and part of her agreement is that you MUST return the dog to her, if for any reason you cannot keep the dog.

I think that is a better guarantee of a great breeder, than the health guarantees.

At any time, for any reason, she will take back a dog, no questions asked.

She's had a couple of geriatric pups returned when their owners could no longer look after them. Sad but better than euthanasia if the dogs are in good health.

This is the lady who called and asked me to take our eldest 'girl', she had been abused (makes me sick!) and needed an experienced and patient home.

We were and are, honoured to be her new family....and the dog has become a loving and gentle princess, as she should be. :)

[okaywithme]

Not every breeder has the same policy on return, refund, replacement and/or health guarantee. We've been fortunate with our golden retrievers and bulldog and also, our other pedigrees with the first since 1970. We've only bought pedigrees. Everyone goes about shopping for a dog differently. What one finds important to question, another may find less important and not think much of it and vice versa.

I'm very fortunate to have a bulldog breeder that was willing to compensate under her health guarantee. Perhaps she's a rarety I don't know. Perhaps, she no longer offers that I don't know that either but she did then. And, given that that's her policy, of course she'd want the dog to remain with its owners knowing that is the best place for it whilst ensuring undivided attention at all times and that it remain with the family who so dearly loves it. It's a win-win situation for breeder, owners and the dog.

Bulldogs are very expensive to purchase and their breeders need to assess their risks very carefully when establishing policies for their businesses and ones that are fair and sensible under different eventualities. This is how their reputation is built and goodwill fostered among breeders and the owners of their dogs I think. This is how they get referrals too.

Our breeder of the golden retrievers didn't offer health guarantees in the '70's nor did he discuss or offer any written policies. We chose the dog, got a receipt for payment and the registration papers and that was it. He was sensible enough to realize the first dog was in poor health and offered to do something about it by waiving payment of the next one we purchased from him. That is a sensible, passionate and compassionate breeder. A rarety for sure.