1. Dressed up (*Dolled up) - Most of the time this is used to just grab the person's attention who is surfing the net looking for a puppy but sometimes they are used to cover up bald spots and/or other health issues. ALWAYS ask to see current pictures of the puppy without the costume prior to committing to purchasing a puppy. 3. Reference Required (*Personal or Vet) - Most of the time this is used in the hope that a puppy buyer will think the seller is a more upstanding type breeder and only sell to those that they have checked out and approved. Let me ask you something - If you were to fill out a "reference form" would you list somebody that you thought would give you a bad reference or portray you in a bad light? The answer is simply "NO" and "Sellers" are well aware of this fact as well but they are hoping that MOST puppy buyers won't take the time to reason out that the "reference required" is nothing but a sales tool. I personally don't have time to talk to YOUR Son, Father, Brother, Daughter, Husband, Cousin or Best Friend and I have enough sense to know that is who you would send me a reference to therefore I'll save us both the time and trouble. 4. No Puppy Mill Slogans - Now I ask you "WHY" would a legitimate breeder feel the need to post "No Puppy mill Slogans" on their site? I personally 'stay clear' of those who think they might be considered a Puppy mill and feel the need to post "We're not a Puppy mill" or "Puppy mill Slogans" on their site. I've gone to more than my share of 'breeders' houses who had those type slogans on their site only to find what I would consider an 'unacceptable' situation for their dogs. Over the years we've noticed that "MANY" of those who had those type slogans/wording on their sites have been raided and closed down. 5. AKC Inspected - This seems to be the newest mode of trickery. An AKC inspection is 90% based on PAPERWORK. AKC wants to check to be sure that your registering puppies to the right dam and sire and that your paperwork is complete showing the litter information and who you sold EACH AND EVERY PUPPY to. You see AKC makes money when they find one of their breeders hasn't kept up with paperwork or that they didn't fill out the transfer form to the person they sold the puppy to themselves. HEFTY FINES help keep AKC in the black. AKC will also do random DNA on litters while they are there. Just to prove to yourself, I challenge each and every one of you reading this to find 'breeders' close to you that sport the "AKC Inspected" aid on their site and visit their kennel. I without doubt am sure that 50% of the time you will be shocked that the 'breeder' has the nerve to post the AKC Inspected on their site and even more shocked of the way these breeders facilities and dogs look. 6. SIZE (*Teacup) - There is no definition of what a "Teacup" in dogs is. Each and every one of us probably sees it as something different. To "ME" a teacup would be one that I would not just steer clear of but one I'd run for the hills to come from coming in contact with. Teacups are for the most part advertised when the puppy is smaller than 'breed standard'. Teacups often have more health issues than larger size puppies of the same breed. Conscientious, caring breeders will seldom deliberately breed for 'undersized' offspring from an already downsized breed such as the Yorkie, Chihuahua, Poodle and etc .... The #1 issue with so-called Teacups is HYPOGLYCEMIA and breeders know it thus the reason they all state in their contracts that they do not cover death due to Hypoglycemia. Buy a teacup - Spend $2000.00 - Get your precious baby home - Fall in love with it - Go to work - Come home to a dead puppy who died a miserable death from hypoglycemia with nobody at home to help it. Don't blame the breeder - YOU purchased it and the breeder will be sure to point out that their contract clearly stated they do not cover 'hypoglycemia'. Hypoglycemia attacks can not be predicted ahead of time and I can promise you they never come at an opportune time. Unless you have a monitor to watch your dog 24/7 I highly advise that you steer clear of undersized puppies/dogs. 7. RARE - There are NO RARE DOGS in the world. There are some that it takes a little more knowledge and understanding of genetics to produce but there are no RARE dogs. There have been NO MUTATIONS in over 100 years thus there are no 2 headed dogs that reproduce 2 headed offspring or 6 legged dogs that produce 6 legged offspring. Any breeder using the term 'rare' is not only using an aid that is not true but is more than likely trying to deceive the public that they have something that can't be found anywhere else. I personally have dogs that VERY FEW others have but they are still not rare even though there are less than 300 of them in existence today. I consider mine 'Exotic or Unique" and YES I do use those terms as Sales Aids. When you find a breeder using the term 'rare' then you can be assured that they are one to avoid as they don't have a clue as to dogs, breeding or otherwise. 8. OFA TESTING - A lot of breeders will post that their dogs are OFA tested but they fail to explain to the puppy buyers exactly what it is and means. OFA testing means the dogs has been tested for hip disorders that are present at the CURRENT TIME. It in no way means that the dogs won't fall prey to a disorder within the next few months nor does it mean that the puppy won't have issues. Is OFA testing a GOOD THING - You betcha as I'd rather get a puppy from one that has been OFA tested and proven to be OKAY at the time than from one that was never tested and DOES have issues. Just don't be fooled in to believing that the parents OFA test means your puppy will not be afflicted as it most certainly doesn't. 9. DNA Verified - Don't be fooled by those posting their dogs are DNA verified. What good is a parents DNA verification if the puppy your buying hasn't already been DNA verified as belonging to the dam and sire you've been told PRIOR to your acquiring the puppy? LOTS of AKC dogs have flunked their DNA parent verification test and the only person who 'lost' was the puppy buyer as the 'breeder' who whether deliberately falsified papers or made a mistake is already sunk and in debt to AKC and I highly doubt they have the funds to test multiple dogs that they still possess and even less able to test dogs they no longer own. LOTS of dogs have been DNA verified and placed in files for AKC but FEW of those are ever matched to see if the reported Dam and Sire are actually the right ones. Until AKC or other registries/breeders start a complete verification and matching service or a scoring system to make breeders and buyers aware of whether or not the offspring has been matched to the reported parents the DNA verification is a useless program for the most part and is being used to con many a puppy buyer. 10. AKC over another registry - I hate to tell you all this but seldom is one registry better than another. Most issue a piece of paper (*Registration Certificate) based on information submitted to them from 1 or more parties. They issue them based on a numbering system and as long as their is an infinite amount of numbers they will remain in business. While some registries offer more services or perks and some have more in place registration policies they all serve the same purpose. Some may have more name recognition but it still all comes down to 'Are you buying the DOG or the piece of paper that accompanies it?". I personally don't feed the Registration Certificate, groom the Certificate, pay medical bills on the Certificate or fall in love with the Certificate but I do the dog that I purchase so it's the dog I buy and not the paper. The only thing that you need to watch is whether or not the breeder your buying from has hardship registered dogs with no lineage behind them or has had issues with AKC previously concerning their papers. 11. PEDIGREED - WATCH OUT ... Pedigreed does not mean PUREBRED. Pedigreed means the dog has a documented lineage whether by the breeder or by a registry. The dog may be a hines 57 but still have a documented lineage. Pedigreed is a good thing when it comes to any breed or mix as often times a Pedigree can give you clues to the dogs behavior or medical issues. 12. Home Raised - No Kennel ... This seems to be the newest and widest used term to draw in customers. What does Home Raised or No Kennel mean. Well it could mean a LOT of things in the way the dogs are housed, taken care of and treated. What I've noticed is that the majority of those who use it actually LIVE IN THEIR KENNELS as they have turned their house/home into a dog kennel without moving out themselves. Ask yourself what a house must look like with 10 or more shedding, butt scooting, chewing/gnawing, peeing/pooting dogs must look like and that's before we add in the other 20 HOME RAISED puppies. Ask yourself HOW these breeders separated the dogs when the females were in heat for 3 weeks straight without any slip-ups? Ask yourself how these breeders can tell one puppy of one litter from another if they ALL look alike? Ask yourself if these breeders have the required license and inspection as required by their Town/City, County, State and or Federal Government? Few Home Raised - No Kennels could pass the rigid requirements that other legal breeders who do have Kennels have to pass. There are many good SMALL SCALE breeders out there that do raise their puppies in their home and do it well but they are the exception and not the rule. If your purchasing over the internet with no option of going to see where the puppy your interested in is raised then you need to weigh the options. Do you feel the puppy is being raised in a clean home environment or one with 2 inches of slippery slimy fecal matter on the floor with no opportunity to get away from it or is the puppy being raised in a well maintained clean kennel or one that isn't clean and well maintained? There are the Good and Bad in both situations. Don't pass on a kennel raised puppy that may very well be better taken care of and healthier than what is referred to as home raised if you aren't sure of the situation the puppy is living in. Ask yourself also "how much time" does the breeder have to spend with the puppy. If the breeder has a full time job then it may not be given as much attention as one from somebody who doesn't work outside the home and the housing may not be that much of an issue. 13. Christian Slogans/Websites - What's wrong with a Christian Website or one that puts Christian verses on it's pages? Well for the most part 'NOTHING" but there seems to be a growing trend of 'bad breeders' who are trying to hide behind Christianity and seem to not know how a Christian should behave and act. Posting Crosses, verses and angels on ones website DOES NOT in any way, form or fashion mean you are dealing with a reputable person or even a Christian. I can't tell you how many times I've been contacted over the last year or so about a breeder who portrayed themselves as Christians yet have not behaved like one. I personally hope to buy from a "reputable breeder" who will stand behind the puppy I purchase and I could care less what their religion is. And to be totally honest I do tend to 'shy' away from websites with a lot of 'Christian Themes" to them as it always makes me wonder "WHO" they are trying to convince just as those who post the "No Puppy mill Slogans" and I've noticed that a lot of the time the two go hand in hand. 14. Pet Only - Restricted/Limited Papers - It's the old "I can breed but you can't" syndrome. Advertising or even selling a puppy stated as "PET ONLY" does not keep the buyer from breeding that puppy at a later dog and producing offspring from it. If a puppy is sold as Pet only then the very least the BREEDER can do is neuter the males PRIOR to leaving their care. That's the ONLY WAY you should consider somebody who post "PET ONLY" as being a serious breeder and not wanting that dog to be bred. Often times a breeder is fortunate enough that they have a local Vet who will do early spay on females too but that isn't always the case so on females a serious breeder who doesn't want that female to be bred should have an iron-clad contract with a penalty clause if the dog is not spayed prior to it's first heat and an even heftier severe penalty if that dog should produce puppies and the breeder should be known for enforcing their contracts. "Pet Only" has been used for years now by breeders who hope those 2 simple words will automatically give them credibility in the eyes of Puppy Buyers. Don't be fooled by 2 simple words. Restricted/Limited Papers - WHY? I've asked myself for years now WHY would anybody even bother to get papers that were basically useless as there are only 2 reasons to have papers ... well 3 maybe .... 1 is to document the dogs lineage and that of it's offspring, 2 is for showing in purebred conformation events and 3 is for research access to lineage. Now on the first one, if the breeder is giving limited papers we can assume it's because they don't want the dog bred so therefore there is NO REASON to give papers as offspring is not able to be registered and the papers are worthless. Your basically buying an overpriced unregistered dog so why not save yourself some money and go find one without papers at a lower price. They are all lovable!!!! The 2nd reason for papers is to be able to show in Purebred Conformation Events but "HEY" the AKC doesn't allow Limited dogs to show as their whole reason for having the AKC dogs shows is to determine the quality of BREEDING STOCK so again there is no logical reason for giving somebody a set of limited papers. The 3rd reason is for tracing a bloodline for Medical reasons or just for fun. That can be done by giving the puppy buyer a PEDIGREE thus again no reason for a set of useless papers. Ask yourself "WHY" on several accounts: "WHY" does this breeder not want to see their line bred and prosper for years to come? "WHY" does this breeder feel I am a good candidate to own one of their dogs but yet not smart enough to be able to breed it? "WHY" doesn't this breeder take the RESPONSIBILITY of seeing that the dogs are not able to breed PRIOR to leaving their care? "WHY" does this breeder feel they should be allowed to breed but others shouldn't? I can promise you that those that feel YOU are not an intelligent person can come up with a wagon-load of excuses and they are just that; excuses as if they SERIOUSLY don't want their puppies to be bred then they will see them altered prior to leaving their care as blacking out a box on a piece of paper has yet to be a birth control device for dogs. |