"Breeders" ...

Everyone is a breeder. They all think they are so reputable. They'll say anything to make it appear that they have a purpose behind everything they are doing. I was browsing around some of the sites I haven't been on in a while, and happened upon one in particular and had to just shake my head.

You go on to the puppy page and it lists a litter of puppies out of a bitch that ... a month ago ... the breeder wasn't going to breed for another year or two. But the bitch came in season ... and the breeder just couldn't resist. And she had all kinds of excuses. For the last year, she's been breeding her main sire because he's getting old and she was frantic that she get pups out of him. Well, like all dogs do, he died. Now she's got a male by him and she's breeding it to this female ... because ... well, don't you know ... her main male died. Yes, must create more puppies. Gotta have puppies by the pup of the great wonderful dog.

The female that's being bred (who is bred just about every year come hell or high water) came to her started. She's been trialed very minimally. But this dog is the breeder's main "chore dog" ... at the farm ... that she doesn't own. Don't you love it? How we can just play with words and make it sound like something amazing! But the breeder feels the dog can just read her mind, so that MUST be something breedworthy. Oh but they both have "square flanks". Woo hoo! She almost made that sound like it was something genetically superior rather than proper stockdog training. Oh and good outruns. Yowza! These dogs are actually able to learn how to do outruns. How ewenique!!!

Then there's some crap on there about flyball times -- as if this actually means something.

Then there's the typos. Gotta love it.

The last line mentions color. Imagine that.

And then the kicker. (I wonder how many people actually buy into this shit.) You click on the "Adults for Sale" page and see the catch-all phrase ... something like "due to unforeseen circumstances" ... there are adults for sale.

Yes, can't keep the adults because ... who knows what ... but we have more puppies on the way! Yes indeedy!

Wouldn't it be nice if the truth were mished in there somewhere? Yeah you won't find that on this website.

There's one female for sale, price and all.

Then there's the imported male, who not long ago was the greatest thing since sliced bread -- so much so that not only one person brought him over from the UK, but a whole slew of people went in on buying him. And breeding to him. Because he was wonderful ... and he "worked" ... and best of all ... he was a certain color! Well, now he's so wonderful that he's for sale. And the best part: "Call for price." Just make sure you don't gag out loud when she tells you the price on the dog, who on the breeder's own video (of this dog working sheep at the ranch she doesn't own but needs a "chore dog" for ... LOL), barely has enough interest to complete a small gather, is $4,000. Yes, $4,000. Remember. He's imported. He's colored. That's worth a lot, isn't it? Heck it cost the 3 or 4 breeders lots of money to get him. They need that money back, don'tcha know? Whatever you do, don't ask how this dog gets along with other dogs, or how the pups from this dog are doing. You won't find that information on the website, and the answers might cut into the profits a bit.

Egadz.

When you're looking for a dog, please ask around. Don't jump on the first pretty thing you see. "Imported" simply means it came from another country. Nothing more. It is in no way a stamp of approval, or a guarantee of quality. Talk to people who know what they're doing. Be patient! Go to some trials. Watch what these dogs do. Do not buy a pup or dog sight unseen over the internet from someone you've never met. There are so many "breeders" out there who put puppies on the ground for all the wrong reasons. Don't get burned by one of them. And don't donate thousands of dollars to one so they can continue doing what they do. If you've got that kind of money to burn, please donate it to your local animal shelter where it will help hundreds of dogs, and not line the pockets of one (or in this case ... several) breeder(s).

Happy tails,
Jodi