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DO NOT BUY A BEARDED COLLIE! Our sad story



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 11th 20, 03:59 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.breeds
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Default DO NOT BUY A BEARDED COLLIE! Our sad story

On Friday, March 15, 2002 at 7:10:14 AM UTC-8, Dave McKay wrote:
Our tale of sadness of being a Bearded Collie owner

Hello.

Our names are Suzanne and David McKay. We live in West Chester, Pa, and
have 4 children and a Shetland Sheepdog and 3 cats. In the spring of 2000,
we purchased a Beardie pup from Kiltie Kennels, also in Pa. . We paid $800.

  #2  
Old September 13th 20, 01:52 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.breeds
Custer Cattle
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Default DO NOT BUY A BEARDED COLLIE! Our sad story

On Monday, 10 February 2020 at 19:59:59 UTC-7, wrote:
On Friday, March 15, 2002 at 7:10:14 AM UTC-8, Dave McKay wrote:
Our tale of sadness of being a Bearded Collie owner

Hello.

Our names are Suzanne and David McKay. We live in West Chester, Pa, and
have 4 children and a Shetland Sheepdog and 3 cats. In the spring of 2000,
we purchased a Beardie pup from Kiltie Kennels, also in Pa. . We paid $800.
Our family (kids aged 12,10,9,9) wanted to get another dog, so we all did
research to find what dog would best suit our needs. The Beardie seemed the
right choice. That turned out to be a big mistake. Over a $1,200 mistake,
that is.

Oh, the kids were so excited. The breeder only had 2 left. We loved the
puppies. We named her Muffy. She fit in so well with our other dog and the
cats. My wife is a stay-at-home mom, so the dog wasn’t alone most of the
day.Well, after about a year and being successfully housebroken, things went
downhill fast. First, she bit the little boy next door as he was leaving our
property. He was friends with our son. The boy’s parents were obviously
upset. Then, a few weeks later, Muffy took a big bite out of the UPS
delivery man as he was going out our front door. 12 stitches in his wrist!
We were lucky we weren’t sued. So we called the breeder and returned the dog
to see if she could figure out what went wrong.
She never did tell us. Never took the dog to the vet to have it checked out
(as far as we know) and refused to return any or all of our money. Didn’t
even offer to give us a new puppy from her next litter. Even stopped
returning our calls and ignored a letter from our attorney!

So, I was at the vet’s office and picked up a copy of Dog Fancy magazine.
Paging through the ads in the back, I saw an ad for a Beardie Breeder in
Georgia. I got home and called her.
She said that she knows the breeder that we bought from and that she is
going to (and has been) breed her dog with the stud dog from OUR breeder.
Then, IT STRUCK ME. These few, tight-knit breeders in the U.S. are passing
around the same stud dogs and probably creating in-bred puppies with a
propensity for aggressive behavior. They’re probably breeding the father
with the daughter or half-daughter and other like-kind matings. I mean, what
are the chances that I called a Beardie Breeder at random and happened to
get one that is mating their dogs with my breeder’s dogs? Pretty slim
chance, unless they’re such a close knit group that the same stud dogs are
fathering most of the puppies in the U.S.

My recommendation? DO NOT BUY A BEARDIE. FIND ANOTHER BREED! It’s not worth
the heartache and aggravation to you or especially your children. It’s been
10 months since Muffy left and the kids are still upset. Heartbroken kids
and a big hole in your wallet is what might happen to you if you buy a
beardie!

David & Suzanne McKay

  #3  
Old September 13th 20, 03:00 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.breeds
Custer Cattle
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Posts: 2
Default DO NOT BUY A BEARDED COLLIE! Our sad story

I have first hand experience with Beardies. We are on our second one. We researched breeds for over a year changing our choice a couple of times based on what we learned. Ultimately we settled on Beardies. We then set about finding a breeder. We changed the breeder we initially chose based on what we learned from other Beardie breeders.

First I would say breeders can be a fickle, over opinionated lot. It is hard to know even based on what you hear to be able to separate fact from personal opinion which may be unrelated to the breeder’s dog’s bloodline.

Our first Beardie, Chance, had a incredible disposition. He was NEVER the least bit aggressive when subjected to activities he didn’t like in the least such as grooming. The only “complaint” I had about him was his over zealous affection and licking when he initially greeted us and our company. The neighborhood kids would ring our doorbell to see if Chance could come out and play with them. True fact. Happened multiple times.

Our second and current Beardie, Wryder, has a significantly different manner in dealing with activities he doesn’t like. He growls and bares his teeth in an intimidating manner. My wife and daughter back off when he behaves in this manner. I occasionally put him on his back and squeeze his throat to exert my dominance over him and keep him in line. I let him know I am the pack’s alpha male and that he needs to stay in line. He has never bit me or anyone despite his sometimes intimidating exhibitions. If he ever does I will be having him put down. He has been “fixed” so his bloodline will not be continued from our perspective.

Breeder’s do not take constructive feedback very well if it is critical of the bloodline. They generally are deeply invested, have limited breeding stock and not in a position to change direction.

We never had an opportunity to visit Chance’s breeder in advance. We relied on other breeders opinions.

When we got Wryder we located the breeder largely out of convenience. We found a breeder near us that we were able to visit multiple times. We didn’t talk with other breeders. The breeder was actively involved in show dogs and (at least from a show perspective) had documented “good“ bloodlines. We haven’t been/are not interested in showing.. We are just about family pets. This breeder owned both the stud and bitch.. When we visited Wryder’s breeder we met his (Wryder’s) parents and an uncle. Hindsight being 20/20 there were warning signs we should have recognized. The uncle was very timid and shy. That is generally not a Beardies’ nature.

What I would suggest based on my experiences is to
-buy from a breeder that doesn’t own the stud. It requires/allows the breeder to find a suitable male to service the bitch based on desirable traits rather than convenience/financial considerations (i.e. total ownership of the entire litter).
-Don’t let convenience be a factor in breeder selection. Be willing to walk away and find another breeder even if it causes long delays in getting a puppy. You are going to living with your puppy as a family member for many years. The delay will be worth it.
-Talk to lots of breeders asking about the one you are considering. The circles are generally small enough that after talking to several you will find a few familiar with the breeder that can share their impression of the breeders bloodline/reputation.
-Exposing your puppy to many other dogs/strangers/animals (i.e. socializing your dog) in various settings will provide you with a better experience when your dog is an adult.

Wryder is a loved family member but that doesn’t mean his disposition his ideal as a family pet.
 




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