I'm hoping the knowledgeable people here can help me. A bit of
background: My boyfriend's mother just told him that she's getting him
a Cairn terrier puppy for his birthday. (Their previous dog, also a
Cairn, died earlier this year at a ripe old age.) We are in the New
York City area, and the breeder is in New Jersey. The puppy was
supposedly just born, so it will not be available for a couple of
months (I don't know exactly how old it will be at that point).

I'm kind of ambivalent about this because I believe very strongly in
adopting from shelters or rescue groups, and I am actually a little
bit biased against purebreds (though maybe it's nicer to say I'm
biased toward mutts -- hybrid vigor, fewer vanity purchases, etc.). I
know they loved their Cairn, though, and I think his mother's feelings
would be hurt if he refused. (She did check Cairn rescue groups,
apparently, but she says the dogs all had health problems.) I do feel
as though I need to find out a few things:

1) I checked the Breeder Referral section of the Cairn Terrier Club of
America (http://www.cairnterrier.org/breeders/), and the breeder is
not listed. Should that be a deal-breaker? Is it a sign that the
breeder is not responsible?

2) Do breeders typically select a specific puppy from a litter for a
prospective owner, or does the person meet the puppies and then
choose/get matched? (I'm not sure why I think they may have a
particular pup picked out -- it may not be true.)

3) If I continue to do research and find out that the breeder is not
someone I think she should be supporting, is there any kind way for my
boyfriend to explain this to his mother?

If you have any other words of wisdom, please let me know. Also, if
you are familiar with Cairn breeders in New Jersey and think you might
know something about this particular one, I would be grateful to hear
from you. Thanks very much.

--A

"Abc" wrote
snip

1) I checked the Breeder Referral section of the Cairn Terrier Club of
America (http://www.cairnterrier.org/breeders/), and the breeder is
not listed. Should that be a deal-breaker? Is it a sign that the
breeder is not responsible?

Not in and of itself, no. You could always ask her why she isn't a member.


2) Do breeders typically select a specific puppy from a litter for a
prospective owner, or does the person meet the puppies and then
choose/get matched? (I'm not sure why I think they may have a
particular pup picked out -- it may not be true.)

Often, the breeder will meet with the prospective owner - in this case your
b/f - and speak with them about what they want in a dog. The breeder will
get a feel for the living arangements and expectations that the owners will
have for the dog and select the puppy they feel best suits the buyer's
needs.

Personally, I want to meet every member of the household before I sell
someone a dog. I would ~definitely~ not sell someone a dog as a gift for a
3rd party without getting to know that 3rd party. It doesn't matter to me
who's paying for the dog - it's who is /living/ with the dog that I'm
primarily concerned about. Especially if that 3rd party were an adult not
living in the same home.


3) If I continue to do research and find out that the breeder is not
someone I think she should be supporting, is there any kind way for my
boyfriend to explain this to his mother?

That's not something I think anyone here can answer for you. We don't know
his mom! :0D

With my mother, I laid out what I felt a responsible breeder should be doing
and why. Then I pointed out where the disparity lay between that ideal and
the breeder from whom she was considering buying a dog. Since it was /her/
dog, I couldn't tell her "no" but only try to guide her. Your b/f has the
ability to veto the whole deal since the dog is for him.

If you have any other words of wisdom, please let me know.

Research the breed and find out what health problems are common to it.
Verify that the breeder tests her stock for those problems, and there there
is some depth and breadth of testing in the pedigree. The OFA and CERF have
online searchable databases.

Find out how she "proves" her dogs - conformation showing, obedience,
Agility, Earthdog, etc all might apply. With all the nice dogs out there
that need homes, only dogs that have something to offer the breed should be
bred. So what makes her dogs so great that they should be reproducing? Don't
accept the "just for pets" chestnut either. Being a pet is currently the
most important job most dogs have, and being of sound mind and body is of
utmost importance to that job. There is nothing "just" about a pet.

Why did she pick that stud for her bitch? She should know right off.

What does her puppy contract look like? Does she offer a health "guarantee"?
Is it limited or lifetime? Will she take the dog back if your b/f can't keep
it for some reason?

Hope this helps. Best of luck.
--
-Andrea Stone
Saorsa Basenjis
http://home1.gte.net/res0s12z/
The Trolls Nest - greenmen, goblins & gargoyle wall art
www.trollsnest.com

On 15 Dec 2003 20:11:04 -0800 Abc whittled these words:

1) I checked the Breeder Referral section of the Cairn Terrier Club of
America (http://www.cairnterrier.org/breeders/), and the breeder is
not listed. Should that be a deal-breaker? Is it a sign that the
breeder is not responsible?

NOt at all. Ideally the person is a memeber of the club, and complies
with the club's code of ethics. But many respobsible breeders won't be
listed because they rarely have litters.

2) Do breeders typically select a specific puppy from a litter for a
prospective owner, or does the person meet the puppies and then
choose/get matched? (I'm not sure why I think they may have a
particular pup picked out -- it may not be true.)

It depends but as a generality the breeder will want to find out a lot
about the personality, needs and expectations of the prospective owner.
The breeder will then either select a specfic pup most likely to be a good
match or hold back from selection those not likely to be a good match.

3) If I continue to do research and find out that the breeder is not
someone I think she should be supporting, is there any kind way for my
boyfriend to explain this to his mother?

Sure. My approach is to start with saying"The only way we as individuals
can help dogs or avoid hurting them is in the choices we make. If we want
to help dogs we don't support the kind of breeders who contrinute to
shelters or genetic problems. We support breeders who work hard to
protect their dogs and improve their health."
http://www.dog-play.com/checklist.html

If you have any other words of wisdom, please let me know. Also, if
you are familiar with Cairn breeders in New Jersey and think you might
know something about this particular one, I would be grateful to hear
from you. Thanks very much.

You can check this site for the breeder name to see if they are a
commercial breeder or dealer
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/publications.html

Since she didn't want rescue dogs because of health concernes it makes
very little sense to get the same kind of dogs from the breeders directly.
That means if she wants dogs more likely to be healthy she will need a
breeder who is knowledgable about genetic health issues and actively
trying to reduce their risk.
http://members.tripod.com/jerrier/Genetics.html