Hi List
This is a response to the letter from Mel & Hilary re: the rescue puppy
for $1500..........
First, let me say I have nothing whatsoever to gain from this as my two
Champion cavaliers are 9 & 13. I am neither breeding, selling, nor showing
at present. However, I have observed that it is now and always has been
practically impossible to buy a good cavalier puppy from a reliable breeder
with full registration and no strings attached and certainly not for $1500.
In my Pennsylvania neighborhood, there is a good breeder charging $2000 for
pets.
I abhor the sight of puppies in pet shops and am horrified at the prices
people pay to buy inferior, unhealthy puppies of questionable lineage and
registry. Much of this buying is ignorance but some is desperation caused
in part by the snobbish attitude of breeders who, in the name of protecting
the breed, are in fact preventing well meaning people from becoming
breeders at all. Just recently, an acquaintance of mine who has had group
winning dogs in another breed and who has everything to offer, became so
discouraged after talking to cavalier breeders all over the country, that
she went into another breed. That breed's gain is cavaliers loss because
this is a good dog person who will show in breed, obedience, agility - make
her dog into a therapy dog and so forth and will not use it for breeding
unless it is 100% sound. Not one cavalier breeder was willing to sell her a
top quality puppy outright with a full registration. Why is that?
Maybe I can answer my own question because I have experience in Labrador
Retrievers as well as cavaliers. When I have a litter of Labradors, they
are all solid colors and there are 8-10 of them. Since well bred litters
are usually pretty even, there should be more than one show potential puppy
in a litter. Because of their size, it is impractical to think you can keep
all the good ones each time you breed so good show homes are welcome and
new breeders and exhibitors get started every day.
When you breed a typical litter of four cavaliers, there is a fair chance
a couple will be mismarked, some may have bad bites, there is a slim chance
there will be many show potential pups produced. If you have one, they are
small enough that even the smallest breeder can find room to keep it. All
of which makes it VERY HARD to get started in this breed.
I think we should try to remember we ALL got a start somewhere and I think
to remedy the situation, there needs to be more help offered people who
want to "get into" cavaliers so that someday it may not be so hard to buy a
good puppy from a good breeder. We need to be more generous so that people
will have good experiences with breeders. In my opinion, it is that more
than anything else that will keep people out of pet shops and puppy mills.
Just my own controversial opinion......
Julie Sturman
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