on 12/4/01 9:25 AM, Terrie & Disney at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I don't know that the breed clubs as a whole can do much but I think that when > attempting to educate John Q. Public breeders and exhibitors as individuals > need to try and focus on just 3 things and use analogies to explain, looks, > temperament and health. > > When I speak to people about Goldens I bring up the fact that if they are > looking for a purebred dog it is because they want their ideal dog to look > like the breed they've chosen. They don't want a dog that later on can be > mistaken for a Lab mix or an Irish Setter cross. If we are talking Cavaliers > then they don't want something that looks like a Charlie, Cocker or small > Brittany.
I get lots of calls regarding a pet Cavalier and it is a large part of my role as a breeder/exhibitor/ breed club representative to educate the prospective owner as to just what they should expect of the resource for the puppy they want. #1. Reputable breeders take full advantage of the breed club referrals/memberships in "advertising" any puppies they may have for sale. They do not advertise in the local newspaper. I recently had one very nice family speak about how they understood the "rarity of the Cavalier and that it wasn't adverted in the paper "like Goldens or Labs" and I told this person that reputable, successful breeders of ANY purebred do NOT advertise in the newspaper. The reason they don't is that they do not have to. Period. Reputable breeders have waiting lists for their puppies-all breeds-and it is a BIG misconception that the local newspaper is exclusively for "well-known and/or over-produced" purebred dogs. Newspaper-advertised puppies for sale are there because there are no other resources for these (mostly) backyard breeders, and many of these ads are from the puppy-brokers who have imported litters advertised as "home-raised". #2. Reputable and I will add <Knowledgeable> breeders have basic health checks done regularly on all their dogs and puppies regarding hearts and eyes and patellae, and successfully exhibit and win with their Cavaliers at AKC-level competition. (Those of you in USA who look condescendingly down on AKC have registered your dogs with AKC. Why?) #3. Reputable and Knowledgeable breeders do not produce and sell all "show quality", nor do these knowledgeable breeders make complicated "deals" about litters back, puppies back, stud fees back, etc. on a pet/companion. In addition, noone can guarantee the size of a litter, or that a mating will successfully result in puppies-even with the best efforts made to insure successfully timed matings, etc., so pet puppy seekers must be prepared to wait several months to even a year from the breeder they choose. Basically I recommend that potential buyers speak with and visit several breeder/exhibitors in their area, and I also tell them that sometimes an older puppy or adult may be available but not often, and they must be prepared to wait for that also. Best advice I can give them all is "be patient" and keep in contact with the breeder of the puppy they want, and do not be swayed or mislead by those lovely "Irish" accents from the puppy-brokers who always have a puppy for sale. As to those calls from people who want to buy a breeding pair and set up for "business" I tell them I have nothing and I know of no one who has anything. Simply put, these people are not going be talked out of their goals. I am polite but brief with them. Judy Gates ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 1999 by its original author.
