Hi Jenn,
How do I know the breeder I have pick is a reputable breeder?
I look for *responsible* breeders. There are many breeders with
reputation, ie: well known...but that doesn't mean they are necessarily
*responsible breeders* which is who I want to deal with.
There are many things responsible breeders do and don't do that sets them
apart from people who are simply interested in taking your money.
Responsible breeders screen their dogs for hereditary diseases to minimize
the risk of passing them on to their puppies. Most of these problems aren't
visible, they require expert evaluation to detect. Before breeding, my dog
was *certified* free of hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, eye diseases, von
Willebrands Disease, and heart defects. The examinations and certifications
were done by *board certified* radiologists, opthalmologists, cardiologists,
and using DNA. They were NOT declaration made by my vet.
*** The responsible breeder will make available to you *copies* of the
clearance certificates for the diseases the sire and dam of the litter were
screened for BEFORE you sign a contract or give a deposit.***
Instead of providing paperwork for the pedigree, clearances, titles, their
contract, etc... profiteers will speak in general terms. Statements like:
Her hips are good,
My vet says she's healthy as can be,
The pups are from Champion lines,
I don't have cancer in my lines,
I've never had a problem with (hips, elbows, etc),
I'll send you the paperwork after I receive your deposit,
These pups are from European lines, they don't have the problems Bernese
here do,
A good friend of mine in Europe sent them to me...
Responsible breeders are happy to arrange a time for you to meet their dogs
and see how they're raised. You won't be welcome when very young puppies are
present or the weekend of their family reunion, but you should be able to
arrange a mutually agreeable time to VISIT the breed.
Responsible breeders have put a lot of effort into producing a litter of
mentally and physically sound Bernese. Expect them to put just as much
effort into deciding which home will be the best match for each individual
puppy. If the breeder doesn't want to get to know you before agreeing to
sell you a puppy, that says something about how much they care about what
they produce.
Most *responsible* breeders are actively involved with Bernese in more ways
than just producing puppies. They're active in the national and regional BMD
clubs, they do draft, obedience, therapy work, they mentor newcomers, they
attend and volunteer to help out at specialties. In other words, they're
active in, and give something back, to the BMD community.
Be sure the person you're dealing with ACTUALLY bred the litter. I've heard
of several people who were let to believe the person they spoke with on the
phone had bred the litter, only to find out when picking up the puppy that
they had been imported from eastern Europe, weren't AKC registered, and there
were no health clearances or anything else. Not many people can walk away
from the puppy at that point and the profiteers know it.
It's getting harder and harder to know what sort of person you're really
dealing with as the profiteers are pretty expert at playing with words so
that you hear exactly what you want to hear. So maybe the best advice is to
join and participate in your regional BMD community so you get to know who's
for real and who's not on a first hand basis.
-Sherri Venditti
She seems
nice. How do I really know that she is right for me?
