Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Op here: the breeders I am looking at raise the dogs in their own home, test strictly for genetics and hips and diseases and breed for temperament, run all kinds of hereditary disease testing - ask potential buyers lots of questions and won’t even sell to just anyone bc they love their puppies so much
Breeders like this do exist. It just takes time and it’s not the cheapest. But in the long run a healthy dog is MUCH cheaper than one with problems. I bought from a breeder and the dog has never had a health problem.
+1 I used a great breeder in a nearby state for my dog. You know when you have a good breeder because they do a lot of genetic testing and only have a few litters per year, unlike puppy mills. They also love their dogs dearly and do not just sell them to anyone. The waiting list can sometimes be a few months long. I think it is absolutely wonderful if you are willing to adopt a dog since there are so many that need a good home. However, with young children at home I really wanted a breed that was great with kids and not predisposed to health issues. You never know what you are really going to get with adoption. I don't judge people either way because you really don't know their circumstances. For example, I know several people who own some variation of a doodle because they needed a dog that was hypoallergenic.