I thought this may
be a useful article for puppy buyers because I get quite a bit of e-mail
everyday asking if I can help people find a good breeder in their area. The
Internet can be a great tool to use to find resources that will lead you to
a good breeder. Like anything else though, buyer beware,
a puppy-miller or backyard breeder can create a nice looking website (appear
credible) just as well as a good breeder can. These are the steps I use when trying to locate information
for people.
1)
Identify the breed you are looking for
2)
Go to the national kennel club web site Canadian
Kennel Club (CKC) or American
Kennel Club (AKC)
3)
If you are in the USA please go to step #5. For the CKC, click on
“Shows and Trials” at the top left hand side of the screen. Then look
down the left part of the screen and at the bottom there will be a link that
says “National Breed Clubs”. When you click on that it will bring up a
screen with all the different breeds listed in alphabetical order. Select
the breed you are interested in. You will next be given the contact
information for that breed.
4)
There are also numerous regional breed specialty clubs. For example;
if you are in Alberta and looking for a Poodle, simply type in “Poodle
Club of Alberta” into a search engine or look for all breed clubs in your
area (see the notes under step #7 this applies to Canada as well) Proceed to
step # 8.
5)
Along the top of the page, click on the link that says “Clubs”
then click on “Club
Search”.
6)
To locate the National Breed Club for the breed you are looking for
click on “National
Clubs”. This will bring you to a page that has a drop down menu,
select the breed you want and hit search. You will get the contact
information for the breed as well as their web site.
7)
To locate a regional breed club (back to the “club
Search” page) click on “Conformation
Clubs” once on the new page there will be three drop down menu boxes.
One will be for the club type, one for the breed, and one for the state.
-
The following is a quick little definition of what the different club
types are; a specialty club is one that is dedicated to one breed only. A
Limited breed specialty club is one that usually works with all the breeds
within a group such as the herding group. An all breed club is just that, it
works with all the breeds recognized.
-
If you are looking for certain breeds, do not count out the all breed
and limited breed specialty clubs; they may be able to offer you some
valuable resources when looking for a dog. Also, depending on the breed,
there isn’t always a breed specialty club in all states or provinces, that
doesn’t mean there are no good breeders… maybe just not enough to form a
club or they simply haven’t formed a club as of yet.
8)
Contact the breed club and ask about reputable breeders.
-
You can also search the web and see if the club has a web site… say
you are looking for a Poodle, just type in “Poodle Club Of Canada” or
“Canadian Poodle Club” (replace Canada with America if you are in the
states)… get the idea.
-
Most National breed clubs have excellent information on their web
sites regarding health, buying a puppy, is that breed for you etc. Also
check out the clubs code of ethics, this will give you an idea of what is
expected of their breeders.
-
If there is a breed you are interested in but you dog not see it
listed on the CKC web site, it is possible that the CKC doesn’t recognize
the breed or there is no club. In that case go to the AKC, breed clubs in
the USA will most likely be able to help you find someone in Canada. The
same goes for the USA, the CKC has some breeds that the AKC does not
recognize therefore a Canadian club may be able to help you out across the
border.
In conclusion, I would like you to remember that the
Internet is also full of less than ethical breeders. That doesn’t mean you
can’t use it, just be cautious when you do. It’s very important that you
do your research and learn as much as you can about the breed you are
interested in as well as what it means to be a good breeder. If you have any
trouble locating someone or just have a question, please feel free to e-mail
me and I would be more than happy to help you out. Good luck in your search!
