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Originally Posted by MyFairLacy  No one said that all show breeders are reputable. There are many other things a breeder must be doing besides showing to be considered reputable by me. Showing does not always equal reputable..I learned this with my first cat. But I will only be buying from reputable AKC show breeders in the future...it is very important to me. |
I agree 100%. To me an AKC show breeder is the bare minimum requirement, the starting point in a search for a puppy. After that, genetic screening and health testing are the next criteria I look for. I would not consider getting either a Maltese puppy or especially a Yorkie puppy without knowing that both parents had been tested for liver disease. Dr. Center recommends that all puppies be given bile acids tests before going to their new homes (with sixteen weeks being ideal) so I would make sure that was done, too.