[blueskies]

Originally Posted by SET Yorkies

One of the ways puppy mills and bad breeders stay in business is the secretive nature of their "facility." They offer to meet “halfway” as if to help buyers out. Another trick is to bring in particular puppies / parents for you to see. You faintly hear a barrage of barking from another room or building you can’t see and are not given access to because you might make the puppies sick….I’ve never known of a single case where handling puppies over 3 wks old born to well immunized mothers have become ill due to exposure. That is utterly red flag # 1 for me. Puppies born to well immunized females generally keep a natural immunity up to 8 weeks. If that is a concern, keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in your kennel or dog room. Buyers never mind using it.

I would never recommend buying from a breeder who would not allow buyers to inspect not only all of the dogs owned but the areas in which they live and her records (which should all be in order as per AKC anyway), the only exception being the whelping room. Keeping dogs’ area clean is a huge task and takes a lot of time and dedication. If a breeder isn’t proud of where her puppies are raised, there is a problem. For many buying a Yorkie, it is a once-in-a-lifetime deal and they deserve plenty of interaction and full inspection prior to the purchase.

I did not like the idea of strangers in my home. When that became a concern, we built a fully monitored kennel with all the comforts of home with some really great additions... pet doors for each dog. They can lounge in AC all day or play outside what ever they want, although my kiddos are pretty spoiled to the AC. Plus, the place is monitored 24/ 7 and probably more secure than our house. You have to be super careful about giving your address, ect… We have a little check list we go down with anyone who requests our physical address, kindly explaining the reason for so many questions. Most people completely understand. Those who don’t probably do not need one of our puppies anyway.

We always prefer our new families to come out for a visit; unfortunately, it simply isn't always possible with the advent of the internet. I have buyers as far away as New York and I really can’t expect those folks to fly here to pick up a puppy. We do ship and have been very happy with the results. However, it is a lengthy process since we must establish a bond with the buyer and make sure everyone is on the same page. Trust is a major factor on both parties part. Buyers must feel they will recieve what you have promised and sometimes it takes months to establish a relationship. Lots of emails, phone call, and pictures.....

I have to say, we have never had a puppy arrive ill, lethargic, ect due travel stresses or problems in transit. Several factors have to be taken into consideration like the puppy's size, age, and overall disposition. We have a kind of checklist we use and once all of the criteria have been met, the puppy can travel. I've been very pleased with the results. Feed back from buyers about the condition of their puppy upon arrival has been very good. The animal specialists at IAH (Houston) do an outstanding job, so in short, no complaints on shipping from me. Bear in mind, we have never used any other airline or transportation service, so I only have knowledge of Continental Airline's policies and procedures.

Wow, should I be offended? I mentioned several of these things in my first post that I do, and I am certainly not a puppy mill, but I would rather keep my dogs safe by putting them in other rooms of the house when people come. It makes for less clutter and noise, and I know where everybody is after the person leaves. I have also met halfway, but not because I didn't want people to see my home, I was just more comfortable meeting in a public place. I don't think you are automatically a bad breeder or a bad person for doing these things to keep your dogs safe, especially since there have been many cases where people have stolen dogs from breeders or done other horrible things. For me, a kennel is not something I could do, both for the sake of my dogs and lack of space. I prefer to have and raise mine in my home, so as you mentioned in your second post, it does make it quite difficult to have people going through your home and looking in your private bedrooms and bathrooms (where most of the dogs are kept when people come over).