[gemy]

I think you are being reasonably cautious. You can also google people to see what comes up on the internet. It is amazing how much information is available out there ... and also somewhat scarey too.

When we purchased our first pure bred dog - Magic - we met the breeder 5 times over the course of 2 months. And she lived a 3 hour drive from us. We submitted through application business information, personal information, etc. We really appreciated her care and concern because we had the same.

Now a lot of those visits were to see the pups - and we got to evaluate each other over the course of this time. We as purchasers also checked her out with other breeders.

Over the course of our 4+year relationship we have become good friends. She is always been there for me, when I've had questions or concerns.