[michiko]

Asking price was really important thing for me before because I had budget. I asked about the price range in the first email as polite as possible. I still have budget but my way of thinking has changed after finding a good match breeder. My budget got expanded... after getting know the breeder and visiting her dogs. They are priceless, but I can definitely understand why people will ask price as a first question to make sure it is in your budget or not. To me, I felt like wasting my time and breeder's time if the price was really off from the budget. When you just start looking, I don't think many realized that it is not so good to jump on the cheaper pup, they might cost more in long run.

This site is the best place to find great breeders. You can get to know different breeders and they can get to know you. I have had great experiences. I would rather come here than start calling ....to find a breeder.

Before I found my favorite breeder, I went to different websites and started emailing them. For me I didn't want to call because some people might have heard time understanding my strong Boston accent.. (laugh.. NOT really! Michiko accent I guess), so I feel more comfortable emailing. I am sure it is better to call if you want responses right away. I found contacts from all over the place on Internet. I didn't get responses from 1/4 of my emails. But now I think of it, after scam threads, there are so much scams out there and we all have to be careful. For local breeders, oodle.com was helpful. (this is for different cities in US) But then I didn't feel like "wow I want to buy a pup from this person.. "

On YT, you can really get to know people. I mean I might not be a good candidate for adoption by one email, but with some conversations, people can get to know me. It makes a big difference.