It sounds like this person may be a "broker", someone who sells puppies for breeders. Some breeders don't want the hassle of selling the babies. They use a broker who is trained to make sure the home is "fit for their babies" and handles all the training of the new owner as well as the money and contract transactions.
I don't want to stir up controversy but there seems to be a general prejudice against brokers. I have good friend who is a broker and I got Hefner from a broker and they are not ALL BAD. It is true that MOST probably are, but I just don't want you to "close the door" on a potential opportunity because of this.
My friend who is a broker gets her puppies from Brazil. She has chosen to do this because these puppies are generally healthier and come from beautiful championship lines . I have seen these dogs personally, and they are not only healthy, they are gorgeous with thick, beautiful coats and small ears and snouts.
I got Hefner before I knew anything about yorkies and I got him from a broker in my town. She sold her grandma's (yorkie breeder for 30+ years)yorkies and then yorkies, maltese and chihuahua for other friends as well. These babies were all in playpens in her home with heaters and all the posh amenities as well as 24/7 care and human interaction. She knew so much and, I swear, could keep anything alive even when the vet said it was hopeless. A lot of runts die because they are too small and too weak to feed, and most breeders just "let nature takes it course" because it is a lot of work to hand feed a baby, especially more than one. This broker would not consider not trying everything humanly possible to save a puppy who wasn't thriving and she usually did.
She knows so much about the health and care of small breed dogs and she is a tremendous resource for me even now. Buddha would not be here if it weren't for her. She saved his life.
Anyway, all I am trying to say is, you need to really do your research and spend a lot of time talking to the person you may buy a puppy from. Talk to their vet, talk to people who have purchased from them, etc. Go visit if you can and ask to speak to the breeder of the puppy you are interested in and ask to at least see photos of the parents of the puppy if they are not "on site". Most good brokers will let you talk to the breeder if you ask questions they can't answer.
You can ask them outright if they are the breeder or the broker.
There are also some large scale breeders out there who have a lot of dogs and can produce a litter quite often. These I would also carefully screen because you do want a puppy who is adequately socialized and it is hard without a lot of staff to care for and interact with a lot of puppies. Some of these are big businesses with well run facilities and they do hire a lot of employees to care for the puppies. Some do not. You need to be able to wed through the bad to find the good.
Females from good breeders are usually allowed to go through at least one heat cycle after having puppies before being bred again. The best breeders will let them go throught two cycles which means they only have a litter every year and a half or so.
Good luck in your search. |