Should a breeder allow you to visit kennel?
 

What are the arguments for and against a breeder allowing a prospective buyer to visit their kennel? If you're a breeder, would you allow it? If you're a buyer, would you expect it?

I hope this doesn't turn into a contentious topic, because I think there are good arguments to be made for both sides. A breeder recently told a friend that, no, she doesn't allow it because of the risk of introducing disease to her kennel. She doesn't know what dogs the prospective buyer has been around, and she refuses to take the chance.

On the flip side, how does a prospective buyer know if they're buying from a puppy mill or not without seeing the facilities?

No wrong answer here. I'd just like to see what people think.

I am a breeder, I don't have a kennel, but I feel that people need to see where their puppies are coming from, as soon as my puppies get their first shot I allow prospective parents to visit with me and the pups, i keep the pups in an enclosed pen with mesh so they can see the puppies and watch them interact with each other. I feel is important for me to get to meet them in person and ask questions that we both have about the dogs.
hugs,

I do not allow it. I am not a commercial breeder with a "facility" or a "kennel"...this is my home, and I do not allow tours of my home any more than you would allow strangers into your home for tours. I have experienced people bringing parvo into my home when I USED to allow the buyers to come visit with puppies and walk around. There is not only a real and present danger from diseases being spread all over your property on shoes that have walked goodness knows where, there are personal safety issues! People come to case out your home, what you have, where it is located, and by questions asked, they can even determine who is home and when! THEY STEAL THESE DOGS RIGHT OUT OF YOUR ARMS!! They would have NO qualms doing home invasion and taking your dogs from your home! I establish a "close" relationship with my buyers and they can tell from the application interview, my visits with them, my relationship with my buyers - prepurchase, during purchase, and on going after purchase for the life of that baby, as well as what my babies look like, this is not a puppy mill operation. I only have 2-3 litters per year, I own the parents, and my babies are usually sold before they are born! Most (80%+)of my parents are referrals or repeat parents, back for a sibling for the baby they already have...my reputation is solid and I work VERY hard to maintain it. I will not jeopardize my safety, my family's safety, or the health and safety of any of my dogs, by allowing "facility tours"....I will stop breeding before I do that again! PARVO IS ALIVE AND WELL AND EVERY WHERE.....BUT NOT ON MY PROPERTY!!!!

I would prefer to see where my future dogs are born. But honestly, before I would buy another dog from a breeder, I would know the breeder well enough that I would think she/he would know me well enough there wouldn't be a problem with me coming to their home.

This is why I recommend going to dog shows. You get to see the dogs, meet breeders and it's on neutral territory for the first meeting. By being an observer at shows, you can pick up on the interaction breeders have with their dogs, and it can be very enlightening.

I agree with the YTCA on this and this is what they say.

I hope breeders who are concerned about allowing strangers into their homes, get to know the people well enough and have plenty of references so that they are not "strangers". You wouldn't want to sell a puppy to someone who you didn't trust enough to have in your home. Also, there are precautions you can take so that the clients are not spreading disease. I know one breeder who makes people take off their shoes and wash their hands before they can touch a puppy. This is one of the best ways pet buyers can stop supporting puppy mills, if a breeder wouldn’t let me see her home, I’d guess she had something to hide, I might be wrong, but I wouldn’t take a chance. Closing down puppy mills should be a priority for all of us, pet owners and breeders alike.

I would have to be able to see where my pup was born. I have to know what that person really feels about their dogs & one way to tell is to see the facilities with precautions taken to protect the dogs.

As many of you know my son works in an emergency Veterinary hospital,so the potential of all sorts of diseases coming in my home is present every day, I do take precausions, like you will notice a welcome mat in front of the property gate from the driveway, I spray it with a bleach solution every morning and every night, is a precaucion I must take because you never know what walks in the hospital and my son will drag it home. also I spray the mat when I am expecting company of any sort.. one visit I don't allow until the pups are 12 weeks is another dog since the dog can't step on the mat with bleach. I also mop my floors with a solution called Chlorhexidine Disinfectant Solution which is the one used in vet hospitals to kill most diseases.
and in a nut shell that is how I keep my dogs healthy and my property protected.. for security, I have a BIG Alaskan malamute that protects the outside of the house and ADT protects the rest..
hugs,

My "parents" do come after the puppy is 10 weeks old and can see the babies, but they do not walk around my home. They come into my front room and that is as far as we go....since my home is an "open concept" style, they can see 4 rooms from their place in the dining room....but when people call and want to come see puppies that are available, no I do not do that at all. We have a relationship very well established before anyone comes to the house! When they enter the house, they walk on rugs that have been saturated with Virkon.

Then it sounds like your puppy parents can see how the breeding dogs are treated, that's my main concern. I don't think you have to show every room of your home, but puppy buyers should feel satisfied that the breeding dogs are kept in a humane condition. We all have different opinions on this, for example, kennels or crates don't bother me, a breeder has to find a way to keep dogs separated, but I know some people don't approve of them. Some people think the breeding dogs should sleep with the humans, I think this can be dangerous for a pregnant dog. It's up to the puppy buyer to decide what's right. Unfortunately, too many puppy buyers think a dirty small outside kennel with rusty edges crammed full of dogs is just fine, or they would take the time to actually see for themselves.

I completely agree with all of this. I have friends who breed Yorkies and this is exactly what they do. They also have surgical slippers for people who enter their home. They only let people in the formal living room and not anywhere else in the house. They have video cams and alarms as well. If your going to have a kennel, you need to be prepared! NEVER meet a person in a different location. This is how millers and brokers work.

I know whenever I have visited the breeder's home I got Jilly & Tibbe from, she has put down a path of clean pee pads to walk on and they are all over the area where one would walk. As you leave, she is picking up behind you on the way to the door, putting them in a trashbag. I personally would never think of inspecting her other living quarters & she offers to let you see where the dogs are housed & groomed, etc., when not with her in the house & she has a regimen one goes through to enter those large quarters. But I could care less about seeing her bedrooms or other living quarters. After I get home, I wash my own shoes, clean off my purse, shower and wash the clothing I was wearing - just to keep my own home as safe as possible.

By the time I have determine someone is a "suitable" home for one of my pups, I have no theft worries of allowing them in my home.

Love to hear this; after all, these babies are our prized processions!

I don't allow a free roam of my home, I receive people in the main parlor where I have the puppy pen setup. and that is it, i make sure we talk on the phone a few times before I give them my address and I always make sure one of my men is home, one of my sons or my hubby also visits are only on weekends only people that I know come during the week, but still one of my sons is home, since one works days and the other one works nights.
precaution is always your best friend.
hugs,

I didn't say they can tour my bedroom. The beds probably not made. Lol.

mine will be adorned with a few dogs sleeping on it.. LOL:D:D

Great responses, thanks! I honestly can see both sides, but it's good to hear all the arguments explained. I appreciate it.

As a buyer, I just want to see how the puppies will be living during those important first 3 months of their life. If it takes wearing shoe covers and rubber gloves, I would be more than happy (and appreciative of the forethought of the breeder) to do so.

But, again, I can't fault a breeder for wanting to protect their pups. Maybe pictures of the facility would help in cases like that.

We had a thread on Yorkietalk and someone posted a breeder's "facility". They showed the cutest little house with baby cribs inside, each puppy in its own crib, stuffed animals lined the shelves and it was adorable. One of the breeders here said, that can’t be the kennel, the mother is with the pups the first months of life, they aren’t separated in separate cribs. (Duh, we non breeders didn’t think of this. ) Anyway, it turns out it was the “store front” for buyers wanting to see the kennels. A satellite picture showed other kennels that were not so cute, and after further checking, a puppy mill group also had close-up pictures of the real kennels, that was really bad. I think Yorkies are one breed that definitely need air conditioning and heating and don’t do well in outside open air kennels.

Mike, you could also ask them to give their Vet. permission to let you know how they take care of their dogs and puppies, especially if you aren't allowed in to see how they live. They may want your Vets. number as well.

Not all vets are as credible as maybe you would like.

THAT is a winning solution!!! (Thank goodness, I am vet recommended, the ONLY breeder, of ANY breed, that my vet recommends!)

I agree, they sign off on many puppy mill dogs. They know how these dogs are being treated, but the law doesn't really protect vets, and in most states they can be sued by the breeder. This just isn't the same as visiting the home.

You sound like a solid person and reputable breeder. Very nice to hear your perspective!! :thumbup:

I've never had any dealings with a breeder that had a "kennel"...and never would. Any breeder I've bought from has always had her dogs in her home.

I do understand the fears of inviting someone into your home, but as a breeder is a home-based business it should be expected and planned for, as with any home-business and necessary security measures should be in place.

I agree Kazzy. I don't let in "walk by" traffic or phone calls that say' Oh we are looking for xyz Puppies, I see you are a breeder may I come by to visit?

I allow people here to my home, it's not a kennel but it's where we raise our puppies. But not to visit newborns. I prefer it to be after they have had their first set of shots and I always ask people to make sure they don't visit someplace like a pet store or a dog park just before coming to limit the chances of infecting my pups with something. But sometimes I can understand the other side too where people may have had a bad experience and might be afraid to have someone at their homes.

Before I even knew of YT I have always agreed with this statement,
A Reputable Breeder Will….
* Want to know as much about you as you do
about them. They are concerned with the
well-being of their puppies and making sure the
puppy is a good fit for you.*Will be knowledgeable and open about the pros,
cons and health of the breed. Will discuss spay
and neutering.
*Will not sell a Yorkie puppy prior to 12 weeks of
age, because of problems that may occur with a
younger puppy.

so with that being said at that point it should be a little safer to show a prospective buyer a puppy, and it is only fair to let them see the general area where the pup was raised. For me all new born yorkies look like little rotweillers so I would never make a buying decision until the pup is close to 12 weeks. Yet many breeders are asking for and getting a deposit before the dog is even born, doesn't that fly in the face of making sure the puppy is a good fit for you. So Perhaps if breeders waited to show the pups to buyers when they were closer to the age when they should be sold, the puppies would not be as prone to picking up an infection. I do agree with breeders taking lots of precautions and if I was one I would have rules posted at the door and sent out in advance so there was no discussion and the buyers were prepared. I would call it. Nursery Visiting Protocol . Things like please come freshly bathed and in clean clothes, upon arrival you will be given booties, and will be asked to scrub your hands, this is for the safety of all our dogs including your new puppy. Anyway I am not a breeder but those are my thoughts

I have guidelines that must be followed before anyone comes to see puppies. First visits are only after they have had their first set of shots preferrably the second set as well. Shoes come off hands get washed and hand sanitizer is used. I have them come throught the side door so that they can do all this before seeing the pups. Also before any visit I have usually talked to the person on the phone, received the questionaire back . I would have already talked to their vet if they have one. if not I require references 2 personal and 1 business.

That sounds great!

Nancy, what you described is exactly what I do, screen and check backgrounds and references beforeI go any further.I f I am not comfortable having someone in my home who wants a pup from me, I will not be selling them a pup int he first place.
My living room is right inside my front door, I seat them there, then go get a puppy that is available. If there are a couple of puppies available I have a pen set up. As we chat and if I am happy enough then I go get the mother and sire if I own him. If I dont own the sire I show them a picture.
A prospective buyer coming into a home would hope to experience a clean home, no smells of dogs and pet urine, clean puppies and parents.