I think an application is a marketing tool for breeders. Rescues have donors they have to answer to so I view it differently. If buyers think a breeder is "reputable" because of an application then we are likely to see everyone popping applications on their websites as a way to promote themselves. I just think it won't appeal to everyone and it may not be because they aren't good owners. They just may feel it's none of anyone's business to answer some of the questions I've seen. You want to call my vet, I'll list all 20++ of them that love me. Ask me my income and it's none of your business.

We don't ask for income. I just believe that people who are selling or adopting dogs out should be more aware of who they are handing living beings over to. Do they have a history of having cared for dogs? Do they know what good vetting is? If I were a breeder, I would honestly not care what someone thought about my questions. My dogs to place and I certainly would not give them to just anyone with money in hand. Just selling to a person because they say they will do the right thing is not the answer. I would rather lose one good owner than sell to three bad ones. The pups are the ones who pay the ultimate price of poor placements

We don't ask people questions just because we have donors we answer to........we ask because we don't want a pup we saved to be dumped yet another time in his/her short life.

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Exactly how I look at this....well said....and the history I have with every one of my owners, proves me correct in my approach. It has not failed me yet....but more importantly, it hasnt failed my babies!

Absolutely! PM me your email so I can send it to you...you can tweek it to suit your needs, or what YOU feel is important....it isnt at all intrusive and nosey, but it gives you guidance about what you are working with. I go over the application with them, discussing what they have oprovided, and asking some other questions that are important to me that I feel are better asked after the initial application.....

Thank you both, LadyJane and Yorkiemom1, for your input. This is New England and I expect people to be resistant to a more formal approach to obtaining one of my pups.
To me this is a mistake avoidance tool, not a marketing gimmick. If I needed a marketing boost I'd drop my prices and hand puppies over no questions asked.
I'm not seeking financial information from the applicants. I want to know what they have to offer as far of type of home, owned or rented, whether fenced in, how many other people and pets live there, children's ages, how long a puppy would be home alone on a typical day. I want to speak with a couple of their friends and their veterinarian about how good they are with animals. I don't need to know their income.
I'm in agreement that the welfare of the pups has to come first or this isn't worth doing.:)

pm me and give me your email so I can send this template to you for guidance....it has served me and my pups well......and of course, I am chatting and emailing prospective buyers continously, we get to know each other and jointly, respectfully, share information and answer each others questions, out of mutual concern for the baby.

I don't think asking for a vet reference, dog groomer reference is over the line or an intrusion. I'm placing "MY" pup/dog with an unknown person so that person better be able to speak with me hours on end about themselves, dogs and yorkies in general and ask me just as many questions and even ask for my references. Just my two cents :)

Donna

I advertise "Sold to Approved Homes Only", so that "shakes the wheat from the shaft" in most cases.....people that dont want to share information that allows me to determine if I consider a home approved safe and caring for my puppy, go no further with me. Never been a major issue for my business. Quite the contrary, many people enthusiastically fill out the application, adding footnotes and other information they think I am interested in, and they have even told me they appreciate the fact that their breeder is concerned enough about who they sell their puppies to, that they go thru an application process with new buyers, selling to approved homes only!

I get it. And those are the questions I don't feel I need to answer to a breeder when I have a couple of thousand dollars in hand. Breeders are selling dogs, not placing or rescuing them. Any money they spend on dogs is for profit whereas rescue is nonprofit with a different philosophical origin. This is how I see it, I don't expect everyone to agree. I simply am offering magic genie a possible reason why her sales may be drying up. I represent the average New England buyer. She's in the business of selling dogs and I'm sure does not want to keep losing money when they puppies don't sell. There are not a lot of Yorkie breeders in New England but in today's day and age with very good breeders elsewhere shipping puppies to buyers, I can buy a dog for half the price without all the questions. The value of the local breeder isn't there for some people and becomes less so when it's too much of a process. That does not equate with being a bad owner.

Would be good to run it by an objective potential buyer too.

I'd spoken to several breeders before settling on the one I purchased my yorkies from. Some questions I as a potential buyer, I just don't feel I should have to answer. Vet, character, and groomer(I groom myself) references I understand. Housing setup I understand as well (fenced in yard, etc). I had one breeder ask me if I planned on having anymore children. While I understood her reasoning (some people do abandon animals when a new baby comes along) it was not a question I felt she had a right ask and not one I was comfortable answering. My reproducing is no one's business but mine, my husband's, and my ob/gyn. Right then and there I knew I was not the right buyer for her and she wasn't the breeder for me. Not a bad thing.

??? All my potential buyers ARE sent an application......

Not you, I meant magic genie if she wanted input on how it reads etc.

No, I dont think so, because you have people that have no clue about how breeding and showing dogs works and they would tear any efforts apart, regardless of how sincere the attempts are......she has her business and she does not need approval for what she does in relationship to her business, to assure in her mind that her babies are going to good homes. She just needs to do what she can live with in her own heart....some of us are alot more restrictive than others, some of us consider things that may not be important to others, but we all try to do what we can to be sure our pups do not end up in rescues and pounds or on the streets. If she sends out applications and someone does not like it, they will move on. Wonderful for everyone! If her "sales are drying up", this stuff is cyclic and you have periods where you can hardly give pups away.....sometimes it is males that wont move....then you get into a timeframe where you could sell anything....you cant keep babies around! This year, I have never had so many people wanting little boys!! I always have little males available....this year, it is like everyone suddenly realized what fabulous adoring companions little boys are!!!
Magicgenie may be in one of those inevitable slumps....we all have them.....she will ride it out, tweek her operations like we all do periodically, and she will do fine! I dont think she needs to justify what she does with her business practices to meet the goals she has set up for her program.

I would be happy to answer most anything, and I don't think I'd be comfortable getting a puppy or dog from someone who doesn't screen buyers thoroughly. I may be incorrect, but sometimes the answers to the questions are not as important as the feeling of love that must come through. I know some people lie, but when someone truly values dogs, I think that comes through more through someone's feelings. I have been told by people who know me well that they can easily tell by looking at me when I am talking about Katie or my Rainbow Bridge babies. They have told me my face lights up whenever I talk about them. I have used the same vet for twenty years (except for the two years after I lost my last Yorkie and until I welcomed Katie into our lives), so I would gladly provide references. Before Katie, I filled out one application for a Biewer from a reputable breeder that we decided against because we weren't ready yet. We told the breeder that up front. We were asked if we wanted two of her females who she was retiring from breeding, so we were approved by this breeder. I think people may lie about a lot of things, but I don't think you can lie about love, but perhaps that's my own naïveté. When reading posts here on YT, I read the words, but what moves me much more is the feeling of love that is almost palpable.

I feel it is imperative to screen buyers throughly, and I have deep respect for breeders who care enough about the lives that they create to make sure they are forever loved, protected, and cared for. When I talk to a breeder, I want to hear the love they feel for their babies. There is no doubt in my mind that Katie's breeder loved her dearly. I see it in Katie's confidence and wonderful temperament and in her breeder's words as she talked about Katie, but more importantly, I felt the love she feels for Katie. I am very grateful that she entrusted me with our little girl.