Shady? What do you think? Puppy Mill?
 

I contacted a breeder in Missouri (red lights flashing... ding ding ding!!!) about a Maltese male whose pictures I fell in love with. I am not sure if I was even serious about this puppy or not, but I did it anyway. Here's the sequence of e-mails:

Hi XXXXX,

I am interested in your Maltese. Do you have his parents on the
premises? How much does he cost?
How far are you located from Chicago? That is where I live.

Thanks!

Kristy

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Yes I have his parents. HE is $800. But he would have to be shipped as I am Mo. Mom is 4 pounds and Dad is 5 1/2. HE takes alot after his mom. Goid Bless XXXXX

_____________________

Would I be allowed to drive to pick him up and see his parents?
Kristy

____________________

I have a picture of Sugarbear that I will attach with this email. He isn't groomed but cut pretty short. I really don't allow people to handle my dogs because of disease. It would only take one time and I could have a big problem. I know you wouldn't do it purposely but you can come in contact and carry the means of speading disease and not know it. I am an hour east of Kansas City. I could meet you part way if you decide you want him. God Bless XXXXX

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Ok, what do you think? Is it common to not let the potential buyer see the pup beforehand because of disease? where is the picture of the other parent?This is strange to me.

I want to write back something intelligent and witty. Any suggestions?

If you click on the pictures, you can see them (the pictures of the mama dog)

I forgot to mention how IRATE and ANNOYED I am with this behavior.

you know i usto own 2 little maltese females. and i must say thier great dogs. had to give them up :cry: but they went to a fabulous home! anyway looking at this dog i would rather get a puppy that i can see before hand. why in the world would he be trying to sell a dog without showing you what he or she looks like first if you he has nothing to hide why not right. really fishy to me. i would look elsewhere if i were you follow your instinct it never lies! good luck with your search and i hope that this helps a little.

Yeah, that sounds shady to me. I can understand not wanting just ANYONE to come around all the puppies, but a potential buyer? I've read that a good breeder will show you the home, parents, etc with no problems at all.

Aimee - I was sure that you woudl think of something good to write back to her! Ideas?

Honestly, hmmm. I would probably write back and let them know that I had done my research and was "on" to them so to speak. "I have read in my research that I shouldn't purchase a puppy without being able to see the living conditions and parents prior to exchanging money" Or something along those line - would be interesting to see how much they back peddle ;)

Sounds like "someone" doesn't want you to see how/where the pups are raised? I would think anyone would be more than happy for you to travel that distance to see the baby! I would listen to those "warnings" (red lights flashing... ding ding ding!!!) ... and RUN, FOREST, RUN!!! ;)

Sounds very shady to me.. and also, the dogs you posted look like they have cottony coats and as an owner of a cottony coated Maltese, they are a lot of work in the grooming arena. Not showing the parents is a huge red flag, she probably has tons of breeders and just shows everyone the same two dogs as the parents. Would the pup be registered?

The dog was AKC registered & 11 weeks old, just under 2lbs. Here's what I wrote her and her response:

XXXXX,

I have purchased a Yorkie and a Lab in the past and I have never heard of not being able to see the parents because of the chance of disease. I can understand not allowing strangers come handle your dogs, but a buyer? Thanks for your time, but I would never buy a puppy without being able to see the conditions in which it was raised and it's parents' temperment in person. I am friends with Yorkie breeders/lovers and after consulting with them, they said I should be weary of paying for a puppy whose parents I cannot see and that this seems somewhat shady.

thanks,

Kristy

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That is fine that you are concerned with where you purchase your puppy. Just as I am concerned with my girls. Even if you are a buyer you are still a stanger. I give references if you like. If you will notice there is no pricing on my page. I want to talk with people before I would let them have one of one puppies. If you know some breeders then they should be able to help you find the right breeder for you. Also we have had ladies who raised puppies killed. They gained access to the person on the pretense of getting a puppy. I wish you luck on finding the right puppy. God Bless
XXXXX
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I don't really understand her response about getting killed? Anyway, I am going to keep looking and hopefully won't make any impulsive decsions about contacting breeders in the future. I'm surprised I wasn't angrier in the e-mail I sent her.

what?!?!? :confused:
that's juss friggin confusing, what does that mean?!? i'm dyin to know?!? :confused:

what she is talking about is similar to what happened in california..... a woman was approached by potential buyers, and then she was held at gunpoint and all her puppies were stolen :( .... she didnt get killed though, but i suppose some people are more fearful than others :confused:

I've never heard of that and honestly, I think that though it that occurence is sad, it's a bad excuse to use.

I think she may be referring to that pregnant woman who raised Jack Russels (I think it was) and someone came over and killed her - it was all over the news, very sad story, but probably not something that happens all the time - geez. Defensive much?

There was a breeder killed in Kansas.. here's the CNN story. I guess I can see where she is coming from, but really, how often is that a concern? :confused: I think she's just using that as an excuse to not show you her place.

yes i agree........ aimee are you sure that was for her puppies???? i thought she had killed her and stolen the baby out of her womb and tried to pass it off as hers :confused: maybe im talking about a different one . hell i dont know :confused:

Something is definitely weird about this breeder. I breed Yorkies and I always welcome people to my home. In fact, I wouldn't sell one any other way. I want to meet the people and assess them before I let one of my puppies go to some stranger I don't know. As far as disease, I have a sink and antibacterial soap available and I always ask prospective buyers to wash their hands before they handle the puppies.
By the way, in the picture of the mom, did it look like she only has three legs?

at 1st i thought that too, but i think it's just the angle of the picture? :confused:

That is the story I remember......but the "killer" was really looking for a baby. I believe they became aquainted with one another over the internet...... some 'dog-type' chat/forum.
Wow!!!! How scary is that.

As for the breeder / visiting question...those responses just feel "yucky" to me.....I cannot find a good reason to continue dealing with them..... I hope you can find an adorable puppy that is somewhere you can visit and get to know the breeder...remember, this is a person you will likely need to call one day for some info or advice.......
TRUST YOUR GUT!!!!!!! You know what is the right thing to do!

I believe debi_s & orinskye are right .... the lady that was killed just happened to be a dog breeder who met her killer on a board. The killer really wanted her baby! It was sooo sad and gruesome! This lady sounds like she is looking for excuses!

Kristy,
The Sugarbear name, Missouri, and God Bless all rang a bell w/ me. I bet the kennel name is Kingdom Pups. I live about 30 minutes from this breeder. My Lily came from her. I also asked about going to her house to see the pups but I also heard the disease thing. I contacted her when the pups were about 4 weeks so had to wait awhile. While waiting, she gave me regular updates, let me know about vet visits, etc. I too was concerned but purchased from her and am EXTREMELY pleased, except for potty training.
If there is anything you would like to know about her, please contact me.

What she was referring to was recently a woman made friends with a breeder under the prtense of buying a pup. The breeder was preg. The "buyer" cut her baby out of her stomach. This was on national news. Pretty unreal I know. The breeder was from Skidmore, Mo. and the buyer was from Kansas I believe. The baby is alive and with her father but of course the mother died. Outrageous isn't it!!!

Yup, that's the one I meant. I thought maybe she was trying to just push it out there as an excuse. Either a very shady on or she's very paranoid? :confused:

YEA . . . i heard that story on local news (*here in NYC*) but the news here didn't tell too many details, that's why i didn't know what the breeder meant when she referred to "ladies who raised puppies killed".

i've never heard about breeders being killed and their puppies stolen, is this a common occurance? :confused: :(

that's horrible :mad:

I think paranoid hits it on the head. When I met her to pick up my angel she was fine though. She spent a good long while going over eeeeevery thing. She had a care package for Lily and was very prepared. I was worried that I made a mistake going with her because of the way she acted but Lily is just absolutely perfect. When went straight to the vet after I got her. My vet obviously didn't know her but did give her accolades for how clean and socialized and well taken care of that Lily was. I hope you don't think I have any vested interest in this breeder because I don't. I am just trying to rest your mind about any pup that you would get form her. I think she is a real small outfit and her breeding stock are also her babies. She was late middle age and not real hip.

Ahhh, well there you go. I'm so glad to hear that Lily is doing so well. Paranoid does sound about right in this case. It's just interesting, I really haven't heard this before. I've heard that people only want to ship, don't want you to see their home - but never for this reason. She may want to think about changing her policy. While it's great that her pups are so clean, etc, it is offputting to potential buyers who have been told to expect to be able to see these things from a good breeder. Ya know?

weird
 

She could be weary b/c she dosnt know who you are and may not want strangers knowing where she lives???????? Weird........ Sometimes its so hard to understand ones train of thought. :confused:

Hey lily24 I assume your yorkies name is lily. That seems to be a pretty popular name, huh? I even noticed another user named lily's mom. I wanted name some kind of flower name and liked lily best. my sister said she wasn't big enough to be a whole lily and should name her 'petal' instead. I'm thinking that may be I should have. O well, great minds think alike, right? lol

Hey Lily's mom yes my dogs name was Lily. Dont have her any more but she is at a very very very good home. I had her for 2 yrs then had to give her away b/c I moved :cry: is how I felt. Now that I am established I am looking for a male yorkie. I want to name him Emery that is if he looks like one :) Only prob is Im not having very good luck finding him.

It definitely turned me off. I understand that there have been good puppies that have come from her, but I still think it's a little weird that she wouldn't let me come and I still think she may be up to no good.

Maybe she's discriminating because I'm from Chicago? Am I going to come murder her? Nope.

She probably doesn't have the stud or something and is pretending she does. That's what I think the best case scenario could be.

oh pleeze i think it's an exscuse on thier part there is absolutely no reason what so ever not to show someone a puppy before buying it! it's like going shopping blind folded! and who does that no one.