There’s an old saying that begins “In a perfect world . . . “ This site is a place for responsible breeders to come together. The timing is right and it is necessary that we take steps to make sure that only responsible breeders are endorsed.

Years ago we decided we wanted a German Shepherd. The search for a good one was shockingly difficult. We found Americanized lines; lines that had been bred (over bred) for size and the slant was way too pronounced leading to more hip dysplasia.

A friend of mine did not take my advice and purchased a purebred Welsh Pembroke Corgi from a pet shop. One of the reasons you don’t buy a puppy from a pet shop is because they do absolutely no investigation into the breeder, the facilities or anything. They don’t ask to see the parents, the litter or even the pedigree.

When this “Corgi” named Gracie was brought home; the intent was to breed her it was obvious from the beginning something was wrong with this dog. We thought perhaps some recessive genes might be sticking out when curly black hair started growing. To this day I’ve not seen a Corgi with curly black hair.

Calls and letters went out to the pet shop which finally got in touch with the breeder. The breeder called and before anything at all was said – and I mean anything, an admission was made. My friend didn’t even get to say “This dog does not look like a Corgi.” “We only have Corgis here sir with the exception of one male poodle and he was nowhere near the female Corgi when she was in heat.” Of course! Curly black hair – this dog was a Corgipoo. They got their money back, kept the dog and got it spayed.

Recently a friend of mine decided to get an English Bulldog puppy for Christmas. It would be a welcome addition to their household and they began searching for a breeder. Following is the story of what happened in his words. Following his story, there will be more about this particular breeder. What the reader needs to know and to remember is that this story repeats itself every day. There are too many puppy mills and backyard breeders out there and the good, responsible breeders need to start taking steps to help put these devious people out of business.

{slide=The Christmas Pup that Was not Meant to Happen}

Let’s face it; I am not a Christmas kind of person. I am not a huge touchy-feely kind of a guy unless it concerns my wife or kids.

My wife knows what I’m like and she also knows that I’ve not been the same since losing my Rottie, Sasha, two years ago. I have always been intrigued by the Old English Bulldog but for a very long period there I was involved in training working dogs. I have been around working dogs for so long and I have finally decided I wanted a lazy dog and a travel buddy. I love the look of the English Bull Dog.

Now, I understand there are health issues with this breed (as there are with most breeds). I also understand I am not taking this dog on long hikes, but I know that this breed will hang out with me and my family. He can ride in the car on trips and be the subject of conversation for many years to come.

So I started searching the Eastern Washington area, where we live, for a breeder. I found one that kept showing up on the internet, in the classifieds, you name it. I liked the looks of the pups on their site. They said they would warranty the dog against serious defects not inherent with the breed. I’ll admit that bothered me a little. I’ve bred dogs and one thing as a breeder you should always be doing is choosing your stud and dam with high enough standards that you are trying to gradually rid the breed of serious defects.

Like I said, though, everywhere I looked; there they were so I made the call. My wife said she wanted to get me a pup; it was the one thing she thought might make my Christmas and beyond. No dog will ever replace my Sasha but that doesn’t mean I can’t love another dog too.

Now these “so ugly they are cute” dogs are not cheap and from the looks and sounds of things from the breeder they aren’t exactly moving kind of like everything else in this economy. We have three kids, we both work, so I was figuring since they aren’t selling that well I might even get a bargain.

Let’s face it I have worked in the dog world and I know that if you are willing to look, for 1000 dollars you can get a dog that will protect your family. , save lives, do great in the show ring or be a dud. I am looking for a dog to lie around and get loved. I offered the breeder a grand and was totally honest, telling her I just wanted a pup, didn’t plan to start a business; in fact, didn’t even plan to breed the dog. I’d have to do more research to even know if the dog is worth what the breeder is asking because it is not registered through the AKC; it is registered thru the CKC.

Over the next few days, I spoke with the breeder a few times. My schedule with the Fire Department sometimes conflicts with normal lifestyles so I had made plans to go see the pups. The day came when we were to take the family drive to look at the puppies – the kids were all excited - and I got a call from the breeder. She tells me make sure I call when I am about 15 miles from town and she would meet me with MY pup.

RED flags went up; I never met anyone who wanted a pup unless it was to give them a ride into the kennel. I was wary of any buyer who didn’t want to see the parents and the kennel; the way the litter was not to mention the personality of the pups. I had never told her if I wanted a male or a female. Actually, I didn’t know what I wanted because I was looking for personality.

After thinking about it, I called her back and said I wouldn’t be coming that night because my family wasn’t able to make the trip with me.

An hour later she calls me back and says I have to come to The Airport (which is actually 15 minutes from my house) and she could bring my pup. Again, she is persistent that she has my pup with her.

I told her 1) I didn’t go to the bank to get the cash and 2) I wanted to see all the pups and pick mine. I should mention here that I wasn’t set on spending 1000….I had more if the right pup crossed my path. So she proceeded to tell me a check is alright and I said no I want to see the pups where they were raised look at the parents.

She proceeded to tell me that there are $100 in taxes on a $1,000 pup which was odd because Washington Tax is 8.7 percent I believe. Actually, I have no problem paying the tax either if she was a licensed breeder and reported income. With the way she was acting, I was finding it hard to believe she really had a tax id number.

With the breeder pressuring me, not wanting me to see the rest of the litter and ticking me off in general, I wasn’t in a great mood. My wife (with 17 years of Military Finance experience) started searching the internet about the kennel and to see if, in fact, it was a licensed business in the state of Washington.

{/slide}

{slide=What we found broke our hearts……mine a little more than hers.}

As I’ve mentioned, red flags had been going up over the few days I had been conversing with the breeder but I couldn’t put my finger on it. That night things started making sense as we looked them up by the Better Business Bureau. These are not nice people. They were charged 10 years ago (2 people in their teens each charged with 21 counts of second-degree animal cruelty.) Investigators claim that they grossly mistreated more than 230 dogs.

During a raid of the in January 1997, sheriff's deputies and dog rescue volunteers found 15 dead canines (12 of which were piled in a mountain of snow). Six other dogs were so sickly, they had to be destroyed, and 19 healthy dogs were destroyed because they were deemed too dangerous to transport safely.

Folks there are nothing wrong with most of the breeds out there except the breeders who go off their rocker. They don’t care at all about the dog; nor do they care about the families who want these puppies. I wanted a pup because I want a dog that I know all of its tendencies all of its interactions. If you get a dog as a puppy, you know pretty much what its social imprinting is. I want a dog that when my 6 year old has a nightmare and goes to climb in my bed the dog snuggles up with him too and doesn’t try to take his face off.

Be safe when you buy a dog it will always leave impressions on you and your loved ones by the time this whole fiasco was done, I had picked a puppy I wanted off the website. I still have no idea which puppy she was bringing me – if it was even a male or a female. It’s probably just as well we didn’t get the puppy, but I really feel bad about those pups that are with a breeder who doesn’t care if they live or die.

{/slide}

So, what is the moral of this story? Be careful. Do your research. Here is a link that concerns the breeder Bryan was talking to.

http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/1372/WA/US/1 One way Bryan was able to make sure it was the same people was to Google their phone number. When you Google a phone number, be sure to put the dashes in or you’ll end up with part numbers, serial numbers and all sorts of things.

This is the line that stands out the most glaringly in the report about these dog abusers. Swen and Jeanette Bergman are now past their probation and it is legal for them to breed dogs again.

Why wouldn’t they let Bryan see the rest of the litter? There are photos of several pups on their web site; however with this breed of dogs C-sections are common. Did only one pup survive? If that is the case, why not tell the truth?

There are currently 285 cases of animal abuse listed as open on the books in the state of Washington. A puppy mill in Lewis County had almost 200 dogs in October of 2009 when sheriff’s deputies arrived. Twenty dogs that were in poor health were seized. Notice this is yet another breeder. She breeds “mostly Pomeranians.” One of the dogs taken from this breeder was a 12-year-old chocolate lab that was so emaciated its ribs were showing. That dog is reported to be doing well now.

Good, responsible breeders usually have one and sometimes 2 breeds they will specialize in and when they do it’s because they work dogs and are trying to bring out the best qualities of those breeds. They don’t breed because they are cute.

Lewis County is now looking at limiting breeders to only having 50 dogs on site. Also, they must meet space and hygiene guidelines which do not exist right now.

In the same month in Washington in Pierce County, 22 Pit Bulls which showed signs of being in fights were seized from a man after deputies responded to a domestic violence call.

In May of 2009, 400 dogs were seized from a puppy mill in Kennewick. These dogs are all American Eskimo and many were newborn litters. You’d think in a recession these people might think about cutting back on their breeding. 400 dogs? How can anyone properly feed, much less care for 400 dogs?

The answer to that question is in the story. The animals were so filthy and in such bad shape almost all of them demanded medical attention. Dogs were literally shoved into shopping carts. The dogs were so filthy, they had to be thoroughly cleansed just to be able to evaluate their health.

In Dearborn, a man was arrested for having 250 Chihuahuas or cross-breeds in his home. It’s bad enough there were that many dogs, but they found many dead and some in the freezer. It was found many of the dogs had been killed by other dogs. In this case, the man with the dogs is mentally ill.
(2010w03)

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