A growing trend among commercial puppy breeders is to cut out the middleman—the pet shop—and use online retailing to get their dogs directly into your homes. People are becoming more wary about buying puppies from pet stores. With all the articles and news stories about puppy mills a person is more likely to try to research a breeder carefully. Many turn to the internet to locate breeders and become overwhelmed by hundreds of listings. Don’t be fooled: the Internet is a vast, unregulated marketplace allowing anyone to put up a website claiming anything. Scattered among the websites of reputable breeders and rescue groups, Internet puppy scammers attract potential buyers with endearing... Read more»
21 Apr
Designer dogs (hybrids)
What the heck is a designer dog? A designer dog is a cross between two purebred dogs. Cockapoos, schnoodles, and maltipoos are common well know crosses as well as other small breeds mixed with poodle. They may have occurred by accident at first, and then more and more were bred with the intention of getting a combination of the best of both breeds. The most common reason for these hybrids is that poodles do not shed making them a good choice for people with allergies. These days everyone is familiar with Labradoodles and Goldendoodles. The goal is to combine the great temperament of the Golden Retriever or Labrador retriever with the intelligence and hypoallergenic coat of the... Read more»
Puppies in the petstore, soulful eyes, wagging tails, irresistible, right? Don’t do it unless you understand fully what you are getting into! This article is based entirely on my experience and observations over the past 30 years working with pets, vets, behavior specialists and owning a grooming shop for over 13 years. A reliable breeder does NOT sell to pet stores. Show quality pups go for top dollar, pet quality are sold for less with a full disclosure. Any health or genetic issues are attended to and a buyer is aware. Pet stores need to turn over puppies quickly. As they grow they lose their appeal. Puppies that are sold need to be replaced almost immediately to meet the... Read more»
