*Breed in order to improve the breed and
produce the best puppies they possibly can, and usually plan to keep
at least one of them.
*Ask as many questions of you as you do of them.
*Show evidence of at least two or three years of serious interest in
their breed, i.e. dog club memberships (the AKC doesn't count!),
show and match ribbons, and Championship and/or performance
(obedience, agility, tracking, field, etc.) titles.
*Breed only dogs that closely match the breed standard and are free
of serious health and temperament problems.
*Tell you if they think you would be better off with another breed
of dog, or no dog at all.
*Use a written contract and guarantee, or at least an oral
agreement, when selling a dog, with clear terms that you can live
with.
*Provide a registration slip, a pedigree, and up-to-date
shots/health records with every puppy they sell.
*Honestly discuss any special problems/requirements associated with
the breed.
*Offer assistance and advice on grooming, training, etc., for the
life of the dog.
*If, for any reason and at any time, you cannot keep the dog, will
take it back.
*Normally breed only a few litters every year!
*Have dogs that are clean, healthy, happy, and humanely cared for
Responsible Breeders DO NOT:
*Appear overly eager to sell/"get rid of" a
puppy
*Breed simply to produce puppies to sell
*Breed a bitch on every season, or more than once a year
*Have breeding stock that consists of a "mated pair"
*Claim that all of their puppies are "show/breeding quality"
*Claim that their breed has no problems (some have fewer than
others, but every breed has at least a couple)
*Sell puppies to pet stores or to anyone that they have not
met/screened personally
*Sell puppies that are less than eight to ten weeks old
*Sell puppies without papers (registration slip and 3-5 generation
pedigree), or charge extra for papers
*Have more than one or two litters at any given time, or litters of
multiple breeds
*Guarantee their dogs, or if they do, attach such unreasonable
conditions to the guarantee, i.e., "dog must not be spayed or
neutered, must never have been bred, and the ears must stand
correctly," that it is unlikely that they would ever have to honor
it
