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Disheartened from the process..

4K views 27 replies 14 participants last post by  Teresa 
#1 ·
So, some of you may have seen my posts about my pregnant female, and seen some of the photos.. but wow. This whole process has been an eye opener.

Aside from all the work.. the cleaning.. oh the cleaning lol. It might not have been so bad if we could have kept them outside part of the time but there has been confirmed parvo in the area. So the whole process (5.5 weeks) so far has been indoors, or on the sanitized front porch.

Which at the end of the day isn’t the worst thing. Yeah, lots of laundry and layers of puppy pads/packing paper etc etc.

The worst part of all this is trying to find the right homes, and seeing all the puppies that are out there.

The constant.. “I want a female.. how much.. full rights” or just straight say they want breed rights. I mean wow. At that point I generally just say I want $5000. Haven’t had one say anything positive after that, lol.

Did I mention my wife’s due date is tomorrow as well.. cause that magic is happening currently as well lol. Thinking back, I should have stuck to my guns and waited for another male, but happy wife happy life?
 
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#2 ·
Many people accused me of trying to talk them out of a dog, and a few called me out over my adoption contracts. But at the end of the day, for hundreds of rescues placed I can count those returned and I have not ever had to resort to taking one back.
To save yourself time, pre screen on the phone maybe? Always have the end call option that way. Lol. Make it clear that these dogs will NOT be released with breeding rights and I would offer people that if you have gotten spay/neuter confirmation by whatever date you will refund a specified amount of the purchase price.
 
#3 ·
That was the initial plan for sure. Nice pretty contract all done up by a lawyer friend.

Had a few conversations with a lady who very rarely breeds and actually works her dogs. So.. very opinionated.. lol, but all advice is welcome at the end of the day. She said basically it’s just words on a piece of paper. All you can do is trust you vetted each buyer as much as possible. Because at the end of the day a person will breed regardless of registration because that’s the type of person some people are.

I know some people think it’s dumb to be so worried about some puppies, but it’s actually kinda terrifying that one could end up chained and dropping litters at 8 months or end up as a bait dog. Or even just in a home where they’re in a kennel outside for the next decade.
 
#5 ·
I don't envy good breeders. What I mean is, I think I would love all of them and feel responsible for the type of life they end up with. But if you are asking questions and talking to potential buyers instead of simply taking deposits as soon as someone shows interest I think you're doing it right. When we got my last pup (craigslist...) the previous owner said we were the only ones he considered letting meet our girl. He said everyone asked if she came with papers, if she was purebred, etc. They all wanted to breed her and that wasn't the life he had envisioned for her so it was a no go for him. Good luck finding them homes, they are gorgeous.
 
#7 ·
I don't want to add to your stress, but I want to give you a real life story about why screening homes is SO important.

This is a long thread, but if you read through to the end, you'll see a very happy ending for a well-bred dog, sold as a puppy, who landed in a high-kill shelter as a senior. She was very close to being put to sleep there, but eventually made it 850 miles back to her breeder, as an 11 year old. It had a happy ending, but it was very close to being very tragic:
http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...-rescues-can-retired-ppd-placed-pet-home.html
 
#8 ·
That.. was a roller coaster. Glad to see that worked out in the end at least.

Will registering the dogs and doing a transfer of ownership help this from not happening? I haven’t had two seconds to actual do research on it after speaking with someone the other day.
 
#11 ·
Another good way to screen is check two references- a veterinarian and someone other than friends/family is best. Verify that they are who they say they are, and that they've taken care of their pets in the past. Also, ask specifics like where will the pup be during the day, what will you do if you move. My favorite "why do you want a German Shepherd?" You'd be surprised at the responses... and it can really help you screen.
 
#12 · (Edited)
I agree with vet refs -- nothing tells me quite as much about rescue adopters as going through the entire file with vet staff -- but knowing the right questions is critical. We don't have newbie volunteers do vet reference checks for a reason. It's not just for routine care (heartworm prevention, annual check ups, appropriate vaccines or titers), but also looking at the full history of accidents due to inattentiveness (ever have one hit by a car?), history of illness care (ever decline treatment or diagnostics due to cost?), history of senior care (did the past dogs get senior wellness panels, appropriate arthritis management, humane palliative care at the end, etc.?)

My experience is personal checks rarely reveal anything useful unless it's a parent saying their adult child is already over-extended and doesn't need another pet. That's really rare. It's usually some friend who says glowing things about them. Landlords can be VERY useful sometimes, esp. if they've known a tenant a long time.

Be very, very skeptical of young families with young kids. In rescue, they are the most likely to return ANY dog, but especially puppies -- the mouthing often scares small kids, and protective parents decide it's "aggression" and return the pup.

I also firmly believe in home checks. Some rescues think they're unnecessary, and I know they're not typical of breeders, who may have to sell out of state. BUT, if you can do them locally, here's what I like to do -- and it works: we're there long enough to get people to relax and open up as we walk the fence line, look for poisonous landscaping, point out toxic chemicals left out at dog-level, point out attractive things for puppies to chew (cords, fancy pillows, etc.), help think through crate placement and training, etc. We help plan the puppy-proofing of the home during the home check. Then a few days later, we deliver the dog to their home and spend at least an hour getting everyone settled, helping them practice redirecting during mouthing, explaining why it needs to be on leash in the home for the first few days, etc. Even if they've had pups before, it's a refresher.

By the end of all that, they're usually friends who will be comfortable texting if any worries come up! That's what you want -- help them out with small problems before they can become big ones that trigger a return.

As for chipping, some chip companies make it harder to transfer chips than others. Some just want to pocket the $20 transfer fee. My experience is that AVID will contact the former owner upon getting a transfer request, so if you chip them to you, they will contact you before transferring. You can probably put the pup's people as alternate contacts. Petlink (my favorite) has a chip with a guardianship feature for rescues that you might ask for by contacting them directly -- it cannot be removed. I don't know if they offer it to breeders, but it's worth asking. They might sell you a packet of 25 chips for your vet to insert (yeah, it's a lot of chips...). If the pet lands in a shelter, the holder of the guardianship is contacted along with the registered owner -- so our rescue gets notified along with the owner. I also can see on our screen when owners update info -- and we'd get notified if they tried to transfer.

Most people are too lazy to ever register microchips (something like 2/3 of them go unregistered nationwide). So if tell your buyers YOU will handle the microchip registration, they'll probably just go with it. However, if the dogs are chipped to you, be ready to get calls from Animal Control out of state if the dog gets out of its yard -- that's why I would put the buyers down as alternate contacts at least. :/

You might also download a few GS rescue applications from rescue websites, to see the kind of questions we ask about lifestyle, training history, etc. The apps are mostly designed to get people to do some self-reflection about what's realistic for themselves. It will give you some ideas of the kinds of questions you might want to ask when people call you.

I know from rescue that whenever we get puppies out of shelters, it brings out the WORST adopters. I have to become like a protective mama bear over them to get them good homes -- I think we had 30 apps for the last 2 pups we had, and the vast majority of them were not the kind of experienced, diligent inside homes I wanted for them. It took a lot of patience to find them great homes willing to put in the time, invest in training, and commit to them for life. I can only imagine how bad it is when people think that they're just items for sale, so showing up with money equals getting a pup!
 
#15 ·
I agree with vet refs -- nothing tells me quite as much about rescue adopters as going through the entire file with vet staff -- but knowing the right questions is critical. We don't have newbie volunteers do vet reference checks for a reason. It's not just for routine care (heartworm prevention, annual check ups, appropriate vaccines or titers), but also looking at the full history of accidents due to inattentiveness (ever have one hit by a car?), history of illness care (ever decline treatment or diagnostics due to cost?), history of senior care (did the past dogs get senior wellness panels, appropriate arthritis management, humane palliative care at the end, etc.?)

My experience is personal checks rarely reveal anything useful unless it's a parent saying their adult child is already over-extended and doesn't need another pet. That's really rare. It's usually some friend who says glowing things about them. Landlords can be VERY useful sometimes, esp. if they've known a tenant a long time.

Be very, very skeptical of young families with young kids. In rescue, they are the most likely to return ANY dog, but especially puppies -- the mouthing often scares small kids, and protective parents decide it's "aggression" and return the pup.

I also firmly believe in home checks. Some rescues think they're unnecessary, and I know they're not typical of !
So as of right now I’ve sold two puppies to people that I’ve met through this process, and without exaggerating I’ve basically told 80+ to pee off.

I’ve also discovered that there’s a fairly large market of buyers in some middle eastern and Asian countries. I’m not sure what that’s about.

Hopefully, I’ve asked enough and the right sort of questions, but I’ll definitely take a look at all that and adjust as needed. Thank you very much.
 
#13 ·
I am a huge fan of a comfortable home visit. A foster dog that looked great on paper and came to do a meet and greet was fine for the first half hour, but quickly became iffy about my son who walks funny and hoots (cerebral palsy) Home visits, especially when kids are involved. You want to see how they are with dogs, not be told.

I did not get approved by any except 1 rescue (because they knew me) and they didn't have any dogs suitable. Then someone alerted me to the well bred one I purchased.

I was turned down because there were 2 disabled kids in my house, and also because, they said, I put down a dog for behavioral reasons. Even though it was sternly multiple trainer and veterinarian recommended. I do NOT blame them one bit, the dog they are adopting out is their responsibility, I was looking for good robust dogs, and those usually have a bunch of applications in and I so do not blame them for choosing the best looking app.

I think it is admirable you are going to be agonizing over where your pups go. It is the right thing to do. Good luck! And oh my gosh are they adorable!
 
#14 ·
Have you contacted the breeder(s) of your male and female to see if they can help with placing pups? I would think a reputable breeder would want to make sure puppies from their lines found good homes.
 
#19 ·
As soon as my wife starts maternity leave (she was due yesterday but no baby yet) we are going to get our adult male and female fixed.

We’ve already agreed we’ll keep the dogs before they don’t get an awesome home or before we put them in the system.
 
#18 ·
I’ve also discovered that there’s a fairly large market of buyers in some middle eastern and Asian countries. I’m not sure what that’s about.
Interest from foreign countries may just be a money scam, not legit interest in a puppy.
That’s what I figured with their messages. I have no interest in shipping so I never even really replied. >.<
 
#20 ·
I really don't mean any offence by this, but if it was me, I'd be looking for a legit breed rescue to give the puppies to and let them find them homes using their connections and experience. Say good bye at 7wks and be done with it knowing its being handled by people who screen owners all the time and will be able to find homes easily for puppies.
 
#21 ·
I full heartedly agree with this. Yes they will spay and neuter then early - oh well... it’s not ideal to most, growth plate this and hormone that, but it’s not a death sentence either and it’s the best way to handle and prevent these types of breedings in the future. The arrangement may be more appealing if you offer to foster the pups until the homes are found and/or assist financially with any shots and wormings etc - but honestly, most rescues have a waiting list for puppies they just don’t have the resources and finances to handle full litters of this nature. I would not consider allowing them to help as putting the pups “in the system”.... if this is your first child, your world is about to change.... having multiple puppies in the house is an unnecessary strain - it’ll be easier to make the arrangements now so that you’re not forced into another decision later.
 
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