My mother wants another dog, and it’s my job to find her one (apparently). I don’t mind finding her airline tickets, booking a haircut appointment, etc. but I’m not sure how to approach puppies online.
Anyone go through this process recently? Is there a good directory/independent breeder rating/feedback info that I can go through? Calling up each breeder she sends me is cumbersome, and anyway I’m not sure what to ask. If it’s within visiting distance they can go see the breeder but they’re usually in fly-over states/Canada…
They’re looking for border collie puppies. Not concerned with lineage. Working > looks/show. Any help appreciated!
Ah I knew the rescue comment was coming. My mother wants a puppy, not a rescue. They have a rescue at home, and she wants a baby dog. Full stop.
I don’t understand why people are always up in arms about getting puppies. Why are you having children then. Go adopt some russian kids that want homes. Why create one just for you. Jesus it’s a choice and none of your business.
There are puppy rescues too. I’m just saying consider it. Whatever you want to do. Just google border collie rescue puppy and there are many options. And it is someone’s business when you ask a public question…
Ok anyway, don’t these breeders have online reviews? Seems like Google can probably help you narrow the list. I wouldn’t really know, but it just would seem impossible that customer experiences are not documented on the Internet somehow.
Maybe the hacksaw comments are inappropriate, as I am fairly certain that’s what is going to happen to the dog.
The abuse at puppy mills is well documented and atrocious. While that unfairly taints the entire industry, as there are many caring, reputable breeders out there, the reality of the matter is that the vast majority of puppies sold are products of puppy mills. If you’re prepared to put in the time to research reputable breeders, that’s fantastic, but most people aren’t. When they want a puppy, they head to the nearest Puppy Barn and look in the bins and choose one of the 100 puppies available, most of which were taken from their mother too soon. A reputable breeder will only have a few litters available per year (they will usually only have 1 or 2 females) and the pups are usually spoken for long before they’re born. I would contact some vets near your mom and ask them if they know of any good breeders in the area, but don’t be shocked if you have to travel a couple hundred miles. You can also ask some border collie owners where they got theirs.
You can find puppies at a rescue (unplanned litters are often placed there), though the ones that are a few hours old are indeed hard to come by.
I think the analogy with children is pretty weak. With children you are passing on your own genetic material, whicih we are very likely evolutionarily wired to want to do far more than raise other people’s children. With dogs, there’s pretty much no way to do the equivalent. The closest you could come is to say “I like my dog Rover, and I want Rover’s genetic material in my next dog,” but it sounds like your mom doesn’t have a dog already, or not a fertile one.
People want what they want, and perhaps it’s the idea that someone didn’t want a rescue dog that makes her afraid to want it. However, it seems to me that this is a moment in life where it is nearly costless to do something nice for an animal faced with the possibility of imminent destruction and one’s deliberately choosing not to.
I realize that this is unlikely to change your mom’s mind or course of action, so the two options are to go to a puppy mill which very likely treats dogs unethically, or to look on craigslist for people who announced that they have puppies that they are giving away (which might be puppy mills anyway, but you might find someone who actually didn’t neuter their dogs and is now living the consequence).
EDIT: I notice you’re looking for a specific bred dog and perhaps one for contests and shows and such. I agree that it’s hard to get something like that from a shelter. Though I never quite understood why people got obsessed over that stuff, I do agree that rescue and shelter doesn’t generally satisfy that obsession.
Put your pitchforks away people. Why do I like puppies? Because I don’t buy used shit. My dogs need to be pure bred with AKC paperwork.
The real question here is can OP’s mom handle a border collie. As a past owner, I can tell you they’re about the hardest dogs in the world to live with unless you have plenty for them to do. If you don’t constantly work them, they’ll find a job for themselves and there’s a 99% chance it will be something bad. That’s why there are so many border collies that need rescuing. People don’t understand how hard it is to raise such a smart dog.
Now, that being said, why don’t you try Google? You’ll probably find better resources at the ASPCA’s website or the AKC’s than you will here, of all places.
Edit: I love dogs too much for someone to take my comment seriously. Rescuing dogs is a great and noble thing, but no one should feel guilty about wanting a new dog. And, it’s pretty easy to avoid puppy mills. Talk to a local vet and see if they have breeders they recommend. That’s a good place to start.
I make up my lack of love for children with my devotions to dogs. I grew up with border collies so I know how hard they can be. But they are also very, very intelligent. I do understand that there are tons of dogs needing homes. Our current rescue has a few health issues… I think it’s just easier for my parents if they find a puppy whose parents/lineage/genetic issues are known. There is nothing wrong with that.
Re: children vs puppies analogy… it’s unorthodox I get that. I did have a professor some time ago who declared that if you want children you should adopt because of overpopulation, etc. As much as I dislike children (actually discovered recently it’s the parents that are awful) I think that’s a bit extreme, and as I mentioned, it’s no one’s business what you want to do with your family. Call me dog crazy, but dogs are family too, not just a pet. Some people view pets as an accessory, put it down if it gets cancer, etc. I think dogs are really family. And BCs are smart enough that they truly do feel like family. I used to get into ‘sibling fights’ with my dog when I was growing up lol.
I guess I hoped someone would have good experience with this, and could tell me if there is some sort of an independent directory of breeders (rather than googling each breeder and asking them). Also what questions to ask breeders if I do get in contact. Don’t like AKC, but will try ASPCA…
From what I’ve read and from my personal experience, it’s not so much what you ask the breeder but being able to spend some time with the mom and dad dog. If either show signs of aggressiveness, overly shy/timid, hyperactive, whatever…that’s probably what you’ll get in your puppy. If the parent dogs seem cool, you’re more than half way there. You’ll obviously want to ask about and genetic disorders, but border collies are generally healthy (compared to something like a Greyhound). Again, there are resources online you can use when talking to a breeder.
I got my puppy from a puppy mill. Had I known about then in advance I wouldn’t have done it but I was a first time dog owner and I didn’t know better. Thank god my dog has turned out okay… so far.
I live in Jersey and the world’s largest puppy mill is pretty close me… Amish folks in Lancaster county, PA
^ How you raise your dog matters as much as its lineage. That’s why I think the AKC purebred nonsense is just a money grab. I’ve had purebreds and mutts and my current mutt is the most level headed dog I’ve had, one I trust completely with my son.
