Websites have made shopping for pets as easy as "Buy Me" buttons. You browse adds and see pictures of puppies and as easy as a click of the button have become a pet owner. These wholesale pet sites, similar to Schnauzerlover.com, claim to sell quality pets, yet pay no heed to breed standard and take no care in selecting ideal homes for their dogs. I find many of these sits also contain incorrect breed facts as a guise to sell more puppies..... such as .... "hypoallergenic" claims, claims Schnuazers don't dig and don't wander, etc. Let's get a few things straights... there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog (it's a term coined to sell puppies to people with allergies), Schnauzers will wander like any dog and they dig... Schnuazers are terriers... Of course they dig! Or did some one forget that terriers are considered Earth Dogs?

  Other websites are set up as breeder directories where you can select a breed and then look through breeders own adds or wesbites. In these cases, you are looking at individual breeders representing their own animals for sale. I have seen some "Buy Now" buttons and others you need to speak to the breeder first. You never know what you will find on these sites with regards to general information. Some are flowery and show you "Nursery Pictures". Some show all the breeding parents, some just the puppies.... some give you Customer Testimonials.... Few tell you why they breed and most advertise individual animals for sale.

  Now I am not apposed to people selling animals. Nor am I apposed to the idea that profiting off the sale of your animals is a bad thing.... what I am apposed to is putting profit before the quality of dog you breed and before the consideration of selecting the best possible homes for your puppies.

  Some one recently pointed out to me (having been apposed to back yard breeding and wholesalers in general) that there are several types of breeders..... those that breed en mass and sell wholesale or retail. Most of these facilities are liscensed and inspected. However, liscening and inspections do not guarantee quality and these facilites are a profit based business and run them as such. Then there are what I call "Back Yard Breeders" or small scale breeders who generally sell directly to the public, usually only have a few breeds and again, who breed for profit.  Most of those, keep their dogs as pets, although some are kennel reared. Again, for many it's a profit based home business. Standards of care and quality will varry widely with these breeders. Lastly, you have what I consider the creme of the crop breeders, what I would consider true Hobbyists or Fanciers. These breeders are most concerned with the quality and care of their dogs and breed to a set standard following more stringent guidelines; usually set by their particular breeds national parent club. The pups they produce are carefuly placed into screened homes, on spay or neuter contracts and there is more concern placed on the dogs themselves than money. I would say most of these breeders show their dogs in some capacity, including breeding for therapy animals, but not all do.

  What you need to know as a potential buyer......

1) Websites don't make a person reputable.

2) Customer Testimonials don't make a person reputable.

3) Offer of a guarantee or AKC papers does not make a dog good quality.

4) Shopping by price alone is NEVER a good idea. Just like with car shopping, you get what you pay for. Don't expect to spend a little and get a lot!

5) Before buying a dog or puppy or accepting what a breeder says at face value, do your homework on the breed of dog. Visit the AKC or national breed club site. And do your homework on the breeder.  If they have a lot of dogs, ask if they have a kennel liscense and check to see if they have violations, check with local rescues to see if they have taken in their dogs before, etc.....

6) If you can't see where your puppy came from.... use extreme caution. Puppy Mills have nothing to do with the number of dogs a facility or person has, but the care those dogs receive and the conditions in which they live. And a cute picture of a puppy will not tell you if the person offering that dog is a Puppy Mill or not.

  What you should look for in a reputable web site....

1) Breed facts that mesh with AKC and parent club facts.

2) A commitment to their breed of dog with concern over quality and care versus money.

3) People who carefully screen new homes and sell companions on spay or neuter contracts. And also welcome you into their home to meet the puppies, see where they are reared, etc.

4) People that employ heath testing that is breed appropriate. See OFA and Chic. Random health testing is almost as bad as NO health testing. Breeders should know what health issues plague their breed, what lines are known to carry them, how these diseases are inherited, etc. If they can't tell you about those issues, then they truly are not breed knowledable.

5) People who aren't  offering to sell dogs with "Full Papers" for more money. Not every dog should be bred just because it has papers.

6) A breeder who  has references that aren't just testimonials... ie do they belong to their repsective breed clubs? Breed clubs monitor quality and will ban people who fail to follow set code of ethics and breeding standards.

  People purchase pets with the hopes of spending a lifetime with them. So do your homework, understand the industry and the breed you hope to buy and make a wise selection. Hastey decisions based on ease or purchase or cute website pictures is NEVER a good decision. Purchasing a dog should take effort and patience and may mean waiting to purchase a quality dog from a good source.

  Always remember BUYER BEWARE.