does anyone own a

[mjkacmom]

What reputable breeder would have their dogs sold at a petstore?

A professional breeder would never have their dogs sold at petstores, just breeders who do it for fun or extra money.

 

[MontanaZoo]

Originally Posted by FayeW
Just as you need to realize that not every dog that comes from a petstore comes from a puppy mill and not all backyard breeders mistreat their animals. If we had chosen to breed our dog you can be assured that the pups would have been hand raised in a loving enviroment. For goodness sake the dog sleeps on our bed, half the time with her head on my pillow! Hardly a life of living in a cage being half starved and mistreated!

We chose to spay our dog, however we did give some thought to breeding her because she has a wonderful temperment and personality and we would have liked to have one of her pups. By your definition that would have made us "backyard breeders". Like I said, they aren't all bad.

I think the difference (at least in my eyes, and don't mean to offend) is that breeders breed their dogs because they love the breed and want to make it have integrity and strong dogs that conform to that breed.

I think backyard breeders are looking to make money off of the litter, or they are people who want to share the dogs with other people. The people that I know that do backyard breeding are looking to make money. Not that there aren't good hearted people who maybe think their dog is great and want the traits to pass down to puppies and sell them to cover their expenses. I just don't know any.

Ok, here's my example, my step-niece's mom is a backyard breeder among other not nice things. She loves her dogs so she says but she still breeds them and sells the puppies too young (5 or 6 weeks) by standing and making her kids stand with her and selling them in the parking lot of Applebee's or Walmart.

 

[maddiemouse]

There are so many generalizations in many of these replies.
Some extremely ethical breeders will ship puppies to owners they have pre-qualified.
Not all puppy mill dogs are bad dogs, they have just been treated badly, and the main reason not to buy one is to not to support the industry, if, hopefully please God, there is no market, one day it will cease to exist. In my profession, I deal with many people who have fallen prey to this horrible puppy mill business. They are good people who love their pets, and are unfortunately now dealing with the many health and temperment problems in the dog they have grown to love.
Good for you for doing research before getting a pup!!
Westies are great dogs, as are Wheatons (we had a Wheaton in our family for 17 years) I'm a groomer, I deal with these breeds every day. Just one word of caution, both breeds are prone to allergies and skin problems, which can be heartbreaking to deal with, not to mention expensive.
If when you go to view the pups, check out their mother, look for reddish brown discolored hair around her feet, face or actually any part of her body. This indicates that she has been chewing on them, because they itch. A sign of allergies.
And to any one out there who has bought a puppy mill dog, or a puggle or a shih poo or any something poo or whatever kind of mutt you paid big bucks for....CONGRATULATIONS!!! And thank you, you are a rescuer. Please believe me, I am not being sarcastic,none of us are born knowing all about how to buy a dog, my first purebred dog I bought from a place called Puppy Palace, most likely a puppy mill dog, probably bred by the Amish (Notorious puppy millers) and she was a mess. That was 40 years ago, I am a little bit better informed now.
My own generalizations:
If it has a cute name consisting of a combination of two breeds...it is not a responsible breeder. Labradoodle, puggle or bichi-poo, the breeder was only interested in making a couple of bucks.
Puppy mills are BAD, puppy mill puppies are not.
RESCUE RESCUE RESCUE!!
Go to petfinders. com to find your dog. They have some of everything and will tell you of any potential problems up front. All are rescues.

 

[rascalmom]

See siggie

Our little guy is named Gizmo and he is 5 years old. The best pet ever! What a personality....we enjoy him so much.

He isn't yappy in general, but does bark at some things...squirrels in the yard and rodeo commercials. Yesterday there was a car accident right in front of our house & it took a while to clear.....lots of whining. He really wanted to get out there (like my nosey dh) to see what was going on. Come to think of it, Gizzie probably wouldn't have whined if dh had stayed inside!

Gizmo was pretty easy to housetrain. We went through a puppy chewing stage, but it wasn't too bad. He mostly stuck with his own toys & dd's flip flops. Taught her to not leave them laying around! Digging was a bit of a problem, but he outgrew it.

He is GREAT with kids - mine are older now, but there are small kids in the neighborhood. He is very gentle and sweet with little ones.

Do your homework - we found when we were looking that there are a LOT of puppymills involved in this breed. We ended up driving to Tyler, Texas for a hand-raised pup. Definitely worth it - he is very healthy, no allergy or skin issues and has a wonderful temperment.

 

[Graeme]

just barks like crazy.

The only things my Dill ever used to bark at were kites. They sent her nuts!!

 

[MontanaZoo]

I'm so glad to see there's so many responsible dog owners out there. And I feel awful for the people who got a puppy from the woman who's puppy mill was broken up here in December. There was rampant parvo and I don't know how those dogs could not have been inbred. They mostly only survived to live until 2 or 3 years old on her property, the only ones that they took out of there that were older were the alpha dogs that were the main breeders.

If you are anywhere near NC, please tell people you know to beware of any pugs or pug puppies that came into the area, between the first cop visit to the puppy mill and a couple days later when they came to get the rest, 40 pugs disappeared to this woman's veternarian daughter in NC to be sold.

If anyone is interested in adopting the english shepherds from the puppy mill after they are released from evidence, there's a list they're keeping track of and I can get the details if you need them. There's also 8 pregnant dogs and I'm sure more that weren't showing pregnancy signs yet. They've had people who are qualified animal trainers working with them to get them used to human contact. My friend said that more and more dogs are playing with each other daily. The rescue people for that breed have been out helping as well.

 

[ndelaware]

We bought a Westie about 5 years ago. Sweet dog, very smart and very good tempered.

We ended having to drive to NY to buy her because all the Westie breeders in our area would not sell her without a contrct stating we would spay her immediately. My wife wanted to keep the options open on mating her and luckily she found the lady in NY.

 

[suprgrlx]

Thanks, OP for starting this thread! I've been researching Westies like crazy recently.

I am wondering how people find them for exercise requirements. Do they have to be out for multiple long walks per day? Also, will they snuggle with you at all? I don't necessarily want them to be attached at the hip, but I don't want a dog that never wants to be held either.

Thanks!

 

[bigolive9]

We have a Westie named Mac. He just turned 5, and he has the most wonderful personality! Check out http://www.westierescue.com/index.asp They are a wonderful resource to learn more about the breed. You could also adopt a Westie from your local chapter. I would post a pic, but don't know how. Also, use petfinder.com to see if there are any available in shelters in your area.

Our westie has a really bad skin allergy that we are treating, but hopefully that will be taken care of soon.

Mac does bark a lot if the doorbell rings- he thinks he is a guard dog! My dog is really pretty mellow anymore, because we have another dog also, and because he is used to sleeping during the day from when I worked full time. He still spends a lot of the day curled up in a ball at my feet.

 

[Stitchfans]

I grew up with Westies. My parents owned quite a few of them. As a matter of fact my dad has a male and female Westies right now. They are real nice but as said they can be quite yappy.

 

[kristilew]

The males will cuddle more than the females. The more walks the better, but if you're lazy a good indoor game of fetch will suffice on some days.

 

[ndelaware]

Thanks, OP for starting this thread! I've been researching Westies like crazy recently.

I am wondering how people find them for exercise requirements. Do they have to be out for multiple long walks per day? Also, will they snuggle with you at all? I don't necessarily want them to be attached at the hip, but I don't want a dog that never wants to be held either.

Thanks!

We rarely take ours for a walk in the winter. We just let her out in the backyard. In the summer we do the nieghborhood once or twice a week but that is it.

She is fairly affectionate and will sit in the chair with you or on your lap but she doesn't like to be held. My sister also has a Westie and her dog will put her head on your shoulder like a baby does when you are trying to burp the baby, she even puts one paw around your neck.

 

[bigolive9]

Thanks, OP for starting this thread! I've been researching Westies like crazy recently.

I am wondering how people find them for exercise requirements. Do they have to be out for multiple long walks per day? Also, will they snuggle with you at all? I don't necessarily want them to be attached at the hip, but I don't want a dog that never wants to be held either.

Thanks!

Mine loves snuggling. He loves taking walks, but we also have a fenced in back yard, so he can run around outside if he wants.

 

[rascalmom]

Ours is definitely a snuggler - we call him "wedgie" because if someone is sitting on the couch, he will wedge himself between your body & the arm of the sofa. He also likes to sit on the back of the furniture & rest against your neck or shoulder. Definitely not deficient in the snuggle department!

Ours doesn't require a lot of exercise, but we have a large fenced yard. He has a doggie door in our laundry room so that he can come & go outside whenever he wishes.

He definitely enjoys a little playtime each day though. Usually when we come through the door he will greet us with a toy & will expect a little game of fetch. He also will "pretend" you are chasing him - dancing, prancing & dodging with little "human" movement required.

He does love walks when he gets a chance though & also loves to be taken for a car ride. My dh dresses more casually on Saturdays than on work days - when the sport socks & sneakers come out Gizmo knows it is time to go for a ride.

 

[suprgrlx]

Thanks everyone! I hope I didn't hijack too badly!

I'm glad to hear that they can be cuddly. When I was researching that was something that I looked for. Like I said, I don't really want him to need me to be there all the time, but I don't always want him to be off in another room alone either!

I had fixed on Westies, but then started reading "oh they're not lapdogs! Don't think they're lapdogs!", so I didn't know how to take that.

Anyway, thanks for your help!