are there name brand breeders for dogs & cats?

[Dancing Fire]

 

[Imdanny]

My experience is limited to the one time I bought a doberman puppy from a famous breeder.

I'm going to venture to say no.

People in that community are very sensitive lot being accused of being "puppy mills".

A "brand" would be almost like being a "puppy factory'.

It's all about the reputation of the breeder.

A reputation iis based in large part on winning at dog shows and breeding ""Champion ABC" with "Champion XYZ". In other words, blood like horses.

They do put the the name of the kennel in the puppies' names. I guess you could call it branding in that sense.

BTW, I got my cat from a shelter and I would never buy from a breeder again. I personally like the fact I'm taking care of a cat who needed a home.

 

[Lottie]

I know nothing about dogs so my experience is purely cats. A really good, reputable breeder cannot turn out enough litters in a season to become a 'brand'. The queen is pregnant for around 9 weeks, then they have to stay with the breeder until they are 13 weeks - say there are 5 kittens in a litter, which have to be socialised and litter trained then you couldn't have too many of them in a house at one time. Unless they are 'farming kittens' which is hideous, cruel and far removed from what buying a Pedigree cat should be.

Within show circles there are breeders with excellent lineage who turn out more Champions than others. As they all leave their home with the breeders Pedigree prefix then it would look very good for the breeder to have multiple cats from their prefix placed in the shows and this would be reflected in the price of the kittens. Particuarly if you have a male cat at closed stud - people have to come to you only for one of your kittens, which can create some very long waiting lists.

 

[Pandora II]

Only in a very, very small way with some of the more expensive and exotic breeds - ie Savannah cats.

The UK is a small country geographically and here there are also breeders who can command high prices on account of their name - but that name is due to the quality of their cats and the prizes they have won. As such their interest is in breeding healthy, quality kittens and waiting lists are long for them. It's rarely done as an actual 'living wage' business.

My parents used to breed Siamese kittens and whilst we didn't show the cats, we bred them very carefully and there were always many more requests than we had kittens available - we only had a litter every couple of years, but people rang all the time to see if we were planning one, and we never advertised.

Never made any money either... stud fees, vets bills, 2 sets of shots per kitten, food for 14 weeks per kitten and all the paperwork is $$. I added it up once and for a litter of 6 my mother made $1.50 and the cost of the kitten she kept!

 

[JewelFreak]

No. Dogs & cats are not products. Any seller who treats them as such should be avoided like the plague -- or reported to the authorities.

Are you looking for a pet? If so, first do some homework -- research the breed you're interested in & BELIEVE what people who have them tell you, including the negatives (every breed has some). Go to shows or matches & talk to owners, interact with the animals. Keep an open mind because this may turn out not to be a breed you can live with easily. If something sounds annoying to you now, it will not go away later -- it will drive you crazy & lead you to want to get rid of the pet over time.

Every breed has a Breed Club in most countries. Look at their websites. Most have a list of reputable breeders for you to contact. They also tell you what that type of cat or dog is like to live with -- what they need. Talk to & visit a number of them.

If you go to a breeder, see BOTH parents if possible & interact with them to get an idea of temperament.

Before you take one home, think about the following. Having an animal is a 2-way street: you must GIVE in order to get.

1. Are you willing to give the time & make whatever compromises in lifestyle necessary to keep your pet happy & healthy?

2. Dogs need training & socializing w/people & other dogs. I cannot recommend good training classes enough -- they're a MUST for first-time owners. Can you and WILL you do that?

3. Can you afford food, medications & vet bills? They rise as an animal gets old, really really rise! Throughout its life, unexpected things come up.

4. Think about how you live: do you go to work, then out after work often? Animals -- including cats -- need company just as much as children do. For a dog, how about size of your house or apt? Big dog, small digs isn't usually a great idea. How much & what type of exercise does a dog need? Not can you, but WILL you do it? For cats, how much do you care about damage to furniture (it happens!). Can you bear a litter box in the house?

If you go to a breeder, these are questions to ask:

1. They must be willing to let you see all their kennels -- if they aren't, run! Something is wrong. If you see them, are they clean & the animals clean & happy? Runs big enough for them?

2. What are their breeding criteria? They should be: temperament & health first, looks & winning shows AFTER that.

3. Do they provide worming & early shots? This should be done for puppies before they leave their mothers -- never bought a cat from a breeder, so don't know about kittens. Probably the same.

4. What about the parents' health? Things like displasia, epilepsy, common breed diseases.

5. Will the breeder be helpful with problems or questions THROUGHOUT THE ANIMAL'S LIFE? What about a health guarantee -- will the breeder take the animal back if it has debilitating health problems within a certain amount of time?

6. Get to know your breeder, who can be the best mentor you'll find.

YOU must give your pet the training, company & love it needs to be happy -- and choose one that's right for both of you. Otherwise, you will be unhappy with your pet.

If all this seems like too much trouble, DON'T GET ONE. An adult dog has roughly the intelligence of a 2-yr-old human child & similar needs. Cats are extremely routine-dependent & need regularity in their lives. If your life isn't predictable enough now to provide them, wait until things change before getting a pet. Don't expect the animal to make all the adjustments -- YOU are the human with the brains; it's up to YOU.

--- Laurie

 

[AGBF]

No. Dogs & cats are not products. Any seller who treats them as such should be avoided like the plague -- or reported to the authorities.

(snip of great post)

This was a wonderful post, Laurie; you really covered a huge amount of ground in very little writing space. I like it that you turned the topic from one simply about "brand names" to one about educating pet owners. I got some very good advice here on Pricescope when I decided to buy a Newfoundland for the first time. (This is a fabulous place to obtain expert advice of all kinds.) By asking here I was able to locate a really good breeder for my breed-someone recognized by the associations that support my breed as excellent-and get a very healthy, sane, happy dog.

I really, really believe in adoption. My last dog (a Lab) was adopted at age two through a rescue organziaztion and I adored him. But as I have written here, he was demented. He could never be cured of wanting to bite any stranger who came onto our our front porch (even though it was only a nip, never a serious bite). So he could only be controlled by us (kept from the front door) as a solution! Going to a good breeder is really a far easier solution!!!

At any rate, thanks for the great posting!

Deb/AGBF

 

[JewelFreak]

Thanks, Deb. You are a poster child for the best of dog owners.

I agree completely about rescue for getting dogs or cats. All my cats & one of my dogs were rescues, but I have gotten 3 Siberians from breeders because I wanted to be sure of temperament & health (also because for a while I showed them). The other reason -- which goes to being honest about your breed & accepting its negatives, and to lifestyle -- is that Siberians have a very strong prey drive & I have cats. Unless I know where an adult came from, it's safer to raise a puppy w/cats than risk an unknown adult.

Ironically, the Siberian I bought from the winning-est breeder in the country had health problems always & her temperament was not ideal, though I loved her dearly. When kennels get too big & famous, there's a temptation to breed too much -- & use stock that shouldn't be bred -- to meet demand. That's when the animal becomes a product & sadness is the result.

DF asked about, I think, a purebred from a breeder, which is why I didn't mention rescue.

--- Laurie

 

[lyra]

In the abstract, yes, there are "name brand" dog breeders. Show breeders work very hard to create the best "livestock" possible. A very successful breeder of a particular breed of dog can become highly sought after, with their puppies being only rarely available for very high values and only to approved show homes. Some dogs I've know have been sent from the US to Japan and have gone for tens of thousands of dollars. Dogs from these breeders are not really available to the general public though. There are waiting lists for pet quality dogs, some are several years long. All this is not the norm, and not necessarily what you were asking about. But it is a niche that does exist.

 

[Dancing Fire]

No. Dogs & cats are not products. Any seller who treats them as such should be avoided like the plague -- or reported to the authorities.

Are you looking for a pet? If so, first do some homework -- research the breed you're interested in & BELIEVE what people who have them tell you, including the negatives (every breed has some). Go to shows or matches & talk to owners, interact with the animals. Keep an open mind because this may turn out not to be a breed you can live with easily. If something sounds annoying to you now, it will not go away later -- it will drive you crazy & lead you to want to get rid of the pet over time.


--- Laurie

nahh,just wondering about dogs and cats since there are "branded breeders" for japanese koi.

 

[JewelFreak]

Figured something similar, DF, though koi sure never occured to me, lol. I meant "you" in general, not you specifically.

--- Laurie

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I only know newfoundlands. Once you get involved in your breed club and get to know the breeders fairly well, you know which ones are respected and which ones aren't. It's a very small community. Often times the breeders you expect to be the most respected (e.g. those who consistently take best of breed in competitive shows) are not so respected.

Everybody has their preferences and that plays a role. In the newf community, those who are more focused on water rescue, obedience, etc. can be snubbed by show-goers. And those in the show circuit annoy those who are more involved in water rescue (there is always some bickering about coat type between the two). Some breeders embrace certain lines and other breeders dislike them. But for the most part, breeders who are part of their local breed club are focused on one common goal: producing the healthiest dogs possible.

 

[LJL]

In the abstract, yes, there are "name brand" dog breeders. Show breeders work very hard to create the best "livestock" possible. A very successful breeder of a particular breed of dog can become highly sought after, with their puppies being only rarely available for very high values and only to approved show homes. Some dogs I've know have been sent from the US to Japan and have gone for tens of thousands of dollars. Dogs from these breeders are not really available to the general public though. There are waiting lists for pet quality dogs, some are several years long. All this is not the norm, and not necessarily what you were asking about. But it is a niche that does exist.

+1 - yes, but only in the sense described above. For dogs, there is the distinction of saying your dog is registered as AKC, CKC, etc to verify in some way that it is purebred and then there is a brand of sorts - i.e. Everyone knows X kennel of Y dog has produced Z number of champions. I would think of it as being like, "I have a dress from Bloomingdales" and people knowing that it was expensive and that it is probably of good quality. But as JewelFreak said, a dog from a known high-quality kennel can be just as unhealthy/unsound as any other dog.. I think buying from these famous kennels is seen as a way of minimizing the risk that your purebred dog will have breed-specific problems because their breeding is so planned and monitored.

 

[lyra]

I only know newfoundlands. Once you get involved in your breed club and get to know the breeders fairly well, you know which ones are respected and which ones aren't. It's a very small community. Often times the breeders you expect to be the most respected (e.g. those who consistently take best of breed in competitive shows) are not so respected.

Everybody has their preferences and that plays a role. In the newf community, those who are more focused on water rescue, obedience, etc. can be snubbed by show-goers. And those in the show circuit annoy those who are more involved in water rescue (there is always some bickering about coat type between the two). Some breeders embrace certain lines and other breeders dislike them. But for the most part, breeders who are part of their local breed club are focused on one common goal: producing the healthiest dogs possible.

I'm not going to say what breed we were involved with, as it is somewhat identifying, but I will say that I'm sad to hear about the Newfie stories NEL. The breed we were with (and breed club which we were members of, and DH was president of for a year) was heavily involved in ALL aspects of dog sportsmanship available. Everyone was encouraged to to CD's (obedience), temperament testing, herding, canine good citizen, and even canine therapy (where dogs are taken to retirement homes, etc. to interact with seniors). The more you did with your dog, the better. Some people even did agility, although with our large breed, it wasn't a great match, but it was fun for some to try.

The retriever people were always cooing over roadkill (used to train their dogs in retrieval, lol). All in all it was fun being involved in the show community in Western Canada. We got to know a lot of US breeders too. I know breeders who showed at Westminster and Crufts. A lot of it is terribly political, and we hated that part, definitely.