Comment

Comment by Derek on September 25, 2009 at 2:26pm

I would understand if she said her policy i all pups hav cropped ears. Then it is simply that all pup's have cropped ears. I hate cropped ears and tail docking, it just bothers me. So I think it is funny, you are "unfit" because you are wanting something that is healthy and natural for your dogs.... very odd.

Comment by Linsey & Grissom on September 25, 2009 at 1:32pm

I get that a puppy going to a show home has more "rules" and whatnot because when you show your dog it reflects directly on the kennel he or she acme from, but on a limited registration pet quality puppy, I feel like this is an issue that shouldn't have even come up.
Furthermore, I would have been annoyed, but not furious, if she had just said she didn't feel that her kennel was a match to what I'm looking for, but to say that I am UNFIT to have a Boxer. Pfft.
We spoke for an hour prior to the topic coming up. She was impressed by EVERYTHING else. Loved our lifestyle, dedication to animals, location, feeding style, etc. Five seconds prior to calling me UNFIT she said she would be "honored to send one of her puppies home with us."
I get breed standards. I get show puppies. What I don't get is a breeder MORE concerned about an entirely cosmetic issue with a PET puppy than she is the quality of life a family is going to offer the baby.
With the wave of hell I gave her for that, I think she might be picking her words a little more carefully in the future. Boy was I fuming last night.

Comment by Alice on September 25, 2009 at 1:07pm

I agree that the breeder was being ridiculous and unreasonable. She probably thinks it will reflect badly on her. If people are lead to believe that this is the way a boxer should look, yet yours does not and you tell someone you got the dog from this breeder, they may think she is a bad breeder producing less than perfect pups. It's true, many breeders take it very personally and even after they have sold a puppy somehow they still feel some sense of responsibility. Our Cardi had hip x-rays at 8 months of age and the vet said he has bad hips. When we told our breeder this he acted as if this were impossible and the vet was trying to pull the wool over our eyes because we are worriers and said I was a hypochondriac. I was so mad and disappointed by his reaction. He was obviously being defensive and acting inappropriately. I talked to another Cardi breeder after this because I wanted another opinion and she said a lot of times this is how breeders will react because they think any flaws in their dogs reflects badly on them.

Who decides what the breed standard is anyway? For it to be the standard, should it not be natural? All this altering like cropping ears and docking tails is unnatural. You are not allowed to spay/neuter a show dog but you can alter them in these other ways? I completely disagree with this and it makes the whole idea of dog shows seem like a sham. The purpose is to find dogs that display perfection for that breed, but in who's eyes; obviously not Gods or he would have created them that way to begin with! I could rant about this forever, but I’ll stop there. You get the point.

Comment by Zach and Lisa on September 25, 2009 at 10:35am

The only thing that would make me nervous about not selling an undocked pem is that there is a chance that someone could take it upon themselves and do it. I have seen owners around here who will talk about there dog having this done in adulthood. It disgusts me! I don't see how anyone could be so heartless. Somebody even told me their vet did it to their dog and just chopped it off in the office like it was some kind of routine procedure. Didn't put the dog under or anything, just used hedge trimmers. I was extremely sickened and pissed off. How could somebody do this?! I was really pissed because I couldn't say much due to the fact that she was a client in my chair while I was cutting her hair. I'm sure she could tell by my face though. Made me so angry!

Comment by Beauty and the Beast on September 25, 2009 at 10:32am

Don't get upset, some breeders do crazy things. My friend got a border colie puppy from a breeder who never vaccinated her dogs against ANYTHING and had everyone sign a contract that they would not vaccinate the puppies they get from her. And that's a person who shows her dogs and obviously travels with them.
If cropped ears are so important to her that she gets mad, maybe you'd better off finding someone else. After all the breeder is a person you'd want to have friedship with and be open to ask any questions and concerns.
FYI health certificates are not that rare and don't prove responsible breeder. There's a puppy mill in our area that has 3 breeds and releases their puppies at 6 weeks. They all have "health certificates".
I personally think floppy ears are much cuter than cropped ones :)

Comment by Jane Christensen on September 25, 2009 at 9:01am

I think some people are having a hard time with the "not" docking or cropping BUT I don't agree that if a person doesn't want something done that this somehow makes a "bad" owner!!!! I don't raise "show" quality pups but now I have a female with champ bloodlines and plan to get another and I am going to see if the breeder will not dock her tail (Livvy and my new pup will have the same mom and dad). Personally I would much rather have a new owner that cares more about the dog than the ears/tail and yes I always consider the pups mine (in a way) and love the updates! But I bet the dog you get and raise will have a better life than one that is sold just because they are "show" dogs! I will have this experience the opposite as you when next year I have pups and will not dock their tails! We'll see what happens...from the info I got on my corgi it will not matter to most buyers and if it does I wouldn't want my pups to go there!

Comment by Bev Levy on September 25, 2009 at 8:23am

I don't think this is unusual. When my son got Misty, our dobe, the breeder would not release her until her ears were cropped and tail docked. I agree we should have a choice when we are not showing but breeders really take the breed standards very seriously. Don't take it too personally. Usually these breeders pour their heart, soul, and $ into their pups and always consider them theirs.

Comment by Geri & Sidney on September 25, 2009 at 3:48am

OOh, I would have been so mad! Good for you for standing up for yourself. Hmph!

I think the floppy ears on a boxer are adorable. I know you'll find the right breeder and dog for you. Let us know how it goes :)

Comment by Kristin, Honey, and Hooch on September 25, 2009 at 2:58am

Wow, that is downright ridiculous! Show people can be really odd--I know I was admonished several times last time I was at a dog show (just to watch!) for really minor, strange things while I was just walking my dogs around for the fun of it and enjoying seeing all the different dog breeds and beautiful dogs. Of course, that's not nearly as crazy as being called "unfit" because of your personal preference on their ears! Cropping the ears is an unnatural process, not something that comes bred into the dog, and I think it should definitely be in your rights to choose not to have the ears cropped--especially if you're paying for the dog! It's not like you're asking something bizarre, like having the dog's toes removed or something.

Find a different breeder who will respect your wishes and not get all upset over such a minor issue, or go out and find a nice rescue dog.

Comment by Mike on September 25, 2009 at 12:55am

Why would you want anything besides corgi's anyway? You should just get two more Pem's, I think that would about add up to a average sized Boxer, and you would have the most adorable little herd ever!

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