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Permalink Reply by Dez Hunter on July 15, 2009 at 10:24am

Before I had Dexter, my corgi, we only had one family dog. His name was Luke, and he was a 5 year old collie-mix we picked up from the SPCA for 65.00. He was a great dog, but he had a slew of problems. At the time my local SPCA was poorly run. We were told that all animals there were held in quarantine for a week to check for rabies, distemper, heart worms and kennel cough. Of course, a week later when we took Luke to the vet, we found out he had full blown heart worms. That was nearly 1,000 dollars worth of treatments and medication for a dog we tried to "save" at our local shelter. We lived through the heart worm treatments and we had him for a few years before he died of heart failure.

Ever since my boyfriend and I met we knew we wanted a Corgi. A woman I used to jog with in my neighborhood had one, and I just loved his disposition and how intelligent and quirky he was. We shopped casually for over a year for a pup. A lot of things postponed getting one. Finances, moving, changing jobs, having no time...

During this time we stopped in on a Petland in Chesapeake Virginia. We were at the mall there for something else but poked our head in to see the animals. They had a corgi pup there, and though she was cute the price tag wasn't. They wanted nearly $2,000.00 for her. I couldn't believe it. I had never bought a pet from a pet store before, and wasn't even considering it at the time and thank goodness because that was unbelievable! I didn't see anything grossly wrong with her, but I don't have a trained eye for puppy health. (I am a noobie when it comes to dogs) The price tag was enormous and I asked about guarantees. They spouted some nonsense about a couple of months but I wasn't convinced it was worth the money.

Here in Virginia there are a lot of laws and regulations against puppy mills. Finding a Corgi is difficult, and it seemed like the only way to find one through a breeder was by knowing a friend who had one, or by ordering one online and having it shipped (which is what I hear a lot of people around here have done.) I didn't want a pet store pup, and I didn't like the idea of shopping for a dog on papers alone to have it delivered to my house. I wanted to go to a breeder's home, see the pups and CHOOSE my dog based on his cute little face, how he acted, and how his personality seemed to be. I don't intend on breeding my dog, or showing him in any way. I just wanted to make sure he was healthy, and that in turn would make him a happy pup. AKC registration is good for that, and we got lucky when we found an ad online from a woman two hours away who had a couple of pups left from her AKC registered litter.

So off we went to pick a puppy. I left after work on a weekday and drove what felt like forever out to this little town where the woman lived. She had a nice piece of country property- not a farm, just a house on a hill. Lots of kid's toys were out in the yard, and a bunch of little boys were roaming the house. At the front door was a cat (which made me happy, because I have a cat and I knew my pup would need to be socialized with it) and we were greeted by a very healthy, happy looking adult Corgi. After meeting the lady I poked my head in the spacious enclosure (inside) where the pups were kept and Dexter popped his head out. I knew from his goofy little ears and happy face that he was the dog for me. The lady was very organized, went over everything with me, gave me a nice booklet with new owner information. She also explained to me how the AKC certification worked, and gave me the forms I would need to register Dexter (since she said she only registered the litter).

I am glad my experience with my pup was a positive one. We changed his food to a higher grade one a couple of days after we got him home, and he had some runny poos for a while- but after that he has been great. The vet has complimented us on his health, and I would recommend the breeder we got him from to anyone who wants a companion Corgi. She told me straight up he didn't have a champion bloodline, and I told her that wasn't important to me. She was very honest about everything, and still answers my questions via e-mail.

I think I got a good experience, as opposed to that $2,000.00 Corgi from the Petland.

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Permalink Reply by Beauty and the Beast on July 17, 2009 at 4:28pm

It is strange that you say there are not many corgi breeders in Virginia. We got ours in Culpeper and we had to drive there 3 times for 4-5 hours(1- to meet her and talk, make a deposit; 2 - to pick out our buddy; 3 - to pick him up). There are a few more in VA and one is near Virginia Beach. Our breeder interacts closely with her, so she's obviously good too.
You'd be surprised how I found her, through internet. She had a website, but not for puppies, for all her dogs and achievements. I had my friend breeder to look over a few sites and tell me which ones she thinks are reputable. She was very excited about Carrie (my breeder) so that's who I chose.
It only took us 3 months to wait for our puppy to get home. The timing was great because I called her a couple weeks after the litter was born.
When we picked up Shiro she was nearly crying saying good bye to him. It made me surprised, considering how many dogs and puppies she had. But that also convinced me that she cares about each and every one with her entire heart.
Shiro is worth all the trouble and every penny we paid for him. He's beautiful, smart and well tempered. Even the vet was surprised how calm he is during the procedures.
Oh and another thing about the breeder which might seem weidr to some of you. She'd never let her puppies go home in December. Yep, because of Christmas. She wants to make sure none of them are bought as a present for kids or on impulse. She is also concerned about too much of a havoc during Christmas time that might stress out a new puppy.

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Permalink Reply by Nancy Geddes on July 15, 2009 at 8:49pm

Thank you everyone for sharing your stories. My corgis are all pet quality AKCs and when we walk throughout Colonial Williamsburg and people ask about obtaining a corgi, I am ready with cards bearing the PWCCA web address and directions on finding reputable breeders through their site. No one gets away from me without my heartfelt request to avoid pet store puppies. It seems to be one of the few things I can do to to promote purchases from reputable breeders.

Now, I am going to get on the floor and get some corgi loving.....

Good night friends and furfriends everywhere!

Nan

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Permalink Reply by Sam on July 16, 2009 at 2:01pm

Wow, what a wonderful group of posts from people that have first hand knowledge of what they speak. I am so pleased to so many folks have access to this information and hopefully will learn from it. I did wish to add that many accept the AKC registration as proof of quality. This is a good place to start but far from any stamp of quality. AKC is a registry only, and in no way a scale to rate the quality of dogs. If the parents are registered the litter can be as well. It is not uncommon for this registry to be abused and papers forged.
It has probably been in the last 10 to 15 years that other "registries" have started to appear. This offered those that mass produce and pet shops to offer a "registered" dog. People assumed the registration was proof of quality. At least one of this so called registries would alow people to obtain a CH merely for a fee. Pretty hard to explain this to people when they have paid a great fee for their registered dog. I have found it difficult as well when people ask me to evaluate their dogs. At times one quick look is all I need to know that quality was not in mind when breeding.
Many rescuers are quite aware of the "production" breeders in their area. I recall one in our area that in one year produced more than twenty litters. Do I need to tell you how many of these dogs I saw come through our rescue program? Both health and temperament issues abounded. The web site was slick and anyone who had the money could get one. There were always pups available. Frequent availability is a sure sign that one needs to investigate further.
I do know some others that I have seen some fine pets come from. As a rescuer and a strong advocate for the breed it would be difficult to refer to those that do not health test their dogs nor make a comittment to breed to the "standard" They are certainly far better options then many of the other "breeders" out there.
Heres hoping a few people learn from this excellent information that has been posted. Bless you all for being dedicated to our enchanted breed.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on July 17, 2009 at 5:02pm

I do feel the need to comment on one aspect of your post, and that is "breeding to the standard." I suppose that depends on what you are looking for.

If you want a farm dog, the standard means squat if the dog won't herd. If you are looking for a hunting dog, most of the hunting folks avoid the breed standard like the plague, because most of the gun dogs have been changed beyond all recognition by the show standards. A springer's ears are meant to touch in front of its nose, for example. Who on earth would want a close-hunting brush-running gun dog to have ears that long? Unless you plan on spending half your day untangling your dog from the brambles.

Here's a field springer:

Here's a show springer:

For all intents and purposes, they are two different breed. The top dog would never, ever pin in the ring. But which is meeting the goal of the original breed, which is to hunt? Why have a breed standard that is in direct conflict with the working requirements of the breed?

There are legitimate alternate breed clubs out there. If I were looking for a working border collie, I would not care about AKC registration, and many are not registered with AKC but with UKC. I would care about working lines.

If you want a working dog of any kind the standard is secondary to the ability to do what the dog is meant to do. That being said, good working dog breeders still do health testing, still will spend two hours talking your ear off about their dogs, still have a breeding goal in mind (which is not usually "I like my dog, so I want her to have puppies), and often offer the same contracts and guarantees that the show-type breeders we have discussed offer.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa S. on July 16, 2009 at 10:46pm

I love this post! now lets all put a copy of it in the sunday paper!!!!! :) do you think that would help send the message??

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Permalink Reply by Jenn on July 17, 2009 at 8:01am

Thanks for the post. I've been aware of the problems of puppies in the petstores, but I have to admit I'm one of those people that want to buy a puppy from there because I feel awful from it and want to save it. The one near me has had a few corgis since I decided to get one and I came very close to buying one of them. The corgis end up usually staying there about a month before someone buys them. A family member actually bought one a number of years ago from that place, and luckily that dog has a great temperament so they lucked out.
\
But it does break my heart to see them there. I feel like I'm condmemning it for reasons it wasn't responsible for.

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Permalink Reply by Beauty and the Beast on July 17, 2009 at 4:34pm

by buying a pup from there you create a space for the next one. Don't do it! If it breaks your heart, don't go to the store. We must stop puppy mills and per store puppies by all means! Trust me, you'll do yourself and everyone else a great favor if you get a puppy from a breeder. Besides heath and temperment warranty you'll get a lifelong mentor and a friend who's always realy to help.

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Permalink Reply by Jenn on July 17, 2009 at 6:00pm

Oh, I do understand that. I got my Dakota from a good breeder who I really loved, and am hoping to get another puppy from her from a litter next year. I am also taking in a two year old Corgi from that same breeder who needs a home in a few weeks. Not only are the puppies cheaper through the breeder, but they have better temperaments and are more socialized. I luckily found out the truth about pet store puppies before getting my Dakota.

I just can't help but to feel bad for those puppies trapped in those cages, as other people have mentioned!

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Permalink Reply by Sam on July 17, 2009 at 10:04pm

Breeding the standard and working dogs are miles apart. Shouldnt be but they are. Labradors are another breed that you see this phenomenon with. The beginning dog shows were designed to pick dogs that were a good representation of the breed. This was a way for people to become familiar with other breeders dogs to make selections for their own breeding program. Over the years it has evolved greatly. Sadly very few breeds try to breed "the whole" dog that is a good physical representation of the breed AND do the job that the breed was intended to do. I am most impressed with the tervuren breed as they try to achieve beauty the ability to work.
I have a good friend that has a lovely corgi. He achieved his championship at a very young age. She went on and achieved titles in obedience, agility and herding. His offspring have been magnificent. He is the first in the corgi breed to have a CH ROM and VCX titles.
Fact is that while while many of the conformation breeders do breed the standard they are far more likely to make good pets then a dog from a strong working line. The working instinct is paramont if a dog truly has a job to do. Working lines often prove to be disastrous in a pet home.
I also firmly believe that because lifestyles have changed so much only a small percentage of dogs in our country actually perform the job they were bred for. Hence the desire to breed "pretty" dogs became much more important than breeding for the "whole" dog.
Yes, I have seen many dogs that do performance events. Generally those that are top notch competitors live a far different life then a typical pet. Surely if one is looking for a "working" dog finding a breeder that does conformation and performance is the very best choice.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on July 17, 2009 at 10:13pm

Oh, and I agree completely that most pet homes are a terrible match for dogs from working backgrounds. The dog has no proper outlet for its energy and becomes bored and destructive. Moreover, a good working dog tends to have a "fire" that, in the hands of a novice, can prove obnoxious at best, dangerous at worst. To take, say, a German Shepherd from a top police dog line and put it in a novice family environment could be deadly. A dog bred to run in the field all day, that is instead locked in an apartment, will have all sorts of behavioral problems that might be impossible to eradicate. I think most of us have some awareness of the enormity of the task of the people who work Border Collie rescue, as those dogs simply are very rarely "pet" material.

For the average pet buyer, show lines are usually a better bet. I just was concerned that some of my comments, and some others here, might incorrectly come across as slagging off the small boutique performance breeders, who follow a whole different set of standards and sometimes different registration, but still are very careful about their health clearance and with whom they place their much-prized pups.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on July 17, 2009 at 10:17pm

And, the Brittany people have more dual champions (bench and field) than all sporting breeds combined, according to their breed club. Kudos to them!

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