Right, circumstances dictate that now there will be someone at home full time, we as a family are considering a pet.

It's been 15 years since we had a dog in the family (my parents) so need some help in understanding reputable places to buy.

been looking at the KC accredited breeder thingy, and spoke to one breeder who said that anyone not accredited "could" be a bad breeder but an accredited one is very likely not to be. How do I navigate this minefield?

 

What breed are you after ?

Officiall breed clubs are good places to look for reputable pups.

 

Westie - looking at the KC Online website at the mo.

 

Westie's are great little dog..

WestieClubofEngland

 

Get one from a rescue centre, you dont know what you getting but then a freind of ours had a Westie from a reputable breeder and it was untrainable, destructive etc, she went back, they got one from another breeder and it has prroved to be easy to train and no problems.

 

Do you know, or can someone recommend, a local vet?

I think it's worthwhile asking them if they know of a decent breeder in the area. They may well know a slightly potty old duck whose life is Westies.

Also ask vet of any known problems areas in the breed.

Cracking little dogs IMHO

dl

 

I agree, look through the clubs etc, best place to find a good breeder.
KC is a waste of time these days, anyone seems to be able to get registered, and plenty of farms appear "reputable"

Good luck on your quest

 

That seems to be the issue Snazy, breeders are telling me that KC reg means nowt!

 

I've been looking for a dog over the last week then yesterday this little doggie pops up on freeads she's a border collie x lab only 7 months old had all jabs and micro chipped.

I'm going looking at her tomorrow

Steph xx

 

You only have to look on some of the adverts on epupz to realise how many KC registered farms there are.

We almost bought from one, all seemed well, til I got a tip off that the bitch was only 15 months at the time of the litter. When we asked the "breeder" about it, he lost the plot and just sent an email full of abuse to us.

If there are any rescues for the breed, approach them, not always to get a dog from them, but to ask them who to avoid. They are usually unbiased towards genuine breeders, and know all the ones they get dogs from regularly.

Steph, giving a dog a home is never a bad thing, but try and find out about the parents if you can, just so you know what you are getting into.

 

Use to have a westie she was a lovely dog, during the hot summer she use to get all lathargic, so I took her to the bathroom and ran the bath so she could bathe herself in the cool water, next day I heard her barking in the bathroom guess what she wanted!
She loved water, ended up in the middle of a river (not deep) having a good swim, though suffered a few issues, dry eye (artificial tears every day) and a skin condition (common but treatable with medicated shampoo) apart from that, very good temprement though our latest monster pips her to the post for that (but is bossier )

Tony

 

Must be mad, approached rehomer to talk about breeders and been offered two boys (18m and 30m as a pair) as owners emigrating. Being checked out tomorrow

 

As long as they get on well you shouldn't have any problems but if you can get a few days with them first to see how they are in the home/together, should suite you just don't pick a favourite!

Tony

 

They are from the same home so that is not a worry. Going to be a mad week i think.

 

I've got a Westie and he's such a character. I've had him for nearly three years.

I was after a GSD adult and some how ended up with a 7 week old Westie.
How he is? I love him to bits. He's so clever but can be very stubborn but his personality is next to no other dog I've had. He never does the same thing everyday and loves to play.

Great dogs and great companions. Mine is definitely a mans dog to play with but he loves females to lay by their feet. Maybe he's trying to tell me something

I would without a doubt get another one if it came at the right price so I'll be watching this thread

 

I know of an 18 month old bitch available for rehoming not far from you. Owner too old to look after her, good with children excellent temperement. £150 donation.

 

Can you PM me some more details please Matt

 

The one thing I would say about a bitch is that if your not going to breed then get the op done, ours was 7 or 8 and she caught an infection luckily we caught it in time and she had an emergency op to have the overies/womb removed, happy as anything after that

Tony

 

Pm sent

 

Thanks very much Matt, I'll give them a call I'll let you know how I get on.

How did you get on?