"Words of Warning"
Over the years I have received many tearful phone calls and letters from dog owners who made a hasty decision when they purchased their dog. I patiently listen as they tell me the story of the premature death or serious temperament issue of their dog. These pet owners had to endure profound heartache and financial expenditures. With all things being equal, they were conscientious pet owners, their mistake? Purchasing the wrong dog. "Ninety percent of problems that occur with dogs are the result of genetics. No amount of training or speciality food will correct a problem dog."
Please take a few minutes and read our "words of warning page which is one of our most popular pages. You would be surprised what you can learn. Whether you proceed to purchase a dog from us or from another source, please take s few minutes to read what we have to say......
1. NEVER make price or blue ribbon trophies the primary factor in purchasing a German Shepherd Dog. The German Shepherd, white in color, is a rare breed of dog by AKC standards and any rare breed, purebred, and most importantly, "well-bred dog", is equivalent to a fine wine or expensive luxury car. It's a matter of choosing to go "cheap" or taking a huge "risk" on a dog that may end up costing you years of heartache and despair for making an unwise decision.
2. NEVER purchase a dog from a puppy mill. Puppy mills are factories, if you will, where dogs are confined in cages or kennels and used for producing puppies. These dogs are fed inadequate diets and do not receive regular veterinary care or socialization. Females are bred every heat cycle with little if any concern for health, where the puppies go, or the numbers produced. If you think you have found a good breeder, think again..... nine times out of ten, breeders of multiple dogs kennel them in cages throughout the day, which means that there is no telling what kind of temperament the dog will have since caged or confined dogs tend to develop into neurotic dogs. Yet another sign of a puppy mill is a breeder who uses a third party to sell their dogs. An easy way to rule out a puppy mill is to ask the breeder for a reference of someone who has actually been to the breeders facility or purchased a dog from them.
3. NEVER fall for the heart tugging ads you see on billboards and on TV by the animal shelter lobbies. Most people have no idea that the Humane Society of the United States is a powerful lobby with almost $200 million in assets and an annual budget in excess of $100 million. Very little, if any, of the money generated by unsuspecting donors actually ends up the local shelter or rescue. Lobbyists, slick lawyers, and advertising agencies, are all employed to create the appearance that the donations are going to a good cause. These groups will go to any length to convince lawmakers to give them tax-free status and funding. An Ohio veterinarian alerted us to this problem and told us that many wonderful purebred breeders have closed their doors because the effect the Humane Society lobby has done to their business. For more information, see https://www.humanewatch.org/the_humane_society_of_the_united_states_and_pet_shelter_giving/
4. NEVER assume online complaints to be true. It's not uncommon for an unsuspecting back yard breeder to approach us for a dog to breed to their mongrel or a purebred breeder who views us as competition. If we suspect from the beginning that an applicant is dishonest, we discard their application. ALL businesses on the internet that have any kind of traffic have to deal with the occasional buyer with anger issues and personality disorders. Retaliation is common. A whole industry has sprouted from online complaints and many of these unscrupulous companies profit by extorting money from business owners in order to take down defamatory information. Facebook and others actually advise anyone online to ignore them. When making decisions about a purchase from a dog breeder, always ask for references and speak with legitimate sources.
5. NEVER purchase a dog from a breeder who allows pups younger than 7 1/2 weeks of age to leave their mother.
6. ALWAYS seek an ethical breeder and don't be convinced by a breeder who will brag about their dog's trophies or blue ribbon show accomplishments. In our opinion, buyer beware if the breeder's focus is appearance.
7. Many breeders suffer from something called "kennel blindness" which means that the breeder is in denial about issues that appear in their breeding program. There are seventeen (17) known diseases distinct to the German Shepherd breed (White) in addition to issues of temperament like shyness and aggression. Buying a dog from a breeder in denial is like playing Russian roulette! An ethical breeder is a responsible breeder. They follow their dogs throughout the lifetime of the dog and alert owners to any issues that may appear. At a minimum, a good breeder will provide some health guarantees and back them up. Ask to review the breeder's puppy contract to find out!
8. If you manage to find an ethical breeder that passes the above "test", give yourself a pat on the back, then one to your new friend, because, my friend, you found an ethical breeder!
Thank you for taking this short minute to consider our advice. Do tell us if you've been to this page.
