I recently saw a post on FB from a person offering to help others find a dog or puppy from a responsible breeder or a qualified rescue.
While I admire their passion, this is a can of worms no one wants to open.
First off, if someone is not capable to find a dog from either of those sources on their own, are they qualified to own a dog at all? Owning a dog is a serious responsibility that takes a great deal of dedication. If someone cannot devote the time and brain cells to find a quality source for a canine companion that will share their home and life for the next 10-15 years, what is the likelihood they will spend the time and gain the knowledge needed to make the relationship a good one that does not end with rehoming their no longer compatible companion?
We should not enable anyone to own a dog that is not properly suited to have one. And suitability starts with knowledge you took the time to acquire. While it might be a success story for a few people that obtain outside help, chances are more favorable it won’t end happy ever after. Many people do not take care of things they did not have to invest anything into and asking someone else to do it for them is dropping the most important ball into someone else’s lap they can blame later for the mistake that now lives in their yard.
Another concern is how does anyone know who is a good breeder in every possible breed, no one can have that big of a network or experience and every breed is different and has special health, care and suitability concerns that only breed deep people will be aware of.
Making a recommendation on where to get a puppy or dog leaves you open to an incredible risk and backlash from disappointed owners, and it will happen.
While it is a noble effort to want to help people find a great companion, no dog is perfect, nor is any owner and trying to match them up is a monumental task that is best left to the person wanting the companion dog, because something you worked for is always more treasured than something you asked someone else to do. Because anything worth doing, is worth doing yourself.
I am not qualified to help anyone find a good dog rescue, you‘ll have to do that research yourself if that is where you prefer to get a canine companion from.
I can however help you recognize a GREAT Mudi breeder. These points below apply to the Mudi breed, because I am a Mudi person. For other breeds you will have to do breed specific issue investigation yourself as I am not qualified to give that. Look for these things listed below in a Mudi breeder and your chances of getting a good Mudi will greatly improve, but you should know that every Mudi is different, this is not a cookie cutter breed and there are no guarantees. This list in not in any particular order and is MY personal list of what I think a good breeder is/does. You should make a priority list of what you consider to be important BEFORE you contact any Mudi breeder and do not compromise for any reason, there is a breeder out there that can tick all of your boxes, however patience is absolutely necessary, as all Mudi pups are adorable and quick to steal your heart. However waiting for the right Mudi puppy will be the best gift you can give yourself.
1) The Mudi breeder does health tests and shows the results via the actual certificates and/or allows them to be made public on the testing facility site (such as OFA, FKK) on ALL of their breeding Mudis/parents of the puppies: they must have orthopedic test results for: hips and patellas, extra points for elbows and spine; a recent eye exam like CERF or from a certified eye vet is also a must. Extra points for DNA testing with Embark or Wisdom and/or other canine genetics labs and the results are public on the testing facility website, although full DNA panel screening is quickly becoming a must have. Extra points for thyroid and heart screening.
2) Herding instinct test pass
3) Temperament test pass
4) Sport or performance results, for me this is only extra points because the vast majority of super sport star Mudis did not come from super sport star parents – they achieved what they do because of their owner, not their genes, although being a Mudi does help as it is a very versatile and talented breed when it comes to sports and activities
5) Breeding exam (Hungary) or conformation show results indicating the breeding dogs have proper dentition for the breed which is all the teeth and a scissors bite; in males two descended testicles; these can also be certified by vets
6) The breeder gives a pedigree, whether you want one or not – meaning they pedigree ALL of their puppies, all of the time and through a recognized international kennel club such as FCI, AKC, or CKC
7) The breeder does not sell puppies to just anyone and certainly not to puppy traders or pet shops
8) The breeder does their best to meet your wishes for sex and color, but ultimately matches the personality of the puppy to your purpose for the puppy
9) Prices are not based on sex or color
10) The dogs being used in breeding were NOT bred before they were 2 years of age
11) The puppies are not placed before 7.5 weeks of age, they have had age appropriate vaccinations and have been wormed several times
12) The breeder allows you to feed the type of food you want to feed – it is not contract dependent
13) The breeder does not insist you spay or neuter your puppy before two years of age
14) The breeder gives you other puppy owners contact information or their owners are visible on FB or other forums that you can contact and ask about their experiences, but of course the breeder will not give you unhappy owners to talk to, so this is also something you have to investigate for yourself – google is a fantastic tool for this
15) Google the breeder – you can learn a lot by doing that
16) The breeder allows you to visit their home and the puppies and their Mudis
17) The breeder will tell you about temperament and health issues in the breed and in their lines, for example epilepsy, it does occur in the Mudi breed and in every kennels lines – no breeder can guarantee a puppy will not become epileptic – a good breeder will be honest about this and tell you how they try to avoid producing epilepsy in their litters; if a breeder tells you they do not have epilepsy in their lines they are not being honest, this is not a breeder you want a puppy from
18) A COI from a reputable source is given and it is preferably below 10-12% (Co-efficient of Inbreeding – how related are the parents of the litter to each other); if the COI is higher than 12.5% they should tell you why they chose to make the litter – what was the reason behind the creation of this litter that outweighed the high COI; I can give you an accurate COI if you want to double check they were giving a correct one and I give free COI’s to anyone that asks free of charge
19) It was a planned litter, it was not an accident
20) The breeder plans to keep a puppy for themselves, THIS speaks volumes, they are not breeding simply to make $, but to have a puppy for themselves – this means the breeder has faith in that litter and they hope it will be worthy of breeding further
21) This is not a many times repeated breeding of the same parents – repeating an identically parented litter more than 2 times is not good for the breed unless the litter size was very small each time
22) The breeder does not always have a litter of Mudi puppies to sell, more than 2-3 Mudi litters a year is a sign that other less honorable objectives may be behind puppy production
23) The breeder does not have more than two breeds they reproduce, extra points to breeders that only breed Mudi’s as the chances for an accidental cross breeding are greatly reduced
24) Litters are spaced out at a two, or more year interval from any female, a good breeder waits to see how the previous litter develops before making more pups from that line and that takes about 2-3 years
25) The breeder will take back any puppy they bred or help you to rehome it should you not be able to keep it longer
26) The breeder does not have too many dogs at home and does not keep them in kennels or runs, they live like members of the family in the home
27) Puppies are born and raised in the home, not a barn or kennel
28) Puppies are given socialization and enrichment from birth, extra points for ENS and/or Puppy Culture, and other proven puppy raising practices
29) The breeder gives a contract
30) A health guarantee is good, but practically un-enforceable, and no breeder can realistically guarantee a puppy will be healthy for its lifetime, no one can see into the future; while a replacement puppy might sound nice, would you really want one from this breeder? A $ refund is a more suitable option as it can help to pay for health care expenses or another puppy from any other source
31) Puppies are microchipped, pedigreed and given EU Passports in Europe at no extra cost
32) DNA verified parentage on the litter has been done
33) Surely there are other concerns, but these are the most critical items to look for
Great dogs are made, not born. The bigger cause of your dog’s success depends on you. So, if you are not willing to put the time and knowledge in to find, and then make the dog you get great, then choose another type of pet that is less demanding.
Bringing a dog into your life is a big commitment, make sure you get your future companion from a reputable source. Avoid retail rescues and breeders that do not have the future of their breed as their main goal. Everyone that truly wants to share their life with a dog deserves the best one they can find, don’t settle for less. Research is the first step of the adventure with your new companion, be sure to experience and enjoy every phase of the journey yourself! You won’t regret it, and neither will your dog.
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