Buying a Puppy?
- Thread starter Ivoryudx
- Start date
Annetteb
New member
Three years ago I found a breeder in my state over the internet. I had a Newf about 20 years ago and knew it was the breed for me. I have to say I was ignorant to some extent and thought I had made a good decision based on the breeder working for a vet. Their dogs have health clearances and health guarantee and lived in good conditions. I was laid off work for an extended time so it was a perfect time for me to spend bringing up a puppy. I have to say though that my decision was largely based on location and availability at that time. Now I feel I am very lucky to have a wonderful healthy (so far) girl that I wouldn’t trade for anything. That being said, over the last 3 years I have learned so much about Newfs and dog breeding (mostly from great people on NN and now Facebook too). I have a completely different view of dog breeders and how I would approach the decision about who to buy a puppy from in the future. I have already started checking into breeders for my next Newf and am also considering a rescue even though I know it will be at least a couple years down the road.
NewfieMama
New member
I found mine via the NCA regional listings. I spoke with many folks in the NE from those lists and I quite liked everyone I had contact with. I also appreciated that people took the time to "screen" me a bit even if they were not planning a litter but checked me out nonetheless before referring me to another breeder or two.
ETA I think it is important in 2012 for a breeder to have a good website that tells a bit about who they are, why they chose to breed, what they do with their dogs etc. Too many sites re-print the same So you think you want a Newf article and seem pretty dated and cookie cutter, or even cloak and dagger. Which is kind of funny considering how much personal info a breeder needs from me before being willing to sell me a pup. One site that stands out to me as having good content that gave me a sense of who the breeder is and why she loves Newfs is Kloofbear (and no she is not the breeder I got my dogs from).
ETA I think it is important in 2012 for a breeder to have a good website that tells a bit about who they are, why they chose to breed, what they do with their dogs etc. Too many sites re-print the same So you think you want a Newf article and seem pretty dated and cookie cutter, or even cloak and dagger. Which is kind of funny considering how much personal info a breeder needs from me before being willing to sell me a pup. One site that stands out to me as having good content that gave me a sense of who the breeder is and why she loves Newfs is Kloofbear (and no she is not the breeder I got my dogs from).
Last edited:
Sadiesmom
New member
i found our breeder on the ncne website..... i had contacted a few other breeders before her.... what i liked about our breeder was, she had us come meet her dogs and her before she had puppies.... almost every other breeder i contacted wanted a deposit to guarantee us a puppy, she never wanted a deposit and did not want any money dealings or discussing certain puppies until heart checks cleared.... our breeder has been wonderful... she has many years experience breeding and showing..... when we do get another puppy hopefully in a few months we will go back to our breeder for another....
blaue_augen
New member
I started looking for a breeder on the internet. I found the regional newfoundland club website and tried contacting all the breeders on there. While I waited I found another breeder online who lives nearby and visited. They had puppies and were ready to send one home with me that day. I wasn't comfortable in the end and we left sans puppy.
Of all the breeders on the regional club's site, only one had a website of her own. I did eventually talk to several of the breeders from the regional club's list (I was hesitant to call at first as I didn't want to bother people and prefer to email). As it turns out, we got Suki from the one breeder on the Newf club's list that had her own website (though the website was not the reason we chose her). The website did make it much easier to check pedigrees and to see what tests had been done.
Of all the breeders on the regional club's site, only one had a website of her own. I did eventually talk to several of the breeders from the regional club's list (I was hesitant to call at first as I didn't want to bother people and prefer to email). As it turns out, we got Suki from the one breeder on the Newf club's list that had her own website (though the website was not the reason we chose her). The website did make it much easier to check pedigrees and to see what tests had been done.
dumainedogs
New member
While not recent, Obie came to me from a breeder who has a website. But, it was not the website but a personal recommendation and tip from a fellow newf owner that prompted me to contact them. They are also on the NCA breeders list. I would not say he was purchased online. But, the website did give me the opportunity to learn a bit about them before I contacted them. I do see breeders websites as a double edged sword. As a society we've come to expect to be able to shop for and research anything online. Like anything else, you must be diligent about "vetting" the information you find on websites. For the uninformed, clearly the world of dog shopping online can lead to some awful decisions.
BoundlessNewfs
New member
We were totally "clueless" about choosing a breeder, when we picked the one we got Maggie and Lucy from. They had a nice website, said things that sounded right, and were nice folks when we met them. Their dogs were friendly and had free range of a large fenced yard around their home. It looked reasonable.
What we didn't know, was what a "good" newf should look and move like. We assumed theirs were "good" because they said so. Wrong. Maggie and Lucy both had multiple health issues.
I would not have traded my time with these dogs, as I feel they have blessed our lives, BUT, the next newf we get will be thoroughly researched through the proper channels, and not "found" on the internet.
What we didn't know, was what a "good" newf should look and move like. We assumed theirs were "good" because they said so. Wrong. Maggie and Lucy both had multiple health issues.
I would not have traded my time with these dogs, as I feel they have blessed our lives, BUT, the next newf we get will be thoroughly researched through the proper channels, and not "found" on the internet.
mulenag
New member
When we first wanted a Newf we turned to the newspaper classifieds. There is always puppies for sale there so it had to be the right place to go and since around here you don't see Newf pups in pet stores, the newspaper was our only option....so we thought. AKC Newfoundland puppies ready to go home in 8 weeks. $600. Jackpot!! And they were only 2 hours away. We got pick of the litter. Ahhhh...the things NN has taught me since then. We didn't know there was a such thing as good or bad breeders. This was a nice couple that had a male and female Newf and wanted a pup out of them for themselves. The pups were raised in their dining room and the parents looked healthy and clean. Ebony changed our lives in so many ways and I would never ever say, "I wish we would have kept looking for a better breeder".
It's all about education...I now know that "breeder" isn't a universal term and I never will open the classified section in search of a pup again.
It's all about education...I now know that "breeder" isn't a universal term and I never will open the classified section in search of a pup again.
2Paws
New member
Good topic for discussion Susan!!!! Actually my journey into purebreed x-large breed dogs didn't start with the newfies. It started with Saint Bernards. 1970, and we bought our puppy from an ad in the classifieds. Purebreed, AKC, both parents on site for $75.00 I was 18 and didn't know anything about health checks. In my mind AKC meant these were good healthy puppies.
Went to see them and yup, there was the mom and dad and they certainly looked like Saint Bernards and the puppies were adorable. We came home with Samson and he was awesome.
When Samson was 6 months old, he started crying when he would try to get up from laying down or if anyone touched him on the hips. I took him to our regular vet who thought I was dealing with hip displastia. He recommended I take Samson to another vet who was doing more with that disease. We got x-rays and I got a crash course in hip displasia. To summarize things Samson's hips were very, very bad. I saw the x-rays and on one side the femur head was not even in the socket. The other side wasn't much better. Poor boy just didn't have a chance and would have been crippled before he was a year old.
Our only option was hip surgery or to put him down. This vet wanted me to talk to a couple who had gone through the hip surgery with their Saint before we made that decision. So we visited with this very nice couple who introduced us to their beautiful Saint who had a very hard time walking. They were very honest with us and descibed how grueling the recovery time was and how their boy is still in a lot of pain and can't get around very much. Remember this is 1970 and they did things very differently back then.
This couple told us that if they had to do it again, they would have put their dog down instead of putting him through that surgery. They didn't feel the surgery improved his way of life very much.
We made the painful decision to put Samson down. It broke my heart to end this beautiful 6 month old puppy's life because of very poor breeding with no regard to health. It still haunts me to this day but Samson's life was not in vain. That puppy taught me a very valuable lesson.
My vet gave me the name of a Saint breeder that was serious about fighting hip displasia. He told me they would ensure I got a healthy puppy when I was ready. I eventually met these breeders and they became good friends over the years. They taught me so much about their breeding program and why they made the decisions they did in their breeding program. They introduced me to the dog show world and the husband ended up being a Saint Bernard judge. Most importantly they showed me how important the relationship is with a breeder when purchasing a purebreed dog.
I ended up getting two Saints from them who were beautiful healthy companions that helped me raise my children.
Fast forward this story to 2003 when I was ready to add a newfoundland to my life. I wanted to have the same very positive experience with a newfie that I had with my last two Saints and their breeders.
I researched the breed on-line and learned what their health issues were. I checked out severeal breeders' internet sites. I also check out the national club's breeders' list and a few Regional clubs' breeders' list.
By the time we were ready to add a puppy, I had met my breeder, checked out her kennels and felt like we had clicked. Benson was my first newfie and he did such a good job at being a newfs and was such a joy to have around that we ended up adding four more newfies in our lives. My first breeder is still a very good friend of mine.
All I can say is do your research and even if everything looks good but doesn't feel right, walk away. I hope no one goes through the heartache I did with my first Saint Bernard.
Went to see them and yup, there was the mom and dad and they certainly looked like Saint Bernards and the puppies were adorable. We came home with Samson and he was awesome.
When Samson was 6 months old, he started crying when he would try to get up from laying down or if anyone touched him on the hips. I took him to our regular vet who thought I was dealing with hip displastia. He recommended I take Samson to another vet who was doing more with that disease. We got x-rays and I got a crash course in hip displasia. To summarize things Samson's hips were very, very bad. I saw the x-rays and on one side the femur head was not even in the socket. The other side wasn't much better. Poor boy just didn't have a chance and would have been crippled before he was a year old.
Our only option was hip surgery or to put him down. This vet wanted me to talk to a couple who had gone through the hip surgery with their Saint before we made that decision. So we visited with this very nice couple who introduced us to their beautiful Saint who had a very hard time walking. They were very honest with us and descibed how grueling the recovery time was and how their boy is still in a lot of pain and can't get around very much. Remember this is 1970 and they did things very differently back then.
This couple told us that if they had to do it again, they would have put their dog down instead of putting him through that surgery. They didn't feel the surgery improved his way of life very much.
We made the painful decision to put Samson down. It broke my heart to end this beautiful 6 month old puppy's life because of very poor breeding with no regard to health. It still haunts me to this day but Samson's life was not in vain. That puppy taught me a very valuable lesson.
My vet gave me the name of a Saint breeder that was serious about fighting hip displasia. He told me they would ensure I got a healthy puppy when I was ready. I eventually met these breeders and they became good friends over the years. They taught me so much about their breeding program and why they made the decisions they did in their breeding program. They introduced me to the dog show world and the husband ended up being a Saint Bernard judge. Most importantly they showed me how important the relationship is with a breeder when purchasing a purebreed dog.
I ended up getting two Saints from them who were beautiful healthy companions that helped me raise my children.
Fast forward this story to 2003 when I was ready to add a newfoundland to my life. I wanted to have the same very positive experience with a newfie that I had with my last two Saints and their breeders.
I researched the breed on-line and learned what their health issues were. I checked out severeal breeders' internet sites. I also check out the national club's breeders' list and a few Regional clubs' breeders' list.
By the time we were ready to add a puppy, I had met my breeder, checked out her kennels and felt like we had clicked. Benson was my first newfie and he did such a good job at being a newfs and was such a joy to have around that we ended up adding four more newfies in our lives. My first breeder is still a very good friend of mine.
All I can say is do your research and even if everything looks good but doesn't feel right, walk away. I hope no one goes through the heartache I did with my first Saint Bernard.