Breeding and showing dogs
When I was in my 20’s I was very much involved in dogs and dog shows. I owned Chow Chows at the time but I admired many other breeds. One of my favorite pastimes was going to match shows, which are dog shows that are not sanctioned by the American Kennel Club. They are the equivalent to schooling shows in the horse world but only for dogs. The match shows were relaxed and just plain fun. No one was interested in “points” towards their championship just experience for their dogs and puppies.
It was at those match shows that many of the people that use to watch me show one or two of my dogs would ask about when is the next litter due. I would normally tell them that I don’t breed but after the demand for a puppy from one of my stud dogs grew so great that I broke down and bred one litter. Yes just one. My dogs had champion bloodlines but they were not champions.
I had the forethought of having each one of the puppies sold before they were even conceived. That would eliminate the prospect of dealing with puppies for sale ads, which I loathe. The normal size litter for a Chow Chow is 4-6 puppies. I had that many pre-sold and paid in full. Imagine my surprise when my female gave birth to 9 puppies! I had to find homes for 3 more pups.
My experience with interviewing prospective Chow Chow owners was not a good one. I met many flakes that did not know the first thing about obedience training or proper grooming for the Chow. Unfortunately the Chow Chow is one of those really cute puppies that don’t grow up to remain cute. They also have a very strong willed personality. After all they were used as fighting dogs in China at one time.
I am sure that many puppy buyers have also run across some flaky dog breeders at one time or another. One puppy buyer in the UK had such a bad experience with buying a puppy that they started up www.puppies-forsale.co.uk. . If you go to their home page you can read their story of how many wacky breeders they found.
Both selling and buying puppies is very much a hazardous venture. After that one litter, I never bred another dog again.
