# why is finding a ood breeder so hard



## prissybaby (Mar 25, 2005)

i have called possibly every breeder i have found and have visted two so far. one lady in her home had over 80-100 maltese scattered everywere which really worried me, is this normal?? or is this a bad sigh because they seemed healty and weren't in cages they had run of the house but i have never seen so many maltese in my life. i just want to find a beeder with akc papers a guarentee and someone who is a good breeder if anyone knows of anybody in ca please help me does anyone know how to reach doug larcher the breeder from newlyweds thanks
priscilla


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## saltymalty (Sep 14, 2004)

I would think that anyone who had that many malts (or any other animals) has a problem. I would run away from that "breeder" as fast as I could, then I'd call my local SPCA or Humane Society or Animal Control. I wouldn't hurt to be on the safe side. 

As far as finding a breeder goes, check out the AKC breeder's referral list. You can also try calling your local dog or kennel club. You can also check with a local vet to see who they may recommend. It took us about a year to find our pup. This is something you don't want to rush into. Taking time to find the right breeder and the right pup is worth it.


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## Sisses Momma (Dec 29, 2004)

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a DUCK!! Meaning, sounds like a backyard breeder to me. Run, don't walk away from them. We (unknowingly) got Sisse from a BYB (she "meant well" by breeding her male/female) so the female could have "just one litter". Luckily there were just 4 pups and they were ALL cared for very, very well and raised indoors (actually in her bedroom).

Stick to the breeders list, check out the USDA list and DON'T purchase from anyone on that list. There are others on the site that I am sure will jump in and give you suggestions as I am a new Momma myself and am still learning. Check out the local Humane society as well, sometimes Malts end up there and you could be giving a Malt a loving forever home!! Good luck in your search....


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## saltymalty (Sep 14, 2004)

I just came across your other post regarding looking for a breeder. I know it's hard, once you've made up your mind to get a puppy, to wait for the right dog and breeder, but please take my advice on this. You do not want to buy a dog on impulse. Talk to several breeders before you make any decisions. Please slow down and look carefully, you'll be happier in the long run. In the mean time, check out any local dog shows in the LA area. I am sure that there are going to be some coming up. That way, you'll have an opportunity to meet breeders who show their dogs. And if they don't have puppies available, they may know another breeder who does.


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## LexiAndNikkisMom (Apr 13, 2004)

Have you contacted the breeders on the American Maltese Association breeder's list? Those are usually pretty good breeders, but you would still want to question them. Before they become members they have to agree to a code of ethics


> Code of Ethics
> 
> 1. As a member of the American Maltese Association, I will breed to the ideals of the Maltese standard and will act in accordance to the objectives and purposes of the AMA. I will abide by and uphold the principles of the Club's Constitution and this code of Ethics.
> 
> ...


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## prissybaby (Mar 25, 2005)

yes i have and none of them have puppies ready until like next year so i'm trying to find someone else hehe. does anyone know who doug larcher is hes a breeder featured on newlyweds and i would ove to find him and contact him. thanks everybody








> _Originally posted by Lexi's Mom_@Mar 28 2005, 03:18 PM
> *Have you contacted the breeders on the American Maltese Association breeder's list? Those are usually pretty good breeders, but you would still want to question them. Before they become members they have to agree to a code of ethics QUOTE*


*



Code of Ethics

1. As a member of the American Maltese Association, I will breed to the ideals of the Maltese standard and will act in accordance to the objectives and purposes of the AMA. I will abide by and uphold the principles of the Club's Constitution and this code of Ethics.

2. I will keep alert for and endeavor to control or eradicate inherited problems that are particular to my breed. I will strive to screen my breeding stock for hereditary problems.

3. If any of my Maltese need to be euthanized, it will be done in a most humane manner by a veterinarian. It will not be done at a dog pound, humane society, or experimental lab, nor will they be left alive at any of these places.

4. I will provide adequate diet and exercise, and veterinary care and supervision during gestation, whelping and lactation.

5. I will not knowingly deal with dog wholesalers, retailers, or unethical dog breeders, not supply dogs for raffles, "give away" prizes, or other such projects.

6. I will keep accurate breeding and stud records as required by AKC.

7. My puppies will receive quality health care and nutrition. They will be handled regularly, properly socialized, and accustomed to human contact.

8. I will not sell a puppy before it has been given a veterinarian health examination and has received at least one inoculation against distemper, hepatitis and parvo. A puppy will remain in my possession until at least 12 weeks of age.

9. I will provide pet buyers with written details on feeding, general care and nutrition and a health record with data on veterinary attention.

10. I will provide limited registration on puppies sold as pets or have signed spay-neuter agreements.

11. I will not speak with dishonor of another member or seek to impair the reputation of another breeder. I will be courteous and helpful to people who contact me regarding dog information.

12. While staying in a hotel/motel during specialty shows and all-breed shows, I will obey the rules, regulations and policies pertaining to dogs. Upon proof of violations, I assume the risk of suspension from the AMA with a letter of grievance filed with the AKC recommending disciplinary action.

13. I understand that failure to comply with this Code of Ethics will subject me to possible suspension or expulsion from the AMA.

Click to expand...

*<div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=46893
[/B][/QUOTE]


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## LexiAndNikkisMom (Apr 13, 2004)

> _Originally posted by prissybaby_@Mar 28 2005, 03:00 PM
> *yes i have and none of them have puppies ready until like next year so i'm trying to find someone else hehe. does anyone know who doug larcher is hes a breeder featured on newlyweds and i would ove to find him and contact him. thanks everybody*


You could may be call some of the breeders further away. They might ship the puppy to you or you can fly to get it.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

80-100 loose dogs is not normal. Some larger Maltese breeders have up to 30 dogs and they rotate them in and out of kennels. They usually have kennel help or are home full time with the dogs. Usually a handful of dogs run loose at a time. However, even the kennels are kept in the house or indoors (attached sun room, bedroom, converted garage, basement, etc.). 

Most good breeders don't have a puppy available immediately. I would be warey of a breeder who always has puppies available.


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## HappyB (Feb 28, 2005)

> _Originally posted by prissybaby_@Mar 28 2005, 02:11 PM
> *i have called possibly every breeder i have found and have visted two so far. one lady in her home had over  80-100 maltese scattered everywere which really worried me, is this normal?? or is this a bad sigh because they seemed healty and weren't in cages they had run of the house but i have never seen so many maltese in my life. i just want to find a beeder with akc papers a guarentee and someone who is a good breeder if anyone knows of anybody in ca please help me does anyone know how to reach doug larcher the breeder from newlyweds thanks
> priscilla
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=46869*


[/QUOTE]

I did a search on Info Dog and got this email address for a Doug Larcher

[email protected]

Hope this helps you. His website had been disabled.


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## prissybaby (Mar 25, 2005)

thank you so much for finding that emai address/ hopefully ill find a good maltese breeder and have a new baby soon[







quote=LucyLou,Mar 28 2005, 07:22 PM]


> i have called possibly every breeder i have found and have visted two so far. one lady in her home had over  80-100 maltese scattered everywere which really worried me, is this normal?? or is this a bad sigh because they seemed healty and weren't in cages they had run of the house but i have never seen so many maltese in my life. i just want to find a beeder with akc papers a guarentee and someone who is a good breeder if anyone knows of anybody in ca please help me does anyone know how to reach doug larcher the breeder from newlyweds thanks
> priscilla
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=46869


I did a search on Info Dog and got this email address for a Doug Larcher

[email protected]

Hope this helps you. His website had been disabled.
<div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=46977
[/QUOTE]


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## charmypoo (Sep 11, 2004)

Sorry for getting back to you so late. I was very busy at work today. Did you try contacting all the breeders I sent you? They should be able to refer you to other breeders with puppies. Doug's pups are very beautiful and if you are interested, I could send you some photos of them. Since he has some Chrisman lines, I find his pups have very little or no staining. I think he is by the LA airport - not sure how far that is from you.

California has a lot of great Maltese breeders. They are all really nice


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## Furbaby's Mommie (Jul 10, 2004)

Isn't this Doug Larcher's website? Rijes Maltese


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## mee (Jul 17, 2004)

i live in CA and i would recommend my breeder, but she has all her 4 girl pups sold at the moment









goodluck finding ur puppy!!


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Frosty's Mom_@Mar 29 2005, 07:00 PM
> *Isn't this Doug Larcher's website? Rijes Maltese
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=47308*


[/QUOTE]

Wow, what a lovely web site. Most Maltese sites use waaaay too much black. This one is so refreshing and with such "clean" graphics. Charmypoo.... are you the Charmaine who designed this great site?


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## charmypoo (Sep 11, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Frosty's Mom_@Mar 29 2005, 07:00 PM
> *Isn't this Doug Larcher's website? Rijes Maltese
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=47308*


[/QUOTE]

No, Rijes Maltese is owned by Jeanne Haley. Doug does own Maltese bred by Jeanne though.


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## charmypoo (Sep 11, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Kallie/Catcher's Mom_@Mar 29 2005, 07:38 PM
> *Wow, what a lovely web site. Most Maltese sites use waaaay too much black. This one is so refreshing and with such "clean" graphics. Charmypoo.... are you the Charmaine who designed this great site?
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=47323*


[/QUOTE]

Yes, I did. Thank you very much







I am really trying to change the way "dog sites" are. I am not a fan of all the midi and inconsistent navigation.


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## prissybaby (Mar 25, 2005)

thank you all so much so far no one really has any maltese available and if they do they seem shady ahh this is so hard i just wish i had a new puppy now o wel il be patien but if any of you know of anyone please contact me [email protected]




> _Originally posted by CharmyPoo+Mar 29 2005, 09:01 PM-->
> 
> 
> 
> ...


No, Rijes Maltese is owned by Jeanne Haley. Doug does own Maltese bred by Jeanne though.
<div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=47336
[/B][/QUOTE]


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

> _Originally posted by CharmyPoo+Mar 29 2005, 09:03 PM-->
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes, I did. Thank you very much







I am really trying to change the way "dog sites" are. I am not a fan of all the midi and inconsistent navigation.
<div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=47337
[/B][/QUOTE]
Gotcha... Hope you can get ahold of lots more Malt sites!!! The music is just HORRIBLE!!!


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## puppylucy (Jan 8, 2005)

Amazing site Charmaine







It's beautiful. I love the way the colors just make it seem more.. open and welcome. If that makes sense. It's just soo much more appealing


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## JCButterfly (Mar 15, 2005)

I know it is both hard to be patient and to find a good breeder! I just went through the process myself and it was frustrating when I would find a breeder I was comfortable with, they had all the power. Since they were breeding for themselves first they wanted to wait about 3 months after the puppy was born to determine if they were going to keep one or all or make any of them available for sale, then at that point it was a "whoever calls first" type of arrangement, no one would take my name or number or anything like that.

I understand that they wouldn't have any trouble placing these puppies but I just wanted some more definitive answers. So I ended up paying more and traveling farther than i originally budgeted for but I'm very very happy with the results!


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## JustMe (May 5, 2004)

> _Originally posted by CharmyPoo_@Mar 29 2005, 09:03 PM
> *Yes, I did.  Thank you very much
> 
> 
> ...


[/QUOTE]

Charmaine,

My complements also on the site. I agree completely with your goals of improving the typical dog site. The site you did for Rijes is simple but elegent, just like good Maltese







I particularly dislike sites that play endless loops of midi music and sites that do all the funky cursor tails stuff.

I know how difficult it can be to come up with a good site design that will be attractive and easy to use. My first design for my sister Debbie's site (Jacob Maltese) was pretty lame (but then again I claim innocence due to the fact that I did that design based on the first site which was done by somebody whose only claim to web design expertise was that he had a copy of FrontPage!!!). My daughter Amanda who works professionally in web and graphic design helped me with the redesign of Debbie's site.

Of course the other important thing that makes a good site is the content. We've worked hard to provide a lot of good content at Debbie's site and plan to revise and add more on a continuing basis. Of course there's alway the updates as Maltese are added or dropped from the currently showing pages and as they gain their Championship status (we believe Dude will finish this weekend. He took a five point major today and there's two more days with the same dogs entered so he stands a good chance of getting his second major and earning a total of 16 points for his Championship.

Well, once again, great work on Jeanne's site.


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## charmypoo (Sep 11, 2004)

Hi Herb,
Content is a big issue for me. The problem I am facing is that people don't have content. You can't make a website without content and no one understands that. I can have a framework but how can I even come up with the site structure when I don't know what content we have!

I don't typically make little websites but part of my real job is the development and implementation of portals for big companies. I try to apply the same concepts - determine content, site stucture, usage patterns, tools etc.

I also struggle with coming up with cute yet functional sites. Another site I have designed is for Aria Maltese (www.ariamaltse.com). I am currently working on another site and I am just completely stuck on the design. I have to use the club logo which I am not very fond of and it is very difficult to incorporate.

Any suggestions? 

I did just hear about Dude's 5 pt major! Huge congrats to her. You did a wonderful job on her website and I liked the first one as well (don't be so hard on yourself). Amanda's site is very nice too. It's too bad we can't really use flash for Maltese site. Most breeders do not have flash installed.


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## JustMe (May 5, 2004)

> _Originally posted by CharmyPoo_@Apr 9 2005, 11:01 AM
> *Hi Herb,
> Content is a big issue for me.  The problem I am facing is that people don't have content.  You can't make a website without content and no one understands that.  I can have a framework but how can I even come up with the site structure when I don't know what content we have!
> 
> ...


[/QUOTE]

Charmaine,

Thanks for the kind words about Debbie's site...

I *will too* be hard on myself about the first version. The colors were totally funky. I was afraid to change the color scheme because that's what Debbie had originally and I thought she might be emotionally invested in that look... When I decided to do the redesign I asked Amanda to help me with color selection for the menu system. Instead she came back with basic design you see... I flew it past Debbie and she liked it a lot, so I used the overall look and feel Amanda suggested. Amanda did the graphic for the page header. The Maltese is Debbie's Gracie.

Yes, content is the crux of the matter. With Debbie it was fairly easy since I knew something about what she was doing. I've got another client who'se been dragging his feet for almost a year. He gave me the startup costs for the domain name and the hosting, pays for the hosting on a regular basis, whenever I bill him but keeps changing his mind about how he wants it to look and what he wants to say...

The club site, without seeing the logo I don't know. Perhaps use as small a copy as possible in the upper left corner using it as a link back to the home page, then do something nice with the header graphic to minimize the logo's presence?

Dude did great yesterday. Debbie said she thought he might pick up another win either today or tomorrow since the dogs were all the same... She hasn't called yet so I believe he didn't win today.


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## Carole (Nov 1, 2005)

My big pet peeve (no pun intended) with Maltese websites is so few keep them current.








You see a couple of sweet babies for sale and then look at the date and it is two years ago. :new_Eyecrazy:







:new_Eyecrazy:







:new_Eyecrazy:








or the champions being shown as their sires and dams were long ago retired...and the ones they are now using to produce their puppies aren't even up.








Or....you click the links to the pedigrees and get a broken link.


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## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

I spend alot of time "surfing" the different breeders web sites just to drool over their dogs. My "pet peeve" is how difficult it often is to determine where they are located. I can understand that they may be hesitant to give exact address' and phone numbers on their web sites but sometimes it seems like you can't even figure out (easily) what part of the country they are in. It would be so helpful if the home page would at least contain the city and state.


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## Carole (Nov 1, 2005)

> _Originally posted by puppymom_@Nov 19 2005, 05:37 AM
> *I spend alot of time "surfing" the different breeders web sites just to drool over their dogs.  My "pet peeve" is how difficult it often is to determine where they are located.  I can understand that they may be hesitant to give exact address' and phone numbers on their web sites but sometimes it seems like you can't even figure out (easily) what part of the country they are in.  It would be so helpful if the home page would at least contain the city and state.
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=121144*


[/QUOTE]

I'll agree with that peeve, too. On many (not all) Maltese sites you have to be a sleuth to figure out which STATE they are in. What's the secret for???? :new_Eyecrazy: 
I can't figure it out unless they feel they can bait some buyers that wouldn't otherwise come that far by doing that??? 

I also strongly disapprove of the sites that leave puppies up that were sold long ago as an enticement ...making you think that is the puppy(or puppies) that is up for adoption. Some make it clear that that isn't the puppy or puppies they are offering, but a sample of their puppies..... but many don't.









~carole and bella~


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## justcurious (Nov 16, 2005)

I just wanted to BUMP this message to the top -- it has great info. and comments that web site owners should consider.


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## miko's mommy (Feb 8, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Carole_@Nov 19 2005, 11:06 AM
> *I also strongly disapprove of the sites that leave puppies up that were sold long ago as an enticement ...making you think that is the puppy(or puppies) that is up for adoption.  Some make it clear that that isn't the puppy or puppies they are offering, but a sample of their puppies..... but many don't.
> 
> 
> ...


[/QUOTE]

I bet that lots of breeders just don't have time to update their websites. They figure that people will contact them for more information. Lots of people don't even know how to create/maintain websites. I have 8+ yrs of post high school education and I don't even know how to create and update websites.


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## Carole (Nov 1, 2005)

> _Originally posted by okw+Nov 19 2005, 02:53 PM-->
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I bet that lots of breeders just don't have time to update their websites. They figure that people will contact them for more information. Lots of people don't even know how to create/maintain websites. I have 8+ yrs of post high school education and I don't even know how to create and update websites.
<div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=121267
[/B][/QUOTE]

So true....You make good points. I do think that not knowing HOW to update their site IS probably the main reason the old information stays up....AND most breeders just spend most of their time busy caring for their fur angels. Lots of great breeders don't even have websites for just those very reasons.


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## cinders (Dec 7, 2005)

I have a question.....am I nuts or is $1000 to 1500 seem like a lot for a puppy (I found puppies that the breeders wanted 3500 to 4000 for)??? I understand that breeders want to make sure their dogs go to people that will take care of them and that normally if you pay that much for a puppy, you're going to take care of them. But if you aren't going to show them and you don't require show quality, why are they so much???
It took me FOREVER to find a puppy I could afford and Murphy was $650. The woman that bred him had too many other dogs and I took him because I fell in love with him and I couldn't leave him there. She really seemed to care about her dogs, but I called the Humane Society anyway just to be on the safe side. Her credentials said she was breeder of the year and she didn't sell to pet stores, but I got a bad feeling about the whole set up.


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