Any breeders in northern CA?

[Roost400ex]

We have been looking for a puppy and I had my heart set on a beagle, that is until we met a woman in our local Petsmart who had a puggle. We instantly fell in love with it and went home to find out as much as we could about them. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any actual breeders in the area.

I've found www.Designerdoggies.com who happens to be located in Petaluma, but when I talked to the woman on the phone and some of the answers to questions I got made me a little uncomfortable. They seem to continually get a litter of pups in every week. Her pictures of puggles seem to be everywhere though.

I found another place in Windsor, www.firstclasskennel.com. I was able to visit the facility and see the puppies that they had from other breeds. From what I seen there and the answers to some of the questions we asked they seemed like an alright place, and they don't always have a particular breed available. But today when we picked up our dog from the vet I asked them if they've heard anything and one of the techs had a few negative things to say about them.

I'm so torn. Both of those places get their puggle pups from a breeder out of state, both seem to have good points, and both have red flags too. It seems so difficult to find someone that you can feel 100% confident in, and I don't want to support a possible puppy mill, broker, or someone who honestly doesn't have the animals best interests at heart. Is there anyone who knows of someone in the area that is a reputable breeder, or have bought a pup from either of these places and can vouch for them? Sorry for the wall of text.

[Jenlanger]

I live in Santa Rosa, CA and also had hard time finding a breeder.

Callie came from DesignerDoggies.com and her breeder is Rainey Creek Kennel (raineycreekkennel.com). I know one other lady in my training class got her fur baby Puggle from DesignerDoggies.com also. You can check out the breeders website and it might make you more comfortable. I also looked into First Class Kennel, but wasn't thrilled with their facility either.

If you want to pm me (or email me), I'm happy to tell you more about my experience with Chelle. She's awesome, and has 2 Puggles of her own. Let me know if you'd like more info.

[KentuckyPuggles]

Roost,
If you don't feel comfortable about a breeder, listen to your inner voice. It's usually right. I'm not being negative about a breeder I certainly don't know but if they get pups in weekly, chances are they're what is called a broker. That means they buy litters for resale. There are also breeders who band together to form a central company that sells their pups. Not all these satellite breeders and companies work alike though so just be careful. If you find your pup from either breeder cooperative or a broker, they should give you the name of the actual breeder in the event you want to visit or ask questions later. A broker won't know the parents or the family medical history which you might need at some point. Hopefully you'll get more great advice from this forum about breeders in your area but you may even look farther out for someone you feel comfortable with.

[Roost400ex]

Yeah, I hear that inner voice squaking at me frequently. I've done a lot of research into how to find a reputable breeder and how to identify a puppy mill. It just seems that using those criteria everyone looks suspicious. Then I couple that with a desire to be able to see the liter of pups in person before I take one home, (how terrible would it be to ship one in that hates you) it trims down the possibilities considerably.

[KentuckyPuggles]

I fully understand. I work with people everyday who have NEVER met me and I really work to justify their faith in me. Given today's times it's really hard knowing who to trust. That trust is also something a client has to prove to a breeder. People try to steal information, play scams with deposit money and even try to use stolen credit cards. I do recommend looking over a breeders website if they have one, talk to them via phone, get recommendations of previous clients (if they're reputable they won't mind sharing those), etc.

Always interview the breeder and you'll be able to tell those who are just full of bull and those who know what they're doing. You are bringing a pup or older dog into your home raised by someone else and it's your right to ask questions so ask as many as you need to feel comfortable. I understand your concern about a young pup not liking you but at the age a pup would be shipped (8 weeks) they're just eager to love and be loved back. If it makes you feel better, I've been breeding pups for years. The majority of my clients have their pups shipped and pick them from photos and video. I've never had anyone tell me they didn't bond with their pup. Depending on the breeders program you may be involved with your pup from conception so YOU already feel bonded to your pup. Most of the time a dog responds to your feelings towards them and if you already feel a bond before they get home, they know it.

Go with your gut and it may just be that you have to wait awhile. Your pup or older puggle is out there but he or she just may need to find you first.

[Roost400ex]

I really like how much you try to include the new family through the whole process. As well as how upfront and open you are with everything. That's very cool.

I got a response back from an email I sent to First Class Kennel and I was really happy with their answers. I actually asked them most of the questions you listed on the San Diego Meet Up board KP. They answered the questions very thoroughly and didn't come off short and offended that I was scrutinizing them and their breeders like other people I've talked to. Didn't seem like they tried to hedge around the questions or try to hide anything which was something else I really liked. I feel quite a bit more comfortable with the possibility of getting my puppy from them now. Only got another 3 weeks to wait!

[KentuckyPuggles]

Great! Sorry my reply is so late. I haven't been on the boards in awhile. Time flies sometimes. Well, it's obviously been 3 weeks so how is your little one? I'm really happy things worked out for you Roost!