Yesterday I received a phone call from someone who got my contact details from the South Australian Canine Association.
I asked if she was interested in standard schnauzers, and she said she was. I asked the question because I have two breeds of pedigree dogs - standard schnauzers and pharaoh hounds. I am going to continue with pharaoh hounds well into the future, but I suspect our current schnauzer may be our last schnauzer.
I explained all of this and then let the person know I was more than happy to talk about schnauzers, because I love the breed. She told me she had just recently lost her dog, which died at the age of eight, which is too young, four years too young at least for the usual age at death for the particular breed her dog was.
I was sympathetic, and tried to be as empathetic as I could. I know how it is to lose a dog far too early, I've felt the same way. She was grieving and I gave her the chance to talk through her feelings. She wasn't sure if she was ready for a 'replacement' dog just now, but her husband could see her pain and felt a new dog would help her . I said that she was the person who knew the answer to the question on 'when', and that I was sure she would make the right decision.
We talked about dogs in our lives and I told her my thoughts on the best ways to raise a standard schnauzer to get the best companion dog possible. From talking to this person, I could feel that she truly loved dogs, and I told her that if I was still breeding schnauzers, she was the kind of person I would love to sell a puppy to, because that is how I honestly felt, after talking with her for a while.
Our conversation went for perhaps twenty minutes, we both enjoyed talking about dogs, and I passed on useful information to a potential schnauzer owner. Even though I am no longer a breeder of schnauzers, and not even currently a member of the SA Canine Association, I am still a responsible custodian of my chosen breeds.
It is my role to help people to get the best dog for their needs, and to get the best possible home for any puppy of my breeds. This is the kind of thing a good breeder does. The right home for the right puppy is far more important than any monetary considerations.
If you are buying a puppy from a registered breeder, do you feel that breeder would meet these standards? I'd love to discuss this matter here with other people.
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