File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
OK, my family may be getting another dog. A chihuahua puppy. We've had a chihuahua before, and we have three other dogs.

It is a gift to my mother, so my dad has been doing this unknown to her and until recently me.

He told me about the breeders he is seeing. They seem like they might be disreputable or backyard breeders. Here is all the info he gave me:

They are registered with the CKC, and are involved with two breeds, one of which are chihuahuas. Their house is messy but they seem like nice people. The four chihuahua puppies (aged about 16 weeks) were very friendly and taken well care of. The father seemed healthy. The mother was not seen. One of the puppies had abnormally long legs for a chihuahua.

The original price for a puppy was $425. My dad decided not to get one, since there is a problem with my grandmother worrying my mom now.

he assumed the puppies would be bought by now. The breeder called today and said that she was lowering the price since the puppies had not been bought yet- evidently her ad was removed from the paper? Now the price is around $300-325. This seems odd. She seems awfully desperate to sell them.

My dad is suspicious. He almost wants to get all the puppies, just to get them away from the possibility that the breeders are not good people.

He asked me to go see the breeder with him tomorrow. What questions should I ask them? How should I handle this? If they are disreputable, should we just walk away?
>> Anonymous
Wow, textbook BYB. They probably mean well, but with pet overpopulation being what it is and blah blah blah...

Well the pups will have to go somewhere, but whatever you decide, DON'T PAY for them. That'll only incourage these people. Perhaps you could tell the breeder, as tactfully as possible, that you'll take a pup off her hands but you don't feel like you should pay for an animal who doesn't have the propper healthy checks. Google up a list of chi genetic disease and take it with you.
>> Anonymous
NEVER buy animals out of pity! NEVER. You just end up supporting the mother fuckers who try to make money with breeding. If you want to be noble, go to an animale shelter.

If the puppys are in danger, inform the cops/ officials/ animale protection/ whoever has teh power in your region. They will (hopefully) take care of the problem.

Also: You don't want four sick, disabled or badly socialized dogs. You have no idea what costs and troubles would wait for you. One healthy puppy is work enough, one sick puppy is pretty straining, but four puppies from a bad breeder are just too much for normal humans.
>> Anonymous
>>214288here

PS: 16 weeks is pretty old. Usually you get a puppy with 8 - 9 weeks. Dogs have an important learning phase at this age and adjust nicely to you and your surrounding then.... So if you want a puppy, take a young one.

You have no idea if these Chihuahuas were socialized with different humans (children, old people, men with hats a.s.o.)/ other dogs/ noise/ jopggers/ bicycles/ the outside world. If they didn't see anything but the breeders home till now, they might turn into very nervous and instable dogs.
>> Anonymous
>>214288
Agreed agreed agreed. Well-meaning people often perpetuate problems by buying animals out of guilt from bad people. You need to work at stopping the source, not enabling it.
>> Anonymous
thanks guys, that was informative. wow, this board is hella nice.
>> Anonymous
How did it go?