Breeders, have you been asked for referrals?

Question

I have a prospective puppy buyer here whom I have been emailing, answering questions, giving her my opinions. She saw one of my dogs and wants to buy a pup from me next litter. She wants "some references of people that I have worked with over the past few months." I can give her training/club/peer references, plenty of them. I have never been asked this before. How would my puppy buyers feel about this? Of course, I won't give their number out w/o contacting them first. I know of 2 off the bat that would love to brag to her, but I don't feel that's their responsibility. I just don't know. I guess if someone asked me that, I'd be happy to, I just feel funny calling them and asking to talk to her. ???

Answer 1

I havent had a leftover puppy in probablly 20 years, and I DO NOT give out other peoples names & phone numbers. IMHO that is an invasion of their privacy. Everything a buyer needs to know is available on the AKC web site. You can look up the OFA & CERF numbers, the show records of both parents, and even look up that of any previous litters produced by the two parents. If you have been around the block a few times you can even see what judges the parents titled under.

Answer 2

A responsible breeder should have absolutely no problem giving references out when asked, actually they should offer references even if not asked.

Not everything someone needs to know is on the AKC site..it may list winnings, etc but it doesn't give vet reference, reference from past buyers, etc.
I have been involved in purebred dogs for many, many years this includes breeding. I am also a member of various clubs and am friends with many breeders. IMO if a breeder will not give references they aren't someone I would want to buy from...it tells me that they potentially have something to hide. I've been a reference for a Dane breeder and when i bred cats 7 dogs I also had people I used as references and gave the ok to my vet as well. . Breeders usually ask first if it's ok to use someone as a reference and they also let the vet know it is ok to give out basic info as to health of dogs/puppies to potential buyers. A breeder when using someone as a reference doesn't give out address only phone# and/or e-mail address. References are a sign of a responsible breeder .

Answer 3

All this time that breeders have been asking for everything but a blood sample from buyers, we are now just finding out that can work both ways. So many times I have seen websites ask for the referral of a veterinarian for someone wanting to buy a puppy. I wonder why people think that someone who does not yet have a dog has a veterinarian. I also always wondered what vet would not give a good referral after all they would want the client to have a new patient. LOL I feel your pain, I have no idea how I would feel asking people who had a puppy from me to talk to someone looking for one. That might worry me, what if they felt I was asking them to do my marketing, or advertising? All kinds of things could develop, who knows. But another question is if the buyer is that leery of buying a puppy that they want to turn every stone, are they going to be a good home or overly anxious about the dog? Are they going to complain if it looks at them funny and think something is wrong with it? Are they acting overly anxious? Tough call, but I really think that when people started to get so hard to buy from, they were asking for trouble, not from simple requests for referrals, but all the other anti breeding nonsense that has developed

Answer 4

Hi. I raise chihuahuas and I have had people ask for references and I have people who willingly give a reference for me, including my vet and the others that work at the vet's office. If someone there asks where to find a reputable Chihuahua breeder, my vet and the office staff always refer them to me. There is another vet that I use sometimes that has bought 2 of my pups, and are very happy with them. Most of my puppy buyers are people who have been referred by happy owners of my pups, or repeat buyers who come back for a second or third pup.

Answer 5

Asking for a reference as a pet buyer is a sign of someone who is looking for a decent person to buy a pet from -not someone who is overly anxious. I hope everyone asks for a reference - try not to take it personally it's just that there are a lot of "interesting" folks trying to sell dogs that perhaps should be doing something else. As a breeder I would also encourage you to ask your buyers for references or at least ask who their vet is.

Answer 6

I was the reference for a breeder - I had no problem with phone # (Im in the book) or e-mail but felt a tad funny about street addy (are they gonna show up at my door?) till I recalled its a piece of cake to find it for anyone who shows dogs (Its in every show catalog!). Now to be honest - we left it for the puppy buyer to contact ME - they never did (did take a pup though).

Answer 7

I'm not a breeder, but I purchased one of my dogs from a breeder. We asked to talk with owners and she was happy to supply me with references immediately. We wouldn't have purchased from her if she hadn't.

I look at it like this - I've asked for references for many things I've purchased. This is a LIFETIME commitment. Why wouldn't you give them this information? I'm also surprised you feel weird asking some of your parents. We write to our breeder constantly 4 years later - sending pictures (and I'm now heavily involved in rescue) updates and telling her how her baby is.

Just my opinion.