More on Petland
I have made it a practice to never shop at Petland because of their policy of selling from "pet producers." About six weeks ago I was looking for a stuffie in the shape of a fish to include in a Silient Auction basket (Theme: Fishing with Your Dog) to raise money fro public education efforts by the Clumber Spaniel Club of America. We have three or four different stuffed fish at home, all well loved and used by Buddy and Hadley. I could not find new ones anywhere so I decided to run into Petland and see if they had any, telling myself it would be okay this one time, since it was to raise money for a good cause. Of course, the puppy cages start right by the front door. As soon as I walked in, there staring at me were two sweet tri-color Cavaliers, probably about 12 weeks old. After looking to see that that they seemed to okay, not obviously ill or stressed, I turned around and left without looking for my "fish" stuffies (and then dreamed about the puppies that night and have continued to worry if they were still there).
I use the term "pet producers" as opposed to puppy millers because I think it describes all of those, whether they are big commercial establishments, backyard breeders, small "family" farms who breed puppies for the purpose of selling them and turning a profit (or sometimes as "pets" for their friends in the case of backyard breeders) and do so without sufficient knowledge of genetic health conditions, structure and temperament. They breed to "market" puppies while responsible, ethical breeders breed only after careful study of pedigrees for all these factors and with the goal of improving the breed. Fortunately, some of us are lucky enough to have the benefit of their efforts by being entrusted with one or more of their well-breed puppies.
Many of us on this Board have at some point purchased or adopted a dog without adequately investigating the breed or the breeder. It took me until my third pure bred dog before I did what I would qualify as good due diligence and a good job of screening for a quality breeder. However, once you get it, once you understand the very real differences between pet producers and ethical, responsible breeders, educating others about those differences can become a passion. For some there may be an element of snobbery, but for most of us it is a matter of caring for and wanting to be a guardian of the breed we love. So if we seem strident at times, hang in there and be patient. My guess is you will be there too the more you read and learn.
I could go on about this forever but work beckons. Take good care of your puppy. Educate yourself about the health issues you and Harley may face but do not focus on them so intently that you can not enjoy him. When others comment to you that they want one just like Harley, send them to the breeder referral lists for the American Cavalier King Spaniel Charles Club or the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club with the caveat that they still need to screen for those who are really up on genetic health issues, following the acceptable breeding protocols and doing adequate studies of structure and temperament. When purchasing a pure bred dog, patience is definitely a virtue. If they are lucky they will have the puppy in their lives for 12 to 14 years. The wait will be the right thing to do.
If you want a list of health issues to take to your Vet, you can go to the websites for the parent clubs and copy the health information and take it to him or her. The lists are not detailed but they are a good place to start. Just tell your Vet you are bringing the lists because you know how hard it is for him/her to keep up with health issues for over 165 + breeds of dogs and you hope he/she is not insulted. (If he or she is insulted, IMHO you need to go somewhere else.) The parent club websites are
http://www.ckcsc.org/ and
http://www.ackcsc.org/ (this site is being updated and the health information may not be there yet). There is also good information on this Board in the library and elsewhere.
Off my soap box,
