Rare breed purebred dog, or craigslist puppy?

[LauraO]

I don’t think it’s as bad as the title suggests.

My very, very elderly Aussie x something like malamute x maybe GSD - is heading towards the end. Last visit, the Vet kindly had a talk with us about planning euthanasia. There is nothing wrong with him that would be terminal, but he’s on 4 different drugs for pain management of arthritis and he’s having a hard time in multiple ways.

I have been looking for, and actively putting in a few puppy applications for a Chinook puppy. (link for those curious: http://www.chinook.org/ ). There are not that many Chinooks in the universe, so it could take a while.

However, I was browsing this week through the local craigslist, searching for ‘Australian Shepherd’ and not expecting to find anything, when I found a litter of Australian Shepherd X Husky puppies. I have always thought Harley (my dog) is a stunning critter, and has the best softest plushy coat. This cross, advertised on craigslist has a good probability of having a similar coat / look at adulthood, which is why it’s tempting for me.

Tell me I should wait, having an old dog and a puppy at the same time, with my other middle aged dog will be crazy. Tell me that the next dog should be NOTHING like my current. Tell me that a well bred puppy from an experienced and responsible breeder is hands down better…

Photos of my old dog closer to his prime:

http://s74.photobucket.com/user/catriona232/media/DogHistory/HarleyBeach1.jpg.html

and a link to another:

http://s74.photobucket.com/user/catriona232/media/DogHistory/DSCF1919.jpg.html

ScreenCap of the craigslist ad:

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13693007_1152936721414831_6422095049844811773_o.jpg

[Bluey]

I get the puppy, on the old, " … bird on hand" advice.

Being as it is the same cross you already know you like in your dogs.

What a cute puppy!

[Simkie]

Those ARE adorable puppies! But I can see a Australian Shepard x Husky being a challenge?

Personally, I am all about as many “known” quantities as possible in my dogs. I want to know that the parents were nice dogs to be around, and were trainable. I want to know that they’ve been through all their health testing and certifications. I want to know that someone spent time thinking about the pairing and found something worthwhile in bringing the sire and dam together. I want the sire and dam and the other dogs in the pedigree to have been tested in some way and proven themselves–be it in the breed ring or elsewhere.

I am very willing to pay for all of those known quantities, and wait quite some time for a puppy with all of those known things to come up.

That’s not important to some other people, and they’re happy just looking at the dog in front of them and making a decision with that info yay or nay.

Rare breed with all of those known quantities or mixed breed puppy off of craigslist comes down to what kind of dog person you are

[2tempe]

Well, Enabler here: I’d go with the craiglist puppy.

first, I’m a mixed breed fan, and in this case it sounds like the parents are both known, which is more than can be said about many mixes.
second, it sounds like these puppies have been well tended and thus are healthy

I don’t know how crazy it will be with three, but actually I think better for your old guy that a middle aged dog is there to take the brunt of puppyhood.

I will say “It will not be the same as your old dog”. But it will distract you from the big hole he will leave when he’s gone. They are darn cute!!

[Perfect10]

Don’t get the puppy. Think how hard it will be on your elderly dog. Wait until he passes. I’m sure there will be another craigslist litter of the same mix, or you can get your Chinook.

[Laurierace]

My puppy perked up my middle age dog and he ended up living another 7 years. Only you can answer that question but as long as your dog is dog friendly in general and you have a way to give the older dog some space where he can get away if he wants to I don’t see the harm.

[stellaroo]

Puppies sometimes bring out youth in old dogs. Get the puppy.

That also ensures that at least one of those back-yard bred dogs will have a great home.

[S1969]

I would probably wait for both reasons - I got a puppy when my old dog was 14 (he turned 15 in April) but he is not “elderly elderly” and not on any pain meds. And I had 2 other dogs, so I was able to redirect puppy energy away from my old guy. That said, the puppy (now 12 months old) sometimes still gets too rambunctious for my old guy and I have to separate them and/or supervise.

Secondly, I personally would be unwilling to support a “breeder” that breeds mixes and sells them on Craigslist with no health testing. Of course the puppies are cute - all puppies are. And, before someone says it, this is not an “oops” litter since the person owns both the unspayed bitch and the unneutered dog. Not an accident.

Whether you go with a Chinook or not, I would still seek out a breeder that at least conducts pre-breeding health screenings.

[Sswor]

I, too, like crossbred dogs. I think watching them grow up is fun and exciting. They are all completely unique. You get an idea of what to expect from their parent breeds but the finished product is one-of-a-kind.

Your senior dog is magnificent! I can understand wanting to duplicate that to some extent. That said–you sure about the husky cross? You might end up chasing that critter across 4 counties in it’s lifetime. Escape artists and runners, they are. I had one, who too was magnificent, and such a wonderful dog, but man-o-man did he have the wanderlust. I vowed no more husky crosses in my lifetime.

If you’re ok with the Husky part–do it. Those dogs need homes too, and what better home then yours?

[LauraO]

Well, I don’t know anything about the breeder of these mixed breed puppies. Maybe it’s an ‘ooops’ litter, maybe it’s not. Maybe they don’t believe in neutering their dogs, and thought the could keep them separated.

Anyway, none of these little mixed breed puppies is in any danger of not finding a home, they are cute, fluffy, and colorful - people will want them. There is also every probability that at least one will show up in a shelter or on craigslist, or dumped with a ‘friend’, once it’s 7+ months old, over 50 lbs, has had no training, lived outside on a chain, and the people just don’t know what to do with it, and it doesn’t look like a teddybear anymore. (That was my old dog’s story btw).

I’ve had both mixed breed cast offs and purebred cast offs. All nice dogs, generally healthy and long lived. I’ve never had a puppy, and I feel like at 44, I’m plenty old and experienced enough to get a puppy and screw it up less than my cast off dogs were screwed up when I got them.

I do really like the Chinooks as a breed. I feel like I’ve done the research with them: gone to the dog show, talked to anyone who would talk to me with a breed I might be interested in, interacted w/ their dogs, and decided Chinooks, as a breed, were most likely to have the personality that would fit best, and still tick the box of: large, fuzzy, has a tail and ears. I went to the Western Chinook Picnic and met even more of them, and some owners too. Still had the same opinion. And I went to the dog show the next year, talked again to anyone who would talk to me, with a breed that I might even be slightly interested in, and still Chinooks stood out, for me.

But I feel a little lost when I send applications and don’t really get much response back. There are maybe 30 to 50 people in the country breeding Chinooks. There are fewer than 2000 individual animals total in the universe. And only about 10 of those breeders are in the Western US (Within long distance driving for me). I’m socially awkward and paranoid enough to wonder if I said something wrong on an application and I’m just black listed from the whole breed and no one is telling me! That’s very likely untrue, and much more likely that there are just waiting lists and because I want a non-breeding, non showing, only casually competing in dog sports male, instead of a breeding female that I’m pretty low on everyone’s list. I just wish someone would say that, then I could plan accordingly. I’m going to attend the picnic this year again, and just ask point blank in person of at least one breeder if there is anything wrong with my application.

If this craigslist puppy breeder starts responding to texts again, I may go look at his or her puppies. I dunno, the timing isn’t perfect. They don’t seem that responsive, and they don’t seem really interested in answering questions. But maybe they’re just surprised that I’m not one of the: OMG! SO CUTE GOTTA HAVE IT, buyers, and I want at least ask a few questions before I drive out to look. Cause we all know what happens when we go to ‘just look’.

[S1969]

If you like the breed, I’d join the Chinook Club of America…It’s $20.

http://www.chinookclubofamerica.org/

I think you would get a lot more feedback from people if you appeared to be someone that was invested in the breed and taking your time making a decision on selecting a breeder. You may also be able to find a mentor that might be able to help you connect to a breeder - there is a “contact us” section - and you might be able to ask more there.

(Maybe you’ve already done this though.)

Interesting that their 2016 National Specialty is being held near me, at the show venue I show at most often.

[Sswor]

May well be that breeders of rare, exotic sled dogs are not interested in pet-only buyers because they perceive sled dogs as making abysmal pets. OP sounds like a great home for any dog but these Chinook breeders may be more opinated on the issue. They may hear pet home and formulate an immediate “no”.

[LauraO]

[QUOTE=Sswor;8760579]
May well be that breeders of rare, exotic sled dogs are not interested in pet-only buyers because they perceive sled dogs as making abysmal pets. OP sounds like a great home for any dog but these Chinook breeders may be more opinated on the issue. They may hear pet home and formulate an immediate “no”.[/QUOTE]

And really, this would be fine, if someone said so in that many words. I’d think it would suck, but I’d be unlikely to go on any big internet rants about it, I’d move on. Also, they actively promote the breed as companions, not really suited to being kennel dogs and needing the company of humans and making very good pets, so I don’t think that’s it.

It’s slightly more likely, that with low numbers in the breed, they want folks who are interested in increasing the numbers and the genetic diversity. And I’m totally willing to talk about keeping a male dog intact, collecting semen and freezing it for potential future use. I’m just not really in a position to sign any sort of contract on a female dog promising to breed her and raise a litter if she passes health checks. Raising a litter of puppies is hard and expensive to do right.

[Sswor]

I’ve not really found that purebred dog people have any interest in expanding the numbers of their breed of choice. Seems the prevailing attitude is to keep the breed and breeding within a very close-knit community. Purebred breeders like to promote the breed, of course, but not really expand it. Keeping the breed rare is, to some extent, beneficial to the existing breeders.

[LauraO]

[QUOTE=S1969;8760568]
If you like the breed, I’d join the Chinook Club of America…It’s $20.

http://www.chinookclubofamerica.org/

I think you would get a lot more feedback from people if you appeared to be someone that was invested in the breed and taking your time making a decision on selecting a breeder. You may also be able to find a mentor that might be able to help you connect to a breeder - there is a “contact us” section - and you might be able to ask more there.

(Maybe you’ve already done this though.)

Interesting that their 2016 National Specialty is being held near me, at the show venue I show at most often. :)[/QUOTE]

Well, I have not joined the club, seems silly if I don’t own a member of the breed. But I have gone to their big picnic, so I feel like I at least tried. And I’m going to try again this August. I, personally, am not that good at turning strangers in to friends. I’m sort of afraid of talking to people. It’s a personality flaw.

You should go to their specialty - While I think the breed is pretty enough, I know others might find them fairly plain. But they do really shine in personality.

[red_mares]

Honestly, how close is the old dog to checking out? If the writing is clearly on the wall, go for the puppy.

I got a kitten after one old cat died in large part because I didn’t think the other one would be far behind her. The life with a little kitty is a bit rough on the old cat, but right now she shows no signs of departing this life, especially since she just got her teeth done. Now I’m debating when to get the second kitten - put my order in now or wait until old cat kicks the bucket?

[S1969]

[QUOTE=Sswor;8760624]
I’ve not really found that purebred dog people have any interest in expanding the numbers of their breed of choice. Seems the prevailing attitude is to keep the breed and breeding within a very close-knit community. Purebred breeders like to promote the breed, of course, but not really expand it. Keeping the breed rare is, to some extent, beneficial to the existing breeders.[/QUOTE]

I don’t agree with this.

I think what most purebred owners/breeders and breed clubs want is breeders that breed responsibly and well…not just let dogs reproduce. There are many breeders of my breed; but there are not as many breeders that breed responsibly, to the standard, health test, and title their dogs. There is infinite room for breeders who want to do that - but not so much tolerance to people that just want to sell puppies.

People looking to title their dogs do not want them to be “rare” – but they certainly don’t want population explosions due to things like the 1001 Dalmations movie, etc. Rare breeds are difficult for a lot of reasons - they are hard to put titles on, and they are hard to breed because of small gene pools. But, I think breed clubs would prefer those challenges to the ones other “popular” breeds have faced throughout history.

[cloudyandcallie]

I think your old dog is great! I’ve owned 7 purebred aussies who were all wonderful. But I met a 1/2 aussie who was owned by a guy who did repairs on my house in Atlanta, and that dog was as smart as my purebreds. I don’t like craiglists for sales, as it perpetuates bad dog breeding, but if this was an accidental breeding and the dogs are cheap or free, then if you want the dog, get it. I learned with dogs and cats and horses not to expect the new one to replace a great old one. Some were as good and some were not.

As for chinooks,glad to see they are still around. Many years ago I read in Yankee magazine about chinooks. Then at a murder scene in Atlanta I found a great puppy who had beautiful brown eyes and gorgeous fur. I brought him home to my 2 aussies (he was not involved in the murder of the 91 year old woman by her neighbor in 1984) and Chadwick was called a chinook because of his looks. He was a great dog. Everyone who met him wanted hair that color. So I totally think if you want a chinook, buy one. The real ones, not like my doppelganger.

Sorry that your old dog is getting near the end. They never live long enough.

[cloudyandcallie]

[QUOTE=Sswor;8760624]
I’ve not really found that purebred dog people have any interest in expanding the numbers of their breed of choice. Seems the prevailing attitude is to keep the breed and breeding within a very close-knit community. Purebred breeders like to promote the breed, of course, but not really expand it. Keeping the breed rare is, to some extent, beneficial to the existing breeders.[/QUOTE]

I have found just the opposite to be true. When I bought from the Hartnagles they were responsible breeders. But other breeders wanted more sales and more money and the aussies became so numerous. When I got my first aussie in 1967, hardly anyone outside of Colorado and California and the far west had them. Now there are “mini aussies.”:eek:

[Marshfield]

[QUOTE=stellaroo;8760391]

That also ensures that at least one of those back-yard bred dogs will have a great home.[/QUOTE]
But also help keep ensuring that folks continue to produce them