Finding a Breeder

Being that we had never bought a dog before, we wanted a local, responsible breeder so that we could drive to see the puppies, and if there was any kind of concern that happened in the future, we'd have an easier time reaching them. Also , since the pandemic was just in its beginning stages, we weren't comfortable buying a dog from out of state and having to deal with the logistics of flying the dog to California, even though this would have been the cheaper way to go.

During the pandemic, puppies were in such high demand that some breeder had a year's long waitlist. Of course, there were also so many cases of fraud, too.

How we screened our breeders:

Responsiveness to any questions, emails, texts, and phone calls.

Provided a health guarantee and documentation of vet check/shots.

Provided references and families had positive experiences with them.

Was willing to let us meet the puppies in person or via video chat.

Would not let the puppies leave their mother before 8 weeks old.

Price and location.

We ended up finding a breeder about 40 minutes away that seemed responsible and was reasonably priced. We put a deposit down as soon as we picked our breeder since we didn't know how long we'd have to wait. Luckily, we only had to wait three months before a litter was born.

The American Kennel Club's website is an excellent resource for learning about all different breeds of dogs, and has a good article about how to choose a breeder. I used to frequent their website a lot when I was doing my research.

AKC: How to Find and Work with a Responsible Breeders