very upset, long post will understand if you don't make it to the end.

[Tori]

wow....thank you all for your support.  As you can tell I was feeling very low earlier in the evening, but I do feel after reading through your responses, that I need to put it down to experince, learn from it to ask more questions before I go and visit but most of all that I need to keep looking as my pup will be out there somewhere.

  to you all

Bens mum

more power to your elbow!  glad your feeling cheerier!

ditto    except i'm not sure what power to your elbow means    

[aledlewis]

She protests too much me think - sounds like she had something to hide and thought you were on to her perhaps?

When I was looking for a puppy I travelled 100 miles to West Wales to see some. The pups were lovely, but I just had a really bad feeling about the place and the woman I saw. I don't know what - but something was wrong. She pushed me hard for a deposit and the pups were hard to resist - but I'm not usually wrong about gut feelings and so walked away.

A week later we heard about Poppy - she's perfect in every way.   (I'm not biased of course)  

You did the right thing - and now you can start the search again. How exciting.

Good luck x

[Jane S]

She protests too much me think - sounds like she had something to hide and thought you were on to her perhaps?

Don't think we can assume that really. Sometimes breeders do not have good people skills and take it very personally if someone "rejects" (in their eyes) their puppies which then results in rudeness. I'm not defending this breeder at all but think the motivation for her behaviour is more likely to be a desperation to sell, as others have also said.

I'm sure the right pup from the right breeder is out there somewhere although it might take Ben's Mum a little bit longer to find her

[Coco]

I have to admit that I have only skimmed the other responses but I'm in agreement that you did the right thing.
I can't tell you how many litter I walked away from (well actually about 12 ish) but one of the was a very popular FTCH breeder and he said in all the years he has been breeding (which is A LOT) I'm the only person to see a litter of his and not take one, he remembered me a year + on when I called him about a 2nd litter due to that fact! I think he was 'miffed' and curious but in no way rude or pushy.
It's a lifetime's decision and frankly I feel angry for you at this woman for being so short sighted. One litter I saw the woman actively said I don't want a decision now, go away and think about it.
You will find the pup of your dreams, don't let this experience affect you if you can. Particulary as you have some extra consideration due to Ben you need to be 1000% sure about every step of the process.

Finally, and this may be a unpopular comment, although I too would have expected her to have vaccinated at this age (and would wonder of it were a cost thing) I wouldn't have worried massively as if you know other dogs vacs are up to date then pup can mix with them as far as I understand it.

[LisaB]

I hobby breed Tonkinese cats, though I just have Queens, not studs.  If I let a kitten go without injections, the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy would fine me and the respective breed clubs and cat clubsto which I belong would write a very stern letter to me, not that I would anyway, word would get around and breeders woulkdn't allow me to use their studs.  Doesn't the kennel club/ breed clubs do the same with dog breeders?

No they don't.  In the past i've only ever vaccinated puppies before they've gone if they are over 9wks as i don't agree with vaccinating puppies younger than this. 

Oh I see, I have to keep kittens until they are 13 weeks, in accordance with GCCF guidelines.

[aledlewis]

She protests too much me think - sounds like she had something to hide and thought you were on to her perhaps?

Don't think we can assume that really. Sometimes breeders do not have good people skills and take it very personally if someone "rejects" (in their eyes) their puppies which then results in rudeness. I'm not defending this breeder at all but think the motivation for her behaviour is more likely to be a desperation to sell, as others have also said.

I'm sure the right pup from the right breeder is out there somewhere although it might take Ben's Mum a little bit longer to find her

I agree you can't assume anything. Just like we can't assume the behind motivation her behaviour. My comment was merely an idea for discussion, hence the question mark. I agree that desperation may well be another possibility. Perhaps we'll never know.

Hopefully Ben's Mum is OK now. I'm sure it'll turn out for the best.

[Nicola]

You are right to walk away if you don't feel that all is right.

She sounds quite nasty and that in itself is probably a sign that you have done the right thing.

You say that you normally aren't so sensitive, and I think you feel this way over this issue because you invested so much in your hopes and dreams that you would be returning with this pup. So that the injustice of her reaction is mixed with your own disappointment.

Try to not let her get to you and just be glad that you had the courage to walk away even though the pup was gorgeous.

You will find the right pup for you in the end and it will all be worth it.

Couldn't agree more with what Annette has said. You did the right thing, getting a dog is a lifetime commitment and you're totally right not to jump in and get the first one you see if it doesn't feel 100% to you. Try not to let it get to you, your puppy is out there!

[Roslyn McConnell]

Oh thats awfull!!!

I thought it was normal practise for the breeder to TELL you to go home and think about it!!

When we got Dillan the breeder asked us to go home and think about it and phone her tomorrow and even then she made us wait another week to 'make sure we didnt change our minds'!!!

Ive actually never heard of anyone taking away a pup on the first visit....altho I can see that might be necessary for people who live far away but even then there are normally phone calls and pics sent etc.

She was prob getting stressed as she hasnt sold the pups.....but no wonder if they haven't started their vacinations!!! She shouldn't have taken it out on you tho.

Why dont you ask people here for recomendations of a good breeder in your area? Im sure they will come up with a fab one for you! 

Goodluck and dont let one nasty lady ruin ur happy time!!!

[*jean*]

wow....thank you all for your support.  As you can tell I was feeling very low earlier in the evening, but I do feel after reading through your responses, that I need to put it down to experince, learn from it to ask more questions before I go and visit but most of all that I need to keep looking as my pup will be out there somewhere.

  to you all

Bens mum

more power to your elbow!  glad your feeling cheerier!

ditto    except i'm not sure what power to your elbow means    

more power to your elbow well  it means keep working at it  youll get there in the end well done sort of thing think it comes from the days when lots of work was done manually ie elbow grease again no such thing but its a phrase used say somethings not been done correctly someone might say I think they were needing more elbow grease   

[wrenside]

In my opinion the breeder should have got all of the pups vaccinated, there's no good reason not to.
Bens mum did you ask her why she hadn't? What was her excuse if she had one? (just curious)

My pups were booked up before they were born, and when the potential new owners came to visit their puppy for the first time they had no obligation to have the pup that was booked for them. I don't believe in deposits because I don't want someone to feel tied to having a pup from me if in fact they have found a more suited pup elsewhere or are having second thoughts about getting a pup at all.

I don't want a deposit to be the mechanism that ensures that a puppy buyer commits to one of my pups, instead I want the buyers research, enthusiasm, love for the breed, a real interest in the dam and sires characteristics, and ultimately a thorough understanding of what having a pup from me entails to be what makes a buyer stick with a pup from me.
 
For example, I encourage the potential new owners to have input into their booked pups registered kennel name (I send the paperwork off when the pups are 5-6 weeks old). However, even after the paper work is done the potential new owner is not tied to buy that puppy. In fact I had a puppy buyer drop out at the last minute when the pups were 8 weeks old, unfortunately his job was suddenly being restructured and he didn't know what his working hours would be. Obviously it was sad for him, but I was sooo pleased that he had told me then rather than take the pup into an uncertain situation. So I told him that it was absolutely fine to say that he couldn't have the pup and said that if in the future he thought he could offer a home to a pup then I would be very happy to help him find the right pup for him (not necessarily from me).

So I think that it was bad form for the breeder that you went to to be rude on the phone, there's no need. It's her responsibility to make sure that her pups go to the best homes possible, and if she's having trouble selling them for whatever reason then she should have thought about that before she embarked on having the litter   She's most probably frustrated by the current economic climate, but still that's her problem and not yours!   Don't be hard on yourself, I think that you made the right decision. Keep looking and don't let breeders bully you, if they care enough about their pups then they wont push a sale on someone whose unsure about something.

Mary xxx  

[JackieD]

I have only just read this, so hope you are feeling more positive again now 
Whatever that breeders reason for being miffed, don't worry about it, as the others have said if it didn't feel 100% right then you have made the right decision, when the right pup comes along you will know, Good Luck with your search 

[Ben's mum]

In my opinion the breeder should have got all of the pups vaccinated, there's no good reason not to.
Bens mum did you ask her why she hadn't? What was her excuse if she had one? (just curious)

I did ask and she said she didn't believe in vaccinating pups before 12 weeks because one of her pups was vaccinated at 8 weeks and became very ill as she still had immunity from her mum. 

The alarm bells started to ring though when she said she kept the pups were kept away from all her other dogs in case of passing something on, thats when I really started to worry about her mixing with Ben.

Bens mum

[Joelf]

You are right to walk away if you don't feel that all is right.
She sounds quite nasty and that in itself is probably a sign that you have done the right thing.

I would agree with this; it's just such a shame that what should be a happy & exciting time has been soured by this unnecessarily rude breeder.

If it's any consolation to you I have known some very unpleasant characters selling their horses; I always ignore the spiel about the 'perfect other buyers' who are coming to buy the horse that afternoon unless I make a decision there & then!!!  

I would rise above it; your perfect puppy is out there just waiting for the lovely home you are going to give him/her!!

[Mudmagnets]

If it's any consolation to you I have known some very unpleasant characters selling their horses; I always ignore the spiel about the 'perfect other buyers' who are coming to buy the horse that afternoon unless I make a decision there & then!!!   

When confronted with this nonsense, I tend to tell the peeps, well you better let them have it then, be it horse, car, or puppy, as I am obviously not worthy to purchase from you.

[QuietScribe]

I do not know cocker breeders, but I was friends with a siberian husky breeder for many years, and it was common practice for them, and those other breeders they know not to agree to someone getting a puppy even after speaking extensively with them on the phone and in person.  Of course siberians have more challenging personalities than cockers tend to, but still.  They would not give a puppy to someone they had just met, nor would they sell a puppy to someone their dogs didnt take to.  Their dogs were their life, and they would rather keep the pups than give them to a home where someone wasnt 100% certain.  They turned quite a few people down, even after they had met them because they felt the dog was not suitable for them.  A breeder, in my opinion, should never act in such a childish and unprofessional manner as you came across with this one.  The innoculations aside, it was an irresponsible attitude to take with potential owners.