Christi, as you know, one of my dogs came from just such a place which was not in the states you mention but was in Sarasota, FL - just down the road a piece! My good fortune with this puppy was that a groomer where my friend worked happened to get wind of the place and they confiscated a couple of the dogs before she was closed down. My dog is a female who had never been bred, was terrified of women and, I've realized recently, was debarked (another long discussion!)
"Tibby" is not a run-of-the-mill (excuse the pun) type of dog that you would normally see in these places, such as poodles, cockers, etc. (Usually smaller breeds because you can get more of them into a small space.) She is a
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, which sale from $1500 up. I know a breeder of CKCS's in KY who breeds those and Irish Wolfhounds and you can tell by looking at my two dogs which came from the better breeder.
Tibby immediately became my husband's dog, although she is getting better with me (we've had her over a year now). She was almost 2 when we got her and weighed 9 lbs. She is now an over-healthy 15 lbs but has a pretty coat and looks much happier. She is frightened when anyone comes in the house that she doesn't know, but she is definitely not aggressive - except for some reason she dislikes one of our cats.
I think people who think of selling puppies as their way to making a fortune are nuts. Anyone who raises puppies correctly will not make money from them - they do it for the love of the breed.
Another interesting thing I noted during my vet-service days was that most breeders would always have one big dog and one little one.
So, be careful where you get your puppies!!!
Critter
