Big Paws Only Dog Forums

I am glad this thread has been started as it has answered a lot of questions for me.
So is someone advertising in the local paper most always a BYB? Do legit breeders ever advertise there? How do you find someone who is not a byb?
And really what is a going rate for a purebred dog from a reliable breeder? I ahve seen Great Danes and Saints in my paper for $500. I have also seen Great Pyrenees for $250. Aren't the better breeders going to charge more?

I am making a generalization here because there are always some exceptions to the rules. 

The best way to find a breeder is to start with the national breed club of the type of dog that interests you.  Quality breeders want to insure that there pups are going to great homes and will make the prospective owner jump through hoops and answer every question under the sun before they commit to handing over a dog.  Better breeders usually charge much more because of the testing, showing, etc.  How much you will pay can also depend on the breed of dog sometimes, the pedigree of the pup, and whether you are getting pet or show quality. 

Make sure you are proactive when looking for a puppy. Here is a link to a list of questions to ask the breeder:

http://www.bigpawsonly.com/index.php/topic,10040.0.html

The CKC isn't any better than the AKC. I see BYB ads all the time for CKC registered pups.

There are two different CKCs.  The first is the Canadian Kennel Club which is much like the AKC - long history of registering dogs and totally legit.   

When a Miller or BYB lists CKC it is usually in reference to the Continental Kennel Club.  The Continental Kennel Club will, from what I have heard and read, register anything with fur and 4 legs. 

I just was looking at the ContKC site and came across the breed below. What The h*ll???  Why would anyone breed a Peke and a French Bulldog then call it an "american" herding dog??? 

American Bullnese
   
Height: 6-12 Inches
Group: Herding
Weight: 12 - 25 Pounds
Coat: Thick, Soft, Dense, And Short
Color: Any Color Is Acceptable
 
   
Description: Head: Massive and square. Eyes: Oval, large, set wide apart and hazel or amber in color. Ears: Small, dropping back and never cropped. Muzzle: Wide and well tapered. Nose: Black and self-colored according to coat. Bite: Undershot. Neck: Muscular, powerful, and slightly arched. Chest: Deep and broad, with well-sprung ribs. Body: Back straight, short and sloping. Legs: Forelegs are short, powerful, muscular and slightly bowed. Hind legs are strongly muscled and have hocks well bent. Feet: Strong, with toes well arched and close together. Tail: Strong at base, slightly curled, covered with short hair and not reaching below hocks. Movement: Strong and driving, yet very agile. Temperament: Gentle with good pet qualities.

*The American Bullnese was developed by Bobby Rice of Florida involving the French Bulldog and Pekingese.

Welcome.  Brody has such a delightful face.  I am Eileen and I have NOLA, 17 month old male mastiff beastie. 

Molly, Kudos on starting your research now.  I spent about two year researching mastiffs before purchasing one last May.  The internet is a great tool.  When you locate some breeders, they all love to talk about their dogs, their breed and dogs in general.  Good luck, Molly.

Molly and Nicole, I saw the word "cheap" linked with giant breed and went into soapbox mode.  I hope I didn't come off too preachy!

Great Story.  Chester is quite the hero while Cowboy has management written all over him.  Maybe he's Chester's agent and expects 10% of any treat dispensed tonight.

http://www.cafepress.com/bigdogsporch

I had to share this site of big dog merchandise with all of you.  The mastiff stuff made me smile but the Newfoundland in the Whistler Mother painting almost made me wet my pants. 

The only thing they are missing are slippers.  I think I should send them a suggestion.

Happy Birthday, Fumble.  He is just the cutest 1 year old. 

I love talking raw!  Cleaner ears and smaller poops are just the beginning.  Can you say no doggie breath?!?!  Nola has the cleanest smelling breath, I kid you not.

We get our meats from the ethnic stores.  They have things like beef heart, lamb necks, pork necks, goat, etc. that I cannot find in the national/regional chain grocery stores.  I do notice that their meats and organs seem to turn funky a bit quicker but, unless the meat becomes rotten, I feed it all to Nola.   When it starts to smell off, I feed him on the porch   

If you are looking for information on a BARF supplier, check Yahoo groups and search BARF.  They have regional BARF groups that will help you locate suppliers of ground meat, veggie & bone.  That was how I found our supplier of skinky green tripe.

If you are looking for prey model supplier, check these Yahoo groups:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/ and
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CarnivoreFeed-Supplier/