Sad but true, Spotted One.
Whenever a breed becomes popular you can bet a small but influential group of unscrupulous people, who see dollar signs, start in-breeding and subjecting bitches to being almost constantly pregnant for years.
Whenever buying a pure-bred / popular breed the imperative is getting the reputable/right breeder, might cost a little more but will be well worth it.
There is a legitimate argument for getting a mongrel though, as, oddly, they tend to be healthier than purebreds, though there are some purebreds that are naturally hardy (provided they come from a good breeder).
We're about to get new critters and decided on a Ridgey and a mongrel from the pound who deserves a second chance.
Another avenue is 'rescue'. We had a rescue Dobe and she was just fantastic. Had an awful upbringing so she was really timid for a while (hand shy, so she was obviously belted - I never hit my critters, a deep disapproving voice is sufficient when they misbehave) but with loads of love, affection, encouragement and positive reinforcement she blossomed into a beautiful critter.
Whenever a breed becomes popular you can bet a small but influential group of unscrupulous people, who see dollar signs, start in-breeding and subjecting bitches to being almost constantly pregnant for years.
Whenever buying a pure-bred / popular breed the imperative is getting the reputable/right breeder, might cost a little more but will be well worth it.
There is a legitimate argument for getting a mongrel though, as, oddly, they tend to be healthier than purebreds, though there are some purebreds that are naturally hardy (provided they come from a good breeder).
We're about to get new critters and decided on a Ridgey and a mongrel from the pound who deserves a second chance.
Another avenue is 'rescue'. We had a rescue Dobe and she was just fantastic. Had an awful upbringing so she was really timid for a while (hand shy, so she was obviously belted - I never hit my critters, a deep disapproving voice is sufficient when they misbehave) but with loads of love, affection, encouragement and positive reinforcement she blossomed into a beautiful critter.
Only our ruthless best, from Board to bootstudders will get us no. 17