Can I trust this vendor? - Page 2

I'm bettin you will be sorry in the long run if you choose to buy from a pet shop.

I've read about not buying from pet shops but I made that trip anyway because it's hard to find breeders in Malaysia. The guy claims that the parents of the pup are Sasko Vom Monchberg and Lena Vom Quendorfer See. Both are listed in the database. How can I be sure of that? It's my first GSD purchase.  Would it help if I get my vet to check the pup before I buy her? I'll take up Kaffirdog's advice and ask the guy if he can give any gurantees. The dog has a certificate from the Malaysian Kennel Association, which is an institution approved by AKC. Is that as good as an AKC certification? If this doesn't work out, I might have to look into importing a puppy, but that'll mean it needs to spend weeks in quarrantine.

what type of dog are you looking for?
working - Schutzhund, agility,
service - therapy, sar, etc
show - german, american or other
family couch potato pet

You must first answer this question before picking a dog for yourself or anyone else.

Then find a breeder that specializes in this type of dog..........

Make sure that you know the bloodines, including hip and elbow, thyroid, heat, etc.  for as many genreations as possible.

Make sure you DOUBLE CHECK with the certifying organizaiton to make sure that these certifications are really true.

Make sure that the puppy has had at least one round of puppy vacines, two would be better.

Get a written sales agreement and written guarentee.

Take the puppy straight to the vet before taking it home. if its old enough have prelims done on its hips and elbows.

Then enjoy your puppy.

 

You seem to be smart enough to know that what you're thinking of is just a plain bad idea.

A good breeder would NEVER EVER sell to a pet shop that's all the gurantee you'll ever need I think.

I'm in the same position as you are, I've been waiting for a puppy now for 3 years or so, in my country puppies aren't that easy to find so I'm waiting ...
It's the key to success ..

My old guy had severe hip displayia ( E ) and I would not want to look at another dog go through that again .

So please think about this, you are choosing your partner for the next 10 + years, it can't be the worst thing to wait a while longer.

Didn't know you were overseas, sorry - have you contacted the Malaysian Kennel Club to see if the parents and litter are actually registered? Or if that certificate you are being shown is legitimate......It still seems odd to me that a breeder would place a pup with a pet store, and I would be suspicious, for the reasons stated above - also keep in mind that importing carries its own set of caveats: there are plenty of horror stories on this database of people who ended up being cheated, getting a different dog, getting a sick dog, etc.etc. I realize your options are limited, but I wouldn't rush into buying this puppy. Take your time and do some more research.

Well the sire has A3 hips and the dam has no hip rating on the database and no info on the dams side.  Maybe this litter was born in Malaysia and it is normal practise there to sell excess puppies through a pet shop, or maybe someone else originally bought the puppy and decided they couldn't keep it.  Pet shop puppies may not have the same stigma in Malaysia they have in USA or UK and I can see Jay does not have as many options as people in other countries do when it comes to choice of breeders.

All the same, I would be wary on the little information available and if you do go ahead with this purchase, make sure you have money back guarantees in writing and and get a vet check done as soon as you can.  Other than that, all I can say is "good luck" and hope this pup turns out healthy for you.

Margaret N-J

@ SitasMom:
I have thought about the kind of dog I want to have. It's not the first GSD I'll have, though it's the first I'm purchasing. We had one in the family some years back and he suffered from hip dysplasia. Since then, we have been adopting strays. My dad has been mentioning about his old friend (I guess he missed our old dog) and indicated that he wants a GSD, hence the decision to look for a puppy. I've taken up your suggestion and contacted the MKA regarding the certification of the parents. I'll have to check with the pet shop regarding the puppy's certificate number.

@ Escobar:
I understand what you're getting at. Once the pet shop guy mentioned that the breeder rarely sold his dogs (if ever), doubts crept into my mind. I think the guy doesn't realise that it could mean that the puppy had defects, hence the decision to place her in the pet shop. The pet shop guy sees it as a rare opportunity because such good bloodline rarely gets into the pet shops. He was very frank and sincere so I doubt it's a retailer's trick to get customers to buy the pup. He seems very convinced that the puppy is a great deal!

@ AnjaBlue:
I'll check with the MKA regarding the parents. I'm not sure if the rest of the litter, which the puppy is from, is registered. Will have to check with the association. Don't worry, I'm going to make sure I do thorough research before I make the decision. I'll leave it all to Fate, so to speak. If the puppy is sold then too bad. If it's still available and I'm satisfied, then I guess we're meant to be. =p

@Kaffirdog:
I have no idea what those ratings for the hips mean but I take normal as a good sign. We need some webpage to teach newbies like me about these sort of things! I couldn't find information on this on the internet! I'm not sure whether the stigma is the same in Malaysia. What I do know is that most people here readily purchase dogs from pet shops. Many GSD lovers leave their names and contacts with this pet shop and the shop will call them up when a new litter comes in. What sort of checkup should the vet be doing? Excercise gait? X-ray?

Many thanks to all of you for your support and advice. I'm learning so much about buying a GSD with each of your posts.

I found this... http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/para.utkoma?fadir=448632&modir=585674

Does the registration number mean that these children of Sasko and Lena were born in some place other than Malaysia? I was told that the parents were imported from overseas and for breeding in Malaysia. That should mean the puppies should have registration numbers starting with MKA right? Or am I barking up the wrong tree here?