[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by TrishB

This is what I've found so refreshing. Breeders willing to work together to make the perfect match. Sometimes, it just isn't in the stars or the program to supply a great owner with a puppy. So that willingness to refer that owner to another breeder for a puppy is worth its weight in gold.

I got Parker this way. I wasn't able to get the puppy I wanted. So I was referred (without my knowing at first) to another to another. The path went from Toronto to Ottawa to NY to Pennsylvania! All to get me, a first time Rottweiler owner, the right puppy.

I'm in the same situation now - where I know that I'll be getting another puppy in the next year or two (depending on how everything else is working out). Again, while one breeder may not have the puppy for me, the network will.

This will hopefully catch on with other breeders. Maybe this way we can keep our breed out of substandard homes. Yes, a breeder should be prepared to keep every puppy - but let's be honest here. If you have a litter of 11, you can't keep all of them. So if a 'good enough' home comes along, you'll probably let it go. Being a part of a network of breeders may give you the choice of homes so that 'good enough' isn't good enough anymore.

Referring puppy buyers is not an uncommon occurance at all. There are many breeders who breed only infrequently, or do not have what a puppy buyer needs or wants or fits at the time. It's a courtesy to both the buyer and fellow breeders.