Puppycircles.com is dedicated to promoting reputable breeders and to becoming the go-to website to find them. We use the term “reputable breeder” to describe breeders who have a reputation of responsible and purposeful breeding practices. While the term can be interpreted broadly, we believe that reputable breeders share some key attributes that make them distinguishable.
One shared attribute of reputable breeders is their commitment to breeding purebred dogs for specific purposes (conformation or performance events, work, service, hunting, etc.) and for the love and integrity of the breed. Because they breed purposefully, their goal is to always try and produce the best puppies possible according to the breed standards.
Another mark of reputable breeders is their regard for the importance of health testing and screening for all dogs in their breeding program. Reputable breeders are acutely aware of the genetic conditions that impact their breeds, and consequently follow the health testing recommendations established by the breed-specific AKC parent clubs. Most have a proven history of responsible breeding practices and can point to multiple generations of properly health screened dogs associated with their kennel.
It is also important to note that reputable breeders do not generally breed their dogs for the primary purpose of making money. Instead, because of their conviction to breeding purposefully and responsibly, they are willing to invest substantial amounts of effort, time and expense to produce and raise each litter. In reality, with all the costs associated with breeding responsibly, a reputable breeder would be doing well to “break-even,” after finding homes for every puppy.
Puppycircles.com is committed to working with reputable breeders. We recognize that there are many good dog breeders, however, in order to maintain the standard that we have set for ourselves, we evaluate them based on four important criteria:
- They are breeders of American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized breeds
- Their dogs are bred purposefully. For example, conformation shows, performance events, work, service, hunting, etc.
- They have a proven history of only breeding dogs that have been health screened in accordance with the parent club’s recommendations.
- They are highly regarded and recommended by fellow breeders.
