UnRuli wrote:
I suspect part of it might have been the way the questions were directed to them. Having a list like that can appear as if you're giving the third degree. There are ways of asking these sorts of questions in a conversational tone in a letter. It may make the letter just a bit longer but it won't appear quite so brash.

The fact that you have asked questions that have already been answered on their site can also appear as if you're sending a form letter and have not taken the time to actually look at what they offer. This can sometimes make a breeder less interested in taking the time to answer your questions. They figure if you don't want to take the time to read the information on their site then they're probably not going to want to take time out of their day when it's probably unlikely you'll purchase from them anyway. Though this isn't always the case, my past experiences have shown me that the ones that are most demanding of your time are usually the least prepared to actually purchase a puppy. I always answered the questions, but I found it amusing that I was right 90% of the time with that theory.

Then of course there is the possibility that you are not at all a potential puppy buyer but instead someone who is interested in causing trouble. Long lists of questions like this are sometimes sent out by anti-breeding types to use as fodder for their arguments. I've recently received a few of these myself and I haven't bred a litter in almost 6 years! That does tend to make breeders a bit gun shy.

Of course they could just be crappy breeders. Oops litters are not necessarily an indication of this however. Oops litters do sometimes happen and methods of aborting unwanted pups from a bitch you plan to use for the breeding in the future can compromise future breeding potential. I admit I had one oops litter and boy was I embarrassed about it, but I was honest about the mistake......many other breeders are not and just list it as a planned breeding and tell no one about the mistake.
This.  Your letter is a bit much and has a very condescending tone.  One breeder pet peeve is potential buyers asking questions that are readily available on their website.  If you aren't smart enough to read through that, then why waste their time?  Breeders get 'third degree/justify your breeding program' letters like this all the time, often from anti-breeding groups looking for information with which to slander the breeder.  It's not the questions that were asked as much as the tone... it's also possible that perhaps other correspondence with you and your boyfriend turned her off.  I do know many breeders are reluctant to sell to young couples who haven't yet purchased their home.  Breeders get a TON of emails from people who 'want a dog when we get married/buy our house/the kids get older' and waste a bunch of the breeders' time only to never actually intend to buy a dog.  Or, they buy the house, then have a baby, then realize they are just too busy for a dog, and the breeder gets a crazy, unsocialized, untrained dog back to rehab and find another home for.  Happens ALL THE TIME.  So much so that many breeders are starting to refuse to sell to young people or to those they don't know.  Also, sometimes you just get a gut feeling that a particular buyer isn't suitable for your dogs-- and if that happens, I will keep a dog until I find the buyer that feels right.  Not to say they will be bad owners, but perhaps someone else's breeding program may fit your needs better.  Maybe their current litters are spoken for; maybe they want a show/working home for the dogs, etc.  Just move on and find another breeder.  No harm done.


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Last Edited By: dogsnhorses Dec 10 11 7:57 AM. Edited 1 times.