For years, my wife and I spoke about "one day getting a dog." I always ultimately thought it was too much much responsibility. But now with my wife working from home, we've been considering it a little more seriously. I've been reading a number of books and doing research. My wife is a sucker for anything "cute," and as we've learned more, she's been talked out of the various poodle mixes or "designer dogs." I initially gravitated toward the larger "working" breeds, but had to admit our household is probably not the right fit for that. Over time, we've concluded a miniature poodle would be a good size, fit, and combination of both of our interests.
We started looking for miniature red poodles on the internet, and all google searches lead to Scarlet's Fancy Poodles in Central California. To the novice, everything looks great--health tests, guarantees, etc., but after doing some research on this site, and reading about the importance of OFA tests, and breeders that actually show their dogs, maybe this isn't the best place to look. Seems like there's been some bad experiences and odd reactions from the breeder.
Initially, it seemed like miniature red poodles were easy to find. I can go on the AKC "marketplace" website and easily find miniature red poodle puppies for sale. But I'm assuming that's not a good place to look either?
I read through this discussion that is only a year and a half old:
Red Miniature Poodles in California (or driving distance?)
And these discussions about the same in New York:
Want 1 Red Miniature Poodle
Looking to Purchase two mini Poodles
It seems like the general sentiment is to just not try to choose a color, and indeed a number of people ultimately just move on from trying to find a red. But if it's such a popular color (the logo for this website appears to be a red!), I'm surprised more "reputable" breeders don't step in to try to fill the demand with good, humanely bred dogs. Unfortunately, most of the reputable, recommended breeders have terrible websites. I don't mean to be disparaging, and I get it--they're probably spending more time with their dogs, and since they don't mean for it to be a big business, they have more referrals than they can deal with before worrying about creating a slick website. But it makes it hard for the novice to figure things out.
I found the "Apricot Red Poodle Club" website online. Would any of the members of that club be safe places to look in terms of the breeders?
I've found interesting information at the Versatility In Poodles website, but it doesn't have specific breeder recommendations. I have yet to inquire with the PCA National Breeder Referral contact--is that a good source?
We're in Southern California, and it seems ideal to be within driving distance (even if it's a very long drive), but I'm not opposed to travelling, if necessary.
To be honest, we're not quite ready to adopt a puppy. But it seems like the best thing would be to identify a breeder, get to know them a bit and then they could help select the right puppy from a future litter based on temperament and knowing us. Am I looking in the right places? Any other places we should look?
We started looking for miniature red poodles on the internet, and all google searches lead to Scarlet's Fancy Poodles in Central California. To the novice, everything looks great--health tests, guarantees, etc., but after doing some research on this site, and reading about the importance of OFA tests, and breeders that actually show their dogs, maybe this isn't the best place to look. Seems like there's been some bad experiences and odd reactions from the breeder.
Initially, it seemed like miniature red poodles were easy to find. I can go on the AKC "marketplace" website and easily find miniature red poodle puppies for sale. But I'm assuming that's not a good place to look either?
I read through this discussion that is only a year and a half old:
Red Miniature Poodles in California (or driving distance?)
And these discussions about the same in New York:
Want 1 Red Miniature Poodle
Looking to Purchase two mini Poodles
It seems like the general sentiment is to just not try to choose a color, and indeed a number of people ultimately just move on from trying to find a red. But if it's such a popular color (the logo for this website appears to be a red!), I'm surprised more "reputable" breeders don't step in to try to fill the demand with good, humanely bred dogs. Unfortunately, most of the reputable, recommended breeders have terrible websites. I don't mean to be disparaging, and I get it--they're probably spending more time with their dogs, and since they don't mean for it to be a big business, they have more referrals than they can deal with before worrying about creating a slick website. But it makes it hard for the novice to figure things out.
I found the "Apricot Red Poodle Club" website online. Would any of the members of that club be safe places to look in terms of the breeders?
I've found interesting information at the Versatility In Poodles website, but it doesn't have specific breeder recommendations. I have yet to inquire with the PCA National Breeder Referral contact--is that a good source?
We're in Southern California, and it seems ideal to be within driving distance (even if it's a very long drive), but I'm not opposed to travelling, if necessary.
To be honest, we're not quite ready to adopt a puppy. But it seems like the best thing would be to identify a breeder, get to know them a bit and then they could help select the right puppy from a future litter based on temperament and knowing us. Am I looking in the right places? Any other places we should look?
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