When looking to purchase a dog of any breed, it is imperative that you do so from an ethical breeder. I was very fortunate to have found such a breeder when I got my first poodle, Windair's Teddy Bear. Over the years, I have become very close friends with Maureen Smetzer, owner of Windair Toy Poodles.

Here we are at a recent dog show.

Getting your dog from a responsible, ethical breeder can mean the difference between joy and heartache, between getting a dog that is a dream and one that might turn out to be a nightmare.

The following quote is from the website http://dogplay.com/Breeding/ethics.html

This is an excellent source of information for what to look for in an ethical breeder.

"Just because someone has a reputation for winning lots of shows, and having beautiful winning dogs does not make them a responsible breeder. A responsible breeder is judged by their care and concern for their dogs and dogs in general as demonstrated by their breeding decisions."

Another good article can be found on the AKC website. It is about Kennel Blindness.

http://www.akc. org/enewsletter/ akc_breeder/ 2006/march/ kennel.cfm

"Found in many purebred dog kennels, kennel blindness is a “disease” that results in breeders’ inability or refusal to admit to the failings in their own lines of dogs, whether they relate to conformation traits described in the AKC breed standards, behavior or genetic disease. Kennel-blind breeders are given to justifying the dogs they breed by developing warped and unrealistic interpretations of their breed’s standard, said Ann Seranne in her book, The Joy of Breeding Your Own Show Dog."

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