No RESPONSIBLE BREEDER, no matter what the quality of the dogs they produce, the amount of winning, the number of CHs in the pedigree, will EVER EVER EVER sell puppies through a pet shop or broker. The act of not screening prospective homes, alone, removes them from the ranks of responsibility.

Please DO NOT patronize any petstore that has puppies in their inventory.

A responsible breeder:

• has spent a number of years studying and learning about their breed
• is active in one or more breed clubs or similar groups and thus is in regular contact with other people in the breed
• knows their breeding stock inside and out for several generations back
• has an "eye for a dog" and has developed a detailed picture of the type of dog they're breeding toward
• almost always compete in some in some sort of activity with their dogs (conformation, working activities, obedience etc.) so as to have a realistic idea of how their dogs compare to others of the same the breed
• is knowledgable about the hereditary problems that occur in their breed and has the appropriate tests done prior to breeding in order to decrease the likelihood of their occurrence in their pups
• considers temperament important
• is knowledgable about the mating and whelping of dogs in general, so as to minimize the chances of injury or death to the breeding dogs
• is extremely concerned with the quality of the homes that their puppies are destinied for, to the point of not performing a breeding if they don't feel good homes will be available for the pups
• never has more dogs of their own than they are properly able to care for
• is willing and able to educate and build a relationship with their puppy buyers
• is honest
• uses spay/neuter contracts and/or limited registration to prevent the casual breeding of their puppies
• is ALWAYS willing to take back a dog of their breeding if a puppy buyer cannot keep it for any reason