Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Romanos
If you really want to import a beautiful and potential show champion and don't mind the extra expense of travel costs in airlifting a pup from New Zealand to your nearest airport, let me know.
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Your proposed co-ownership sounds just like the one my mom was bound to with her Bouvier, except as a bitch, she was only to bred twice by the breeder who kept the money from the puppies. Mom was, of course, responsible for all costs incurred through her show career, advertising wins and for her health clearances. She was dreadfully unhappy in it, and ended up getting burned in the end when DD was diagnosed with HD anyway, and her replacement puppy died on the operating table when having her ears cropped. She ended up having one dog in constant pain and the breeder released her from the co-ownership. Big price to pay to get out of it, IMO.
I've been asking people all day what they think about the co-ownership and am literally getting berated for not agreeing to what I think is a really rigid and unfair contract, since it's 'well accepted'. I know what's best for me, and I don't want to feel so used 5 years down the road that I don't even want to speak to my breeder about it. I'd just prefer to look elsewhere, and am surprised that so many breeders would expect such a high cost for their dogs, especially if I'm already out there promoting their lines through exhibiting my dog of their breeding.
If I were to buy a car from a dealership and they made me sign a contract with a clause that stated they could take my car out for a test drive whenever they wanted to with no financial compensation, I wouldn't.
I know breeders work hard to get the quality dogs that they breed, and I respect that, I want to be a guardian to their breed, but I also want mutual respect, and by that I mean respect that I'm putting in just as much work as they did breeding the litter.
I love dogs, I'm not interested in breeding, but I am interested in working with a great dog to have fun in a hobby I've enjoyed most of my life.
The benefits are actually few to a puppy buyer. They get their dog, and the possibility of the fun that can sometimes be had in the dog world, but the breeder is already going to profit by having a dog out there being a great ambassador for the breed at no cost to them.
That seems pretty win-win to me.
I may just have to think on get a puppy from NZ, though!
I've been toying with the import idea for a few days now.