@zande said in Help with getting started.:
I have shipped puppies to many countries including to USA, but always on the basis that the new owner came to collect the puppy and flew back on the same plane. ...
I can't even begin to get my head around the idea of buying a puppy off FaceBook. By virtue of the database I probably know more Breeders around the world than any of you and the idea that a responsible breeder would sell on FaceBook - simply doesn't gel. ...
But it is two-way traffic. There is no way I would contemplate selling a puppy to someone who was prepared to buy one 'on-line' !<<
Yes, and yes. Though I have known people for years on AOL that I shipped rescues to, but adult rescues. And I have placed rescues in homes that I had people I know do home visits, and I have done home visits for other rescues.
When I was breeding, I put ads in the Atlanta paper. I had puppy homes ready, but when I have puppies, I almost never leave the house. So if I had to be home, it was a very good time to field phone calls and educate people. I got between 20 to 40 calls a week. Sometimes I got callers who were willing to do their homework, come meet my dogs, go to shows and meet more, and get on a waiting list for my next litter, or on another breeder's list that I would refer to after reference/vet checks, or to Rottie rescue. Back then, most pet folks didn't know how to find dogs other than in the papers.
But, surprisingly, one who had access but still used the paper was in her last year of Vet school at Univ of GA. This was early internet... but I was still shocked. I checked her references and decided to let her come see the puppies and me see her. She fell in love with a pup with an obvious bad bite. She chose another puppy. Less than an hour after leaving she called to say she wanted to other one. (Often these self correct in Rotties, but you can't be sure.) She said, if it didn't correct or got worse, she'd be a vet and could handle it if the teeth bothered the palate. I sold her the puppy. We stayed in touch throughout the puppy's life and still occasionally one of us checks in with the other. She said the puppy helped change the minds of so many people, including vets/vet techs etc, about Rottweilers. So I wouldn't say never, but I do think public posting on Facebook gives a great opportunity to educate.
Today, the internet is the 90s newspapers. I know a lot of breeders who post litters. Even though they have homes, it's a good way to educate, to even potentially find people you might consider because they are genuinely eager to learn how to do it right. I think breeders here do a great job helping to educate people. Even though I don't understand how people can be so stupid as to buy a dog on-line, I do think sometimes they simply don't know enough to know how bad of an idea it is. And sometimes, not often, but sometimes... they really do listen to responsible breeders and learn how to do it right.