I want this puppy..

[Zhucca]

He might have sight/hearing problems. From what I've read about double merle shelties is that white around the eyes/ears does not always mean deaf/blind, .. So who knows.

But gosh is he ever pretty.

I have a 8 month old double merle sable male. He is CKC reg, current on all shots, dewormings. Been with other dogs and cats. He has also been around small children.

bit pricey though, at 450.

Tempted to call and ask about him. Persuade me not to (though, if he is sight/hearing challenged it would end it right there... yet I'm a bleeding heart when it comes to these things! Agh) Possibly a breeding of a byb, I'm thinking, since she has a litter of shelties available as well. Dunno!

Especially since I'm still split between breeds. sheltie vs toller vs maybe the mudi

 

[DogstarAcademy]

The fact that his eyes are uneven in size does not bode well for him having complete vision, but that doesn't mean he has none. Still, unless you've got room for a sofa-only dog, I'd resist the urge to call.

(Which is not to say I'd MANAGE. But well, you COULD foster him.)

 

[Zhucca]

Yeah. I knew there was something weird about his right eye, but who knows how well he can see, and if the current owners have had his eyes checked out.

And thats what I keep thinking.. well.. hmmm, I *could* manage a sight/hearing challenged dog.. and he'd still be okay for obedience depending on how bad the eye/hearing problems he might have. LOL

The biggest problem with me getting any dog would be that we have my sisters pom puppy here already until late january. (But.. how much room does a 2 pound puppy take up? LOL)

 

[Zoom]

That dog more than likely has sight/vision issues, if not a complete lack thereof.

 

[MicksMom]

I agree with everyone else- I think that beautiful dog has some eye issues going on. I don't think he's completely blind, tho. That said, I have nothing against a site/hearing impaired dog. In fact, we had one, although Heineken lost his sight after a stroke, he was already going deaf when we got him. The biggest flag for me, tho is the CKC registration- which CKC does she mean, Canadian Kennel Club (the legit one) or Continental KC?

 

[Lilavati]

He has those funny looking eyes of teh double merles, and that's not a good sign. He's very likely to be partially or wholly deaf as well. $450 for a dog with inherient problems (and possible internal ones as well) is a distinct rip-off IMO. And if she bred him, that is not acceptable . . . if you don't know enough to not cross merles with merles, you have no business breeding.

 

[youbetcha1018]

He's such a cutey!Why wont have him?He looks very healthy to me.

 

[Zhucca]

So I phoned the lady today, and he does have some hearing issues, though his eyes are fine. She said one eye does look smaller simply because of the eye rims being pale, since the other one has black rims. However, I wouldn't be surprised.

He's Canadian KC, not Continental, and I also asked about his price, about how firm it would be.. she said she was only willing to go down to 400 for him.

I dunno! I could manage with a hearing impaired dog.

(is a bleeding heart.. :lol-sign: )

The biggest thing is his age, I'm questioning my want for a 8 week old puppy in the future. I think even if I weren't considering this little dude I'd probably look for a dog 6 months or older.. just to skip some of the younger puppy stage. :lol-sign:

 

[wishbone]

Well good luck on getting that poor handsome puppy. Better to have full check up on him, and hope for nothing more serious about him, mostly as he gets older.

 

[Dekka]

As cute as he is, why support a breeder who is doing such shoddy breeding practises?

 

[LuvsDogs]

So I phoned the lady today, and he does have some hearing issues, though his eyes are fine. She said one eye does look smaller simply because of the eye rims being pale, since the other one has black rims. However, I wouldn't be surprised.

He's Canadian KC, not Continental, and I also asked about his price, about how firm it would be.. she said she was only willing to go down to 400 for him.

I dunno! I could manage with a hearing impaired dog.

(is a bleeding heart.. :lol-sign: )

The biggest thing is his age, I'm questioning my want for a 8 week old puppy in the future. I think even if I weren't considering this little dude I'd probably look for a dog 6 months or older.. just to skip some of the younger puppy stage. :lol-sign:

I would think a black rimmed eye would look smaller than the pink one. With that pick nose he would also need to be kept out of the sun to prevent skin cancer.

 

[Zhucca]

Yeah.. I'm pretty on the fence about this one. I would feel bad supporting her breeding, but at the same time I think I should take him because I would provide a really good home for him, whereas someone might not. I would take him to a vet before agreeing to take him, though.

 

[Maxy24]

I would not pay someone who is purposely breeding dogs like this...(assuming you are buying from his breeder, I first thought it was a rescue but I'm under the impression he is at a breeder)

 

[Zhucca]

Yes, this lady breeds shelties.

 

[Dekka]

Are you going to buy the next one too? If you buy this one what about the next one she produces?

By purchasing this puppy you are only encouraging her to breed more. If she had to give away the 'defective ones' then she might not be so keen to keep breeding merle to merle.

 

[Zhucca]

This is true.

I do believe she is charging way too much for the dog. It would be better if it was atleast as low as the shelter price, which is 275. Thanks for the input dekka, maybe I could take to her about it?

 

[Toller_08]

Honestly, I wouldn't buy him from her. He's probably a great dog, and there's no denying that you'd provide a fantastic home for him, but supporting this woman is not a good idea IMO. And if she were really wanting to provide a good home for him and not in it for any money, she should be asking about $200 for him (if that) I'd think. Anything more than that is way too much, and would just give her more encouragement to breed unethically again and produce more dogs like him.

 

[ihartgonzo]

Have you asked about the breeder, herself, and if she did breed this dog? Was the breeding a complete accident? Were his parents hips/elbows/eyes certified - and the parents of the other litter?

Honestly, even a really reputable breeder could end up with a merle to merle accident litter. If she IS a reputable breeder and this was an accident, I would say go for him! If not, it's a bad idea to give her money, period. There are tons of adorable double merle puppies in shelters, albeit most of them are Aussies.

 

[Zhucca]

I haven't asked the specifics of it, since I haven't phoned her again.. still am humming and hawing about it.

 

[Dizzy]

I'd call and ask her about the specifics and go from there.

How can you make an informed decision if you don't know all the facts about her?

And as to supporting her breeding...... well.... what happens if noone buys him because of his impairment? Did she say she'd keep him? Shelter? PTS??!! EEk.