It was a trip down memory lane today as I accompanied neighbour Carol to Derbyshire to pick up her Welsh Terrier puppy. Not only did I reconnect with some of my favourite places (The Pennines,Bakewell, Chatsworth, Buxton and Matlock, I caught up with a friend, the slightly eccentric Susan, who is a Welsh Terrier breeder of some National repute.
We bought all our terriers from Susan when we lived in Sheffield and after we moved to Wales,.which is no mean feat, I can tell you, as she interviews any prospective owner within an inch of their life.
If you don't cut the mustard with her, then you don't get the dog! Plain and simple!
I remember when we went to "view" our first Welsh Terrier Finlay, I made the mistake of scooping him up into my arms to cuddle him. Susan stopped what she was doing and said pointedly
"If you drop that puppy..you will leave here empty handed"
AND she meant it!......I have known people that might of got through the first round of "telephone interviews" with her fall at the second face-to-face interview for being late for a puppy viewing
"If they can't be on time for viewing a puppy..they don't deserve owning one" I remember her saying
I thank goodness , Chris and I passed her interviews with flying colours.
I love people like Susan. They are bright, passionate and dedicated to their animals. Making a quick "buck" from selling a puppy is the last thing on her mind,after all, to her, it is the matching up of right dog to the right owner which is her sole challenge in business.
In this day and age of a quick buck, where scumbag breeders are banging out poor bloodline dogs in puppyfarm conditions, Susan's "if you are not right for my dog then fuck you" attitude, remains as refreshing and vital as the puppies themselves, and seeing her and experiencing that "say it like it is", no nonsense pragmatism, made me wish that I too was bringing another puppy home with me.
Does that make me a potential animal hoarder?
I don't think so.... I just think,( and I believe this quite honestly)
that I just have a big, needy, animal biased heart
Me too. I'd rather you tell me like it is then I can decide right away if I like you or not.
ReplyDeleteI Like Susan, but I can't beleive you were in CHATSWORTH and didn't drop by. There is only one Chatsworth in the world right?
I was interviewed by such a breeder, when I bought my first Yorkshire Terrier in Chepstow, not once but three different occasions, before we were able to take her hoe with us, the puppy, not the breeder.
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough, I adopted many of her techniques when interviewing my own potential buyers, I refused several people just because they had the money.
Oooh, Chatsworth House, surely the most beautiful in Britain !
What a lovely day out.
~Jo
That would be HOME not hoe :)
ReplyDelete~Jo
Good for Susan! We decided not to have puppies from our two bitches because I just KNEW we wouldn't be able to part with them, and we would have a houseful of dogs. But a big part of me now thinks 'well, would that be *so* bad?.....' ;-)
ReplyDeleteDerbyshire is one of my favourite places too, especially the drive through the Peak District to Sheffield.
ReplyDeleteOur dog is getting on these days and we have to keep putting on the puppy brakes whenever we start talking about 'when he has gone'. Brining a puppy into the house wouldn't be fair on him at his age.
If only all breeders were so diligent we wouldn't have so many neglected animals.
ReplyDeleteGood for her.
Briony
x
Damn I was hoping you would come home with another pup. So we could all get to enjoy first puppy photo's.
ReplyDeleteI never bred for our 2 girls, I couldn't stand the responsibility of finding the pups good homes.
ReplyDeleteRight on, John! It's great that Susan does a thorough--and thoroughly commendable--job of screening her adoptive animal companions' caregivers.
ReplyDeleteHey! I've been to Bakewell! I had dinner at a snooty hotel restaurant there with a British friend of mine. My friend hates cream on anything, and she ordered a dessert with an aside to me, "They couldn't possibly add cream to THAT." You guessed it--the dessert came slathered in cream.
I also went walking in a limestone gorge near Bakewell whose stream had been fished by Isaac Walton, the author of "The Compleat Fisherman." The stream was bone dry.
We've just found ourselves dog-less for the time in decades. The ancient old gal went last summer and the middle aged Rotty went last week. Sniff.
ReplyDeleteWe're thinking of getting an already grown up dog from the shelter instead of a puppy. So many sad faced, lovable, earnest little fellows to choose from...
Good for you for resisting the puppies -- so difficult!
Susan should interview people before they are allowed to have kids! xxx
ReplyDeletegood point diane....well said
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean, 'potential' animal hoarder?
ReplyDeleteoh dont start Thomas!
ReplyDeleteI still have memories of that lunatic grouchy banging on after too much scotch!
I'm with Diane...it's a shame there are no restrictions on people having children.
ReplyDeleteWell you brought it up. All I care about in a dog is that it has a nice temper and it doesn't have a permanently exposed arse-hole. Not too much to ask.
ReplyDeletewhat about low swinging bollocks?
ReplyDeleteNow you're talking.
ReplyDeleteDiane, if you start the petition...I'll willingly sign it!
ReplyDeleteJane x
Totally agree and Bravo!!
ReplyDeleteI have turned away folks that have come to purchase a horse or sheep from me. My responsibility is to the animals in my care, not to the stranger that happens to answer an ad.
I currently have a bottle lamb that I had a chance to sell, but when the purchaser announced that it was going to be a solitary lamb to be a pet for a 5 year old, I told her I was sorry, but I just couldn't sell him.
I applaud Susan.
here here Kelly!!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI also applaud people like Susan whose first concern is the welfare of the pet and not hard cash.
ReplyDeleteLast year San Francisco decided the city had such a huge problem of cruel and inhumane pet-breeding that they were going to ban the buying and selling of pets.
Another vote for Susan!
ReplyDeleteWe always spayed our pets (have always had females) so we didn't have the worries about breeding or finding homes for puppies or kittens.
I keep sighing after dogs, but Himself cannot breathe AT ALL with dogs, so i try to content myself with loving other people's pooches. And, i must admit, i don't think the cats would take to kindly to another animal entering their home.
megan
Hear Hear to Susan ! Happy you had such a "great" & "fun" trip.
ReplyDeleteThe 'Susans' of the world are my favourite people! You know exactly what they want and they are NOT whiners!
ReplyDeletemy girlfriend's mum fosters dogs... some short term, some long term.... some with real problems and so ad infinitum - she's a REAL pet hoarder - currently 4 dogs... 1 guinea pig.... 2 rabbits.... and a cat!!
ReplyDeletearctic
ReplyDeletecall that hoarding?
I call that number a miniature collection!
You're in good company regarding that heart of yours.
ReplyDeleteSusan is now one of my favorite people. I so wish there were more like her.
If I meet someone and they comment they don't like animals, I run like heck.
Hugs to Mabel.
Even though I'm not a breeder of dogs, people interested in adopting one of my fosters have similar 'criteria' to meet--The table turned when we got our Scottie, and I was thankful that we passed!! :-)
ReplyDeletekim if you had not passed nor would Francis of Assissi
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful dog (in the photo). My late mother always had Welsh Terriers when she was young.
ReplyDeleteMy next-door-neighbours are Alsatian breeders (and ex-national champions). They now no longer show their dogs, but just breed instead. All their dogs are in cages inside a barn. They hardly ever see daylight, they never go for walks, and their constant howling makes my blood boil. Unfortunately it seems that here in France this is NORMAL.
We were interrogated before being allowed to adopt our cats. Not a problem.
ReplyDeleteThere are way too many irresponsible animal owners out there and the penalities they face are not hard enough. Not nearly hard enough.
As I suspected, the truth is out.
ReplyDeleteI rather like that approach. I'm sure I would fail
ReplyDeleteYou're also a sucker for honesty.
ReplyDelete(Thank god.)
You could have called for a cuppa !
ReplyDeleteJane
All breeders should be like Susan! I work for Abandoned Animals Association in Prestatyn, and before that North Clwyd Animal Rescue in Trelogan. The amount of pedigree dogs that we get in after people buy them from a breeder and get bored of them after a few months in astounding!
ReplyDeleteHannah