Another "Does Anyone Know this Breeder?"

[Terry]

A gentleman called us this AM interested in a puppy. We were out, so called him back when we got home. He thanked us for responding, but said he was getting one from another local person here in Houston area. He said the sire of the pup was AKC, and the dam was CKC (instant warning light for us!) He didn't know anything about Fanconi testing or other health tests, but agreed to ask the breeder when he saw her. The breeder's name is Wendy Holcomb. According to him, she has had 2 or 3 litters, but is planning to spay the mom after these pups are gone.
We did our best to give him some basic information on health testing and he says he will have the pup tested for Fanconi.
We also invited him to come visit us and see our dogs, and perhaps bring his pup to socialize with ours if/when he gets one. Hopefully more opportunity to educate him.

Terry

[nomrbddgs]

My first question is it Canadian Kennel Club or Continental Kennel Club. Continental uses the same initials as CKC and if it is Canadian Kennel Club should not bring up a 'warning' light. I would definitely have asked which club it is. Continental is not an accredited organization.

[Terry]

I suspect Continental KC - way down here in Houston I would think Canadian Kennel Club less likely, and Continental is very popular with the myriad BYB of all breeds here. That's why I said warning light.

Terry

[tanza]

Terry, please review this thread… I think this is the same person/breeder you are talking about? She is from Houston

http://www.basenjiforums.com/showthread.php?t=10584

[Basenjimamma]

Darn it..not good. I don't know if it is the same person as in the thread Tanza posted..her name is Mary Beth Weiss…but it can't be good. CKC is def. not Canadian Kennel Club..I bet in a million it is Continental Kennel Club..i.e junk registry...Where was she located? Let's hope you put a bug in his head and maybe he will change his mind and look elsewhere...i.e towards a reputable breeder....

[tanza]

@Basenjimamma:

Darn it..not good. I don't know if it is the same person as in the thread Tanza posted..her name is Mary Beth Weiss…but it can't be good. CKC is def. not Canadian Kennel Club..I bet in a million it is Continental Kennel Club..i.e junk registry...Where was she located? Let's hope you put a bug in his head and maybe he will change his mind and look elsewhere...i.e towards a reputable breeder....

I think it is one in the same, the ad on the other thread is from Houston, in this post, Terry notes that it was a breeder in Houston. In the other thread, seems she (Mary Beth) made reference to "her daugher"… and then she makes this reference to a CKC breeder "I bought her from a CKC Basenji breeder" And I am sure that CKC is Continental....

Sounds way to "fishy" for me for it not to be the same people

[Basenjimamma]

You know, you're probably right…odds are they are the same dogs.

[Terry]

I wondered that too - but when we told him where we lived, he mentioned that the other breeder was closer to him in Conroe! Well, we are only about 12 miles from Conroe… Either he had no clue where Montgomery is or it's not the same person. He said that the pup is 9 weeks old. We asked him to get the registered name of the sire if he can and let us know so we can look him up for any history or health testing. They are going to see the breeder within the next week.

Terry

[tanza]

Should be interesting to see what you find out, but Mary Beth's stories were pretty much difficult to believe that would not surprise me to find out the "rest of the story"…..

[dcmclcm4]

I am interested in knowing the CKC registered B. There are/were several breeders in KY and southern OH. I have rescued some in the past.

Jennifer

[curlytails]

The links here are very interesting and I'm curious to see how it turns out…

Regardless, I think that's awesome that you've offered to help socialize the new pup with your Bs, regardless of where they came from. It's so important, and even better with a knowledgeable "supervisor".

[dcmclcm4]

I saw an ad from someone in Cypress, TX for CKC B pups. The area code was 713 which is a Houston area code. I do not know if the ad was current though. This breeder may be Mary Alaniz. Is anyone familiar with her? Her ad has CKC as her affiliation!

How did CKC Bs get so popular and why would anyone want to buy a pup if they are not health tested at least for Fanconi?

The OH Amish breeders also have/had CKC registered Bs.

Jennifer

[sharronhurlbut]

Jennifer, I think often the public doesn't do their homework…they also want a dog, when THEY want it..so of course, the byb are going to sell to them..sigh.

[tanza]

Exactly Sharron… most are of the thought... I want a Basenji and I want it now... no I don't want to know about all these other things, what could that have to do with buying a dog... at least until the first time they have a problem

[Basenjimamma]

I saw an ad from someone in Cypress, TX for CKC B pups. The area code was 713 which is a Houston area code. I do not know if the ad was current though. This breeder may be Mary Alaniz

Jennifer, this lady is bad news..the year I got Otis she had 5 litters, all had 5 puppies..effectively 25 puppies in her care..all ckc, lived in her backyard.

[Andrew]

@dcmclcm4:

How did CKC Bs get so popular and why would anyone want to buy a pup if they are not health tested at least for Fanconi?

I've come to think of getting a dog as being comparable to making a car purchase. Some people spend months or years researching cars, learning about the good points & flaws, test driving, talking to other owners, etc before buying a car. Others get their tax return, head to the nearest car lot & buy the first car that catches their eye because they are excited about acquiring the car & the salesman is using fancy words to put them at ease.
Its frustrating to watch other people go to backyard breeders, but words like "health checked by a vet" and "DNA tested" and "raised by a loving family" and "CKC registered" all sound very fancy and impressive to those who don't know better. And when you want a dog and you don't know about the importance of choosing the right dog from the right breeder, things like waiting lists seem snobby, exclusive and preposterous. Why would you wait years for a dog from breeder A when breeder B will send you home with one today?

[curlytails]

@Andrew:

And when you want a dog and you don't know about the importance of choosing the right dog from the right breeder, things like waiting lists seem snobby, exclusive and preposterous. Why would you wait years for a dog from breeder A when breeder B will send you home with one today?

I think you're right about this, and it's something that folks who emphasize the need to get good dogs from good breeders don't often talk about. But it also ties into a whole larger social phenomenon, too… people just DON'T wait for things anymore. Completely random example/pet peeve: I've been chided for not responding to (non-urgent, to my mind) e-mail within 24 hours. I don't think any of the students I teach know what it's like to, say, request a catalog for something... wait 2-3 weeks for it to arrive... Decide on what you want to purchase... go to the post office... stop by a gas station on the way to get a money order... carefully wrap it up and address an envelope and mail something out... wait 6-8 weeks for the order to arrive. And WOW was it ever a happy mail day when that item finally appeared.

But it's not easy to convince people of the merits and emotional rewards of something as abstract as waiting. And it sounds so downright parental when you try to explain that good things come to those who wait, who take care and pride in their decisions.

To me, the bottom line is the ethics of it all. Realizing what you do affects the bigger picture. And that takes some explaining, and yes, the conversation can frequently veer into the pretentious/judgmental, and the frustrating, especially when your audience just doesn't care to listen.

[Kipawa]

@tanza:

Exactly Sharron… most are of the thought... I want a Basenji and I want it now... no I don't want to know about all these other things, what could that have to do with buying a dog... at least until the first time they have a problem

+1 on both of your comments. I have so many people at the dog park telling me Kipawa is so cute. I think as basenji owners, it's our job to educate people and let them know what the 'cute' dog is capable of doing, especially with their chewing. People need to research, research and then research some more before buying a particular breed. Once your dog has dug a hole in your yard, it is too late to get upset about it. A number of breeds LOVE to dig, the basenji included.

A BYB is not going to disclose any negative behaviours associated with a typical breed. Their motivation is purely dollars. The last time we were at the dog park a woman mentioned to me that she was thinking about getting a basenji. She went to a 'breeder' and proceeded to tell me how she was sitting on the floor with about 30 basenjis around her. I made a comment about how in the world a breeder could properly raise that many puppies. The woman just didn't get it. She reiterated that she loved having all of those puppies around her. How sad. In the end, she wound up getting a fox terrier.

[Quercus]

@curlytails:

I think you're right about this, and it's something that folks who emphasize the need to get good dogs from good breeders don't often talk about. But it also ties into a whole larger social phenomenon, too… people just DON'T wait for things anymore. Completely random example/pet peeve: I've been chided for not responding to (non-urgent, to my mind) e-mail within 24 hours. I don't think any of the students I teach know what it's like to, say, request a catalog for something... wait 2-3 weeks for it to arrive... Decide on what you want to purchase... go to the post office... stop by a gas station on the way to get a money order... carefully wrap it up and address an envelope and mail something out... wait 6-8 weeks for the order to arrive. And WOW was it ever a happy mail day when that item finally appeared.

But it's not easy to convince people of the merits and emotional rewards of something as abstract as waiting. And it sounds so downright parental when you try to explain that good things come to those who wait, who take care and pride in their decisions.

To me, the bottom line is the ethics of it all. Realizing what you do affects the bigger picture. And that takes some explaining, and yes, the conversation can frequently veer into the pretentious/judgmental, and the frustrating, especially when your audience just doesn't care to listen.

I completely agree. I think one of the most important things we can teach our kids is patience, to goes hand in hand with tolerance…

[Patty M]

@Terry:

The breeder's name is Wendy Holcomb. According to him, she has had 2 or 3 litters, but is planning to spay the mom after these pups are gone.

The name is different (Mary Beth Weiss) but no matter what, it's good to educate potential basenji owners. When I was in a Petsmart, a young mom was admiring my "well behaved" Lola… commented that a basenji may be the perfect breed for her... All I could do was ask her to research the breed, because while basenjis may have perfect table manners, they certainly love mischief!