How to know which breeders are reputable?
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I live in Utah with my husband and we are looking to get a basenji. As far as I can tell, there aren't any Basenji Breeders in Utah, so I have been researching neighboring states. Because of the distance, I can't go visit all the breeders to determine how reputable they are. I was hoping y'all could give me some guidance. A lot of websites are out of date or seem sub par, but I know the quality of a website, while it can help give an idea, can also be misleading.
Basically I am looking for current breeder recommendations in the Western United States and any tips or advice on going about buying a Basenji out of state.
Thanks!
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First, use the Basenji Club of America for starters. Then, ask those breeders if they don't have an upcoming litter, can they recommend someone.
Next, when you get the sire/dam of an upcoming litter or one on the ground, come back with the names and we can help you look at testing and titles. Failure to do all the basic testing is a sure sign of a bad breeder. Selling online with credit cards to anyone who has the money-- another bad sign.
There are great breeders with lousy websites, btw. :) They are well known, puppy homes lined up, and web pages more annoying than helpful beyond basics. But on a web page, if they talk about their girls and boys, praise temperament etc, but do NOT have pedigrees and health testing touted, titles and a contract required, run. If they breed more than 2 breeds, have multiple litters for sale, you pick your puppy, all bad signs.
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As noted by Debra, go to www.basenji.org and search for breeders. Most of the reputable breeders are listed here, but not all. Go to https://basenji.org/index.php/about-basenjis/is-a-basenji-right-for-me, there is a link about screening breeders. These are questions you should ask potential breeders. They should provide you with links the the OFA testing base. DNA testing for Fanconi and PRA are public knowledge. Here is an example of one of my listings on the OFA database.https://www.ofa.org/advanced-search?f=sr&appnum=1415062. For sure Fanconi DNA and PRA DNA must be done, but most responsible breeders also test for hips, thyroid, eyes... however, those results are not always posted a public. But if done, the breeder would have certificates of the testing. Breeders typically show their Basenjis... some do performance events. This activity shows not only the correct conformation (showing) but that and/or performance shows temperament. If you have other questions, please contact me. You can find my email on my website link noted below. And I will comment as Debra said.. many breeder webs are not kept up to date, sad but true...I have always pushed that breeders keep their sites up to date as all "puppy back yard breeders do because people search the internet, but most you can find also on FB.
