WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN LOOKING FOR A BREEDER:
If you visit the BMDCA breeder referral list at http://bmdca.org/olbr/OLBR_index.php
you should be able to get a fairly complete listing of breeders with recent litters or litters on the way. Please spend time reading the health information at this site - Information Series is a great start.
Please, do not cave to the temptation of being able to instantly buy your puppy online. The breeders who support online pet marketing sites care nothing about the pets they are selling. All they care about is making money. They will take your money and ship you a pet whose parents have not been properly tested for genetic health defects or temperament. You will never get the support you need with questions or problems. They care nothing about what happens to your pet long term. Many of these pets end up in Breed rescue.
Instead of buying from someone who isn't concerned about who you are or what will happen to the puppy, check with our regional clubs to see what they have in their rescue programs.
Believe me, we have rescues. Check for regional clubs at www.bmdca.org .
Please remember, if you are thinking about adding a Bernese puppy to your family, there are important health issues to consider. A breeding should be studied and only considered if the combination works for health and temperament.
If you can pay by credit card, you should run. This is the first sign of someone who only cares about money.
MEMBER OF:
~ Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America (Breed Ambassador)
AKC BREEDER OF MERIT
Well bred Bernese Mountain Dogs do NOT come in red, except by accident. There is a breeder in NC now selling brown/red puppies. She is actually using a male that she says is purebred and she wants to produce puppies that color. There are known,,,,,extremely rare, occasions for red/brown bernese, but this woman is breeding them intentionally. This is an abomination, and should be stopped! The Bernese standard says any ground color other than black is a disqualification in the show ring. This woman is saying the male is show quality and the puppies are. That is an outright lie. PLEASE, do not support this woman by buying one of her puppies! If you love this breed, you would never support this kind of breeder! By the way, we have researched her dogs, and there is no sign of health testing. Remember parents should be tested and certified by governing bodies for hips, elbows, heart, eyes and von Willebrands testing at the minimum. We also recommend degenerative myelopathy. Most certifications can be found at www.offa.org or www.BernerGarde.org
Check with us at [email protected] to ask about our breeding plans.
You might consider looking at the online breeder referral database for the national club to see if there is breeder you can work with there - http://www.bmdca.org/olbr/.
Your breeder should be a member of the national club at the very least, and parents of litters should have health testing that certifies hips, elbows, hearts, eyes, von Willebrands (a clotting condition) and Degenerative Myelopathy (two tests). Ask questions, be smart or you will be taken to the cleaners.
