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IF YOU WANT TO BUY A PUPPY
Do yourself a huge favor and DON'T get in a hurry. When you bought your car, did you run out and buy the first one that struck your fancy, or did you ask questions about reliability, gas mileage, price, etc.? You probably did your homework when you bought your car-went to a couple of places before making your decision. Yet you will probably only live with that car for 5-8 years! You will live with your hound for 10-13!! Some people put more effort and thought into buying a car than into buying a dog that is going to live with them for years. It just doesn't pay to get in a hurry. There are many things that you should take into consideration...
First, ask yourself if you really want a hound. Yes, they are pretty dogs, beautiful in fact. But they have loud booming voices and while you may think it's cute, the neighbors may not. Second, coonhounds need exercise. Left in an apartment, they will bore easily and will look for things to do. Third, as a whole, these are not dogs you can simply let out to pee and call them back. They are highly scent motivated and often suffer from selective hearing while their noses are in gear. All it takes is once and your dog could be gone forever. They require a fence, at least 5' high and most often, higher. Some are great escape artists and can scale anything you put up that doesn't have a "hot-wire," or electric line across the top.
Now, if you've definitely decided you want a hound, remember that the breed is essentially split. While we all started at the same place, some breeders bred mostly for hunting ability and didn't concentrate so much on conformation. Other breeders bred for conformation and temperament, but lost the need to breed a dog who has a desire to hunt. There are a rare few who stand in the middle-they try to produce a dog who can do it all.
Regardless of whether you want a pet, a show dog, or a hunting companion, your first and foremost priority is to get a healthy puppy. That doesn't just mean one who doesn't have worms. It means getting a puppy from somebody who has been screening their breeding stock for hereditary defects. Again, we are back to that rare group of people who care enough about their breed as a whole to spend the money and time on tests necessary to make sure they are breeding the healthiest dogs they own. I once suggested to a casual breeder that she test her breeding stock's hips using a new method called PennHIP. She was quite interested in the process and asked me how much it cost. When I told her $175 per puppy, she was outraged and asked, "If I did that, how would I make any money?" Are you starting to understand that there is more to buying a puppy than just handing over the cash? Make absolutely certain that you buy from someone who is x-raying hips and elbows. Make sure they are CERFing eyes. Make sure they are having bloodwork done and are checking for heart anomalies. X-raying hips and elbows will not rule out your chances of getting a puppy who has elbow or hip dysplasia, but it certainly will stack the odds in your favor! In addition, the breeders who are CERFing are making sure their dogs' eyes are clear of hereditary defects. Coonhounds are not without eye problems such as juvenile cataracts, entropian and ectropian. By having the eyes examined by a licensed canine ophthalmologist and registering them with CERF (the Canine Eye Registry Foundation), a breeder can again stack the odds in her favor that she is producing the best puppies possible.
When you ask questions of a breeder, you will sometimes hear, "I don't do those tests because
I've never had a problem." My advice? Run. You can't know you have a problem if you aren't
looking. And for a lot of "breeders," there is no follow-up on their puppies so they have no idea
if anything went wrong during the pup's life. A breeder worth her salt will follow up on each and
every puppy sold throughout the life of the dog. She will sign an agreement which indicates
that at any time during the dog's life, you are welcome to return it.
Some breeders will ask you to sign a Pet Contract if you are buying a dog that is not for show or breeding purposes. I highly recommend Pet Contracts because they will require the spaying or neutering of the sold puppy and will ensure that it won't become a puppy factory in the future. If the puppy was sold as a pet quality puppy, it doesn't mean it's junk, but it does mean that it wasn't quite breedable. If everybody bred their pet quality pups to pet quality pups, pretty soon, we'd have an overpopulation of coonhounds that don't really meet the standard. In addition, most casual breeders aren't going to put the money into testing, so we will also have litters of puppies born who look healthy on the outside, but who are little ticking time bombs on the inside. You can make up your own mind about buying from somebody who requires a Pet Contract. But keep in mind that somebody who does require one has enough love for their breed and the puppies they produce to want to do the very best for them in the future.
There are bad apples in every barrel-it's as simple as that. But in my experience, you can find more people working toward the future of the black & tan coonhound in one group: The American Black & Tan Coonhound Club. To find a breeder, you can look on the web site at www.abtcc.com or you can contact the Club's breeder referral contact, Cheryl Speed, at tanwoodbtc@cs.com for a breeder's list. Not all ABTCC breeders are listed on the breeder's list. But you can contact any member and they generally know who's got puppies "on the ground."
Best of luck in your quest for the perfect little puppy to love. If you have any questions, you can always contact me at JBarnes746@aol.com
HOTHOUSE