If you are starting to search for a Bolognese there are a few things that may be helpful to know to make your search a success. These days the Bolognese is still quite rare, but there are a growing number of Bolognese breeders to choose from. So, how do you know which one is the right one, and maybe even more importantly, how do you find a real one?
While browsing a large puppy find web site in January 2006 an interested visitor found 33 Bolognese offered for sale. Here's what else they found with minimal research…
Two puppies were from a kennel who in addition to raising Bolognese also raise 13 other breeds: American Bulldog, Boston, Terrier, Chihuahua, Chinese Crested, Boston Terrier, Pekingese, Peek-a-Poo, Poodle (Toy), Pug, Shih Tzu, Silky Terrier, Yorkshire Terrier, Siberian Husky. Most sound breeders would consider this a puppy mill and would question how you could expertly raise 13 different breeds of dogs, socialize them properly, give proper care to their parents and get any sleep yourself.
They uncovered this by doing a Google search on the phone number listed in the ad.
Another puppy was from a kennel which in 2003 sold all their stock at auction, all 256 of them, which included these 29 breeds (per the auction announcement): Dachshund, Miniature, Pinscher, Ori-Pei, Shar-Pei, Pekingese, Pomeranian, Poo, Cocker, Poodle, Bernese Mtn., Beagle, Austrailian Shepherd, Blood Hound, Chihuahua, Chinese Crested, Japanese Chin, Miniature Schnauzer, Cairn Terrier, Lhasa, Cavalier King, Brussels, French Bulldog, Shih Tzu, Papillon, Pug, Silky Terrier, Bichon Frise, Yorkshire and Maltese.
This information was gleaned in the same way, by doing a Google search of the phone number listed in the on-line ad. That phone number brought up a web site for the auction.
One breeder listed her name. When doing a Google search on her name they found a dog forum with this info: "We purchased a Havanese thinking "_____" was a breeder. She is in fact not a breeder - she is a dog broker/dealer. I would not recommend purchasing a dog through her. Our puppy has Legg-Calve-Perth disease, luxating patellas and chondrodysplasia. "_____" is not a breeder and our dog was imported from Hungary and most likely from a Hungarian puppy mill. Caution. We wished we would have known more."
Then there is the reason why this investigation began. It started with "James" who claims to be from Miami, Florida. He was offering a Bolognese named Bill "for sale" and a Bolognese named "Penny" for sale. His asking price? Only $500 for the male and $450 for the female. And at that price he will also include shipping anywhere in the United States!
How can he do all that for only $500? Well, the truth is he can't.
"Bill" isn't his dog. "Bill" isn't for sale. "Bill" isn't his registered or call name. "Bill" isn't even a puppy anymore - he's now an adult Bolognese. The dog pictured as "Penny" was just another picture of "Bill" in a different pose. "Bill" currently lives with a wonderful family in the Western United States, a far cry from Florida where "James" claims to be from. The pictures displayed for Bill and Penny were stolen from a legitmate breeder's web site to create bogus ads.
So, who is James? Why would he do this? James is a scammer creating many listings in the Bolognese category. He would like you to think he can sell you a beautiful Bolognese at a very good price. Problem is, he doesn't have any dogs, won't ever have any dogs, and neither will you if you think you've found an ideal, affordable breeder, or as James described himself, "… nice breeders looking for a nice patronizers (sic)."
The investigation uncovered other dogs on this site sporting pictures stolen from legitimate breeders, breeders in the UK, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Canada and even more from the US. One month after their original investigation the same and now additional breeders are being affected.
And yes, people get snookered by these ads. A US breeder we recently talked to told us a heartrending story of a family who had consulted them for help after paying for a dog, not receiving a dog, and when they pursued the person who had taken their money their investigation uncovered that they were working with a person located in Mexico, not in the US as the ad claimed. The family didn't buy a dog, they bought only heartache.
So, out of 33 ads and approximately a dozen different "breeders" we could only confirm ONE breeder who actually had Bolognese, who was not breeding more than 2 dog breeds, and who provided pedigrees for their dogs. That is one who we would consider a legitimate breeder. We talked with this breeder and discovered that they are solely on this site as a defensive move. When they do not have a presence there pictures fly off their web site and end up in even more bogus ads.
Legitimate Breeders
How do you determine if a breeder is legitimate? Many are friendly, informative, pleasant people who you will enjoy talking to. They will enjoy talking to you, too, until you request to preview a pedigree. When the buyer starts asking too many questions, communication with the "breeder" usually ceases. An informed buyer is not their best target.
Our advice? Ask and get a copy of the pedigree from anyone selling on these massive puppy sites. If you have any questions about the breeder visit the National Breed Club web site and find out if the breeder in question is a member. And contact more than one breeder. It never hurts to be informed.
Another simple thing you can do is to preview the breeder's web site. If they don't have a web site that should send up a red flag. And if you are talking to a breeder who doesn't want to know anything more about you than when you are sending the money, move on.
We surmise these guys will eventually figure out they need to provide pedigrees to prospective owners. If they are clever enough to nab pictures from other web sites it won't take them long to forge pedigrees. That is when the assistance of a breed club can be invaluable. Belonging to a breed club can help keep you informed and raise your awareness of these issues. We highly recommend that, too! You do not have to own a Bolognese to be a club member -- joining a club is a great place to start when you are researching a breed. In brief, any breed or kennel club needs at least a 3-4 generation pedigree in order to register your dog. If you receive anything less, the dog cannot be registered. We recommend looking for one that can be registered. It's just good kennel practices.
Despite all this, if you still think you want to work with a breeder such as "James" because his prices are so good, and you don't care if you get a pedigree or not, then you will have to travel farther than Miami to catch up with him. The breeder affected by "James" in this report hired American attorney Edith Bowler to assist them in their struggle to get their pictures off the puppy find web site. Bowler's investigation revealed the true location of "James" through his IP address. (An IP address is a code that is unique to every computer connected to the internet). The attorney found James in Paraguay. Funny, by current records there are no Bolognese breeders in Paraguay!
It may bear repeating, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," but we didn't want to conclude this with that old shoe! So, how's this -- "No pedigree? No fee." If you cannot confirm that the breeder in question is a member of a breed club, or preview a pedigree before purchasing a Bolognese, consider working with another breeder. Reputable breeders are happy to share any information about their puppies, about their puppy's parents, their kennel practices and they also enjoy sharing their knowledge. Reputable breeders will also allow you to meet the puppy prior to purchase, they will allow you to meet the puppy's parents, and they will allow you to ask as many questions as you desire. Some may even help you make a connection with another breeder who may be closer to your location or have available dogs when they don't.
Reputable breeders want the best for their dogs, for their owners and for the future of the Bolognese Breed.
It is well worth your time to keep searching until you find a true Bolognese Breeder.
Online Research
I
t is quite simple to perform the Google searches mentioned in the above article. Simply go to www.google.com and you will find an entry box. In this area type in the phone number you want to research. For example, in the United States you would type the area code then a dash, the prefix (next three digits), dash, and the final four digits, i.e., 000-555-1000. That will bring up any references connected with the phone number that are available on the web through Google. Other search engines have similar formats.
If you are researching a person's name you need to put quotes around it, for example, "Jane Doe" this will allow the search engine to look for instances on the web where the name is found in one piece as opposed to web sites where the word Jane comes up and the word Doe comes up a couple of paragraphs later.
Comments
I actually wrote a lady on the Pfind site and explained that the phrase
"raised in my home" must be overwhelming to her because on PFind alone she had
listed at least 30 puppies representing 12 breeds!! She wrote back and said there
was nothing wrong with what she was doing, so I returned by asking if there is
nothing wrong with it and she was proud of herself as a breeder, why was it
necessary to use such "deceptive" terms. (They call it lying where I come from!).
She told me to mind my own business. Well, that is exactly what exposing
people like her is...preserving MY business. M.E., USA.
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