If you are uncomfortable with the woman now, do not sell her a dog. Hard feelings rarely get better as the dog ages.

I do have to admit though that I think too many people get hung up on the fenced in yard thing. I know MANY dog owners with fenced in yards that are not as good as some that live in tiny apartments with no yard. Take each situation on a case-by-case basis.

I agree about the fence deal. I do not have a fence around my home as of yet. The $$ from the pups should pay for one this summer.

We do, however, have a puppy pen and keep the pups and female in the house as much as possible in our laundry room.

I have to admit feeling pretty shy about the contract deal. I have never known a person to have a contract for a pup until just recently. I created one which would allow me to get the dog back if they abuse it, or give it to the Humane Society etc. But honestly, I feel dumb about presenting it to anyone.

My husband does't help. He wonders how we could know if the dog is being abused or not. And how are we to know if the dog is put into the Humane Society.

Another stimulation was that I would not sell to a person if the pup was going to be a gift for someone who did not live in the same house as the buyer.

To redeem myself somewhat, I did reject one couple who wanted the meanest male and the meanest female of the bunch. They refused to promise to spay and neuter the dogs, so I told them the stronger pups were sold and I am left with the weaker pups.

Here's the take on the fence for me.
1. 99% of owners don't care for dogs the same as the majority of the dog board people do.
2. There's already 2, (-serious- breeds) these people own.
3. I've seen families chain dogs like this up to different things, we've all seen shows on the animal planet.
4. These are just spectulations on her. I don't know her. Of course, you can't save every dog unfortuately if there's not another options then do what you want. The rescue idea mentioned was a great one.
5. If it feels weird, it usually is.

Here is another that has some trouble with the "No fence- No pup" belief. We don't have a fence. Though neither do we live in town. We live on 100 acres with no neighbors. I do have a kennnel that is used for puppies and young dogs when they must be feft unsupervised for longer periods of time.

I don't think having a fence yard should be the only thing to consider when placing a pup as there are many variables.Common scense would be a good thing too.I know lots of people with large dogs in townhouses and they are awesome owners.Remember though this lady that wants this pup already has two dogs she wants to add a third,she in my eyes is going to have to be pretty darn responsible to have a Rott,Pit cross and a GSD and not have a fenced yard.In only the past four years have my dogs been in a fenced yard when let out(we had to buy our house in town,can't afford acereage yet)It wasn't an issue with my breeder either when I bought another Rottie pup.When we rented our house and land our dogs too were allowed to run through fields,however never all together unless I was out there.I just find when there is more than one dog they start to wander further a-field.There was actually a occasion where some unidentified Rotties in our area killed some sheep and calves the first house animal control visited was my house as they knew I had rotties.I was fortunatley able to prove that my dogs were kept in my pens when we were out,the neighbors backed me on this.I believe there was a strong possibility this may have blamed on my dogs if I had let them run loose on my acereage at all times.Just because you live in a country setting it still doesn't mean that dogs can't get up to things that they shouldn't be doing.

Another stimulation was that I would not sell to a person if the pup was going to be a gift for someone who did not live in the same house as the buyer.

I cannot believe that no one caught this TYPE-O

I did, but I don't usually correct people for type-o's and I couldn't think of a good come-back. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Tammy, don't feel dumb about presenting your contract to potential buyers. Remember, YOU brought these pups into the world -- YOU have responsibility for them. It's true, buyers can get around a contract, but usually, if you screen your buyers carefully, and they seem friendly towards and willing to sign the contract, they will be more likely to uphold that contract. This is in no way foolproof, but it's nearly the best you can do.

You can insure that they are upholding their end of the contract by including a clause that allows you unannounced visits to their home, and/or you can do "drive-bys" to make sure the dog isn't chained up outside. You can also, if the pup is sold with a spay/neuter agreement, withhold registration papers until you receive proof that the dog has been spayed or neutered. As for knowing if a pup you have bred is placed in the Humane Society, you could microchip or tatoo your pups with yourself as the first contact person. That way, if a pup turns up there, you will be the first called.

There are still ways people can and, unfortunately, do get around contracts. But, again, it all comes down to getting to know who buys your pups. The more you talk to a person, the more "feel" you get for what that person is like and what they will do.

As for those people who wanted the "meanest" pups in the litter, I think you definitely did the right thing and IMHO, they should be shot. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Sorry this turned out so long.
Best of luck to you! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

You're kidding, right. If I tried to correct typos, poor grammar, and general abuse of the English language, including my own, that's all that I would do all day and night. Most simply try to look past the grammatical faux pas and get to the meat of the post.

By the way, it's "phenomenal."

What "phenomenal" suggestions! Thanks Kali! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> And Stan <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

And as for the type-o, my jaw nearly dropped when I re-read my post! I will attempt to tatoo or micro chip the pups. Know how I can do such a thing without spending everything I have? The money from the pups was to goto our new fence this year.

Your vet should be able to chip the pups relatively inexpensively. Make sure you get the non-migrating chip. Can't help you with tattooing, sorry.