trying to find a puppy..how to do it properly?

[fudgepillow]

I'm in the south and looking for a puppy (cav King Charles spaniel, ruby) and looking online, I have no idea how to sift through the various websites. How do you find a reputable breeder...any advice, ta

I'm really sorry to sound harsh but don't get a Cav (horrific health problems) and don't go to a breeder. Go to a rescue and adopt a dog in desperate need of a home.

Have you researched the health issues? Would you rescue an adult cav?

Oh dear I had them growing up and they made lovely family pets

I wanted to get a puppy so that I could train it and we have a cat so I wanted her to get used to a new member of the family that was small to begin with, she can get a bit spooked

Look up syringomyelia and mitral valve disease. Also eye issues.

Don't get a cav, I have one, there are too many health issues and unethical breeders. The health testing is meaningless and these sweet dogs are targeted by puppy farmers. Rescues have puppies, I honestly would not recommend a cav.

Look on the crufts website for reputable breeders and:

• only buy a puppy from a happy, clean family home;
• make sure you see the puppy with its mother/ siblings interacting happily and normally (no yapping/ anxiety/ shyness);
• make sure you understand potential breed issues and check the puppy's pedigree for the same;
• only buy a puppy provided you have a right of return after a month if your own vet doesn't give the puppy a clean bill of health.

PS we adopted a 12-18mth old dog from Romania and he's eminently trainable. Please don't think only puppies are an option x

I'm in this situation too. It's such a minefield.

I agree with peace. No amount of searching seems likely to guarantee you a healthy dog. I love this breed but can't stand the thought of having an animal with such awful problems.

Should say I don't know this breed personally, but if you're looking for a small cat-friendly breed there are lots of options.

There's a good quiz on the Crufts website that will make some recommendations for you?

Thank you all that's very helpful, have been researching since the summer and have not been able to take the plunge! I do worry about the health risks, my own little one died of heart failure at the age of 13 and it was awful, I was 17 at the time. I would be happy to have a rescue but the dog has to be a small breed

If you can narrow it down to a certain breed there are breed rescues. Many tears have loads of small dogs but they are often ex breeders.

SM is rare in most breeds but has become very widespread in cavalier King Charles spaniels and the Brussels Griffon (Griffon Bruxellois). The number of diagnosed cases in cavaliers has increased dramatically since 2000. Researchers estimate that up to 95% of CKCSs may have Chiari-like malformation (CM or CLM) – also known as caudal occipital malformation syndrome (COMS) or occipital hypoplasia (OH), the skull bone malformation present in all cases and believed to be at least part of the cause of syringomyelia – and that more than 50% of cavaliers may have SM. The severity and extent of syringomyelia also appear to get worse in each succeeding generation of cavaliers. It is worldwide in scope and not limited to any country, breeding line, or kennel, and experts report that it is believed to be inherited in the cavalier.

It's frightening, inbreeding and the pursuit of money. It's great that you would consider a rescue, lots of independent ones are very flexible.

Ask a few of your local vets if they know of a breeder who has decent stock with reasonable hearts, kneecaps, faces (lots of quite brachycepahalic CKCS around now sadly) and who get their dogs MRI'd to look for Chiari malformation (good score doesn't guarantee pups without SM but more likely). Avoid extremes of size- IME the really tiny spindly CKCS are more prone to problems.