Poplar Farm Stables

[PaxMalmKallax]

I can’t find any reviews at all about this border collie breeder. Her Facebook page has thousands of happy members, she has long long waiting lists. These are all good signs I think.

I’ve used google and the only non-FB mentions I can find are either those weird free business directory sites that ask if I’m the owner, or I found one negative review from about 7 years ago on a very old chat forum that no longer operates.

Can anyone help me?

'Always have puppies' and currently has five litters. No, I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.

Why do they always have multiple litters available? Sounds dodgy to me.

Their website looks dodgy AF

They “source” puppies from working farms...

That’s what raised my suspicions! Just needed others’ perspectives... I think we’ll keep looking/waiting.

Honestly, anyone who has puppies available right now is a red flag. All reputable breeders either haven't bred during the pandemic at all or have waiting lists they've had to close as they're now 2 years long.

Those who have puppies available right now are either puppy farms or chancer breeders who likely have bred purely for the cash and not for breed health or temperament.

If you want a Border Collie either look in rescue, there's tons, or look on Champ Dogs for KC breeders.

They literally always have puppies for sale. Always.
They pretty much always have an active advert on pets4homes.
And that ‘sourced from working farms’ thing.
Aside from that fact they are buying in puppies to sell, the pups parents I’ve seen advertised have always been very, very clearly show lines

Ooh, hang on a minute...
Unless you mean these people?
www.poplarfarmstables.co.uk/border-collie-puppies

In which case I’m talking about a different breeder.
But I’d still avoid like the plague!

@bunnygeek there really aren’t any collies in rescue!! All rescues want people who live rurally are home all day and have no children! We could give an amazing home to a dog - we live semi-rurally (literally the side of our house is the border of the town and after our house is a rugby pitch and then fields) we have an enclosed garden and children aged 8 plus who are dog savvy. But every rescue I talk to says they have nothing suitable. That’s why I’m looking a buying a puppy... I’ve never bought a pet in my life, always had rescues, but they simply don’t have any suitable dogs.

Yea, that breeder does sound off. Puppies available all the time, and sourced are huge red flags.

I strongly disagree that any breeders breeding now arent reputable though, I always have a working dog, I need one, and so do many other people, and that hasnt halted just because there is a pandemic on.
Years back my working dog was unexpectedly diagnosed with a life limiting illness, I had to get a pup sooner than I was planning to so that the pup had time to grow, learn from OlderDog and take over his duties before he deteriorated too much .
There are people with working dogs in similar situations who do not have time to go on long wait lists. Less then ideal for sure, but it happens.

PoleDogs breeder, who Ive had four dogs from over the last thirty years and who is greatly respected in her field has a litter due any day now. It was a litter planned two years in advance and all are going to working homes, she doesnt sell to pet homes as the breed (Great Pyrs) arent suitable for it.

@PaxMalmKallax call around some of your local breed clubs and see if anyone knows of any reputable breeders with pups planned. Good breeders often dont advertise as they dont need to, but you would at least have some luck finding out more about the different breeders around you, and getting to know them/going on a waiting list.

Try the border collie trust - we got our last two collies from there, both of which are wonderful dogs. We work and our kids were 4 and 6 when we went to get the second, it was no problem. It is a great charity, and they do sometimes have puppies.

[quote PaxMalmKallax]@bunnygeek there really aren’t any collies in rescue!! All rescues want people who live rurally are home all day and have no children! We could give an amazing home to a dog - we live semi-rurally (literally the side of our house is the border of the town and after our house is a rugby pitch and then fields) we have an enclosed garden and children aged 8 plus who are dog savvy. But every rescue I talk to says they have nothing suitable. That’s why I’m looking a buying a puppy... I’ve never bought a pet in my life, always had rescues, but they simply don’t have any suitable dogs.[/quote]
You’re trying to find a pup at the same time the entire country, especially families, are trying to find a pup. I read over the weekend the Dogs Trust has had 96,000 calls for adoption since the first lockdown, and yet has had 40% LESS dogs signed over to them. The chance that a dog that is signed over has behavioural issues that make it unsuitable for a family with children is so much higher :(

Rescues are getting puppies in, but they’re never going to hit the websites. They probably all have waiting lists, most likely closed lists by now, and pups are bounced straight back out the door again.

Definitely join breed club discussion groups but be very wary and be prepared to wait. Do not rush into anything.

@bunnygeek which rescues do you know that are rehoming now? Most good rescues can not rehome during lockdown as they can not homecheck the potential owners.

[quote PollyRoulson]@bunnygeek which rescues do you know that are rehoming now? Most good rescues can not rehome during lockdown as they can not homecheck the potential owners.[/quote]
Some of the big ones are, but still limited due to staff shortages and lockdown limits how far away they can rehome to.

This is Dogs Trust’s rehoming process:
www.dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming/faqs/