Breeder is a convicted sex offender

[breedershock]

I have been on a waiting list for a labrador for around a year - have paid a deposit and expecting to get a puppy later on this year. I have had dogs before (although not from this breeder) and consider myself fairly knowledgable about what to look for in an ethical breeder etc. However, I've just discovered that the man is a convicted sex offender, and also convicted of fraud! I havent actually spoken to him, only his wife who seemed to be very pleasant and knowledgable. I suppose they may well be excellent breeders and very good with their dogs but I'm shocked and to be honest dont want to be giving them any more of my money. Also a bit gutted that this will mean a much longer wait as will need to find a new breeder. Has anyone else been in this sort of situation?

For those saying that sex offenders need to make a living too, I am not saying they dont but I am not responsible for funding their living. I havent come in here and named and shamed the breeder, or said that they shouldn't be allowed to breed. However, I also think that if you commit such crimes, it will rightfully affect how people think about you and if you own this kind of business it may put some people off. They are nevertheless clearly a very successful breeder - the waiting list was 2 years long when I joined, so I dont doubt that there will be plenty of people lining up for those puppies still.
@Groundhog1 does the one you came across sound like the same one?

Completely agree that everyone has the right to make a living; but everyone has the right to spend their money where they wish as well.

Seems strange to me why anyone would think a breeder wasn't just out to make money from breeding their dog. That is why they do it after all ! Breeding should be stopped until the rescues are empty

i think it wouldnt concern me. hes not going to be my friend is he.
Then again, I dont believe in profit breeding dogs, nor do I like sex offenders,

@skyla2005 I can understand your point of view but if all breeders stopped then that would be the end of a lot of breeds. I think it is reasonable to expect good breeder to breed for the love of the dogs, and yes of course they need to make some money as well. The breeder who I have previously used breeds particularly for intelligence and temperament and produces a lot of service dogs.

I would also add that ethical breeders will take back any of their dogs to either keep or rehome, rather than have them end up in rescues. I dont think money is the key motivating factor for all breeders, and certainly not the ones that I would consider good

I’d be more worried about the fraud aspect than the sex offending. I certainly don’t like sex offenders as such but I can’t see how it crosses over with the dog breeding and from what is written here they seem to be a responsible breeder? I’d be wary of giving a deposit to someone convicted of fraud.

Fair enough if people don’t want to buy from them though, life’s full of choices.

@breedershock no mine was in a different area. I completely understand why you don’t fee comfortable with it.

From a different perspective I knew a woman once who's husband was placed on the sex offenders register (he flashed to a group of teen girls on one occasion). She desperately wanted to leave him but was tied to him financially - she had a business that went bust once his allegations came out as she too was considered guilty by association.
Maybe the breeding money is her get-out fund? I wouldn't want to deprive the woman and any children of an income because of the man's actions. It isn't always easy to just leave.

@breedershock nobody has suggested that you have any obligation to fund this persons living - but you do realise the next person you look to purchase a dog from might be a yet to be convicted sex offender? Where does it end?

@roseredroseblue that's true, but I guess we all just have to make decisions based on the information that we have at the time

@MrsTerryPratchett

I wouldn't want him having my name and address. But driving sex offenders to crime to survive, or homelessness because they can't earn a living is vastly more dangerous than them running a home business.

You might feel better not getting a dog from them but actually, this is not-very-worrying way to earn a living.

Yes, I agree with this. Many people come across others who have been convicted of all kinds of crimes on a frequent basis.

Um... good breeders don’t make a living selling dogs.

You have to breed a lot more than is ethical to actual make enough profit for it to resemble an actual income.

Yes, you have to do what is right for you.

I understand your feelings, but the person has presumably already been convicted and served their punishment for their crime. They don't need punishing again, nor do their families as they are unable to make a living. I might not want to be a friend or have him looking after my children, but selling a dog is not the same.

We have no idea how many people we meet who have done awful things: DV, drugs, caused an accident that's ruined someone's life, but we would never know.

@tabulahrasa yes I think you are probably right there - the two I have used before and who I have considered to be really good both had other incomes. This seems to be quite common.

I would consider looking further into the situation. His wife could fully support him, and his crimes could be serious ones. In that case I'd have nothing to do with them. Alternatively, she could be trying to make enough to leave, or he could have behaved stupidly, once, while drunk. I'd consider it, then.

All sex offences are serious, pornography is imo images of sexual abuse. That said, there will be the odd person whose crime is an error of judgement- the equivalent of a highly stressed celebrity shop lifting, for example. Please note- I'm not saying sex offenders are like shop lifting. I'm saying the occasional offender will have done something really stupid and thoughtless, rather than actually being a predator.

This is tricky. But really you either believe in the idea of offenders serving their sentence (we don't have the resources to lock them up and throw away the key) and the rehabilitation of offenders or you don't. By breeding dogs successfully this person is presumably less likely to reoffend on the fraud side. Whether you buy a puppy or not will have no influence on sexual reoffending. Yes we want to cast him out of society, but we can't, can we? In fact it's better that he stays where he is known rather than going to a new area.

Hold my beer.

I bought a puppy from this wanker. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-48436674

It was pre-internet from the classified ads.

I knew nothing about breeders. Have rescued ever since.

The dog wasn't in bad health but we were scammed all the same.

I think professional breeders have pretty skewed ethics anyway, especially if they are actually making enough money to live on.

So no - I think you've dodged a bullet

@basketandshoestore that is truly horrific!!

in terms of the offence, it was a situation where he has abused a position of authority. I have no idea what his wife's position is on the whole thing - But I feel I know enough to not feel comfortable being involved. Esp as mentioned by a pp I would want to bring my kids to choose and collect a puppy, and that would mean knowingly bringing them into contact with this person. The additional fraud conviction doesnt help my overall opinion of him

He's clearly not someone you'd want to do business with. A shame for you though- what breed were you looking for?

I had an uncomfortable, related, experience. I got a pup from a rescue centre. Over the following months I started wondering about things I'd seen and read. A couple of years later the place was closed down in a big operation and the owners were prosecuted for various animal related offences.

With hindsight, they were profiting from running a dog sanctuary- bringing animals in from all over and moving them on quickly. Taking shortcuts. Probably started out wellmeaning, but ended up badly.

I have been on a waiting list for a labrador for around a year - have paid a deposit and expecting to get a puppy later on this year.

As an aside to the main point of your post ... apologies if I have it wrong, do I understand this to mean that you've paid a deposit for a puppy that doesn't yet exist? If so, I would have avoided these people like the plague anyway, it is not how responsible breeders operate.

@Whitney168 yes, regrettably you have interpreted that correctly! I won't be making that mistake again :(