So You Wanna Buy a Shiba...

Welcome!

Welcome!

If you've made it here, great! You're doing your research on becoming a potential Shiba Inu owner!

Whether it be your passion for Japanese culture, doge memes, or pure love of Shiba Inu's, making sure the Shiba is the right choice for you is the first step. The second step is making sure that your Shiba isn't the result of a backyard breeding program or a puppy mill.

As a fellow lover of Shiba Inu's, I'm a huge advocate for preserving the integrity of what a Shiba Inu is and the set Japanese standard. What does this mean? It means proper breeding to maintain the red, sesame, and black and tan coloring's that define the Shiba Inu breed.

This blog is being set up to help guide you down the right path to owning a beautiful, well bred Shiba Inu.

Today, as the breed grows in popularity, so does the desire to profit off that breed and backyard breeders are popping up all over the country. What's a backyard breeder, you ask?

BYB: An individual who causally breeds dogs without titles or clearances and without any clear regard for improving, and maintaining the breed standard, temperament or keeping it free of genetically linked defects.
Why is this bad?

BYB's are the single greatest cause of pet overpopulation and as a result and the majority of homeless or abandoned dogs come from this category. Most are sold locally through newspaper ads, craigslist, and even online sites where they'll ship you your pup. The responsibility of the breeder ends when the purchaser's taillights disappear from sight.

Many backyard breeders do not have the knowledge to properly raise a healthy, socialized litter, or to help the new owner with problems that might arise. They also are not interested in quality of their dogs produced, or improving the breed. Since breed excellence is generally unimportant, the breeding stock generally will not have been tested for genetic and health problems. Breeding like this results in a dilution of the breed quality and standard and is how the Shiba Inu breed has been seeing more and more pinto colored dogs.

Backyard breeders are not necessarily bad people, but getting a pup from a back yard breeder can be a gamble:

-The parents likely have not been screened for health problems.

-Puppies usually are not sold with contracts and no future support from the buyer.

-The breeders are not in it for the long haul.

-They will be working on a new personal objective in five years when your pet has a problem and you need help.

Although you might pay less for a Shiba of your choice from a back yard breeder, it's almost given that in the long run you'll pay a good deal more in vet bills, and even emotional bills if the dog has to be euthanized due to a health or temperament problem.

So how do I know the breeder I'm considering is a back yard breeder? I'm glad you asked! Below I will list some red flags of back yard breeders.

-The seller has many types of purebreds or "designer" hybrid breeds being sold at less than six weeks old.

-Breeders who are reluctant to show potential customers the entire premises on which animals are being bred and kept.

-Breeders who don't ask a lot of questions of potential buyers.

-No guarantees-responsible breeders make a commitment to take back the pet at anytime during the animal's life, no matter the reason.

-Breeders website has a "check out" button or "buy now!", so the puppy is just an item to sell

-Rely on clubs like AKC, ACA, ARPI, etc as a means of reputation. (Anyone can purchase to register their litters with these clubs if the parents are a part of the club regardless of breed quality and claim Championship bloodlines that have been diluted due to poor breeding after the fact.)

-Breeder has Pintos and Creams in their breeding stock - these are recessive genes and typically brought out through bad breeding, more so with Pinto then cream as many reputable breeders can also produce a cream, they just won't breed the cream because it's recessive.

-Constantly have puppies available for sale.

-Breeder claims USDA license as a form of reputation - USDA licensed usually means they have a lot of animals.

-Try to charge more for Creams or Pintos.

Be a responsible, informed consumer and go to a reputable breeder one who:

-Will show you where the dogs spend their time and introduces you to the puppy's parents.

-Explains the puppy's medical history, including vaccines, and gives you their veterinarian's contact info.

-Doesn't have puppies available year-round, yet may keep a waiting list for interested people.

-Asks about your family's lifestyle, why you want a dog, and your care and training plans for the puppy.

-Doesn't use pressure sales tactics.

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The best place to start for obtaining your very own Shiba Inu baby is with the National Shiba Inu Club:

http://www.shibas.org/breeders.html

Another great place to look is:

http://nationalshibarescue.org/adopt/
http://www.petfinder.com/

And lastly, there are many rescue organizations out there dedicated to Shiba Inu's, and a quick google search can find one near you.

Since a lot of people get misled by BYB's and only see the reviews they want you to see, this blog will be used to review these breeders and point out the red flags of backyard breeding by State.

Please see the "Breeder Review" on the right hand side of this site.

It will be a daunting task, so bear with me as I go. Also, if you have a breeder you'd like to recommend as a BYB to put on the list - please e-mail me. If you are concerned that the breeder you've chosen might be a BYB, feel free to contact me and I'll assist in any way I can.

LASTLY: Check out some of the Shiba Inu groups on Facebook, such as Shibaholics and Shiba Inu for great information, advice, and plenty of Shiba loving friends.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

I was able to tackle the Oklahoma Shiba Inu Breeders Reviews today.
Under that section to the right, you'll find reviews on:

K-Bar Shibas
Hunter Ridge Kennels
Cactus Kennels
Anderson's Shibas

Currently working on Missouri breeders and seeing how many there are in Missouri is really disheartening - especially considering that The National Shiba Inu Club of America doesn't have any reputable breeders listed for Missouri.

Will continue to work on this as I find free time.

In the meantime, please enjoy this puppy tax.