When thinking about adding a pet to the family, I know people feel very strongly about adoption vs. breeders.

We wanted to adopt and regularly checked several local rescues and PetFinder, but due to allergies we needed a poodle-mix and every poodle-mix that was available immediately found a home. We definitely want to adopt in the future and are keeping our eyes open for the perfect sibling for Mosie!

When speaking with breeders, Peyton and I had a list of questions that we asked every single one. If they were not able to answer or seemed sketchy when answering, we moved onto the next. Breeders who breed at the standard we feel is most ethical definitely isn’t the cheapest option, but it was important for us to avoid backyard breeders. It’s also important to note that the legit, high standard breeders rarely have pups available as most are adopted prior to even being born — we picked Mosie up at 11.5 weeks, even though the standard separation time is 8 weeks in the south because we could not find any good breeders with available puppies at that time.

I would also recommend joining Facebook groups for the breed(s) you are interested in! I joined several poodle and doodle Facebook groups and through those I learned that an aussiedoodle (our first choice breed) would not fit in our current lifestyle due to their needs, as well as who the reputable breeders in our region are.

Here is the list of questions we asked:

Are the parents genetic health tested?
What vaccines will she have when she is ready to be picked up? Tip: Based on the age you pick-up at, they will need certain vaccines. Do your research and know which ones to ask about specifically based on that age.
Do you administer the vaccines or do you go to a vet? Some breeders administer their own shots — speak with your vet about booster shots if you are uncertain about the breeder.
Will she come with her vaccine + vet documents? Even if the breeder administers shots, they should still provide you with a list of the vaccines and a check-up history from a vet.
Do you have a vet reference? The most important question in my opinion — call and speak with the vet, be nosey — does the breeder bring in animals constantly? Do they seem well taken care of? Is the breeder known for being a ‘backyard breeder’ or a ‘puppy mill’ in their town?
Can you provide 3-5 buyer references? Search all of the Facebook groups and google reviews as well!
Have you bred these parents together? If the answer is yes, do they have photos of those puppies grown? Did their coloring change?
Are they raised indoors? Always ask to come see the living conditions! Most breeders will probably say no due to COVID-19 right now, but at the very least they should FaceTime and show you what it looks like. Some breeders have ‘whelping barns’ and keep the dogs in the barn. If that is the answer a breeder provides you, ask if they have heating/air conditioning, soft floors, bedding, etc. to determine if it is a good living condition.
Do you offer a health guarantee? At the least, there should be a 24-72 hour guarantee that allows you to take the pup to the vet for a check-up. Most breeders will offer a one-year health guarantee.
When can we choose our puppy from the litter? If you are putting a deposit down prior to birth or prior to pick-up, when do you get to choose your pup? Most breeders wait until they are at least 6 weeks old so that their personalities and their coloring/fur types develop. Also — let your breeder know what type of personality you think would fit best in your home (do you have young children? are you away most of the day?). Since they likely spend most of the day with the puppies, they should know their temperaments and attitudes.

If you have recently adopted, was there anything else you felt was important to ask?

Important Questions to Ask Your Breeder Before Adopting