We are thinking of getting a Havenese puppy from Blossom Havenese. Anybody have any experience with them? The lady sounds nice on the phone. We are planning to make a trip to visit her house to see the dogs there. She told me she does health testing, but mainly for the eyes, not for the hip thing. She said that Havanese are not known for that problem and she had never had a dog had that problem. Should all the dogs be tested for the hip?
This will be our first dog in our family. My husband did grow up with multiple dogs, but this is going to be the first for me and my kids. I'll be the person spend most of the time with the dog, although it's supposedly for the kids I'm a little bit nervous and want to make sure I do everything right.
Well, I guess that would be your first red flag, cause Havanese certainly DO have hip problems! That's why all the respectable, responsible breeders test for it....it's even listed in my Dog Bible as one of their health concerns.
Definite huge red flag. If it were me that would be the end of my consideration with them. Never a good thing to cut corners just to save time and money.
Yes, I know of at least two good breeders near me who have purchased young prospective girls for breeding, only to have them not pass their hip x-rays. Both breeders, because they are reputable, spayed the girls and will not breed them. One was re-homed and one will stay with the breeder as a pet. Neither dog, at least at this age (but they are both still young) shows any sign of pain or lameness. But I certainly wouldn't want a puppy from either of these girls!
No, no... The pups both came from different places, and both from good bloodlines and breeders, and neither came from Blossom Havanese. So far, both have no problems as a result of their poor hip x-rays. The dysplasia was only caught because they were x-rayed as part of the process to see if they were worthy breeding candidates. As pets, both of these dogs could go through their entire lives without developing symptoms.
The problem is, that when breeders DON'T test their breeding stock, they may, unknowingly double up on genes for a particular problem, be it hip dysplasia, luxating patellas, whatever. The result can be significant health problems in the puppies those dogs produce. There is always a chance of health problems whenever you are working with any living thing, be it an animal or a human. But when you buy a puppy from a breeder who doesn't health test, you are increasing the chance that something could go wrong exponentially. A dog is a long-term investment, and it makes sense to choose wisely.
Delaware Valley Havanese Club. They have a breeder referral page. If the breeder says they do the health testing, please double check by going to the OFFA site. Some of them are great liars....
Oh, and please don't hesitate to ask us like you did. We are here to help!
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