BUYING A SCOTTIEThis is Tigger and Pam

Here is some information which may help you in your search for a Scottie.

If you think you want a Scottie, then you want to find a knowledgeable,
reputable, ethical, and good breeder. A good breeder will want to know how
the puppy is getting along, want to be in contact with you after the sale,
and is there as a source of information and guidance. They should be willing
to take the dog back if it doesn't work out and give you back the purchase
price.

Good Scotties are worth waiting for. Most good breeders do not always
have puppies available, and seldom have more than a few litters a year.
You may have to wait until puppies are ready to go to a new home.
Don't be so eager that you grab the first puppy available when you know
that breeder could have done things better.

Do contact the breeder frequently.
The breeder wants to know you well. Send some details about yourself and
be ready to complete an adoption questionairre. Write frequently.
A good breeder will want their puppy to live where it will be safe,
part of the family, get good quality time with the family, receive good vet
care, good food, and sleep comfortably.

HERE ARE SOME BUYING TIPS THAT MAY BE HELPFUL:

Some people are looking for a bargain. Because the pup has AKC papers does
not mean it is a quality puppy. In reality you get what you pay for. The AKC is
not a seal of approval.  It is only a registry.  Like a license plate
registers your car, it can be a dream machine or a jalopy.
The puppy you adopt will be your family member for a lifetime.

BEWARE THE PET STORES!
They obtain puppies from puppy mills.
Newspaper ads can also be for puppies
produced by people who are either breeding for cash only,
or really love their dogs but don't have the knowledge
needed to produce puppies without health problems or
that meet the written standard. The going price for a well bred
Scottie with a known pedigree. (champions in the first two generations) is
generally about 1,500. You will get what you pay for!

A PUPPY FROM A CHAMPION PARENT
This does not mean that the puppy is show quality.
But it may grow up to be one that could be shown.
From a good pedigree, Scotties are usually very handsome.
Many people say, I don't want a show dog. You may not get one.
That is normal for a person who only wants a pet. But pets differ.
Who wants a pet that is unhealthy, scratches from allergies all the time?
A Scottie should look like one.   The shelters have some terrier mixes
available if looks are not important. These dogs need a home too.

What is to be invested after the purchase can differ also.  A puppy with
health problems is not a bargain. A conscientious breeder will give a firm
guarantee.  When you haven't bought a pup in a long time, it often causes
sticker shock.  A conscientious breeder doesn't cut corners.  The pups have
all their shots, and you know what the vets are charging these days and puppies
are fed high quality food. Often litters are small, and sometimes
are born C-section due to birthing difficulties also adding to breeders costs..
 

Here are some buying tips for you when you interview breeders.
This Internet
is a wonderful informational tool, but it can also carry many untruths, and
the heads up especially with dogs is "BUYER BEWARE". Some pretty
websites can disguise the quality and care of the puppies.
WEBSITES  THAT SELL PETS (like Puppy.com) GENERALLY HAVE ADS
FOR THOSE PUPPIES WHICH ARE OFFERED BY "CASH BREEDERS".
BE CAREFUL.

You may wish to print this off and re-read at leisure.
I will be glad to help you as much as I am able.

When you speak to the Scottie breeder, here are several questions you may
wish to ask them.

Are you a member of the Scottish Terrier Club of America?  If so, you will
know that they have signed a strict code of ethics.  The STCA is the only
recognized arm of the AKC for Scotties, and it is not easy to gain
membership.  We must have two sponsors and sign a strict code of ethics.  It
is sort of like the degree on the wall at the doctor and dentist's office.

From an STCA member you will get a good looking Scottie which has all the
great Scottie traits, as well as a loving personality and guarantee of health.

  Have you tested your dogs for vWD?  vonWillebrand's disease is a bleeding
disorder which can now be determined by a DNA test through VetGen Inc.  The
STCA has a Health Trust Fund to which we have all donated.  It funded much of
the research into vWD (von Willebrand's Disease) and we now have a simple DNA
test for it.  If the breeder has no knowledge of this, again, beware. Ask for copies
of the clear certificate for ancestors.

  Do you know the following Scottie genetic problems??????
    *  CMO(Cranial Mandibular Osteopathy) is a growth disorder in a puppy jaw,
extremely painful, is genetic.
    *  Liver Shunt is another problem which often does not show up until the pup is
4 or 5 months old.
    *  Thyroid disorder. Hypothyroidism causes hair loss, weight gain, greasy coat,
lack of energy, and often the dog seeks a source of heat.
    *  Do your dogs have skin problems?   Ask the breeder if their dogs grow
furnishings.  That is longer hair on the sides.  Some poorly bred Scotties
have poor hair coat, and it doesn't grow long enough to cover.  Some Scotties
are very allergic and it shows up in skin lesions.
    *  How much does the sire and dam weigh? If the breeder is not aware of the AKC
standard, and the dogs are well over sized or undersized, then they may not
be well bred.  Males should weigh 19-22 LB and females 18-21.  Go to the
website of the AKC (URL below) and print the Scottie standard.  Be familiar
with it when you ask questions.  For example, how long is the mother's and
father's tail?  Very often poorly bred Scotties have very long tails, and
they may be carried incorrectly.

Do you guarantee? For how long? Can I return the dog?
If there are no champions in the pedigree in the first two generations, I
would worry about the quality of the dog. There should be at least one
champion parent.   So many people just breed for money, and when that is all
they are worried about, dogs are bred from which should not reproduce.  Will
they give a written guarantee, copy of the pedigree, and AKC papers?

Any puppy you buy should be taken to your vet immediately.  If there are ear
mites, parasites etc., the breeder should pay that bill at your vets office.
Any puppy which you buy should be guaranteed free of these kind of problems.
Any Scottie pup which is offered for sale before 12 weeks is suspect.  I
believe what the STCA recommends in this matter to be the truth.  It is hard
to keep them that long, as a big group tends to make an awful mess, and it is
a full time job just cleaning up after them all, not to mention picking up and loving
them too.  The pup must first learn to relate to dogs, then it will be a much
better house pet.

Any pup that you get should be trimmed, clean, and toenails trimmed.
Many so called breeders who just raise a litter because they have a registered
dog (maybe from a pet store or the like) do not have the necessary knowledge
to support the buyer nor the desire to do so after the sale.  If anything
goes wrong, you are on your own.  It does not mean that they do not love
their dogs, it means that they do not have the kind of experience and
information needed to breed very good ones, and they think that service after
the sale is not part of being a good breeder.

I hope you have time to look at the AKC website for Scottish terriers
http://clubs.akc.org/stca/

Further, there are some things you should AND SHOULD NOT DO as a buyer.

You should NOT ask that a puppy be shipped to you.

The shipping cost is often more money than a bargain airfare.
You can take a puppy in the cabin of almost every major airline in a special bag
called a Sherpa which fits under the seat of the plane.
We take our dogs all over the USA this way.
We have taken adult males clear across the country in a Sherpa bag.
They do very well, and do not complain.

GO and SEE the facility where your puppy is raised.
Is it clean?  See the parents of the puppy.  Are they friendly?
The pup will reflect the disposition of its parents.
Unfriendly parents give birth to unfriendly dogs.
The plane ticket will be less expensive than the puppy
who has problems if you decide not to purchase.

          All pups are cute, then they grow up.
Do not trust what you hear.  Go see for yourself.
A puppy is for life.  It  is important where it is born and reared.
The breeder should be happy to show you every building that dogs are kept.
If they are dirty, if there are dogs of many breeds,
then there was not much socialization of the puppies.
If so, do not buy that pup. It is VERY HARD to walk away from a cute puppy,
but you must if you even doubt for a minute that it is not well bred or not healthy.
Also, a very good breeder will be concerned that the puppies go to a good home,
and they should ask you a dozen questions which you should be glad to answer.
You may even have to convince that breeder that you can give the pup a good home.

      You should receive at the time of purchase:
a health record, a 3 generation pedigree, an AKC paper
OR a Bill of Sale that spells out the guarantee and
names the sire and dam of that puppy, and the AKC number.

You may encounter a breeder who says that their puppies are CKC registered.
CKC is the Continental Kennel club, and we do not consider that registry
to be the same as the AKC.
CKC also stands for Canadian Kennel Club so be careful.
It is the AKC that sponsors the Scottish Terrier Club of America.

PLEASE REMEMBER........ALL PET SHOP PUPPIES COME DIRECTLY
FROM PUPPY MILLS REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE STORE OWNER
SAYS TO YOU ABOUT THIS!!!!!!!!!!

Write if I can help you further.  Good Luck in your search.

There's more information about CHARTHILL Scotties on our main page
and at  "About Us"  CLICK ON THE WHIRLING SIGN.
You may wish to use it as a measure to compare to
other breeders.

Please feel free to print this page.