# Thoughts on Family Affair Standard Poodle breeder



## Tina S (May 10, 2021)

I put money down on a white standard poodle that was born on April 20. I've heard a few people that are a bit skeptical about these breeders. I haven't received nor completed paying for the puppy yet and now I'm a little worried. Any feedback from anyone with first hand knowledge of their reputation?


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## Tina S (May 10, 2021)

The title should say Family Affair Standard Poodle Breeders in North Carolina.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I'm aware of one member on this forum who currently has a dog from Family Affair. If you run a search the breeder pops up in many threads. I think there are breeders who are definitely worse, and there are breeders who are definitely better.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Here’s a link to a search on Family Affair 









Search results for query: Family Affair







www.poodleforum.com


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## Vita (Sep 23, 2017)

Tina S said:


> The title should say Family Affair Standard Poodle Breeders in North Carolina.


I changed the title for you.


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## TK9NY (Jan 6, 2017)

I took a peek at their website (pretty sure i found the right one). 

What, exactly, makes you worried? 

Providing i found the right website, i don't see anything too terribly alarming? I would classify them a a hobby breeder slash business. They have a very business-like set up with people assigned to different tasks and such, and the website reads like a promotional advertisement. 

I would have to visit their kennel and meet them to form any actual opinion but.... 

I would be a little wary about how many litters they are producing. For reference, my breeder had five litters the entire year when i got Dublin. Her friend, who i am purchasing my next puppy from, has roughly 8 per year. Most breeders are in this range. 

This breeder on the other hand has 11 litters all on the ground in the same month or two. I doubt they plan to stop there, either. They openly admit they won't be a part of the parent club because of the restrictions the club places on # of puppies/litters a member can produce. That's a bit concerning to me. Why produce so many puppies, unless you're in it for profit?

The main concern with having that many pups/litters at a time is... how on earth do they provide enough socialization, training, care, and so on to what basically amounts to 70+ puppies?

I also fail to see mention of actual genetic testing (OFA, CERF, etc etc) - just DNA testing. Which is better than nothing but doesn't cover everything, you know? I would rather see something official, not just something from a company i don't know anything about that gets you results in 7-10 business days. I also don't see the results on ALL breeding dogs. I am, however, impressed that they offer a three year guarantee - however would want to see what they consider "life altering" or "life threatening" and "genetic defect".

They're also openly admitting that they breed for diversity, and include SOME "undesirable" traits in breeding dogs that are otherwise what they're looking for in color/size/temperament. Which.... makes me wonder what they consider "acceptable" to breed that other breeders wouldn't. And why. Again - they also admit they're producing colors that aren't the standard.... maybe not an issue, but also sort of lends to the whole for-profit thing. The more variety they have, the flashier the colors they have, the more they can sell.

I don't think they're the WORST (providing they can provide genetic testing results on all dogs) but definitely not the best, either. They don't show their dogs. I didn't read the fine print to see WHAT they do with their dogs, if anything. So.... i don't think it's overly concerning but lots to think about?


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

My concern is that they don't seem to do anything with their dogs except breed them and that they sell full breeding rights to anyone.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Their dogs look below average, I don’t like their conformation. They run a « dog farm » where dogs live outside in kennels. To them it’s a business, they even have a Paypal option on their page. The dogs don’t have much human interaction. All red flags.

That’s what I saw after looking just a few minutes, but the first impression is bad and I wouldn’t buy from them.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

TK9NY said:


> my breeder had five litters the entire year when i got Dublin. Her friend, who i am purchasing my next puppy from, has roughly 8 per year. Most breeders are in this range


No, most breeders are NOT in that range - at least the ones who truly care about the breed are not in that range. Most reputable breeders have just a couple of litters a year.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Family Affair is a very very well known dog-farm type breeder. There are certainly worse places to get a poodle from. But they're just nowhere near what I would _want _from a breeder. They are more of a "respectable" puppy mill. They produce lots and lots of dogs so they have puppies available all the time. They breed dogs primarily for color/size to sell puppies as fast as possible (they claim they don't but they tend to produce a lot of the colors that are in high demand so I doubt that). They do not complete health testing for their adult dogs. They don't _do _anything with their dogs so it is impossible to know what temperaments the pups will have. The adults just live in kennels. The puppies cannot possibly receive adequate socialization because there are just too many litters on the ground at any given time.

When I'm looking for a breeder I want one that's breeding dogs for a _purpose_ which means they need to know everything about their adult dogs. Health testing, temperament, trainability, any possible faults. I want the dogs to live a normal family life so that I can _see_ the traits they will pass on to their puppies. I want to know the dogs have excellent structure and and have passed all recommended health tests. I want temperament and structure to be demonstrated in some way such as in conformation and companion titles. I want the puppies to receive early social stimulation and experiences that will prepare them for living with me. Most breeders I like tend to have 1-4 litters a year.

We all have different priorities. As I said, there are worse places to get a dog from. You just need to decide what's important to you and know _why_ you feel that way.


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## AluePoodles (Jun 25, 2013)

Family Affair is not reputable nor ethical. They are purely in it to produce as many puppies as they can with no thought to the actual pairing or the dogs themselves. They are a mass production facility. 

A first hand account from someone who backed out of a puppy tells of dogs being thrown in pens together to mate with no supervision; which means dogs were seen hoping fences and matings were happening that were multiple sired litters, breedings that weren't plan nor known; and papers just "being assigned" to whatever litters with no proper DNA testing. Dogs being left with no care, mother's whelping with no care, puppies not being properly taken care of or socialized. Even with a staff, there are too many dogs and too little care given for it to even be considered a decent high volume kennel. 

There are far better people to get a puppy from that actually care about the lives being brought into the world. I believe there are numerous threads about them through the years here on the forum as well as all throughout different Facebook groups. They have a "good" reputation because most people just simply don't know better and fall for the act they put out. You were right to be seeing red flags. 

Also I'm not sure how they breed for diversity - I am a founding member of Betterbred, so I've been around since oh, 2015 or so. They have 6 dogs in the database and not all of the dogs with their kennel name belong to them. Unless all their dogs are private, which would be a red flag in itself as well.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk


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## DebCourage (9 mo ago)

Tina S said:


> I put money down on a white standard poodle that was born on April 20. I've heard a few people that are a bit skeptical about these breeders. I haven't received nor completed paying for the puppy yet and now I'm a little worried. Any feedback from anyone with first hand knowledge of their reputation?


I have one of their girls as a service dog. She is awesome. Well socialized and has a great personality. Good hips and health. I could not be happier and will be getting another if their pups in the near future. 
I have heard others argue against this breeder because they are a large breeder but they spread the work among family and friends so they are able to meet the needs of their family as well as the pups. Please don't listen to the haters. Check out other FA owners on their Facebook page and feel free to ask us. We will tell you the truth. Family Affair furry friends.


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## kuriooo (Feb 17, 2010)

My 5 year old adoptee Kali was bred by Family Affair. She is a pretty good dog as far as temperament, a little on the shy side but I don’t know all her background. She does have serious allergies- but I’m not sure that is uncommon. She could have better conformation. I would probably pick a different breeder who aims for AKC standards in the ring, but as an adopted as an adult dog, she is great.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

kuriooo said:


> My 5 year old adoptee Kali was bred by Family Affair. She is a pretty good dog as far as temperament, a little on the shy side but I don’t know all her background. She does have serious allergies- but I’m not sure that is uncommon. She could have better conformation. I would probably pick a different breeder who aims for AKC standards in the ring, but as an adopted as an adult dog, she is great.
> View attachment 491087
> View attachment 491088


Such a pretty girl. 

Was Kali’s breeder involved in the rehoming process?

That’s the #1 thing I look for in a breeder, as I feel supporting breeders who accept lifelong responsibility for their puppies is the only way to responsibly purchase a dog. Otherwise you’re financing a breeding program that contributes to the shelter crisis.


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## kuriooo (Feb 17, 2010)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Such a pretty girl.
> 
> Was Kali’s breeder involved in the rehoming process?
> 
> That’s the #1 thing I look for in a breeder, as I feel supporting breeders who accept lifelong responsibility for their puppies is the only way to responsibly purchase a dog. Otherwise you’re financing a breeding program that contributes to the shelter crisis.


Breeder was not involved in the rehoming process, but it appears they will either take the dog back or list the dog as “available “ through their website. They currently have 2 dogs listed that are rehomes.
I have to give her credit for what they are doing although maybe not to the level I would seek in puppy adoption for myself personally. My local boards like Hoobly & Craigslist are filled with people selling puppies weekly, pretty sure many of those listed are people putting 2 dogs together for a quick buck. If I had a bit more time I’d be involved with poodle rescue.


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## Eclipse (Apr 26, 2010)

DebCourage said:


> I have one of their girls as a service dog. She is awesome. Well socialized and has a great personality. Good hips and health. I could not be happier and will be getting another if their pups in the near future.
> I have heard others argue against this breeder because they are a large breeder but they spread the work among family and friends so they are able to meet the needs of their family as well as the pups. Please don't listen to the haters. Check out other FA owners on their Facebook page and feel free to ask us. We will tell you the truth. Family Affair furry friends.


Thanks for the laugh


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## Absolutelypampered (Sep 27, 2019)

She is a pretty girl!💕🐾🐩


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

This thread is from May 2021 and the OP hasn’t been back since. I’m going to close it to avoid confusion.


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