# Alegros Poodles and others in Texas



## Poodle Lover

Hi Jennifer,

I've sent you a PM with poodle clubs in Texas and they will be able to help you with breeder referral. As far as Alegros poodles, I don't know anything about them. It looks like they show their dogs to their championship and do have some test results posted on their website, but I would want to see proof of the tests. Preferably the ones that are posted on the OFA website or copies of the test results. They do have a couple of cute little silver toys right now. 

Best,


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## schnauzerpoodle

One of our forum members, fracturedcircle, just got her silver toy girl from Alegros. So maybe you can PM her and see what she has to say about this breeder.


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## murieics

Is there a particular reason that you are wanting to find a breeder in Texas only? Would you mind shipping a puppy to you? 

I live in Texas, and I shipped my puppy from Allegria Poodles (out of Arizona). SchnauzerPoodle got her poodle from Aery (who is on the east coast- forgive me, I don't remember what state Richard lives in). The lines are very similar- Allegria comes mainly from Aery lines. Excellent dogs- great personalities, and very smart. 

As far as breeders in Texas- Betty Brown would be a good person to contact. She's out of the Houston area, and if she doesn't have any puppies or any planned litters, she would more than likely be able to put you into contact with someone that does. She owns Donnchada Kennel, and she's a very big-name professional handler in Texas as well. If you are trying to get in touch with her, I would suggest that you might want to call her. I tried emailing her twice and I never heard back from her. Since I was already looking at other breeders, I never called, because I wasn't that worried about getting in touch with her specifically.  

Hope this helps- feel free to PM me if you have any questions!


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## belgrad

Thanks for the suggestions. I live in Texas and have been reading about how important it is to actually see where your puppy is bred, meet the parents, etc. I prefer to be able to drive to pick up a puppy, and if it's close enough maybe even visit it a time or two before it comes home. I know some dog owners have recommended that. We're in West Texas, so even Oklahoma is a possibility, it's probably even closer than some parts of Texas!


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## schnauzerpoodle

My silver mini is from Aery (Richard Bohannon) in TN. He's sturdy, healthy, lively, affectionate and a super fast learner (sometimes I wish he's not that smart). But of course, I understand that you might want to see the parents of your potential puppy and/or meet the breeder in person, etc. But like murieics said, there's always the shipping option.

Have you looked at this: http://poodlesonline.com/


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## Cdnjennga

I don't know personally of any breeders in Texas, but did a quick search and found these ones:

Home - Hardt Poodles
Home

I would suggest starting your search at Orthopedic Foundation for Animals to do a quick check of whether any of their dogs have testing listed. If they don't, that doesn't mean it hasn't been done, but when I was searching that was one way I would decide who was worth contacting. Then you can always just contact people with your questions and take it from there!

Good luck! I have a 10 month old mini boy who I am very happy with. I remember hunting for breeders like it was yesterday.


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## murieics

belgrad said:


> Thanks for the suggestions. I live in Texas and have been reading about how important it is to actually see where your puppy is bred, meet the parents, etc. I prefer to be able to drive to pick up a puppy, and if it's close enough maybe even visit it a time or two before it comes home. I know some dog owners have recommended that. We're in West Texas, so even Oklahoma is a possibility, it's probably even closer than some parts of Texas!


This is what I always heard too, but the thing is- the awesome breeders are all over the country. So what I really looked at was this: 1. A breeder that does all of their testing. 2. Someone who is showing their dogs, and mainly (or only) breeds champion dogs. I do recognize that sometimes the dog might not be a champion as far as conformation goes- but hopefully it has done lots of other competitions (so, maybe it was an oversized mini that couldn't compete in conformation- instead, it has it's CGC, agility, tracking, and obedience titles- so it's still getting out there and proving its "worth" so to speak- and it comes from Champion lines). 3. Breeders that are recommended by other breeders. 

So, when I started looking for breeders, I looked to see who was being recommended when people asked. Do you have a color in mind? Depending on what color(s) you are looking for, that will change which breeders you are looking at, generally speaking. 

As far as personality goes- once you've found a good breeder- ask them about the parents' personalities. Ask about offspring. The awesome breeders usually have puppies all over the country (and, in some cases, the world!). Find out if they are willing/ able to put you in contact with someone who has one of their puppies (even better if it's one from the parents of the litter you are looking at). Ask about their experience. 

Also, as far as getting to go visit the puppy several times, etc. Keep in mind that most of the best breeders will pick your puppy for you. You will give them an idea of what you want (so, for example, I wanted a silver, male, over-sized mini who would have enough energy to go on walks, etc. with me, but that would like to chill in the house and snuggle sometimes too- that is exactly what I got, but I didn't get to look at the litter and say "I want that one". Instead, when Brenda had a puppy that she thought fit with what I was looking for, she emailed me and said "I have this puppy, and I think it is a good fit for your situation"), but in the end, they decide which puppy they think will fit best with what you are looking for. 

I do understand where you were coming from (in fact, before we got Jake, we were considering a road trip to Canada this summer to pick a puppy up) in wanting to go meet the puppy and his parents, though.


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## belgrad

Thanks for those suggestions. I do want the breeder to pick our puppy for us, because I know they'll know those individual puppies and what type of home they'll fit in best. I don't really care about color, I think they're all pretty. The poodle I grew up with was white, so I kind of lean towards them, but it's not a deal breaker for me. I'm much more interested in finding one that will fit in well with our family. Thanks for the helpful suggestions!


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## PaddleAddict

murieics said:


> This is what I always heard too, but the thing is- the awesome breeders are all over the country


I agree and I also think the number of "awesome" mini breeders is so much fewer than the number of awesome standard breeders for instance. 

My breeder was so highly recommended that I bought the pup 1) without meeting the breeder, 2) without seeing her home, 3) without meeting the parents and 4) without meeting the puppy.

I saw two photos of him, and spoke at length with the breeder on the phone. The first time we met was when she flew him to my area (with the pup under the seat in front of her). We got to talk for about an hour while she waited for her return flight home.

I simply could not be happier with my mini. He's smart as a whip, just gorgeous, well put together, very poodley and has the most incredible, stable temperament. His parents were both champions (as well as 90% of his five-generation pedigree) and the parents were health-tested. 

I do think it's an ideal situation to be able to find a fabulous breeder who's witin driving distance, but with some breeds (or with poodles, some varieties within a breed), it's not always going to happen, and I wouldn't limit yourself to ONLY your immediate area.

Edited to add, I don't know anything about Alegros Poodles, so I am not saying that is not a fabulous breeder, and if they are and they happen to live near you--that would be great luck!


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## belgrad

Thanks for the link, that's so helpful.


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## PoodlePhD

Hi Belgrad. I tried to send you a pm but don't know if I was successful. I had a recent interaction with Alegros and would like to share it with you. The info might be helpful. Best of luck in your search.


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## belgrad

Thanks, I'll send you a pm and hopefully that will work.


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## PoodlePhD

*Long Post - I'm Wordy*



belgrad said:


> Thanks, I'll send you a pm and hopefully that will work.


Belgrad, I wasn't able to fit it in a private message but I have received several pm's from other members who want to hear my experience as well and instead of continuing to copy, paste and email the response I'll just post it here. I don't want to miss anyone who has requested to hear my experience and I'm about to get off the PC. I'm usually on my phone and just popped on to copy and paste the email and upload a profile pic.

*I'm sending you the transcript of my email conversation with Alla from Alegros. I'm ashamed to admit that I reacted negatively to her and somewhat egged her on to see if she was in fact being rude, which was how I was taking it. In retrospect and to give her the benefit of the doubt, there is obviously a language barrier and perhaps she did not bother with details or explanations beyond what she felt was necessary for her business purposes. 
For the most part, though, I did feel she was being rude and indignant. She did not come across at all as warm, friendly or open, which is something I look for in a breeder for two reasons. One, how someone treats humans is often a reflection of how they will treat their animals; and two, I want a breeder I can have a long term and ongoing relationship with throughout the life of my poodle. 

I'm sensitive by nature so I took her reaction as rude and condescending, but I may have read it entirely wrong and my reaction could be what capitulated the situation into an unpleasant one. I'm trying to be humble here. I was very caught off guard and felt insulted, and when someone comes across as condescending or arrogant I can get pretty indignant myself. My apologies. 

As I said, I have been lurking for a while and I don't want my first post to be one seeming to appear as a drama queen or trying to stir up trouble, lambast someone, or mar someone's name. I do think it may be helpful information though, and I'd be interested to know if anyone else has had a similar experience with her or a better one. 

I try to avoid dog snobs and puppy pimps. I tend to get a little soapboxy about things like this. But I have plenty of faults of my own and I know I should not be one to cast stones. Argh, the conflicts of being a peace loving yet protective mommy. I may have overreacted. Let me know what you think and feel free to point out where I was out of line. I already know where I prodded her. I wanted to be sure my instincts were correct... I was interpreting a snarky attitude coming off of her. I was so caught off guard by it. That being said, I may have helped encourage it.

Wow, sorry so winded. So here's the preface:
I was doing a search on Puppies for Sale, Dogs for Sale and Dog Breeders and there was a listing for a beautiful adult female labeled “girl”. The listing stated that the dog was looking for a home, etc. etc. Usual ad. It was listed as $0 and it did not say “Contact seller for price” in the text or under details. I know that sometimes breeders will rehome their breeding stock as they retire them for little to no cost. I have had breeders offer them to me in the past and have seen them on puppyfind and other sites, etc. I also know that when someone posts a litter or a pup they may not list a price, but generally will say contact seller for price or price to be determined later, or with litters not make a distinction and price it at $0, but it's easy to ascertain in that situation that the pups haven't been born yet and it's a general listing for the upcoming litter. 

With a single adult, listed as $0, and a beautiful pic I jumped on the chance to email the breeder and inquire about why she was listed this way and let her know I was indeed interested. I have spoken to breeders wanting to rehome their retirees free of charge from puppyfind in the past, and was excited about the possibility in this case.
This is the transcript of the interaction verbatim:


Transcript removed by POODLEADM.



I'm truly embarrassed that I didn't handle this better and am ashamed that I was so rude and insulting... Rereading it I realize I could have handled this in a much more mature and productive manner. So, perhaps it was my lack of dignity in handling the matter that is as upsetting to me as her response style. I hope I don't come across as crass or ignorant, I have my feisty moments and I guess this was one of those nights where I wasn't willing to let it go. I wouldn't deal with her based on this interaction alone, we wouldn't be a good fit for one another obviously. But it takes two, and perhaps you wouldn't have an experience like this... but head's up the potential is there for her to be a bit pretentious. 

All Best, 
PoodlePhD (Hope This Helps)*

I'd love to hear others experiences. I had one person already respond to my experience, MAYFLOWER, saying that they had a completely different experience. Interestingly, she only just registered today, have no posts, and initially told me they wanted to hear my experience because they were looking for a puppy. It was then in her response that they told me that they had had a positive experience with the breeder. They also had a very similar prose or "written accent" to Alegros. Perhaps just a coincidence. I just logged on for the first time yesterday and haven't posted but once before this thread, so who's to say that's fishy. Maybe they lurk too, and were just interested to hear what I had to say before telling me they had a positive... experience... ? Or maybe someone with Alegros wanted to know what I experienced? Fair enough. If not I apologize to MAYFLOWER for insinuating such. I can see how that could easily happen though, its human nature to want to know what someone is saying about you. 

Interestingly, I also had someone tell me they too had a negative experience and that hearing mine was validating to them, so for that I'm glad. 

This is not the entrance I had hoped to make into the forum, as I have thoroughly enjoyed being a silent voyeur of the community, but it is what it is... hope you all don't think I'm looking for drama or a troublemaker but I'm not one to play games. I'm down to earth and pretty direct, not looking for trouble but not a doormat either. 

It's nice to meet you all... ~

All Best.


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## fracturedcircle

PoodlePhD, you're making this public, so I'll respond publicly: first of all, *I* would never share someone's private communications with anyone else, let alone post them publicly. I can't even begin to tell you how much trouble such practice can cause. I have refused to do it and will always do so, period.

secondly, I've had close conversations with this breeder for months and I simply can't understand why you're making a five-meal course (again, publicly, which does worry me) out of your cursory exchange predicated on language barrier and "possible overreaction". she is not a Good Fairy to make you happy in her first email. I am just saying that perhaps it's better to think twice before publicly denouncing someone, while someone else here might actually know something based on--oh, I dunno--facts?


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## cerulia

murieics said:


> Is there a particular reason that you are wanting to find a breeder in Texas only? Would you mind shipping a puppy to you?
> 
> I live in Texas, and I shipped my puppy from Allegria Poodles (out of Arizona). SchnauzerPoodle got her poodle from Aery (who is on the east coast- forgive me, I don't remember what state Richard lives in).


I'd like to ask you about this and anyone else that has experience with shipped puppies. Many people feel that it works out just fine and there's no detriment to the pup. I'm inclined to believe them but I'm also a paranoid puppy mom.

Does anyone know if there is a higher rate of disease or infection/health problem associated with a puppy flying in cargo or however they go? Or if there are any observable mental effects? 

I would assume that if there were, people would not ship puppies but I do know that certain breeders do not ever ship puppies so that makes me a little nervous...


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## Administrator

I want to remind everyone that if you do NOT have first-hand experience with a breeder and are posting something you have heard through the grapevine or even worst, something you're discerning based on things you have read on the internet or somewhere else, that CAN be classified as libel if it is not true.

Please do not ever post private communications you have had with other people unless you have received their permission to do so. 

Thanks everyone! 
Yung


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## ArreauStandardPoodle

cerulia said:


> I'd like to ask you about this and anyone else that has experience with shipped puppies. Many people feel that it works out just fine and there's no detriment to the pup. I'm inclined to believe them but I'm also a paranoid puppy mom.
> 
> Does anyone know if there is a higher rate of disease or infection/health problem associated with a puppy flying in cargo or however they go? Or if there are any observable mental effects?
> 
> I would assume that if there were, people would not ship puppies but I do know that certain breeders do not ever ship puppies so that makes me a little nervous...


It would be an individual breeders option to not ship for whatever reason they themselves may have, but it is not because of any detriment to a puppy. I have shipped lots of puppies to their new homes, and shipped Quincy from Iceland to Toronto and he came bounding out of the crate, happy and completely unaffected. Breeders ship dogs all the time...to be sold, to be bred, to be shown. It has no affect on them whatsoever other than them being tired.


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## cerulia

ArreauStandardPoodle said:


> It would be an individual breeders option to not ship for whatever reason they themselves may have, but it is not because of any detriment to a puppy. I have shipped lots of puppies to their new homes, and shipped Quincy from Iceland to Toronto and he came bounding out of the crate, happy and completely unaffected. Breeders ship dogs all the time...to be sold, to be bred, to be shown. It has no affect on them whatsoever other than them being tired.


Thanks for the feedback. Do you know exactly what happens with them? Are they being shipped in the belly of a passenger plane? If so, where down there are they? Do they have anyone around them? What if a byb shipped a puppy with some type of problem along side a good breeder puppy? Or can this not be done? 

I only worry because a friend of mine had a puppy shipped from a byb that died of parvo right after she got her. That's not to say the parvo wasn't picked up from her own yard but... 

If there's more than one animal on a plane, I'd hope they'd segregate them but I just don't know how it works!

Thanks again!


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## ArreauStandardPoodle

cerulia said:


> Thanks for the feedback. Do you know exactly what happens with them? Are they being shipped in the belly of a passenger plane? If so, where down there are they? Do they have anyone around them? What if a byb shipped a puppy with some type of problem along side a good breeder puppy? Or can this not be done?
> 
> I only worry because a friend of mine had a puppy shipped from a byb that died of parvo right after she got her. That's not to say the parvo wasn't picked up from her own yard but...
> 
> If there's more than one animal on a plane, I'd hope they'd segregate them but I just don't know how it works!
> 
> Thanks again!


They do limit the number of dogs per flight. I do not know if they keep them segregated, but most breeders would not ship until a week after pups have had their first shots so they do have some protection. I would think if a pup died of Parvo shortly after its arrival to its destination that it picked it up prior to getting on the plane because of its incubation period. You have to have s certificate of health from your vet, so that is a guarantee that a puppy has seen a vet, can withstand specific temperatures, and a lot of airlines will not ship a puppy without the first shot, and not even one day younger than eight weeks of age.

Yes, they are in the belly of a passenger plane. Everything in the cargo hold is secure and fastened down. I doubt there is anyone with them. We put a baby Kong in with them filled with peanut butter too keep them occupied, and seriously, when they are done playing with their Kong, they likely sleep, which is what they would do at home if they were there. WE are the ones with anxiety not them. They do not think there is anything to be fearful of, so they aren't. They reach their destination unfazed. Possibly tired for a couple of days, but no worse for the wear.


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## cerulia

ArreauStandardPoodle said:


> They do limit the number of dogs per flight. I do not know if they keep them segregated, but most breeders would not ship until a week after pups have had their first shots so they do have some protection. I would think if a pup died of Parvo shortly after its arrival to its destination that it picked it up prior to getting on the plane because of its incubation period. You have to have s certificate of health from your vet, so that is a guarantee that a puppy has seen a vet, can withstand specific temperatures, and a lot of airlines will not ship a puppy without the first shot, and not even one day younger than eight weeks of age.
> 
> Yes, they are in the belly of a passenger plane. Everything in the cargo hold is secure and fastened down. I doubt there is anyone with them. We put a baby Kong in with them filled with peanut butter too keep them occupied, and seriously, when they are done playing with their Kong, they likely sleep, which is what they would do at home if they were there. WE are the ones with anxiety not them. They do not think there is anything to be fearful of, so they aren't. They reach their destination unfazed. Possibly tired for a couple of days, but no worse for the wear.



Very informative thank you!

So you wouldn't be worried about transmission of parvo between a dog that picked it up prior to getting on a plane and one that rides near it on a plane? I've read they pick it up mostly from the droppings etc. but anything I've read also makes it seem so scary!


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## ArreauStandardPoodle

cerulia said:


> Very informative thank you!
> 
> So you wouldn't be worried about transmission of parvo between a dog that picked it up prior to getting on a plane and one that rides near it on a plane? I've read they pick it up mostly from the droppings etc. but anything I've read also makes it seem so scary!


Oh yes, I could DEFINATELY worry. I think it is transmitted through any bodily secretions, like a sneeze. But if everyone does things right, this should not be an issue.. They are at risk sticking their nose through the fence visiting the neighbour's dog too. I kept my litter two years ago an extra few weeks because Parvo in Ontario was rampant. We made sure they had two shots and a week passed after the second one prior to shipping.

You can contact any of the airlines and get a list of their rules, recommendations and criteria. They are all different.


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## NOLA Standards

In Texas try Betty Brown at Donnchada or Kadie Bonds - MacKays. They are outside of Houston. I know both ladies well. They focus on producing beautiful, healthy animals.

Best way to reach either of them would be via email. 

If you want to pm me (or email me) for their emails, please do. Not sure if I should post theirs outright, though searching would find them for you, too. My email is [email protected].

Good Luck.


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## belgrad

Thanks so much for that response, that's very helpful to those of us looking for puppies right now. It makes me feel confident in the shipping option. Thanks!


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## Poodle Lover

I find it so interesting that shipping dogs is widely used and accepted in some breeds and not at all in others. Reputable poodles breeders of all three varieties and reputable maltese breeders readily ship their puppies all over the country. On the other hand, most (at least 95%) of the reputable havanese breeders will not ship their puppies in cargo, no exceptions. They welcome you to come out to their home and pick up the puppy or even fly the puppy to you, but never ship. They feel it's too much stress for the little ones and prefer that you see the dog in person and see how they are raised. I can't help but like this way of thinking.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle

Poodle Lover said:


> I find it so interesting that shipping dogs is widely used and accepted in some breeds and not at all in others. Reputable poodles breeders of all three varieties and reputable maltese breeders readily ship their puppies all over the country. On the other hand, most (at least 95%) of the reputable havanese breeders will not ship their puppies in cargo, no exceptions. They welcome you to come out to their home and pick up the puppy or even fly the puppy to you, but never ship. They feel it's too much stress for the little ones and prefer that you see the dog in person and see how they are raised. I can't help but like this way of thinking.


Well with Havanese being a toy breed, this might make a difference. And I do not know if they would be considered a snub nosed breed, but those breeds can have loads of problems being shipped. They represent the biggest number of deaths.

In a perfect world, everyone would be able to visit their breeder. But sometimes that is not always possible. If you discount the ones whose dogs you like or you feel comfortable with just because of distance, you might be doing yourself a huge injustice.


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## BFF

Another breeder to consider in Texas is Antigua. One of my favorite standard poodles, Gunther, came from that breeder.

From their website, it looks like they will no longer be breeding miniatures. They have a retired Champion for sale, and I think it might be Juliet. She is a very stunning mini silver. 

http://www.antiguashowdogs.com/availablepoodles.htm

I don't have any experience with any of the breeders listed.


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## BFF

I just realized that the web page where Juliet is for sale may be an outdated link. It also indicates that she will only be going to a show home. It's too bad they don't have enough time to keep up with their line of minis.


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## belgrad

I know, I love standards, but I think the miniature will fit in best with our family because of the size of our yard and exercise needs.


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## 3dogs

Heck I think you should make it a family vacation. You should look into breeders, narrow down your search to a few & then go on a family vacation driving & meeting the breeders of your choosing. Then narrow down your search further from there. I love road trips & think it is a great idea. Maybe narrow one search to a weekend warrior trip & then if that doesn't pan out widen your search to a week long trip.
I don't know your definition of "local" & what distance is long for you. 

We recently drove 6 hrs to Carolina Poodle Rescue not even knowing if we were going home with a dog, just meeting prospects & the volunteers. We stayed 2 hours, picked the 2nd suggestion of the CPR group & headed back home 6 hours. We took all 4 of our dogs as well as our son. But that is us, well worth it & are overjoyed with our Small St. Poo.

Road trip!!!


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## belgrad

A road trip visiting puppies would be so fun! My kids would love it but they'd one to get a puppy at every stop. Texas is so big that driving from where I live in West Texas to Houston takes 6 hours. Of course, I could probably get to Oklahoma quicker than some parts of Texas, so maybe I can expand my search to some neighboring states.


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## PoodlePhD

*I Apologize*

I was the one who made the inappropriate post. I want to apologize to everyone and thank the moderators for the great work they do here.


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## Beach girl

Re shipping: I found the breeder and puppy I wanted in Canada. I live near Washington, D.C. I considered shipping but then looked into air fares for me to fly up there. Turned out the cost of flying up to Toronto and back, plus the $50 they charged for me to carry the dog on board, was comparable to the cost of shipping. So for me that made it an easy decision, to just fly up there myself on first flight out in the a.m., and then came back in late afternoon. It worked out very well for all concerned that way.

Everyone is different, but for me, I'd do that again in a heartbeat, if the cost of my own air fare was reasonable versus the shipping costs. Casey slept all the way home in his Sturdi bag under the seat, no problem at all.


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## Poodle Lover

ArreauStandardPoodle said:


> Well with Havanese being a toy breed, this might make a difference. And I do not know if they would be considered a snub nosed breed, but those breeds can have loads of problems being shipped. They represent the biggest number of deaths.


That's the funny part, as Maltese are much smaller than Havs and reputable Malt breeders ship with no problem.


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## cerulia

Beach girl said:


> Re shipping: I found the breeder and puppy I wanted in Canada. I live near Washington, D.C. I considered shipping but then looked into air fares for me to fly up there. Turned out the cost of flying up to Toronto and back, plus the $50 they charged for me to carry the dog on board, was comparable to the cost of shipping. So for me that made it an easy decision, to just fly up there myself on first flight out in the a.m., and then came back in late afternoon. It worked out very well for all concerned that way.
> 
> Everyone is different, but for me, I'd do that again in a heartbeat, if the cost of my own air fare was reasonable versus the shipping costs. Casey slept all the way home in his Sturdi bag under the seat, no problem at all.


Thanks for the weigh-ins! I would love to go pick up a puppy and fly him home with me but it's extremely cost prohibitive for me (with the dog and I together in the cabin it was like 500.00) I don't know why...

It's a tough choice, I've heard some horror stories about certain airlines. But I've also thought about how no matter how you get them home at that age there's some potential for illness or discomfort...

But at least I'm being responsible by doing my research right? And making myself nuts! haha!


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## spindledreams

oops old thread


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