Co-ownership of breeding dog?

[Laura Corin]

We are being offered the chance to take in a female dog that a local breeder wants to keep with a family: her house is overfull of dogs, and she doesn't like using kennels; she also prefers for a dog not to have to be re-homed after finishing breeding. These are very expensive dogs - we wouldn't buy one - but they are meant to be low allergy, and this is a nicely-bred young dog with a good personality.

We would put down a deposit on the dog, then she would live with us until it was time to breed from her, at which time she would go and live with the breeder until the puppies were weaned. We would get a bonus when the puppies were sold, which would cover the deposit. Future litter bonuses would help with upkeep of the dog.

After the dog has had three litters (or reaches five years old), she is spayed and then handed over to us for good.

The boys could visit the dog and her puppies while she was staying away, and the breeder would also keep her when we went on holiday (whilst she's of breeding age). We have no liability to the breeder if she gets ill/injured or dies. We can meet the dog and make sure she does not make DH sneeze before we take her in. I see this as a kind of pre-rescue dog opportunity.

What do you think of this?

Laura

[Rose in BC]

I ask because I think it does somewhat depend on the nature of the breed (the going back and forth between families). My Bernese Mountain dog is so attached to me that she would not do well to live somewhere else. Although I do admit that when we vacation we have someone staying with us and while that isn't her idea of ideal, it does work.

On the plus side, having someone take care of her while you're on vacation is a huge added bonus. It's the hard part of dog ownership.

[astrid]

Great opportunity, I'd say, but with the same cautions I mentioned above in the other dog thread, including the expensive food, and the watchful eye during heat cycles.

what breed?

astrid

[3lilreds in NC]

I have a friend who did this, and she didn't like it very much. She has no children, so is very attached to her dog, and was quite miserable when she had to go to shows and live with the breeder. It ended up that the dog never did get pregnant, but the breeder went back and forth and back and forth about how long she would show the dog and how long she would attempt breeding her. It sounds like your breeder has a specific timeline, and as long as you have it in writing when you set out, I think you'll be fine.

ETA: Not to say that we aren't all very attached to our dogs.:)

[Ria]

I have a friend who did this, but with a male dog. It worked beautifully. The dog showed and made champion and was used for stud, but lived most of the time with my friend and her family. After a certain period of time my friend became the sole owner. It worked very well for them. Their dog was a Westie.

Ria

[Laura Corin]

We are still thinking about this, but may well pursue it.

Laura

[Soph the vet]

Laura, I would get something in writing defining who is exactly responsible for any vet bills if this dog gets hit by a car or has an illness, etc. My SIL just had a not so good experience with this kind of arrangement. Thankfully the breeder paid the over $5000 vet bill at the university and took the dog back (its medical issues were known by breeder and not disclosed to SIL):glare:. So just be careful and get things in writing.

[Laura Corin]

Thanks Soph. As it stands, the contract states that all bills connected to breeding are paid by the breeder; all other bills are paid by me. I'll ask them to insert a clause stating that, to their knowledge, the dog has no health issues at the time of handover.

I am currently wondering how much hassle having an unspayed female dog around will be. Doggie panties when she's in heat???? Things I never thought I'd have to think about. You can tell I've been Googling the issue.

Laura