The Pandemic seems to be creating a collective desire for puppies. I am fielding inquiries about puppies every day.
My goal in responding to people is not to sell a puppy — it is to help people understand what they should be looking for in a Berner and a Breeder. To do this, I have to be gracious and kind even when I feel insulted.
And yes — some of the inquiries are unintentionally insulting.
“Got pups? How much?” is #1 on my list. If availability and price are what matters most to a potential puppy home, we are definitely not compatible.
Further, people focused on price, availability and/or markings are the people who are unintentionally driving the misery of puppy mills and other unfortunate puppy producers. I know well those who do not know enough to care about health testing, pedigrees, longevity and so forth will find someone who can meet their superficial criterion for a puppy — and so demand is created.
I try. I answer every inquiry and I do it politely. Some people are indeed open to new ways of thinking about what it means to buy a purebred dog, and I am “fishing” for those people.
But it is not always easy on my heart, and it takes time, which is in short supply these days.
And speaking of puppies, I have ordered a Pandemic Canine Pregnancy Test — it arrives next Wednesday.
These are indeed strange times.
