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CLUB OF
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CLUB OF
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Contracts - Why a Contract Is ImportantWhen purchasing a small puppy, no one can really tell what that puppy's ultimate quality as an adult will be. A written contract between you and the breeder is to both your benefits. Price varies from breeder to breeder. Current prices range from about $700-1200+ per dog. Usually a price difference exists between show prospects and pet quality dogs, and perhaps a price difference between males and females of equal quality. Price alone is no indicator of quality. No one contract will cover every contingency, but an experienced breeder will want to clarify many issues ahead of time in a written contract. Some breeders prefer to sell their pups with a spay/neuter stipulation. The contract should spell out what will be the responsibilities of the breeder and owner should the puppy turn out other than anticipated. For instance: if you are paying more for a puppy as a show prospect than you would for pet quality, what if the puppy turns out to not be show quality? If it turns out that the puppy has a serious congenital health problem, does the contract specify what steps the breeder will take - e.g., refund, replacement, financial assistance with medical treatment, etc.? Do not lose sight of the fact that by the time the problem is found, you might have fallen in love with your pup, and may not want to give it back, or you might be disenchanted with your breeder, and would not want another pup from their kennel. If for some reason you end up unable to keep your puppy, your breeder might want first refusal on placing him in a new home. The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Northern California does have a formal Rescue program for placing dogs, if necessary. Puppies may be designated for limited registration by the breeder. This means the dog may not be shown in the breed ring, and any offspring may not be registered with the AKC. Should a pup turn out to be showable in the breed ring, limited registrations may be changed to full registrations only by the breeder. Limited registration dogs may be shown in all working events. When two or more people jointly own a dog, they are co-owners. Co-ownership agreements are commonly between a breeder and purchaser, but can consist of other groups or people. There are as many kinds of co-ownership agreements as there are co-owners. It can be difficult to understand the full legal and emotional ramifications of a co-ownership contract. Co-ownership disputes are a source of daily complaints at the AKC. Try to have someone knowledgeable go over the contract with you. Careful review of any contract is strongly encouraged, especially if this is your first pedigreed dog. AKC has some very good booklets available covering registration topics. Make sure the AKC registration application ("papers") is signed over to you by the breeder at time of purchase. If there is a foul up with the AKC (it does happen) and the breeder does not have the papers at the time you purchase a registered puppy, you may wish to reserve part of your payment until the papers come through. Please be aware of the fact that you are committing not just your heart to a cute pup, but you are making a financial commitment to make sure it receives proper food and health care for as long as it is with you. The bigger the dog, the bigger the bills. For routine health care, food and maintenance for a mature dog, figure $500-$700 per year total expenses if no problems develop. Of that amount, the annual vet visit with all shots, heartworm and stool tests, and a supply of heartworm pills will be in the $150-$250 range. As examples of expenses should problems occur: surgery to repair a congenitally bad joint is at least several hundred dollars, emergency treatment and aftercare for bloat at a major vet hospital is over $1,000.
Information and Resource Guide on this page provided courtesy of the Nashoba Valley Bernese Mountain Dog Club
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BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOG 