Poodle breeders - any suggestions?

[Shanthala Rajagopala]

Hi All, I don't know if this is the right place to post this but I have found people on this site so helpful, I couldnt resist asking for help:-)

One of my friends has decided to add a furry friend into their family. They are considering a doodle or a poodle. Though their daughter is not allergic to animals( she is tested and she is allergic to dust mites etc), they are considering poodle just to be safe. So, anybody know of a responsible poodle breeder in and around Ohio. I found http://www.okaylynfarms.com/ but we have not made any contacts with any breeders yet...Websites are deceiving...I would rather rely on all of you peoples experienced reference. They are looking for a standard poodle. Thanks in advance.

[Adina P]

No suggestions near you, but I know that one of our members, Carol Brand...IS a poodle breeder and she might be a good resource for you. I looked at the site you posted and could not see any red flags, really. Looked decent on paper. I would look at the following Poodle clubs for their breeder lists. If you look at enough breeder sites, you start to get a feel for what is considered a high standard breeder:

http://www.vipoodle.org/pages/VIP_findapoodle.html -- this whole site has some valuable information...I'd pass the site to your friend to spend lots of time on!

http://www.ohiopoodleclub.org/links.htm

http://cincinnatipoodleclub.org/breeders.html

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Shanthala, in a single word- NO. You absolutely have to have health testing on the parents with poodles, no exceptions.
Here is a great source for standard poodles. Any of the breeders listed here will be reliable:
http://www.poodlesonline.com/standard/standardpoodlebreeders.html
Carol Brand is another great source. She has a topnotch program & will steer you in the right direction.
Please be aware that for the most part, you will not see pictures of litters or available puppies on the websites of really great poodle breeders. You will usually not see prices, either. You must contact them to get this information.

[Shanthala Rajagopala]

Thanks Adina & Karen.
Karen, I think you misunderstood. When i say we are looking for a responsible breeder we are thinking all the health testing to be done by him/her. The story is - My friend wanted to go rescue route really. She has filled up applications with DRC a while back and hasn't heard if she is approved or not. Few times they found a dog that would suit them from couple of other rescue org( Kentucky rescue, one in Indiana) etc but it turned out that the dog was already adopted...So, right now they are a little frustrated and considering going with the breeder since they think the summer would be the best time to get a dog which will give the time for their kids and the dog to get adjusted. Now, if they are going breeder route, I would definitely discourage them to buy from any breeder picked randomly on the web...hence the question.
Thank you so much for the poodle club links...we will definitely start from there.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't think I misunderstood. I didn't see any health testing on the website for the link you posted above, so I was saying "No" to purchasing from them. I also can't find them in the poodle pedigree database or health testing database. I didn't mean that your friend shouldn't buy a poodle, I meant she shouldn't buy from that website. I wasn't suggesting rescue.
The link I posted above is a list of Standard poodle breeders, and very good ones.

[Adina P]

Site says they test all dogs for SA, Vwd, hips, eyes...front page.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oops, I missed that. I'm used to seeing the health info listed with each breeding dog, or a link to their CHIC pages. Okay, then if they can show you written proof of health testing, that would be much better.
I would personally want to see the pedigrees for the breeding dogs, which you'll find on some of the better breeders' websites, but if you don't know poodles, it probably wouldn't mean much. You can get an idea of how much line-breeding there is, though, and if you really want to spend some time researching, you can also see if there's any inbreeding.

[Shanthala Rajagopala]

oh...I misunderstood what you said then. Sorry about that. I thought you were under the impression that we would get a puppy without health testing done on parents...Which after being her for so long and reading so many good information I would never encourage my friend to do that. Inbreeding - I would never have thought of that. We would definitely ask for the pedigree information and go thro' that.

[Gina and Finn]

Hi Shanthala, I do not know of any poodle breeders but I thought as Finn is a standard size and we got him here in Ohio I would let you know I would be happy to have your friend meet him and see what she thinks of his nature/personality /size. Or if she had questions I can give you my phone number. I will say since we met at the romp he has had a haircut and is not quite the woolly mammoth you saw that day!! Finn's mother just had a litter on April 30th so they should have some summer puppies available. I sometimes see a lady in the Blue Ash park with a beautiful standard poodle and if I see her I will ask her thoughts on local poodles. The groomer I use in Montgomery seems to see alot of poodles and she might have some thoughts on local breeders. Her name is Lisa at Lisa's Village Grooming ( a few doors down from Montgomery Inn in the Village Animal Hospital ). Your friend might give her a call and see what she thinks. How exciting! A new pup in your circle of friends. Somedays that's better than a new puppie of your own!!

[Shanthala Rajagopala]

Thanks Gina!!! I would definitely pass on this information. Oh...I loved Finn when I met him at the romp. I can only think of him as a big brown bear...and a handsome one at that:-) Both my husband and I love big dogs...and he took our breath away the moment we saw him.