mcbeal

I know I know, very mean of me I will be supplying pictures as soon as I figure out how to post them!!!

Well I consider myself a very lucky lady right at the moment. I spent 2 hours with the breeder this morning (and could have been there all day chatting!!) and I am now the very proud owner of a beautiful blue roan boy Archie (formally Billy). Archie was back with the breeder as the situation of his owners changed so they had to bring him back. He is a very placid young man, and even though he was not raised with children he absolutely adores my son, who in turns adores him right back. Archie is a little reserved with my dog but that is becuase he is much larger than him and was also a little boisterous (but not agressive) when I introduced them. I am sure that Archie will get used to Oscar in a few days. I just peeped down stairs and Archie is curled up beside my son watching Nemo (it is raining here so no outdoor play) A bonus is that he was only $300, which was well within my budget.

OOOOOHHHHHHH .... some good news!!!!!! I contacted the Victorian cocker spaniel club puppy officer last week and was asked to call back again this week which I just did. She did find a breeder at the weekend that is selling an older puppy ....... and this breeder is only 30 minutes down the road from me!!!! I don't know much more than the pup is around 6 months of age. I have called the breeder and left a message ......... I am SOOOOOOO excited ... hopefully I will get to speak to her today otherwise I am going to drive myself (and those unfortunate people around me) absolutely barmy. Everybody please keep your fingers crossed for me Editted due to being so excited and typing so fast that I made mistakes

I know setterlvr ..... I am already getting myself confused, tho that is not difficult to do these days .... too many things to do and not enough brain cells to cover them all I am afraid. I will restrict my wild goose chases to Vic from now on ... and honestly I would rather get one local .... sometimes I can't see the forest for the trees!!!

Alright you have got me again .... naughty me I was on petlink again ( ). This time though it was by accident I swear, I thought I had selected the petrescue website ..... turns out I only read the pet bit ....... and then I just had a quick look ........ I think I may have a problem . At least this breeder has a website that I have been looking at .... they have a lovely chocolate roan boy and he is bewtiful. There prices actually start from $550 for a black and go up to $1200 for a chocolate bitch. This is such a minefield to navigate

Here is my next (silly) question ...... it is possible to have chocolate (both solid and roan) coloured cockers. A NSW breeder has a litter due soon and they are $500 each with papers, microchip, first vacs and puppy care pack I am off to google chocolate coloured cockers!!!

Oh Silverblue .... what a shame that you do not have any puppies at the moment as you are not that far away from me .......... sigh

Thanks for all the great advice re the papers and the cost of the puppy. It looks like I will need to save a bit longer, which I guess at the heart of it I already knew, it is just having 2 mortages to service is fairly daunting ..... and yes I am aware of how much and am fully capable of paying for the regular grooming they require and all the other associated costs of puppy ownership. I must admit I was a bit suss too that she was selling the bitches for $800 and the males for $500, every other breeder I have spoken to does not make the distinction. I am undecided if I will contact her or not ... probably not I would much prefer to purchase one local so I can keep in contact with the breeder. I was orginially hoping that I would be able to get a slightly older puppy(somewhere around the 6 month mark), as I know some are kept for showing but for various reasons do not work out. However, I disussed this idea with a local breeder and she advised against it as I have a 3 1/2 year old son (very gentle, raised with our other dog ... but still a 3 year old!!) infact she recommended that I should not buy a puppy older than 12 weeks old, hence why I have started to look at litters. Keep the advice coming, it is much appreciated!

Sorry if this is a silly question .......... I have been considering purchasing a cocker spaniel for a few years now and my husband and I finally agree the time is right. For the last few weeks I have been dilligently researching litters for sale. I do understand that quality pups come at a price, however I am a little too poor to pay $850 for a pup that will be a pet and de sexed as soon as possible. If I was wanting to show or breeding myself I would happily pay that and more for the good genetics etc. As tempting as it is to buy a puppy for $350-400 I really do not want to purchase from a backyard breeder for obvious reasons. I have managed to locate a lady in Queensland who is selling golden cocker pups (just an aside I would like a golden one because we have a tendancy to have black and silver pets and I would like to have a break from that cycle for a while!). She is selling males for $500 with papers. I, of course will be asking her to supply me with a copy, and this might be blatantly obvious, but will it be easy for me to tell if they are legit? And by selling a puppy with papers does that mean that I have avoided buying from a backyard breeder (my assumption is that I would be avoiding one) though I did find the add on Petlink (forgive me). Also if I approached a DOL breeder (whom I would be most inclined to trust) and explained to them that I can only afford $600 and will have desexed, welcome a home inspection to meet the other fluffy kid etc, do you think that would listen/help me or laugh and tell me I am dreaming ? Any advice would be lovely, or if any victorian cocker breeders would like to contact me I would appreciate it. Edited to fix spelling/grammer!