The term Ethical Breeder is a catch phrase that encompasses what good breeders have been doing for generations. An ethical breeder prioritizes health, temperament, and the well-being of their dogs over profit. Ethical breeders perform the appropriate breed specific health screenings on parent dogs. They choose pairings considering the dogs that came before them and the dogs they hope to have come after.
While good care is a minimum standard, ethical breeders do more. They raise their puppies exposing them to as many different stimulus, sound, surfaces, scents, toys as possible to ensure that the puppies' start off with the strongest foundation. Ethical breeders will interview and screen puppy homes. They offer support to those homes and will always take their puppies back at any age, no questions asked.
But don't be fooled, bad breeders have latched on to the title and will use all the right words to persuade you that they are ethical breeders. Ask to see pedigrees. Ask to see health test results/clearances. Ask. Ask. Ask.
Do your research. Don't trust anyone.
All health testing and pedigrees for our Tollers can be accessed by clicking on the dog's name. It will take you to The Breed Archive, a website where all of my dogs' pedigrees and health testing results reside.
Alternatively, you can see a complete list of every health clearance we have uploaded to the OFA. This will include testing on dogs that ultimately, we did not include in our breeding program, or eye exams of baby puppies before they went home.
If you have any questions about anything you see, please don't hesitate to ask. Transparency is a priority.