We have over 600 phone numbers of over 200 breeds of dogs and cats.  We ourselves have raised and shown poodles for over 40 years.  Some of the people in our list we know personally, others have been added by referral, club affiliation, etc.  Just give us a phone call and we will give you phone numbers (e-mail & web addresses if we have them) to help get you started on finding that perfect pet dog or cat.
     People who raise and show dogs are interested in raising the quality and standards of their breed.  You'll generally pay more going to a pet store to buy a pure bred dog or cat raised in a mill (farm) entirely for profit, than you will going to someone who raises and shows dogs or cats. Many pet stores purchase purebred puppies and kittens from mills. Every time one purebred mill puppy or kitten is sold it condemns another litter to be born to a miserable life.
Reputable Breeder Checklist:
Always talk to more than one person.
   Any reputable breeder will give you other reputable people to contact.
Find out about genetic health problems.
    Every breed has one, a reputable breeder will be screening for them.
See at least one of the parents, if not both.
  A reputable breeder will let you see one if not both parents.  Show animals are very social, they have to be, they are always in the public. 
See the environment in which it was raised.
   Although life with animals may not allow for a show piece home,  a reputable breeders home should be clean and the dogs or cats well cared for.
See the pedigree.
   The pedigree shows the parents for at least 3-5 generations.  There should be Champions in at least the first 2, not just the last 2. This shows that those animals were publicly proven to be good enough to be bred.
Get the shot and health records.
   A reputable breeder will have a copy of all shot and health records. Shots may have been given by the breeder instead of a vet, this is a common practice to reduce the risk of possibly bringing an illness home from the vet
Get a guarantee of health.
   A reputable breeder has no problem with this, although they cannot guarantee for viruses and diseases contracted after the animal leaves their care.
A spay neuter contract.
   This protects not only the breeders work but the animal and you in the long run.  A reputable breeder does not want to see their animal end up in a mill situation, where the animals life will be miserable and years of selective breeding and work destroyed.  There are also those who wish to earn back the money paid for a pet animal by having a litter (s) and selling them (Backyard Breeders).  Although many animals sold as "a pet" by a reputable breeder may be show quality, this does not mean they should be bred. Why? The idea behind raising and showing dogs is to perfect the breed. Ideally a litter of puppies that, not only, all conform to the breed standard determined by the AKC and the national club for that breed, but exemplify it. This can only be done by those who know the pedigrees and genetic backgrounds of their breed. Many breeds have been destroyed by their own popularity and those who wished to make a profit from or their money back. This is where SELECTIVE BREEDING became inbreeding.          NEXT PAGE