Its not worth my hard earned 1500-3000 dollars for a place that has had problems in the past. Im going to keep digging and see what i can turn up, but im prolly going to look elseware now..
Good choice- sure it sucks that they would've been so close, but all in all it sounds like you're on the right track. As your number one concern is health, you can do a LOT better than these people.
I'm not a fan of Kimbertal either, due to the sheer magnitude of litters they pump out each year. With so many dogs, how can you *really* know where your breeding program is going?
As far as buying a dog straight off the internet- I have mixed feelings. As someone else pointed out- it's all to easy for any one to make a fantastic looking website. While the internet is a wonderful tool, it's also allowed kennels that are nothing but glorified puppymills to fashion websites that mimic those of some of the best in the country.
For this reason alone, I would *really* want to meet a prospective breeder.
And most great breeders will want to meet *you* as well.
If you get the feeling that someone is willing to sell you a puppy without knowing a thing about you- you DON'T want one from them. Getting a dog from a great breeder is akin to adopting a child- there should be a lengthy interview process, and they should be asking you as many questions as you are asking them. If they're willing to sell to anyone with cash, it's clear they don't care about the puppy- they care about the money. You can bet then, that they've skimped on outstanding nutrition, genetic testing of the sire and dam, evaluation of the animals by impartial parties (ie: schutzhund, conformation, obedience, agility...), etc. Anything to save a buck, and make a profit.
If I couldn't meet a prosprective breeder in person, I'd want several references from people who had bought puppies from them. I'd also like to know what other breeders think of them. A good resource for you would be the Rottweiler's National breed club website. (The breeder referral is *really* a good place to start).
The breeder would certainly want references from you as well.
You're positive there are no dog shows in your area? People in NY show dogs too...even the ones way out in the boonies
. Please look at
www.infodog.com or go to the akc website (
www.americankennelclub.org). Search the "Events and Awards" section. They'll have a space where you can look for dog shows (conformation) according to date, and state. That should help you out.
Sure, it might be a ways drive- but it will be WELL worth it to meet quality breeders (in person). And a long distance drive says to them that you're serious about obtaining a quality puppy.
Fact of the matter is a lot of the best breeders are too busy to own or maintain websites, nor do they need them. So you've got to find them by word of mouth, by meeting them in person, or by searching through their National breed club and making some calls.