I was disappointed many times as those breeders who were like that and deemed me unworthy of ever being a Toller owner, had just the kind of dogs temperament wise that I'd been wanting for years. .
Which is sad, because you obviously weren't going to give up and find a different breed. Luckily you're smart and went to another responsible breeder, but for all they knew you could've gone to a BYB after that quick dismissal from the responsible breeders.
I've been there.
And I really wish that instead of being rude and telling me I'm unworthy of owning one of their dogs, or unworthy of the breed, that the breeders who *don't* think I'm a good match for their breed should explain
why. I know, it takes a long time, but just breeding nice dogs is only a fraction of what you can do to help your breed... Putting effort into educating people, even people who you don't want in your breed, makes a huge difference and if you can sway one potential owner from buying from a BYB or pet store, you've done a good deed for your breed. IMO
I'd like my next dog to be a Doberman, and I'm fully expecting to be turned down a lot in my search for the right breeder. I find that if you've never owned a dog of their breed, breeders are extremely reluctant right off the bat, and usually will hesitate to place a pup with you. Which stings a little, because how else are people supposed to get started in the breed, if rescue isn't an option and ethics prevent us from buying from bad breeders?
I can absolutely see from the breeder's standpoint that not all pet owners are ones that they want their puppies to live with, but I also think it's so important for them to educate even those that they turn down, or give them suggestions on what they could do to "qualify" for owning a puppy at a later date.
I dunno. I just hate seeing people soured on good breeders and rescues, and buying from BYBs and mills instead... The breeder community needs to be doing more to reach out to these average joe pet owners, because THESE are the people who have the ability to affect the quality of the breed by choosing who to support - the responsible breeders, or the unscrupulous ones.