Looking for cairn breeder in or near Long Island, NY

[BigFanSue]

My first time here and still need to read all the posts. Had three cairns over the years and each one had a different personality but loved them all. Last one was a real companion to me and just past away two weeks ago from cancer only 11 years old. Spent a lot trying to keep it alive but eventually the kidneys failed. Always purchased our cairns from local puppy shops in business for 40 years but wondering if a breeder would be a good idea. Tried contacting some in the area but find they seem to be "eccentric" to put in nicely. Plus had friends who purchased dogs from breeders and still had health issues.

Long story short, anybody who can recommend a good breeder or shop to purchase a carin within driving distance would be appreciated.

Thanks,

[tlwtheq]

Hi, sorry about the loss of your beloved companion.  This forum is part of a Cairn Terrier association, CTCA.

If you simply type www.cairnterrier.org into your browser you'll be brought to their home page.

I believe one of the links you can access there is a list of breeders. 

Hope this helps.

Edited February 8, 2013 by tlwtheq

[BigFanSue]

Thank you. That is where I got the names of the breeders I got in touch with. Over the years I was always told to buy a dog from a reputable breeder but they are not that easy to find. I'm sure I will find a cute cairn or two that I will give a new home to by the summer I hope.

[Hillscreek]

You could look at ads in your area.

Call or visit to weed out puppy mills and other undesirables. That's what I had to do eventually. I live in a remote area.

I found a wonderful home where the people had had cairns for many years. They raised an AKC registered litter a year, vetted potential buyers carefully, answered all my questions. Let me see all the pups and meet their parents. They were not interested in showing though some of their pups were of show quality.

 

It took me quite a while to find my pup and I had to drive four plus hours to the breeders. I live in PA and there are many puppy mills here.

Write down a list of questions to ask and be prepared to answer questions from the breeder.

Personally I would not buy from a store and would not buy if I couldn't see parents and place the pups are raised.

 

What about a rescue cairn?

Edited February 10, 2013 by Hillscreek

[BigFanSue]

The rescue/adopt thing confuses me. I live near North Shore Animal League and actually we donate quite a bit to them. What is confusing is I'm told to buy from a breeder for better quality and health but naturally if you get a dog or puppy from rescue or adoption at North Shore they are mostly from puppy mills. etc. and you do not know what you are getting.

I loved all my dogs over the years and they were either mixed breeds adopted or purebreeds from a puppy store/farm.

Sometimes I think even the most your spend and best breeder doesn't guarantee a long healthy live. Like a human cancer is out there for everybody.

[Hillscreek]

True. There are no guarantees. You just have to do the best you can for the dog you have.

[tlwtheq]

.. or puppy from rescue or adoption at North Shore they are mostly from puppy mills. etc. and you do not know what you are getting.

 

For sure, you are getting a Cairn Terrier.  They will love you forever; the rest is easily handled, i.e., in the right

frame of (your) mind. 

Edited February 10, 2013 by tlwtheq

[Sam I Am]

We had to travel 11hrs one way to get our new Scottie pup because there were no female Scottie's available in alberta. We have always gotten our dogs from reputable breeders but they have also had their share of health issues. Like others have noted, all you can do is your best. But also please don't purchase from a pet store/puppy mill situation...it only encourages them to breed more dogs!

[Idaho Cairns]

Cairns are difficult to find under any circumstances and finding a litter within reasonable driving distance is rarely available to the majority of us--especially out here in the hinterland.  I have bought dogs from reputable dealers and from mills and have success with both but you often do have to give up some confirmation (appearance) with mill dogs that you can generally not have to worry about from a professional or high quality hobby breeder.  Attitude seems to come free with Cairns no matter where they come from--if they have those genes then fortunately that personality is imbedded.

I used the internet to find both my current dogs and was fortunate to be able to inspect my Sammi before the purchase and although it was obvious that she wasn't going to be a "classic" Cairn at first viewing, her personality won out immediately and I went ahead with the purchase and for over eight years I have been so glad I put aside my desires for a conforming dog and took her.   Bonnie was purchased from a hobby breeder I found on the internet--the pictures of her dogs, the testimonials from previous buyers, and my personal conversations convinced me I was getting a solid Cairn, which Bonnie has certainly turned out to be.

So, I have no problem with doing the leg work on the internet, if you go slow, get enough information, check references, and are willing to air ship your pup you can, I think, get a good Cairn.  I think a CTCA designation/membership is probably a good criteria to use to insure a nice dog--not guaranteed, nothing ever is, but a good qualification.

I would also commit to spending a few hundred dollars more if necessary when you locate a breeder and dog you want--over the course of a good, high quality Cairn's lifetime, those extra dollars spent at the outset become the best bargain dollars you will have ever spent.

Edited February 17, 2013 by Idaho Cairns

[BigFanSue]

My husband always said it doesn't matter what we pay for the dog. It's the medical costs after that is the big expense. Unfortunately, I have seen it happen to friends who purchased dogs at a high price from a reputable breeder and the dog still had numerous health issues or died at a young age. A breeder can't gaurantee the life or health of a dog. My three cairns were pure breeds from decent breeders and all had health issues and poor Samantha at 10 had cancer that spread fast no matter what treatments we did and what we spend. Had many several mixed breeds from who knows where and they all lasted to amost 16 years and hardly spend much money on them at the Vet, Guess I just am still upset over the lost of Samantha so soon so it is just hard and confusing for me to decide where to get my next cairn or two.

[Hillscreek]

Just take your time. You'll know when it is right to get another cairn.

It doesn't matter whether it's a rescue or a show dog or a home breeder. You can't predict their future health. You just have to take the chance and take care of them the best way you can.

Same for all of us. We are just glad to have them in our lives for the time they are with us. We treasure their memories for ever. We welcome a new buddy when the time is right.

[hheldorfer]

You are obviously still recovering from the loss of Samantha. There's no rush to make a decision and you have time to weigh the options available to you.

I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to adopt a shelter/rescued Cairn. Buffy was in a shelter when we adopted her and she has become the smartest, most entertaining and loyal dog I've ever had the pleasure to own. So far (she is approximately 4 years old now) she has had no major health problems; a bout of allergies last year was the only thing I can think of, and this is fairly common.

I have had many dogs in my life and, with the exception of a German Shepherd when I was (much) younger, every one of them has been a rescue/shelter dog. I feel that when you provide a home to an abandoned/unwanted dog you are doing a great thing. It may be that many of the dogs in shelters began life as puppy mill dogs, but this is not their fault. I'm fairly certain that this was the case with Buffy, but it hasn't seemed to affect her growth and development.

No offense to reputable breeders. Just my opinion.

[Idaho Cairns]

Certainly rescuing a Cairn is a good option.  I have rescued two and both were fine dogs after they adjusted to our home and I would recommend this method of obtaining a Cairn anytime.

Certainly buying from a reputable certified breeder is no guarantee of quality or health but if you do your homework, ask lots of questions, phone and email enough you can get a pretty good handle on what kind of dog you are getting.

Either method will do but rescuing can be as difficult as finding a breeder--Cairns don't last long in shelters.  Cairn rescue organizations seem to snap these dogs up as quickly as they come into a shelter (thank goodness) so you might want to start with these groups as a way to start your quest.

What I do like about certified breeders is the amount and quality of information you can get before you commit to a purchase and I suspect that most of the Cairns from these outlets are pretty solid dogs over the long haul.

This isn't so much a discussion of where to get a Cairn but how to get a Cairn and good place to start is with breeders that the CTCA certifies and then get into some discussions with them concerning their litters or litters that they are aware of from which puppies are available.  You should get plenty of information from these folks if they believe you are a serious buyer and want a good quality (health and confirmation) dog.

I would not hesitate to buy at a distance if I believed the puppy I found was adequate for my needs.  Below is a video from Bonnie's breeder which persuaded me that I was getting a nice Cairn pup.  I liked the looks of these six week old dogs, liked their energy, and especially liked the way they responded to human handling which this breeder believed was absolutely necessary to have in a Cairn puppy.  BTW Bonnie is "Little Tia" and you can only imagine how difficult the wait was to get my hands on her after this video.  She has turned out to be a much better Cairn than I ever thought she would be when I played this over and over before she was ready to ship.

Let me add here that this is not meant to be an advertisement for this kennel--matter of fact the breeder no longer is littering any puppies so far as I know.  I put it up to give you and idea of how much information is available from some breeders.

Edited February 19, 2013 by Idaho Cairns

[Dempsy's Mom]

Oh. Those puppies are cute. 

 

So sorry for your loss of Samantha.  I snatched up Dempsy from a rescue in 2009 and I have been very happy with my little man.  He did come with a little issue (dribbler) but I wouldn't give him up for the world.  None of us want issues, but guess what, we all have them.  You will be a great mom again to a lucky little cairn no matter how long it takes you or where you find them.  Keep your mind and heart open and a cairn will come your way.  Keep us posted on your journey and good luck!

[tlwtheq]

What a precious bunch of pups.  I would've been hooked for sure.  Thanks for sharing.

[BigFanSue]

Those puppies in the video are adorable!. I wish I could find a place with such a great choice of cairn terriers. Only problem would be is that it would be hard to pick just one.

[jo_]

Both of ours came from breeders. Jagger from a serious breeder, while Eddie was (long story) being rehomed by a couple that had two cairns and every couple of years would breed them.

 

If you're thinking of rescuing there's the Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network -  http://adopt.cairnrescue.com/index.php . You can see the available cairns on the site with their age, area they're being fostered and a brief bio. It's quite a process to adopt these dogs, including an extensive adoption form, references, home inspection, but they are wonderful people that go to great lengths to find not only a good match for you, but a good match for the dog. They really want the dogs to find their 'forever' home.

 

We had been approved for adoption and were in the process of finding a 'match' when I stumbled upon a picture of Eddie on a classified website. I was torn as I loved the idea of a rescue but in many ways it was if fate brought us to Eddie (we have no regrets...he is absolutely precious!).

 

Whatever you decide I'm sure you'll find one!

[BigFanSue]

I have heard of Col. Potter and have purchased a few things on Ebay that goes towards their cause. I have to give them credit for all the work and time the spend and I guess they want to be real careful of who they let adopt.

One of the breeders I called near me gave me the third degree and they didn't even have any cairns available right now.

Any dog coming to my house stays in my house and is taken care of as far as medical to the max. The Vet office we go to knows us there and say if they come back as a dog they want to live with us-LOL.

As much as I miss my Samantha everyday, I still look forward to the day of getting another cairn or two in the near future and create a new friendship with them and they will certainly have a good home.

[bradl]

On 2/22/2013 at 10:35 AM, BigFanSue said:

One of the breeders I called near me gave me the third degree and they didn't even have any cairns available right now.

This is fairly common among quality breeders and can be a good sign.  The Cairn community is a relatively small one and generally well networked via club activities, exhibiting, and various dog-related activities. Breeders  (and other owners) will sometimes reference each other on inquiries they receive, forward or confirm recommendations for great homes (or warnings if red flags were raised), and so on. 

My generic recommendation is to go where the Cairns are (shows, mostly) and meet breeders and exhibitors directly.

For example, we got our start with a breeder who had just had a litter, but all pups spoken for. We asked to meet the pups just for fun, no expectations. We started hanging around shows, meeting the various breeders and exhibitors, etc. and lo' ... a puppy suddenly became available from the original breeder.

Many breeders care deeply about finding exactly the right home (more than just an acceptable home) and it's easier for them to relate to placing a puppy with someone they've seen show a sustained interest, and with whom they've developed some level of familiarity and trust.

Conversations like the following sometimes happen: "Who's that talking to Bigshot?" "Oh that's BigFanSue. She's looking for a pup." "Good home?" "She's had Cairns before." "Great. I don't have any dogs available right now either.  I think Friendly from Out-of-Town has a breeding planned this Spring."  "Hey Friendly, have you got all your homes lined up?  No?  Let me introduce you to BigFanSue -- she's missing her old Cairn and looking for a new family member." 

Well, you get the idea. Plant some seeds. Water them. Sometimes a Cairn grows

[BigFanSue]

 Here it is September and I am still searching for a cairn terrier on Long Island. Saw a few "sick" looking ones for high prices in several of the shops here and Manhattan. All I see is a lot of designer dogs that don't even look like a real dog. They all look like little stuff animals-LOL.

I'm going to try calling each of the breeders here again to see if a new litter became available --wish me luck!

[BigFanSue]

Keep your fingers crossed for me. I may finally be getting a new cairn puppy next month from a breeder on Long Island!

[Hillscreek]

Sure hope this works out for you. Good luck.

[Vijo]

I hope it works out and you find your little pup.  I'm from LI and got my puppy from way out of state from a breeder that was recommended to me by a Cairn owner in CT who has one of her dogs.  She still breeds but the law just changed and can she no longer air ship the dog to you.

Edited January 16, 2014 by Vijo

[panthergirl]

BigFanSue, I'm also looking for a reputable breeder in the tri-state area. One of the first I found was on Long Island, but I've written to her twice with no response at all.

 

I don't know if you're allowed to name the breeder you found here on the forum, but if not can you message me?

 

I found a breeder in CT but he has no puppies and no upcoming litters.

 

I'm also a fan of adopting/rescuing but I am allergic to many breeds, and if the Cairn is not 100% purebred I'll have a problem. So I'm thinking about getting a puppy (recent empty nester here... need a new 'baby'! LOL). I had a rescued racing greyhound for 8 years whom I loved, but I need a smaller dog this time and LOVE the Cairns!!!

[panthergirl]

Heard back from the LI breeder I had written to and she seems lovely.

 

No puppies right now but there may be other options (a young adult or retired show dog) or I can just wait. We'll see!