I have wanted a husky literally my entire life! But I take adopting an animal seriously, and never wanted to take the plunge unless I was 100% sure I could properly care for it. I've had other dogs, but am just now to the point that I feel comfortable taking on the husky task. Now that I've made up my mind on that, I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! I want to jump on the first puppy I find, and it is taking an insane amount of effort for me to keep my heart in check and think with my head right now!

Finding a reputable breeder is where I'm at now. I am in Georgia, and don't mind traveling some distance for the right dog, but obviously don't want to drive 500 miles only to get there and realize it's a puppy mill. Here are some breeders I'm currently talking to, any advice or experience on them would be much appreciated:

Aruff Ranch (bestakcpups.com): Extensive website, puppies available, good communication so far. They are on the expensive side ($1500), but for the right dog I wouldn't mind. I searched for reviews, however, and found lots of criticism that scared me a bit. No bad reviews on animals actually purchased from them (Sharon Krotzer), but lots of folks criticizing the sheer number of dogs they own, the number of litters, and the fact that they don't appear to show the dogs but breed them only. My thought is, if this is someone's full-time livelihood, wouldn't it be logical that they would do exactly that? But y'all are the experts, what do you think?

Shiver Siberians (shiversiberians.com): Not much out there about them, but the dogs on the website look nice (to my completely untrained eyes), and they appear to have done well in shows. They don't have any pups listed, but I contacted them and they do have a litter planned.

My Siberian Husky Kennels (mysiberianhusky.org): I think I've ruled them out, but want to see if y'all agree with me. Just a gut, I guess?

If anyone has a recommendation for another breeder in this half of the country that you know has or will have pups available soon, please pass along their info.

I checked the directory on SHCA, but most of the ones listed in the southeast either don't have websites at all or appear to just own show dogs and perhaps occasionally have a litter for the purpose of obtaining another show dog, then selling the "extra" pups. It quickly gets overwhelming trying to contact every one of these and do the due diligence to research their dogs and business practices! Plus, and this may be a stupid question, but how important is the SHCA membership? Does it have any bearing on their quality as a breeder? Are there standards that must be met, maintained, and regularly inspected to retain membership, or is it simply a club where anyone with registered huskies can pay to join? I don't mean any offense to the SHCA members here, I'm just trying to learn all I can and act on accurate info.

Sorry for the long post. I have found a ton of info here already, and hope I'm not repeating questions that have been asked and answered but that I've simply overlooked.

Thanks for your advice! Can't wait to add a new fur baby to the family!

welcome to the forum. I am not a genius on kennels, however, I would stay as far away as possible with bestakc, they are a mill, and there has been a few posts here concerning them.

SHCA is the place to go for the reputable kennels, and most good kennels do not breed often, and also do not have web sites, if they do very limited. I would have to take a minute to look at the other two places you mentioned. We have several members in your area who maybe able to help, plus a few who know the great kennels around the country. Have patience the right one will happen.

Also will add, have you considered adopting from a rescue, there are many huskies that need new homes, and that maybe a better place to look.

Shiver Siberians seems like a possibility, while you are emailing/talking with them ask them about OFA (hip health) and Cerf (Eye health) since its not on their site. Their dogs do not look out of breed standard to me but I'm not really the best at spotting stuff like that. Hope that helps, and I agree the first ones are just trying to make a lot of money they are puppy mill status, Stay away from them.

Thanks for the advice. I will stay away from bestakc. I have considered adopting, and considered adopting a 1yo boy last week whose military family is being transferred overseas. However, I'm a little scared of it. We have 2 cats and another dog, and I was thinking it might be best if they were socialized from an early age. And I guess a part of me is downright selfish, I just want to experience the puppy stage. And I want to know the dog's background, parents, etc.

I've had several cocker spaniels over the years. When I was younger, I just got a dog for its looks or price, with no thought to where it came from. I loved all of my cockers, but a couple years ago when I wanted to get another I decided to really research it and ended up with Fender, a chocolate cocker that is the sweetest and best-natured of the breed I have ever owned. None of the snippy attitude that my other poorly-bred cockers had. I know myself - I have such a soft spot for the fur babies that if I don't set ground rules, I'll take the first cute puppy that comes along!

Getting a quality puppy takes work and dedication. Yes, it's annoying to have to call all these show breeders and wait for months and then potentially not even get a dog from the litter because they all go to show homes. But the thing is, those breeders genuinely care about their dogs and the puppies they are producing. They only breed to further their lines, not to make money so they are picking the best temperament, healthy, in standard dogs to breed. The wait is very much worth it.

Also, once you have a husky puppy, you may think it's selfish to want to SKIP the puppy stage. They are so challenging. We got our most recent from a reputable breeder but at around 6 months old (they had held on to him longer for a couple reasons) and I think it was a good way to go. Still get bonding while they're young but skip the potty accidents, etc...

MGoBlue - you're probably right on the puppy stage! It's easy to forget how frustrating they can be when you haven't had one in awhile. Thanks for the other advice as well. Patience is not one of my stronger virtues.

I definitely get wanting the puppy stage. I wish I had pictures of baby loki, but it is really nice not having to take them outside every hour on the hour. Are there any dog competitions in your area that you can go and ask people where they got theirs from? You would have to do more research after that of course but you'll probably hear local names. Also if you see some with genetic issues it would be good to feign interest to find out where it came from and make a mental note not to go there. Vets can also be good resources for finding breeders.

It's amazing that after just a bit of advice from you folks, I have learned so much more in a couple days than I had in weeks of Google! I was looking in all the WRONG places for a pup... pages and pages of Google. The sticky post on How To Find a Reputable Breeder got me started in all the right directions.

I humbly admit that I only thought I even knew what a reputable breeder was. I thought that simply meant one who takes proper physical care of their animals. Health inspections, basic training and socialization, etc. In my original post above, I even asked what I now realize was a foolish question regarding having several litters available at any given time: "if this is someone's full-time livelihood..." Some of you must have rolled your eyes at that! I guess that, by definition, is a puppy mill. The very thing I was trying to avoid.

Until stumbling upon this site, I was picking based on how informational and up to date their website was, how good the communication was, and puppy availability. I was thinking with a business brain. Evidently I needed to take off the Business Hat and put on a Husky Hat, because I see things from a whole different perspective than when I started this search.

Haven't found the perfect fur baby yet, but I can't wait to share her with y'all when we do!

JKel....I did look at the other two sites you posted and the my siberian.org, are breeding woolies, and although they are beautiful, reputable breeders will not breed woolies, in order to produce woolies. According to AKC husky standards woolies are a fault.

Shiver, looks good according to their site, however, I would dig a little more on them before purchasing. I trust kennels listed in SHCA over a kennel listed in AKC, and since Shiver is in Illinois, I would look in SHCA listing for nearby states. Contact those kennels and start a conversation. Ask the questions we on this thread mentions, as well as the other threads here. When you narrow down to a list of a few breeders you like, ask us here, like I said earlier, several members know great kennels, and will be happy to help you.

Btw, I enjoyed reading your follow up post, it is indeed an eye opener, when you know what to really look for in a quality kennel.

I'm not sure about the other two, but Shiver Siberians looks good. I haven't personally been there, but I know a couple people who have purchased healthy pups from them. I also contacted them when I was looking for a puppy and the breeder was very knowledgeable and friendly. She does ofa and cerf testing and shows her dogs. This kennel is newer so they don't have the reputation of breeders who have been around for 50 years, but they are on the right track. And coat color shouldn't be a deciding factor, but they do have some beautiful colors that you don't see often in show breeders

Shiver has a litter upcoming, and we have spoken several times. They are in Topeka for the SHCA National for the next week, so we'll talk more when she gets back. I've also talked to a few other local SHCA members (thanks for that recommendation!) and they have recommended a couple of breeders to contact. One is going to keep her ears open for me next week in Topeka if someone has available or upcoming litters.

I'm rather proud of myself. I turned down this baby this morning. Although my heart swells and I want to rush and get her RIGHT NOW (or in 2 wks when she's available), I asked all the questions you guys suggested and wasn't happy with the answers. Also, the dad looks wooly and I don't want that. You don't understand what a big step this is for me... I am such an impatient person. My husband predicted that I won't be able to wait months for an upcoming litter. Trying to prove him wrong!

I turned down quite a few adorable puppies from less than reputable breeders before I found my boy. Yes, it takes time to call and contact all of the breeders in your state (surrounding states), and you may not receive a response from them right away. I urge you to stick with being patient and obtaining a dog from a reputable breeder. Every husky puppy I met (at pet stores or BBBs) was difficult to deal with, but Ruger has been different. He is an exceptional dog, the best I have ever had (out of 8 dogs). His mannerisms with people and other dogs are flawless and he is a breeze to train. I know for a fact that I would not be as happy and content with my decision if I acted impulsively and bought the first precious husky puppy I saw. It was hard to resist the puppies, especially the ones I saw in person, but I wanted to do this the right way and go to a reputable breeder. It took me 6 months of research to get my puppy and I would've waited a year or more for him. He is everything I could've wanted and more.

Definitely stay away from ARUFF, I thought their puppies were cute too, but knowing what I know now only 5 seconds on the site and you can tell they are no good. Shiver Siberians looks a lot more legitimate.

I would say one of the most defining things to tell whether or not your breeder is one of merit is what their policy is in the event that you (the buyer) would not be able to take care of the dog any longer. Hopefully that would never be the case (I could never give away my boy!). All legitimate and reputable breeders will insist and even have you sign a contract to take their puppy/dog back at any time if you are not able to take care of it for any reason. Another would be OFA and CERF testing, with good or better ratings.

You are in the right hands and I am so happy to see that you are being patient and going about this in a very positive way. Good luck with your search and efforts. I assure you the wait will be worth it.