lil'bit - sorry I havn't heard of tait basset's... do they have a web-site, where are they based?
In my opinion the following makes a good/reputable breeder ....
A good breeder does not breed to make money -if the bitch is fed and taken care of properly and the puppies are fed good quality food, micro-chipped, wormed and vaccinated there isn't a lot of "profit" left.
A good breeder will not advertise puppies (rarely anyway) they usually have a waiting list.
They will not sell a puppy to just anyone, they will ask you lots of questions and you should be able to ask them lots too.
A good breeder will make sure that you are right for a Basset Hound and give you the pro's & con's of the breed (I know we all know they adorable, but we also know that the main reason Basset's are given up are because they slobber to much, they shed all year round and they grow a lot bigger than most people expect)
A good breeder will offer a life time of advice
A good breeder doesn't always have puppies for sale (a sure sign to me that a place is a puppy farm is that they ALWAYS have puppies for sale!)
A good breeder will show you the Mother of the puppies. (they may also have several generations of Basset's for you to see, which is always nice)
A good breeder will not ship puppies off to
anyone, they will want to meet you.
I don't think it's important how many Basset's a breeder has - the breeder I got Harvey & Daisy from has about 14 Basset's. I think the important thing is how many times they breed from any one dog. The breeder we use, although she has lots of Basset's, she doesn't breed very often. Some of the dogs are old, some are rescue's. Some are for showing, and some she will breed from.
Be wary of anyone who sells lots of different breeds, is only interested in selling you a pup regardless of your circumstances and when money seems to be the most important part of breeding!.
I hope this helps
What made you think Tait Basset's may be a puppymill?
Jayne - harvey & daisy
[This message has been edited by JB (edited 07-25-2002).]