The thread below concerning contacting stud dog owners for referals to bitch/litter owners that have used their males brought up an interesting point.

Providing contact info and linking, should you get permission first? Obviously if we are adding a link to OFA, INFO-DOG or the like it isn't expected to ask their permission? But, what about linking to personal websites of other Breeders? Do you ask first? I would expect "yes" just because someone doesn't have a disclaimer/warning "not to link" on their site shouldn't mean that good manners and asking first shouldn't be observed?

Thoughts?

I'm not going to get into the etiquette or anything of it, but why would you care so long as the information provided was correct?

I can understand caring if one of the mass-market puppy breeder sites has you listed, especially under the wrong breed or with multiple breeds that you don't beed.

But just listing you as a Labrador breeder?

I never asked, but it was always friends, people I knew anyways and have related dogs or who I absolutely know wouldn't mind my saying "Oh, call so-and-so, she has yellows coming up next month. I don't know if she has any available, but I sure don't!" For example, anyone who inquires about my Rusty (who doesn't have his clearances finished) I send along to the owner of his half-brother or back to his sire's owner. Same for anyone who asks about pups--I send them to his breeder or the person who introduced me to his breeder.

In this day and age of instant information at our fingertips the more information that we can share with the public about our dogs pedigrees, their health histories AND information about the dogs we breed our girls to the better!

Remember, knowledge is power! Why not empower the general public with as much information as we can about our dogs and their histories etc...?? I don't see a problem with this at all. In fact, isn't that why we have web pages in order to educate those who have a interest in learning more??

I don't think manners has anything to do with this.

Apart from the issue of linking to someone's website, but just on supplying general contact information; if you know someone is advertising their dog or dogs in LQ, ILR and are in Julie Brown's Directories, I would expect they would actually be quite happy that someone is giving out their contact information for either stud information or for litters. This is especially true since they have already personally put all their contact information out there. Just my humble opinion.

Bev,
providing our personal website links to an organization like OFA or CERF, LRC etc., is totally different than others listing it on their own personal websites. I trust these organizations. There are always questionable breeders out there who don't practice good ethics, breed too many litters, don't have the betterment in the breed in mind, or do labradoodles and/or silvers. You bet I don't want them puttting a link to my website on theirs. NO WAY!

I do think it is a courtesy to ask the stud dog owner if you can link to his/her site and I may not be reading this correctly...but if you have serviced a bitch and the owner is asking to link to your site so that his puppy buyers can get more info or see your dog...what is the problem?. . . unless you were not too happy servicing that bitch. That brings up another discussion....whether you should have serviced the bitch in the first place.

I always ask before posting a link. I am a technology teacher at the high school level and I teach "ask first" to my students as part of Web etiquette.

Ask first, it is polite.