Buying Puppies off the Web.

[sweetp]

We found our breeder on the net.
Did tons of research before hand (highly recommended), spent countless hours on the computer and in book stores. We met one breeder in person (after finding her website) that we absolutely loved, but who didn't have a pup available for us (we couldn't wait for the next litter). So we found another on the internet.
The breeder that we went with had a pup available, but lived 4 hours drive away. We did all of the initial stuff via email and phone, but we went in person to pick up our pup. I got a good feeling with the breeder over the phone (in my line of work I have to judge a lot over the phone), and felt that she truly cared about her pups and the homes that they went to.
We looked at the photos of pups she had avail online, and chose a female that we liked the look of. The breeder suggested that the pup we were considering had a personality that she didn't think would do well in our family. We decided on another pup that she suggested would fit for us.

We went to pick up our pup, and spent a good bit of time at the breeders home, talking to her, looking at the breeding dogs health/genetic testing information, and observing her other pups and breeding dogs. We were comfortable with everything we saw. All the puppies that I had seen on line were there (except those already adopted) appeared happy and healthy, momma dog was good with her babies, and the breeder was warm and caring, and openly answered all of our questions. It turned out that the original pup we liked that she had disuaded us from was a bit too excitable, and didn't react too well with our small daughter. The one she suggested for us warmed up to us well, and was almost immediately playful, but gentle with our daughter.

I personally would not feel comfortable purchasing sight unseen, and trusting someone to send me a pup without meeting them or puppy first. Too much money and commitment (to the pup) involved. Although it would have been more convenient, we were also concerned about possible trauma or injury to the pup if he was flown to us (although I know many breeders do this regularly with no problems).
That said, we trusted the breeder to recommend the right pup for us, as she would be the best judge of her pup's personalities and temperaments.
Once I was comfortable with her and the pup's environment, we went ahead.
We ended up with the sweetest pup ever. He has such a laid back personality, is very easygoing and tolerant of our 3 yr old. He is very affectionate, loves his crate, and is doing very well with house-training(these are things that the breeder started him on).

We did pretty well, and love our new little guy!