About Us

       Growing up I owned a small half cocker spaniel mix, and have always had a love for dogs.  But after college I went to flight school and went on to become a captain for a regional airline.  Over the next 15 plus years I always wanted a dog, but held off from getting one as it wouldn’t be fair to the dog as much as my schedule would dictate me being gone.

       After many years of living out of a suitcase and traveling, in the Spring of 2020 COVID-19 hit resulting in the massive reduction of pilot need.  During this time I felt like it would be a great opportunity to be able to get a puppy and acclimate him while I’m home, but too little avail, I would soon discovered how difficult it is to find a puppy from a responsible and ethical breeder.

       I started looking like most people do by going to puppy stores in the Local mall, only to find outrageous prices.  So I did like everyone else, I turned to the internet and what a mess that is.  And you’re doing a little digging on the local places like Facebook and Google search I’ve found a breeder selling a adorable golden retriever puppy for a reasonable price of $900.  After a short conversation and some photos they were reciprocated back-and-forth the breeder informed me that he had some other people that were interested in the puppy and if I wanted the puppy then I would need to send him a deposit.  So I sent a deposit of $100 advise him that I would be on a flight up to Charlotte from Florida in the morning, he sent me his address and I told him I would text him in the morning when I was getting ready to get on the plane.  The next morning I texted the gentleman that I was getting on the flight he responded back that was great he’ll see me shortly.  Then after arriving in Charlotte I reached out to the gentleman to no avail, no text, no answering my phone call, and when I showed up with the address after renting a car it didn’t exist.  To say I was heartbroken would be an understatement I’ll like most people had the hopes of adding a new companion into my life, a puppy someone that loves people unconditionally.

       After arriving back home and distraught I started doing a lot more research online. Started looking for more breeders and starting to discover that not all breeders are created equal. When it comes to what one should expect out of a breeder it’s more then just an AKC piece of paper. Just because a breeder has an AKC puppy doesn’t mean that puppy comes from a responsible breeder, a breeder that loves and cares for the dogs, a breeder that follows the breed clubs recommended breed standards which includes phenotype & genetic testing for know issues and then not breeding those dogs that don’t pass those tests.

       So after learning more about what puppy mills are, and the benefits of going through a responsible breeder it was a no brainer. But where to find one?  That was the million dollar question.  I searched high and low around the internet, but unfortunately they’re not easy to find.  

       So I decided to try and do my little part in changing that.  I finally got so sick of trying to look all over the internet for a piece here and a piece there, that I decided to start ruff-ruff.com and help provide resources and educate people where we can.  

     The hope is for this to become a resource for people to learn, find breeders, vets, rescues, and other valuable resources for all their dog needs.  Whether it’s helping people rehome their dog, find and rescue, or just to be able to ask a vet a simple question. It’s all coming as we continue to grow.