American Eskimo Puppies

If you are considering getting an American Eskimo puppy, consider that you are getting a new family member that will be with you for the next 15 to 20 years.  Eskies are one of the longest living breeds.  Please take the time to learn a little bit about the breed.  Decide whether you are going to get a toy sized Eskie, the mini Eskie or the standard size. 

The American Eskimo is a rare dog breed with only about 1,000 registered dogs in the USA today according to the American Kennel Club or AKC.  The breed almost went extinct in 1969.  So be patient with your search and be prepared to do your homework.

 The next step is how are you going to get a puppy?  Here are your choices:

The best way to get an American Eskimo puppy is from a reputable breeder.  You will get a healthy puppy with known family history.  Puppies from reputable breeders generally come from gorgeous show dogs and they will cost you less than buying a puppy from a pet store.  For example, pet stores in our area sell Eskies in the $2,000 price range.  Puppies from reputable breeders generally cost in the $600 to $1200 range.

From reputable breeders you will get valid pedigree information and registration papers from either the Canadian Kennel Club or American Kennel club or United Kennel Club.  When you adopt your puppy, the registration forms are sent in to the kennel club with a small fee. Furthermore, reputable breeders often offer some health guarantees. Some may ask you to sign a contract when adopting.  For example, you may not be able to sell your puppy for animal research.  

It's been our experience that many backyard breeders sell puppies at about the same price as reputable breeders.  However, you don't get any health guarantees, no valid registration papers are offered and standards of conformity may be lower.  

There are only 3 legitimate kennel clubs that register American Eskimo Dogs in Canada and the USA. They are the Canadian Kennel Club, the American Kennel Club and the United Kennel Club.  All of these kennel clubs can refer you their respective American Eskimo Dog clubs and also to reputable breeders.  Beware of pedigrees that are given to people that are simply "made up".  A pedigree should be from one of the 3 kennel clubs mentioned. 

Reputable breeders take great care in breeding well conformed, healthy puppies. Lots of planning goes into each breeding and they do not always have puppies available all of the time.  Some may breed only once or twice per year.    

For a list of reputable breeders in Canada and the USA, please visit our Breeders page.  Contact individual breeders.  

From time to time we may be informed of puppies that are available for adoption from reputable breeders.

There are non-profit organizations, mainly family homes, that are dedicated to rescuing American Eskimo Dogs who have fallen victim to difficult circumstances, found as strays or saved from shelters with kill policies.  Without Rescues, unfortunately a number of Eskies would not be alive today.  If you are considering adopting an Eskie, we urge you to contact an Eskie Rescue group near you.  Many Eskie Rescues will transport the Eskie to you and charge little or no fees. Their aim is to find a good home for the rescued Eskie. Rescued Eskies often make the most loving pets.  More information on Rescues.

You can find out if an Eskie might be available at one of the SPCA's by calling the branches. The adoption fee charge by the SPCA in British Columbia is $290.  In 2008, a handful of Eskies were available from SPCA shelters in the Vancouver area.  Officials from the SPCA's say that the list of available dogs for adoption on their site is not always up-to-date so it's best to call to check. You can also find Eskies up for adoption at most SPCA's by searching on Petfinder. 

Petfinder, a popular web site,  lists perhaps has the largest number of American Eskimo dogs available for adoption on the internet.  Eskies are available from a variety of sources including private homes, foster homes and animal shelters.

Buying an Eskie puppy from a pet store is by far your most expensive option.  Prices at pet stores are often stunningly high. For example, pet stores in our area sell Eskies in the $4,000 price range.  You would pay half or less if you bought a puppy directly from a reputable breeder. Our advice - go direct and avoid the middle man.

Most reputable Eskie breeders refuse to sell their puppies through a pet store.  So you are often dealing with an unknown when it comes to the quality of breeding of the puppy for sale at a pet store.  Since there are so few Eskies bred in Canada, most Eskie puppies you may see in a Canadian pet store will have come from the USA. In fact, many pet stores in Canada and the USA buy their puppies from a large puppy broker in Missouri known as the Hunte Corporation.  Hunte buys puppies from breeders throughout the US, takes them to their 10,000 sq. foot facility in Missouri, vaccinates, examine by vets then trucks out the puppies to pet stores all over Canada and the US.  They buy and sell up to 90,000 puppies a year. 

In the USA, the Department of Agriculture is supposed to monitor and inspect kennels to ensure that they are not violating the housing standards of the Animal Welfare Act. There are only 70 inspectors and they have to cover more than 8,300 facilities nationwide.  According to PETA, people for the ethical treatment of animals, "Puppy mills are rarely monitored by state governments, and existing regulations vary from state to state. In Missouri, for instance, each of the 2,100 facilities is supposed to be inspected once a year, but there are only 12 inspectors employed to handle the task. Even with an estimated 1,300 puppy mills in Wisconsin, inspections of breeder facilities that sell at least 50 dogs and cats are voluntary, and there is no funding for enforcement of these regulations."

There are such things as puppy mills where dogs are bred in substandard conditions.  This results in puppies that may have or may develop health problems. 

Although pet stores will say their puppies are healthy, you don't often get a health guarantee other than the basic vaccination certificate.  You only find out about health problems after the purchase or perhaps a few months down the road when health problems may start to appear. Health problems will definitely cost you more money not to mention heartache. 

Be sure to ask the pet store to show you the puppy's papers.  For purebred registration status, they should have pedigree papers from either the Canadian Kennel Club, or the American Kennel Club or the United Kennel Club .  Be wary if the registration papers are not from one of these official organizations.