Rat Terrier Breeder Info (sorta long)

I've been looking for a smaller dog to add to my household for a couple of years now. I want to train and run something in agility that's smaller, and I want to add a male dog next--I don't really want 3 bitches and yet I don't want a dobe male, too big!

I've bounced around all over the place. I looked hard a German Pinschers, but have decided that neither the structure nor the temperament is where I would want it to be--too few, too small a gene pool, and seeing them in the ring I was pretty appalled at the overall functional structure, or rather lack of it.

I looked at Min Pins and Toy Fox, but decided they were TOO small. Then I got jammed. I like the drive and looks of the JRT but don't like that they're big diggers and often dog aggressive, plus several I've known have been very non-kid friendly.

Then I found it! Rat Terrier. Ratties have an interesting history. They've been bred in the countryside for years as ratters and hybridized at will. There's a pretty large landrace and they come in a number of sizes. They're people and dog friendly, live from 14-20 years (different sites say different things), not overt diggers. There was no standard until just 10 years ago, then they became a UKC breed with an under 13 and over 13 height division. Everything I read and hear about them says they're smart, funny, active. There's a problem with luxating patella and legg-calve-perthes in the breed, but the breed club has taken the step of making them a CHIC (Canine Health Information Center, www.caninehealthinfo.org) breed so the breed club is definitely on the right track. After January 1 they can compete in AKC performance events. This breed just feels right to me.

But now the search for a breeder. Because they have a large, diverse land race population there are about 10 different registries and a lot of breeders who are more BYB/mill type than anything else. So I need a breeder that breeds to UKC standards, belongs to the Rat Terrier Club of America (the AKC/UKC parent club), and who is breeding for drive as well as health. I have one potential identified but I'd like to talk to more before deciding where to go.

It's a stab in the dark but if anybody here knows a really good breeder, please let me know!
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