I am one of the "torn" Malt lovers, I advocate buying from reputable breeders but I also advocate saving those less fortunate, I bought Sampson from a "backyard" breeder years ago, he was the only survivor of 3 (i think it was), he has been completely healthy other than alergies and they have subsided since we moved from an apartment to a house, may have been what they treated the grass with
a "backyard" breeder has its ups and downs, some know what they are doing, some dont, when i bought Sampson I didnt know the difference, I didnt do alot of research, he was somewhat of an "impulse" buy, luckily the person i bought from was smarter than I and educated me on my initial visit, me and my son were there and all 3 of us "bonded"
I learned alot from the web before my next Malt and was determined my next would be bought with more thought and Sampson was, I gave way to traditional thoughts and went again with a "backyard" breeder, the same one I bought Sampson from, 3 years later Maggies was part of her next litter, this time, me, my son and my wife visited her and Maggie sprang from her crate, licking us, jumping on us, attacking our shoestrings, Maggie isnt a direct sister but a close realitive of Sampson and they get along great, both very healthy, both from the same "backyard" breeder and both a member of our family
I'm just saying, there is right and wrong and there is "gut", trust what is natural to you