I agree with everything Sally has said, with only one slight caveat. Since we started our breed rescue organisation 17 months ago, we have come across several totally unethical "breeders" within our breed, who are both breed club members and members of the KC Accredited Breeder Scheme. So - even with breeders who are breed club members and KC Accredited Breeders, you still have to be extremely careful as membership of these schemes is no guarantee that the breeders will be ethical and their pups high quality.
The sad fact is that bad breeders outnumber good ones by a significant margin and that buying a puppy - especially for the first time - is a minefield.
mad: