Following comments are my personal
opinion which I have developed after years of talking with
families who have adopted heartache instead of joy from their new
family members.
Some families have thought that
by purchasing one of our pups and breeding them they could make
easy money. Some have sold pups based on my website assuring
families they are getting the same dogs as I sell because a
female came from me. THIS IS NOT THE CASE! I check our
dogs for hips, elbows, heart, eyes and thyroid. All five
qualities need to be certified of high standard from BOTH
parents before you can be sure of healthy pups. If one of my
five star pups is bred to a dog that doesn't have any of these
health qualities your chances are not 50/50 of getting a healthy
pup! Ask yourself if one hundred pups are born what is the
chance of a pup inheriting all five positive qualities and no
negative issues? If you think it is good then you should invest
your money in lottery tickets instead! I accept no
responsibility for any pups produced from future generations of
my pups unless they are featured on this website.
Effective 2006 some females are being adopted and bred for
future litters and are being featured on our website, this is
your guarantee that BOTH parents meet all genetic health tests
for hips, elbows, eyes, thyroid and strong hearts. Of course a
great temperament is your bonus!
I personally do not believe in the
AKC or CKC registration papers as a "guarantee" of good
health, as too many breeders use the papers as a crutch to breed
dogs which do not have health tests such as hip x-rays, and dogs
who cannot be certified as even being from the registered genetics
– DNA or tattoos, or micro chips should be required to certify
the ancestors of all registered dogs.
In return I ask that all adopting
families confirm to me in writing (e-mail) that they understand my
pups do not come with registration papers, which means they cannot
show the dog. Also that they are not going to breed the dog
at any time and they will take all responsible precautions to
ensure the pup never gets bred.
In my opinion, as I have searched
to purchase replacement female pups (for breeding when we retire
our older females) I have found so many breeders of poor
reputation and want to save families from purchasing a pup that
brings anything but joy to their home.
In my opinion any of the following
points should be considered "red flags" when looking for
a OES puppy from any breeder.
Pet stores, Kennels, Puppy Mills
are all the same in my opinion – stay clear
Show dogs do not have a very
"free" life, they are often crated, kept immaculate
and not allowed to live like a dog
Breeders should be able to tell
you details of personality and temperament of the parents of all
pups
Dogs and pups should always be
raised as part of a loving family
You should be involved in the
development of the pup from the day they are born
Parents with all white heads
and/or blue eyes give pups predisposed to deafness and maybe
other health problems
Hip x-rays with a
"good" or "excellent" rating should only be
bred – do not buy pups with parents hip ratings of
"fair"
Eye tests and Thyroid tests
should be provided
Females who don’t conceive or
require medication (Estrogen/Progesterone) to conceive
Females who require "C"
sections to deliver pups
Lots of references should be
available
East coast breeders are often
"unloading" OES at low prices – and often their
genetics are predisposed to the Cerebella disease (similar to
Parkinson’s or MS in humans)
You should be able to contact the
veterinarian of the breeder
Vaccinations and tail dockings
should be done by the vet – not the breeder
Show titles are just that –
consider how you measure up to Ken or Barbie - and then decide
if you really are looking for a show dog or a family pet
