Ever Wonder What We Do?
Many people have asked me this question over the years, mainly because there are some strong and very distorted ideas out there of what a breeder does. Partly because there are so many horror stories out there of breeders who do not care and are only in it for what they can get out of it and partly because people think all we do is play with puppies all day lol.
Here is the truth, to be an ethical breeder is actually a lot of work. We don't have days off, no matter the weather or our health we work. There are several vet visits (regular checkups, testing, prenatal, puppy and kitten care, etc.) high quality food, supplements, etc. We follow our animals health and socialization very closely to ensure a healthy happy life with us.
All the animals have different nutritional needs that have to be met on a daily basis. We make raw food for most of them and it is formulated different for cats and dogs and then different supplements are added depending on the species and current nutritional needs of the animal. So our studs and kings eat differently than our dames and queens. Then extra special care is taken when they are pregnant or nursing. We regularly evaluate each animal for any sign that their diet is not working for them. We use ingredients from local farms for the food, when in season, for the remainder of the year we buy the best we can from the local grocery store. Supplements are added to each individual bowl every morning. We also make our own treats for the dogs and the cats.
In addition to caring for the animals nutritional needs we also take time to train them. I am a certified professional dog trainer and offer training services to clients. All of dogs have basic obedience training and two of them are being trained to be therapy dogs. We are hoping to have a therapy dog program up and running by the Summer of 2024. Some of the cats are trained to fetch! This of course takes time but is very rewarding!
One big part of breeding animals is the clean up! Yep poop lots of poop!! Besides the yard needing poop scooped regularly any puppies or kittens that are not yet housebroken have to be cleaned multiple times a day everything including the babies must be thoroughly wiped down and bedding changed three to twelve times a day depending on their age and how close they are to being fully trained. We live out in the country which means playing in the creek, running through the field and playing in the mud. All that fun equals dirty dogs and because a dirty dog can get skin irritations and infections AND I like my house clean lol the adults also have to be cleaned regularly.
Then there is the actually breeding end which requires pedigree research if you are using an outside stud. Paying attention to your females to ensure your timing is right. Monitoring the health of your females so you can give her babies the best start and make birthing and nursing easier on her. Prenatal vet visits and supplements. Then once it is time for babies to arrive you will find us assisting with whelping and queening, c-sections, latching, monitoring growth, often times litters are born at night which means at least one sleepless night for us.
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Breeding is a very rewarding occupation although not a very lucrative one. We love our babies and we truly love what we do. We hope you enjoy looking around our site. If you have any questions or would like to plan a visit please contact us.