We Sell Dogs, Not robots: Stories from the Kennel Business

[Saydrah]

I realize that buying a puppy from that sort of operation is the norm in some areas, but I prefer to choose adoption or buy from a breeder who takes the time to focus on one or maybe two breeds, shows the parents to their championships before breeding, tests for all possible genetic defects such as PRA and hip/shoulder dysplasia, and DOES have the time to spend that 30 minutes minimum each day with each puppy for one-on-one socialization.

[NimrodJess]

I should warn, I am a HUGE animal advocate... and the only stupid I see here is mostly the OP.

Now, eight years and plenty of construction later we raise German Shorthaired Pointers, Poodles, Yorkies, Labradoodles, and Yorkipoos.

German Shorthairs from the line of a dog you found on the side of a road?
Labradoodles and Yorkipoos are over-glorified mutts. I hate seeing people intentionally breeding mutts when hundreds of thousands die in shelters each year.

“Do you hold it for thirty minutes a day and say its name to it during that time?” Sure! We do that with all 70 of our dogs and puppies. It’s not like we have anything better to do… Like school or work.

If you can't properly socialize the dogs you have, you have too many.

We’ve shipped dogs (and one horse, oddly enough) overseas to France and England.

You do realize the health risks and increased stress level caused (needlessly) by shipping a dog, particularly overseas where they are held in customs for long periods of time?

Subject: Labradoodle.

1. Where are you located?
2. What kind of facilities do you have?
3. Do you socialize your dogs?
4. How often are they let out of their pens? Assumptions that we are a puppy-factory…grr….
5. Are they pre-named?
6. Do you pay for all their shots? Wha? Their first or second rounds while they are with us, yes..
7. What do you feed them?
8. What should a buyer feed them? Wish I were making it up….
9. Do you cross bloodlines?
10. What are your records on kennel infections and quarantine?
11. Are your puppies registered? Labradoodles can‘t be AKC registered, dumbass
12. Do they have papers? Isn‘t that what “registered“ means, ma‘am?
13. Are your labs well-mannered? it‘s a lab….
14. Do you spray for west nile virus?
15. What is the life expectancy of a labradoodle?
16. What about a mini labradoodle?
…..
38. Are your facilities government inspected? We aren’t running a puppy restaurant, although that would make a lot of money with you people know wouldn‘t it?
39. Can I get a full breeding schedule for next year?
40. I would like your number and directions to your establishment Because they are soooo not on the website, right?

4. You have over 70 dogs. I'd say it's a pretty safe assumption that you keep them mostly in pens.
7. & 8.The fact that you're chastising a potential puppy parent for asking you feeding advice for their new puppy is saddening and disheartening. Excuse the potential buyer for wanting advice on how to best care for their new puppy.
11. Again, Labradoodles are over-glorified mutts. Also, there are other registration options. AKC is not the know-all-end-all.
38. Also a VERY valid question. Kennels that live up to USDA standards tend to not let dogs live in puppy-mill type environments.



Now, I'm not trying to start a :flamethrower: war, really. I just do NOT like breeders in general, particularly those that chastise potential pet parents for being concerned about the LIFE-LONG commitment they are about to make. This whole post made me VERY sad, and sincerely concerned about your 'operation' as a kennel.

I realize that buying a puppy from that sort of operation is the norm in some areas, but I prefer to choose adoption or buy from a breeder who takes the time to focus on one or maybe two breeds, shows the parents to their championships before breeding, tests for all possible genetic defects such as PRA and hip/shoulder dysplasia, and DOES have the time to spend that 30 minutes minimum each day with each puppy for one-on-one socialization.

I love you. Have my babies.

[Saydrah]

Judging from our respective avatars, if I had your babies it might look something like the images in this gallery. But with more bread.

Heeeey.... what are YOU doing up? I'm doing schoolwork... on my birthday. Ugh... damn procrastination!

But yes, I agree with all your points.

[Ree]

Just a reminder that this thread is not a chance for ANYONE to attack the OP's business over the policies and breeding.

This member came here to vent about customer behaviours that were annoying and it is completely uncalled for, in my opinion, for members to start sitting in judgment and attacking the OP and his/her company's practices.

I realize that some members have specific ideas and lots of knowledge about breeders, dog breeds, and any other topic mentioned in previous posts, but this thread was about customers asking inane questions, or in one case, a customer who sent about 6 emails filled with questions every time, when the OP clearly told her to CALL with any questions.

The OP was NOT saying that all the questions were stupid. It was the fact that there was an offer made to answer any questions over the phone or by checking the FAQ on the site, yet the customer still chose to keep sending in questions via email.
In some cases the questions were poorly worded or vague, and a phone call would have given the OP a chance to dig further and actually find out what the customer is really trying to find out.

[The Gatekeeper]

I have a question for the OP. I know you mentioned a few families that showed up that gave you real pause about their doggy raising skills. I was wondering what you do in that situation? Do you still allow them to purchase/adopt? With the kitty rescue I work with, the ladies in charge will refuse (sometimes they have to be creative with their reasons if the person is a little psycho) to adopt to people we feel won't keep to the agreement.

[Captain Kennedy]

If you like, I will link you to our website. You are all invited to visit our home and property. Some of you out there have made assumptions about the operations we run. I'd like to clear up a few of these.

German Shorthairs from the line of a dog you found on the side of a road?
Labradoodles and Yorkipoos are over-glorified mutts. I hate seeing people intentionally breeding mutts when hundreds of thousands die in shelters each year.

Perhaps I wasn't as clear as I should have been in the OP. The dog we found was neutered when we found him. Tail bobbed, etc. He was bred for hunting. To this day he's one of the best hunters we have. Our breeding GSPs are sons and daughters of dogs that have won numerous field trial championships.

If that is your opinion about labradoodles and yorkipoos, then that's fine. I agree that there are numerous dogs in need of adoption. However, that does not mean that everyone wants to adopt from a pound. I feel that people should have the choice.

Labradoodles are actually being evaluated as a potential breed by AKC.

If you can't properly socialize the dogs you have, you have too many.

The figure of 70 is when we are with a bunch of litters. Say, around Christmas time. But if you are not convinced that we do not socialize our dogs, even though we are with them during the day, they spend time within the dog-runs with other dogs, and we have four dog runs, three large kennels, and two large air-conditioned puppy-houses.

However, if you like, I can give you the names of every single one of our breeding dogs along with a description of their personality.

You do realize the health risks and increased stress level caused (needlessly) by shipping a dog, particularly overseas where they are held in customs for long periods of time?

We do follow-ups on every puppy we sell. We ask how the puppy is doing and if it is adjusting well. We usually receive pictures and gracious thank-yous from the people we sell too. We even get christmas cards from those families who we sell dogs to. However if you have any evidence of long-term health issues, I would like to see them.

And I will say again, we have health records on all of our dogs. I Don't believe I ever gave the impression that we didn't. If those of you out there still doubt our business without gathering any other additional information or asking me directly about our kennels and how they work, then that's fine. You are entitled to your opinions just like anyone else. However, the fact that we breed and sell dogs doe not make us a puppy mill.

Gravekeeper, a majority of the time those families and individuals who take the time to come out and see the dogs and our facilities commit to the purchase and are really great people. Most of the time the ones we refuse to sell a dog to never get past the phone-call phase. If you sell enough of one thing to people you get that special "third ear" that let's you hear whether or not you want to sell a dog to these people.

But sometimes we just can't tell who's going to be a bad owner. Take the abused puppy in the OP. Those people seemed like such a great family and we thought the dog was in great hands.

So in most cases where the buyer didn't want to fully commit to owning a dog, they will take it back and ask for money or compensation for vet bills. We usually give them neither, take the dog back and offer to replace the puppy. They almost always say "no", since they don't really want a dog anymore. We then sell the puppy to a family that wants them.

[Ree]

OK...the policies of Captain Kennedy's business and the issues brought forward in previous posts have been addressed.

Move on, please. If the topic can't stay on the sucky customer aspect, rather than focusing on the aspects of animal breeding that cause concerns for certain members, then the thread will be closed.

There will be no more warnings or reminders.

[Crazeyal]

The dog I have now is a rescue dog.. sorta..

My friend does everything in a BIG way.. He has seven (7!!!) kids, 2 ferrets 2 kittens some HORRIBLY aggressive lizard and back then, Two Canne Corso (rare breed Mastifs BIG dogs!!)

And my poor little Old English Bulldog Karma.

The Canne Corsos' are territorial and the dogs were Alpha dominant, so poor Karma was stuck outside in the backyard (getting eaten ALIVE by fleas and mosquitos....) My friend's mother see's the plight of this poor animal and insists on taking her home.

My friend's mother should NEVER have a dog again!!



She kept the poor thing kenneled for 23+ hours a day!!! She's a mid sized dog, the kennel wasn't compressing her or anything, but she was still under 2 years old! There's a differance between being kenneled and being IMPRISONED!!

I came over to visit and saw this poor miserable animal in the cage, took pity on it and figured the poor thing could use some exercise. I grabbed the leash and ran the dog until she wanted to stop. The dog had a LOT of pent up energy... Both of us came back panting.

After that, every time the dog saw me, it would FREAK OUT, whine and thrash against the cage. "GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!" She was saying ain very translatable doggy-speak... I know pup.. I'm trying...

I offered time and time again to take the dog off her hands, but my friend's mom objected, waffled, and gave excuses. Then she found out just how strong a Bulldog can be when it DOESN'T want to go back into Prison the cage. Karma toppled her end over end when she suddenly decided she WASN'T going back in the kennel. I surpressed my giggles as my friend's mom complained about her wrist hardly being able to hold the phone..

Now I have something I hadn't had in over 20 years. She gets rough housed and run with every day and spoiled like CRAZY (my wife, the CAT person, fell in full blown WUV wit da puppy!!) and enough proper training that she has calmed down almost completely (4 tricks so far and being walked without a leash!)

[boringscreenname]

I have a pair of breeding Sugar Gliders, and the things people say and ask never cease to amaze me. You would think people would do some type of research before buying any pet, especially an exotic animal, but people just see this cute little animal and immediately assume they're easy, and cheap to care for and want one of their own.

[Pagan]

Two Canne Corso (rare breed Mastifs BIG dogs!!)

And my poor little Old English Bulldog Karma.

Oooh, I like mastiffs! I really like Neopolitan mastiffs. And bulldogs, they're adorable, too! But what I really love are Scottish deerhounds and Irish wolfhounds.

People keep telling me I should get a small dog since I live in an apartment. Two problems with that. One - I can't have dogs inside, I'm allergic; and B - I don't like small dogs. Then they suggest keeping it on the porch. Can you imagine an 8ftx7ft porch full of deerhound?

[Evil Queen]

Pagan, you're allergic to dogs? I didn't know that.

<<<Is trying to get a dog.

[Ghengis51]

My ultimate dream when my wife and I get a "real" house (currently in a townhouse) is to get a pit bull. I know they get a very bad rap but they can be one of the most loving and loyal friends a person can get. What I can't decide is where to get it from. I'd love to rescue one, but I'm really nervous about getting a "bad" one. It sounds bad, but I know how strong these dogs are, they're pure muscle and even just a nervous snap at someones hand can do serious damage. Anyone got any suggestions? I won't get one for a while, but I do want to do my research.

[Evil Queen]

I don't know why Pit Bulls have such a bad rep. My neighbor, Pavel, has one and she's a real sweet heart! Same with the other's I've seen.

Most of the Pit Bull's I've come in contact with were rescue dogs as well, so I'd stop by the shelter if I was you and talk to the people who work there. They'll know the temperments of the dogs in their care.

Pit bulls, like other breeds, are only mean if you've treated them badly.

[BookstoreEscapee]

“All we ever do is try to love it. The kids don’t really play with it much and we keep it in its crate for most of the day. We do let it out to eat at night, but then put it back up because we just got brand new carpet. Well one night when we were going to put it back in its crate, it tried to bite us! We didn’t want it eating all the food we gave out because we didn’t want it getting too fat. It growled at us and snapped at us and we had to restrain it and force it back into its kennel. Then it howled all night! It’s only been getting worse too! We would like our money back!”

Well, let's start with the fact that you are referring to the dog as an "it." Clearly this is just a "thing" to you...

Nobody wanted her, because she was deaf.

What's the difference? It's not like cats listen to you anyway...

The do it to people that don't like cats, too!

My dad has always claimed to hate cats (the girlcat is a total daddy's girl and he loves it) but my aunt's cat always went straight to him. (BTW, Darien, my brother is also very allergic which is why I get to be the one to catsit when my parents go away.)

When I was 5 we got a miniature Schnauzer puppy. (My mom had a 10-year-old mini who had died the year before.) She had a crate for the first few months (until we could trust her on the carpets - oh, yeah, even the kitchen was carpeted - in a red and black houndstooth pattern hey it was the 70s and it was there when we moved in) for nighttime or when weren't home, but it was one that we borrowed from my aunt and uncle, who had a German Shepherd. It was more like having her own room. Oh, she also managed to turn on the TV. The cage was metal, and the door slid up on a track, kind of like a garage door. She would try to get out by putting her feet on the door and pushing up, but she couldn't push it high enough for it to stay open and it would slide back down (she never managed to get out). But it screeched something awful (did I mention that my room was on the other side of the wall?). The cage was near the basement door, and the metal rubbing on metal created just the right frequency to turn on the TV in the basement

Sam (Yellow Lab/Chow Chow mix) was beaten, I think. Something was up. I also believe that he thought "Sam" wasn't his name (he rarely, if ever, came when called).

Pablo doesn't usually come when called, either. He will generally look up at you, though, as if to say "Yes?" but I'm not sure if he's responding to his name or just your voice. Not so much that he doesn't know his name, but he's got so many nicknames he's probably confused...

Ex and I used to joke that we were going to get a sugar glider as a pet for Pablo, cuz there aren't too many animals smaller than him. (I forget how it started; I think he came across a book on them and told me about it and it turned into a running joke.)

[RetailWorkhorse]

*Loves on the fuzzies* <3 I wanna puppy-dog!

slightly off topic but it is about kitties, I am very allergic to them and yet they love to flock to me for some bizarre reason.

End of the off topicness

It's because they're mean little fuzzies. Dad's allergic and cats just LOVE to see him have an allergic reaction.

Sasha (Shasha to my 2 year old brain; Alaskan Malamute, I think.) had her front legs broken by a previous owner. And she was AKC registered!

K.C. was dumped at a local dump in South Carolina with her brother, but he would up with Cage Rage so we couldn't get him.

Sasha was a Japanese Spitz and, yes, she was registered. I think Mom still has the papers someplace.

K.C's brother (we dubbed him Charlie even though we never got to bring him home) suffered from Kennel Rage, and Mom said that if it had been curable at the time she would have hauled him home with us as well (we like to keep siblings together).

Really?

How did you get it in the envelope?

Origami, silly!