This is Max. When he was a couple of hours away from being euthanized at the Edmonton SPCA, the manager went the extra mile to save his life. She knew me and my passion for Shelties. She called and asked if I would adopt a dog that was morbidly obese, had a mouth full of rotting teeth, and was probably not going to live very long. I told the manager that I would adopt him, sight unseen.
When I picked him up, his coat appeared like he'd never been brushed. He could barely walk, and his breath was beyond bad. Max's story has a very happy ending. He eventually recovered and lived many more years as my mother's faithful companion, then after she passed away, Max was the king in another loving home.
Max did not have a breeder's registration tattoo and, therefore, was the product of either a puppy mill or back yard breeding. The public is well aware of puppy mill breeders and the horror stories resulting from those irresponsible breeding practices. Puppies are produced for the sake of making money; puppies that are often sick and have chronic illnesses. These breeders have little or no interest in ensuring the puppies are going to good homes. As a result, our shelters and rescue organizations are kept busy collecting these unwanted animals and euthanizing those that fail to be adopted. Those are the "lucky" ones. Many more animals suffer abuse for years and die at the hands of careless owners.
Over the next several posts, I want to provide information to people who are considering having a dog in their home. One of the questions that you should be asking yourself (one of many questions) is how do you know who is a responsible breeder?
Lists of breeders are available through the national registry (Canadian Kennel Club, American Kennel Club), local dog associations, local dog clubs, rescue societies, pet stores, etc). Dog breeder standards will vary widely. How do you sort out the good from the bad?
As promised, here is my interview with Yvonne Halkow, owner and manager of WillowGlyn Shelties. Dog breeders and Sheltie owners have known Yvonne to be a highly respected Shetland Sheepdog breeder. Her females have a few litters, then they are retired, going to loving homes. Her breeding animals are tested to ensure they are genetically sound. And, she is
very particular who adopts her puppies.
Recently I purchased a puppy from WillowGlyn and talked with Yvonne about the dilemma most people face when looking to buy a puppy. How do you know you're buying a healthy puppy from a responsible breeder?
At the end of this interview post, please feel free to ask Yvonne questions you have about selecting a dog breeder, selecting dog breed, or anything else that is of interest to you about dog ownership.
Or you can contact Yvonne at:
Phone: 780-361-2205 (Canada)
· Thank you, Yvonne, for agreeing to this interview. First, how did you become known as WillowGlyn Shelties?
I decided to register a kennel name and at the time I owned a counseling business known as Willow Counseling so I decided to use that as part of my kennel name. The 'Glyn' part of it seemed to fit with the Shetland Isles where Shelties originated.
·
How long you've been a breeder?
Although I purchased my first
purebred Sheltie in 1979, I didn't get into showing and breeding until 1990. My
first purebred male Sheltie was CH and OTCH Shancryla Bay Beary Bailey purchsed
from Lorna Scott/Shancryla Shelties as a young puppy. We learned obedience first
and he was a very smart boy finishing his Obedience Trial Championship by the
age of three. He was also shown in conformation gaining his championship as he
was being trialled in obedience which showed how versatile he was as very often
he would do both conformation and obedience at the same show.
My first litter was born in October
of 1992. From that litter of four came one dead puppy, one live deformed puppy
that had to be euthanized, one monorchid male and one lovely female, who grew up to become my very first Canadian Kennel Club
(CKC) champion and Best Puppy in Show winner. She was CH WillowGlyn Ebony N'
Stardust CD and she lived to almost 16 years of age. Since then I have bred or
co-bred 76 CKC champions along the way. Several of those also have obedience,
agility or rally titles.
·
Why did you choose to breed Shetland Sheepdogs?
I chose to breed Shetland Sheepdogs
as I had always loved Collies but wanted a smaller dog so Shelties were ideal.
They are also very people oriented and intelligent which was a major drawing
card for me.
·
How does a
person choose/find a good dog breeder?
Prospective
puppy buyers of any breed should do some homework before they purchase a puppy.
First, one needs to determine which breed’s characteristics are
a good fit with one’s lifestyle, time and energy.
1. Finding a good breeder involves some
research also... breeders are not all
cut from the same cloth and even show breeders with lots of champions should
not be automatically assumed to be the best place to purchase a puppy. Make
sure that any breeder you choose does health testing for common breed
disorders on both males and females in their breeding program. They should
be able to produce paperwork for test results done.
Commonly, with Shelties the
tests that can be done are for hip dysplasia, eye defects,hypothyroidism, and von Willebrands
disease (VWD). Shelties can also get epilepsy or familial canine
dermatomyositis (skin syndrome) for which there are no tests at present. They
either have it or don't and those that have either should not be used in
breeding programs.
2. For Shelties, I don't believe they
are a breed that can be properly socialized if they are not in regular contact
with people so it is important to visit a breeder to see how they raise their
dogs.
3. You want to know if the puppy will
be registered... breeders that are Canadian Kennel Club members are not allowed
to sell non-registered dogs as purebred. If they don't come with registration
papers, they cannot be called purebred as there is no proof even if both
parents are registered. Non-members can sell dogs without papers but they still
cannot call them purebred.
4. Registration papers also belong to
the dog so a breeder who has a litter that can be registered should not be
saying that the dog costs less without papers.
5. All CKC members are expected to
register all their litters and to all also register each individual puppy they
produce at their own expense and in a timely manner.
6. Some breeders do not show their dogs
but should absolutely be aware of the common disorders in the breed and be
doing health testing.
7. For the breeders that you can visit,
if you visit and feel comfortable with the way their dogs look and are cared
for, as well as the knowledge level of the breeder including health testing, then
you should be able to be confident that the puppy you purchase from them.
8. All breeders should have some sort
of health guarantee - a short term one for immediate health and temperament
which both become out of the control of the breeder once the puppy leaves their
premises, and a long-term genetic health guarantee for inheritable disorders.
9. Pet stores generally get their stock
from commercial breeders that mass produce puppies. Some are better than others
but you will never know as any contact with the actual breeder of a pet store
puppy is not part of the sales agreement... so you never really know where they
come from, how they were raised or how much, if any socialization they receive.
I doubt that most have health tested parents as testing is expensive and cuts
into the profit margin.
10. One may also want to contact rescue
organizations but not many Shelties show up needing to be rescued although it
does happen on the odd occasion.
*******************************************************
Thank you very much, Yvonne, for this important information. I wish I'd known this when I started looking for a Sheltie breeder years ago. My first Sheltie was discovered to have severe bilateral hip dysplasia when he was one year old and was challenged by this disability during his 12 years. His vet and I kept him comfortable through special vet care, special diet, keeping his weight under strict control and ensured his muscle strength.
For several years I've been fostering abused and abandoned Shelties. You're right that Shelties seldom suffer from abuse. But it does happen. I've been involved with four heartbreaking cases, two recently (Maya and Jasper).
Thank you to all my visitors for stopping by my blog. During 2013 I will be presenting an aray of valuable information from professionals who care for animals. I'll will be inviting Yvonne to return and provide us more information in the New Year.
Jasper (originally purchased in a pet store), rescued from an abusive male, treasured in our home until he passed away this year.
Nicki Elson: Some of you may have noticed that I was all
chit-chatty here for a while about my upcoming novel, 
Thanks for the giveaway!
Congratulation, Meghan. I just know you're going to love reading my book. There is some similarity with the Outlander story (I loved the entire series, especially Outlander). The heroine in The Guardian's Wildchild (Sidney Davenport) was a captured espionage suspect, and she resisted falling in love with the tough Captain Waterhouse, a tough warrior in the American Naval Service.