How old are you?

Are you old enough to purchase a dog?

It may seem like a dumb question however it might just be the most important one you can ask yourself.

If you are fresh out of school, aged 18 to 25, there are serious questions associated with your age that can influence your decision making.  The outcome of not considering your age is an overstressed dog pound, where millions of unwanted pets go and are then euthanized.  I'm guilty as charged.  When one moves out of our home we usually decide we need to take care of something.  We may think we are doing it for all the right reasons... but most often we are doomed to fail.

Why?

 First and foremost is we do not give consideration to our present economic situation.  We do not ask if we can provide for a long term commitment (10-20 years) to our fully dependent pooch. A dog is more expensive than children in many aspects and remains dependent on you for as long as it lives. How can they be more expensive, you maybe asking yoruself?  Well, I did state in some aspects.  Vet bills being at the top of that list. I will cover expenses later, but age still ranks first.

If you are young you may unintentionally be adding stress to your pet simply by you economic instability. By this I mean, if you do not own a home then it can be very difficult to find a landlord who allows for pets.  If you do not have a yard, or time to walk your animal then your pet will suffer. The size of dog also can compound your dilemma.

I know many people out there have great memories of their dogs, especially the ones they owned as children. Many people hope to replicate the relationship they had with the family dog, but do not have any idea how this may be done. The truth is dogs are high needs animals, and they can be expensive. I hope that if you are parents of children who are ready to leave the nest you will enter into a conversation with them about the need to wait until they themselves are stable before choosing animal husbandry of any ilk. 

When I decided to buy a dog, I wanted a small breed, non-shedding variety.  I spent 3 years scouring the local SPCA sites in search for such a creature.  None existed.  I scoured every site in B.C. to no avail.Why were they so scarce?  Was it demand?

Well part of it is demand.  Small dogs appeal to seniors and young families. The reason for none being in the pound was obvious.  Very few small dogs get dropped off there because most small dogs are owned by stable homeowners, who fully appreciate the cost of pet ownership, thus, none find their way to the SPCA. 

Young people for the most part are not interested in a small dog as it does not bode well for one's ego.  They prefer, a Shepherd, a Lab or a Pit bull to boost their sense of adulthood.  The end result is an overflow of unwanted medium to large type breed dog in our pound system.

By educating our kids we could reduce this problem dramatically.  Please tell your kids to wait until they are stable and can afford a dog before making that impulsive purchase.  It will save them a lot of stress of having to bond with a dog they love but but whom they were ill prepared for - a dog who may very well live it's last hours within a cage...

Introductions

I have decided to share with you a site devoted to our "Best Friend".  Included will be links to similar sites, and submissions from other breeders.  There will also be relevant information for choosing the right breed of dog that meets your individual needs based on size, cost and your own physical requirements from the specific breed.

I guess introductions are warranted.  I got my start in breeding dogs, quite by accident.  Obviously, I have always loved all dogs and believe regardless of the breed once you understand the animal's specific characteristics (high energy or low energy, working dogs, etc) you can end up with an animal that enhances your life immensely.

My mentor is Ken Pritchard.  A professional breeder of one of the largest breeds, The Old English Mastiff.  Ken is world renowned for his dogs which range from a paltry 180 pounds up to a whopping 280+ pounds. He owns Rockport Mastiffs and I cannot speak highly enough of both Ken and his wife Peggy.  Their professionalism when it comes to animal husbandry is immeasurable.

It was because of them that I chose to mirror their high standards and apply them to my own semi professional business of dog breeding.

I live in town and Ken lives in the country on acreage and thus he breeds large breed dogs where as I on the other hand breed much smaller ones.  I also do not breed "Pure Bred" but he does.

There are extremes, when it comes to breeding.  Those who believe in retaining the breed standard and shun those who would breed anything but pure bred dogs.  There are those who feel the pure bred dogs are fraught with complications associated with inbreeding, which is sometimes practiced and is referred to as Line Breeding.  I do not take a stand on this and will simply recognize the need to choose your dog and your dog breeder very carefully.  A good breeder, stands by his dogs, and looks at all his pups as part of his family, forever.

I personally have over 50 such pups. If ever, one of those dogs could not be cared for by its owner we would assist in every way possible to find it another loving home.

Lesson one will encompass what you need to know before you choose the breed and breeder, thus ensuring that you will have a successful outcome with your new best friend. I will add some humor to lighten the mood because there is nothing more rewarding than the antics of your dog.  Feel free to send me your funny picture or short video and I will add it to this blog.