Babies babies everywhere!

I have a 3 month old grand baby.
I have five 2 week old puppies.
I have another grand baby due in 3 months.
I am planning to breed at least a couple more dogs as soon as they're ready (which should be anytime now).

For someone who said they were never having babies, I seem to be swamped in them!
It's a good thing I adore them all. lol

Jealous, negative people

I've been breeding Labradoodles for just over a year. I've just had my 4th litter and for the most part really enjoy myself. I love the dogs, their puppies, and have made some wonderful new friends among my buyers. Everyone is so happy and excited with their pups, and I get adorable pictures of many of them as they grow and change along with heartwarming stories about how they fit into their families. I have yet to have a complaint from a buyer and strive to keep it that way.

The people I have problems with are other breeders. Many are nice, and we're able to be friends and be supportive of each other even though I suppose to some degree we are in competition for buyers. Others are not nice at all. I've been chewed out and criticized for the brand of food I feed; for "torturing" my pups by having their dew claws removed; for not having all my dogs in the house full time; for not spending thousands of dollars to buy breeding dogs; for allowing and welcoming buyers and prospective buyers into my home to meet my dogs; and now for UNDER pricing my puppies. Pretty much whatever I do is met with nasty comments by a couple who seem to think they're the only ones fit to be breeding dogs.

Truth be told, If you mixed my pups into a pile with one of theirs, you'd have a tough time picking them back out again. They are that similar. Another breeds several different breeds, has been proven to lie to her buyers, and refuses to let anyone see her breeding facility. A friend of mine who lives near her swears she runs a puppy mill, and is very unpopular in their area for her dirty dealings.

So these jealous, negative people not only want to rule the Labradoodle world, but dictate who and how others can enter, but now how much they have to charge! Thank God they have no real power over me. They can make me angry and frustrated for a day, but in the long term they mean nothing. When I'm done being mad I simply go to my website and read the rave reviews from my puppies new families and suddenly it's all right again. Lord, let me never become like them.

How I choose breeding dogs

I used to own Chips half brother, Moses. Moses was my best friend and constant shadow, as well as being a very handsome apricot boy. Moses had been my birthday gift to myself and was one of those dogs you absolutely bond with and sob over when they're gone. Moses fathered 24 very nice F1 Labradoodle pups in his lifetime. Many of them got his smile, and his silly loving nature. They had a wonderful wide range of colors and all got a big wavy fluffy coat.

I got Chip because I knew I was losing Moses to kidney disease. I was aiming for another male with similar temperament and intelligence. Lucky for me, Chip is even more mellow than Moses was. He's comical, patient, loving, and cuddly; is never rough or pushy and rarely gets upset or excited about anything. While he's cafe au lait, he has the potential to create pups with a wonderful color variety just as his brother did.

I am so enamored of Chip, that I decided to make him the basis of my breeding program and search out dams that would compliment him. I plan for all of my pups to be sired by him because in my opinion he is just such a super dog. I want my buyers to be able to meet both parents and can't imagine finding a male I like better than him.

I have bought and traded several females this past year in my effort to find just the right females to compliment Chip. Some were too hyper, too rough, or had a physical trait that I just didn't care to pass on. It's been a trying time, but am now content that I have the right dams for the job, so it's been well worth it.

My first dam that I decided to keep was Hickory. She's a small muscular chocolate female that's had a rotten history. She was badly abused and neglected in a previous kennel before my getting her. When she first arrived she was thin, terrified, and convinced that all humans were barbarians. Even though she was so scared, she never once showed an ounce of aggression or hyperactivity. She has now blossomed into a lovely girl who runs up to offer kisses and get her head scratched from a select few people who she's learned to trust and love. I doubt she will ever trust strangers enough to let just anyone walk up to her and love on her, but given what she's been through I'm not sure that's unwise. She's a compromise between a field lab and English lab type. She's got a nice blocky head, a broad chest and shoulders, yet looks more athletic than stocky. In my opinion she's a very nicely put together Lab. She and Chip together should produce litters that are all chocolate with the potential to turn cafe au lait with age.

Ava is my second "keeper". Ava is a typical English type lab; very square, blocky, short and stocky with large muscle and a calm demeanor. She's chocolate, totally self-assured and has an awesome presence. People who really know Labs often comment on how beautiful and well put together she is. She loves everyone, but when she barks an alarm that a stranger has arrived she truly can make the hair stand up on the back of your neck unless you see her tail also wagging wildly. Ava had spent her first 2 yrs of life in a 5 x 10 kennel; the pet of a young man who simply lost interest in her. When she came to me, she decided she enjoys being with other dogs and being a beloved pet, so is a very happy girl. She and Chip together should produce litters that are all chocolate with the potential to turn cafe au lait with age.

Misty and Hana I bought as a pair from the same kennel. This man had bought some great females, had them OFA/CERF tested and went into breeding with the best of intentions. He tried AI with excellent bloodlines and had disappointing results. He lost a couple of dams unexpectedly, and decided to cut his losses and give up before he was in any deeper. I was simply lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and bought his 2 best young dams.
Both Hana and Misty have fantastic well known field champion bloodlines. Their coats are like velvet black, they are solid muscular girls with smaller frames and nice conformation. They're energetic, but not franticly so, and both have excellent temperaments and personalities. They're fun to work with and should produce lovely rainbow colored litters with Chip.

I would like to have one more dam, but am in no rush to find her. If I haven't stumbled onto one by Spring I will start to look harder. For now I'm very satisfied with the dogs I have and look forward to producing quality pups with the traits that I feel are most important. My focus is on health, temperament, personality and intelligence in a more compact, mellow dog.

Funny how things seem to go

I started my kennel with 2 black Lab females, and an apricot stud. Out of them, I got a few black pups, a few apricot, some white, and many creams. The rainbow of colors was encouraging since black is the default color for both Labs and poodles so I had been afraid I'd have all or mostly black litters which are harder to sell. There are naturally more black labs and poodles than any other color, so they're also easier to come by.

In the past few months I've bought all new breeders, starting with a chocolate stud who has since turned Cafe Au Lait (a highly desirable dilute of chocolate). I then added a chocolate Lab, 2 yellow labs and another chocolate. Yes, these are the colors I was hoping for, but I would have gladly bought blacks if I had found ones that I really liked and felt would be good breeding prospects. I am still looking for at least one, possibly 2 more Lab females, and again, I would be quite satisfied with any color that was of good quality and excellent temperament. So far, I've looked at a few, and have found them to be lacking in one way or another and had to walk away without buying.

I received an offer to purchase a female tonight, and from what I'm told, she sounds worth taking a little trip to see. Ironically, she too is chocolate. Now I know chocolate is a desirable color and is considered harder to find; so I'm beginning to wonder about the fact that it seems I'm almost destined to have a kennel full of them. Six months ago I would have jumped at the chance, thinking "WOW did I luck out!" Now I'm thinking, "Hmmm, of all the other breeders I know, none have this focus on chocolate... is there some reason I should avoid it?"

Am I just afraid of succeeding in something a bit unique? Or is there some real reason I should vary my color range a bit more? Does the adage "If it sounds too good to be true it probably is" hold here? Or should I just say thank you to the universe and run with it?

Where is my crystal ball when I need it? Funny how things seem to go!

Forgiven

Not far from New York, in a cemetery lone,
Close guarding its grave, stands a simple headstone,
And all the inscription is one word alone --
"Forgiven."

It shews not the date of the silent one's birth,
Reveals not his frailties, nor lies of his worth,
But speaks out the tale from his few feet of earth --
"Forgiven."

And when from the heavens the Lord shall descend,
This stranger shall rise, and to glory ascend,
Well known and befriended, to sing without end --
"Forgiven."


by H. A. Ironside

The final Moses litter

Today is bittersweet as I watch the births of Bella and Moses' puppies.
The first 3 pups have arrived all round and wiggly and colored just like their Dad. I'm so glad they take after him as this is the final litter from my beloved boy.

I hope they inherit his ability and desire to smile. I hope they have his bounce and spring and loving personality. I hope they fill the hearts of their new families like he did ours. I hope they live long and healthy lives.

Rising cost of EVERYTHING!

I think we are all going to have to rethink the way we live. We've been so complacent so long... we take for granted that we NEED to have the bigger house (to heat and cool and pay taxes on) and need newer cars so we can all look successful... and NEED to live in a specific area even if it's a 45 min commute to work each day.

Sad as it is, we've allowed ourselves to be put in this position and now we need to suck it up and face reality.
Downscale... make being frugal the new "cool"!
Quit wanting more and be proud you know how to enjoy life with less. Refuse to be a victim of the economy and you'll be amazed what a few changes can do.

Just look how many SUV's and big pick ups are on the road... How many of us really NEED them? How many can really afford them or afford to drive and insure them?

Look at the type of food we buy... quick, unhealthy and expensive! If we'd go back to actually cooking... drag out those dusty crock pots and let a cheaper cut of meat cook while you're at work and you can still have a decent meal.

Make it a family project to see how much lower your next electricity or gas bill can go.

We need to help ourselves if we're to survive this and in the process we need to teach our kids so they don't repeat our mistakes.