Shows & Auf Wiedersehen Nacht und Gibbs!

The last two weeks have been so busy


Two weeks ago, I drove down to VA for a show with Ziva & Gibbs. . despite my worries, they were pretty darn good, my good knee? Gave up the ghost, on the thousandth down and back it said NOPE, and suddenly sharp pain was going thru it, the judge made me move her around yet again and then another down and back, even tho I had tears from the pain. . I stacked her, and he came over, I was fearful he was going to ahve us do yet another, and he told me not to worry, he wouldn't force us to move again, and we won our class. Nice gentleman, he made sure I had someone who could take her back in, cuz I could barely move by this time.

Had to hand her off to a sweet young lady Kari had brought with us. . .unfortunately, the ONLY time I ever hand her off is when we are going racing, so she was full speed ahead. . oh well, she behaved decently considering she hasn't been out in a year, and this is only her fourth time out period LOL so I was pleased with her.

Nacht moved into her new home after her new owners picked her up at the dog show. She's coming out of her shell and starting to blossom, especially without her devil sister beating her up in the yard. Her new home is GORGEOUS! I want to move there. Once she settles in, she'll be back out working on her LCM & her FC!


Then the following week, Gibbs moved to his new home. he jumped into the back of her car and didn't look back, squeaking his toy all the way home, where he emptied the toy box, and terrorized his cousin Titania LOL Second day he was there, I get an email asking if he had an off button LOL He had his new mom laughign so hard she hurt. Such a nice testimony to his goofy a** personality and perfect to help her heal after losing his great uncle about a week before she picked him up.

So the backyard is kinda empty. . .Nacht was a quiet soul, Gibbs was a loud, bright, obnoxious one. . you couldn't help but notice him trotting around the backyard, with his jolly ball flung over his head.

I look forward to see what both these pups do in their new homes. I miss them, but I know they're in WONDERFUL homes!!!

Another one leaves the nest, just in time for horrid weather

Some people say that the hard part is letting puppies go. . I say the hard part is waiting to find out if the new owners love them as much as I want them to.

I've only ever had one dog returned because the owner was odd, didn't give him time to settle in(his new home, he settled in within a few days, the 1st home didn't even give him 12 hrs), but I still worry in sending dogs far away, will he/she be exactly waht the owner wanted? Will the personality fit? Will he/she be a good puppy, etc, etc, etc.

As I think I mentioned, the perfect sounding home for Aurora finally fell into my lap. .after two loons, one person who decided the pedigree didn't have enough champions so couldn't be a show quality puppy, one who's life fell apart and she opted out of buying her, the perfect home seems to be here. .and Aurora left for her new life in the Midwest.

Thankfully they have had Borzoi for a few years. . so they know what to expect with an 18 month old hairless girl LOL She blew her beautiful puppy coat just in time to move to her new home. They were so excited to get her home and to get her ready for the show ring this fall, but that doesn't alleve the worries.

But, my worries seem to've been needless. .she is working out really well, enjoying playing with her cousin, playing with the Aussie, and quickly fitting herself in. Every text I get from them has me smiling. . .silly sweet Aurora has found herself the best of homes. In fact, she weasled them into letting her sleep outside her crate last night, next to their bed LOL

I am looking into getting a passport to take Nacht to her new home, would love to visit Germany, even if only for a weekend, get some real good German food, bring home some REAL Eiswein :) And just waiting for the Princess to come into season and trying to endure this UNGODLY weather!!

Grins is crated in the house during the day right now, Touchet lays around like a slug. Can't believe she's 12.5. . .with luck, she'll be my first 'teen', the rest have finally gotten brains and don't exert themselves much. . .wish I could hide in the AC bedroom til this all broke! Was hoping to go coursing this weekend, but nope, not with the heat without index being high 90's on Saturday!

I am not in Texas, it should NOT be over 100 without heat index!

One to think on: Vetting buyers

Part of the learning curve of being a breeder is not to take things personally.

To stay in for the long hall, you've got to get thick skinned, realise nothing's written in stone, and that buyers whim change like MD weather, amongst other things.

Recently I was informed I had "Stolen" a puppybuyer. .

The buyer had talked to someone else about buying a puppy from a proposed (on paper) litter, an inquiry I had no clue of until I was accused of stealing the puppy buyer last month and this is something that happened back in September..

I never thought to ask the buyer if she was looking at another litter. In the grand scheme of things, does it really matter? A good puppy buyer will talk to numerous people before choosing a puppy. You should never buy the first puppy or from the first litter you fell in love with, I always tell people to look at a lot of puppies or litters before making a decision.

What I was concerned with is that her references turned out(and boy did they), that she treated her dogs well(boy does she), and that my puppy would be in a good home(Boy is she :)), not that the buyer had talked to someone else a few weeks prior about a planned litter.

The buyer's first comments in an email to me were along the lines "I love this bitch, i've been wanting a chinchilla with Silkenswift lines, she's just what I want". .it was out of the blue, from left field, I'd never heard of this lady before and had no clue who else in the breed she had talked to other than the two breeders of her boys. Our conversations revolved around her experience in the breed, her other dogs, my dogs, and my puppy, nothing else. . .

Puppy buyers are allowed to talk to other breeders and allowed to choose to buy from another breeder and as you grow as a breeder, you learn this, or you burn out with anger, frustration and the toxicness of letting everything bother you.

The PITA buyer last fall was not a PITA because she bought from someone else, that was her decision, she was a PITA because she wasted so much of my time before TELLING me she was looking at the other litter, so many months dicking me around until she finally told me she was seriously leaning towards that other litter. She was not upfront and honest with me and that's what angered me. I wasn't upset with the breeder, it's not their fault, but I was upset with the buyer for jerking me around. . .I'm not sure if the breeder said anything or even knew, it's the buyer that was wrong for not being truthful, for not being up front, she wasn't wrong for buying a dog elsewhere, that was her decision. Hopefully she's happy with her choice, I'm much happier with the home Ava eventually went to. Less maintenance :)

You just can't take it personally if someone chooses a dog from a different breeder. . it just happens.

OTOH, maybe it is a question to ask prospective buyers, so one can talk to the other breeders and find out if a red flag had gone up that caused them not to sell a puppy, as well as to make sure that you're not selling your puppy to end up in situation like the West Virginia Rescues of years before: http://www.nbrf.info/index.php?p=gallery&id=140

Two different breeders sold dogs to this home, each sold a male and a female, not knowing the other breeder had already sold them a dog. Granted, at least one of those breeders is not responsible, but asking around may help stop situations like this from happening.

I just never thought of it until this silly accusation was thrown at me, but now I wonder if I should be asking. . .13 yrs of doing this, and I'm still given things that make me think.

There's only one breeder i don't mind 'stealing' puppy buyers from, but any responsible Borzoi breeder is glad to take a buyer away from this breeder. . .she's a blight on the rear end of humanity. Her dogs are livestock, sold to anyone with a check that clears, and so many of them end up in rescue. If she doesn't have buyers, she'd stop breeding, but otherwise, I don't think about it.

It happens. . .unless you've got a check and contract in hand(and even then they may have legal rights to change their mind) a puppy buyer can change their mind. This is ESPECIALLY true when the litter is just planned, nothing is concrete such that there actually are puppies in utero, let alone that they are whelped, healthy, and ready to go. I can understand looking for other pups along the same line as you want if the litter hasn't even been conceived, as so much can go wrong: doesn't conceive, aborts the litter, emergency c-section resulting in loss of pups or worse loss of mom, not enough pups to go around, etc, etc.

I've got people interested in my next litter, will they be there and actually wanting one when the time comes? Who knows, i don't care, what happens, happens. . .and eventually all the pups will find their forever homes. It just may take a year or two LOL Aurora is still here, case in point :)

It's why you've got to have a thick skin and not take things seriously.

I explained to my accusor that I had had no clue and hopefully cleared things up. . but it's given me something to think about, and I'll have to ask my breeder friends their opinions on this. She's apologized, but it does make me think. .

Thoughts are appreciated

dealing with puppy buyers

Dealing with puppy buyers can be rewarding, but it can also be a big PITA. . .some puppy buyers are real accomodating, listen to what you have to say, some think they know it all, and have no problem telling you that. .

Over 15 yrs in Borzoi, I've come to terms that many show people/puppy buyers are nuts. . .and much prefer selling my pups to pet homes where they'll be loved and adored, no matter if they end up missing 5 teeth, have a gay tail or a bad bite. . .all they care about is that the puppy fits their household and has a wonderful temperament. Soo unlike the revolving door of the show dog world.

Some of the asinine reasons I've heard for returning dogs from show homes just make me want to scream. . there was the beautiful white & red bitch that I would've stole in a haertbeat, that was returned because she 'looked too much like Kennel X", another self black & tan bitch who was returned a year later because the show person didn't like black. . hunh?

A recent interaction with a 'show' person reiterated to me how much I hate dealing with show homes. . .not that I will turn away a good show home that'll keep a puppy forever. . but you have no idea if that show home will be such at first. . not unless they've proven themselves to you. And in 8 litters, I've had 2 puppies returned to me, and I think part of it is because of my hatred of placing in show homes.

This person contacted me earlier this year, in like Feb, asking about Chrissy, a few emails back and forth, then she disappeared. . I'm used to that, so I just blew it off, and went on with life. You can't take it personally when homes looking at puppies do that, it happens. They flake out, go elsewhere, change their mind, whatever. I can deal with that.

Suddenly she reappeared, asking if she was still available, a few emails, then wham, disappeared. I saw her at the Nationals, she didn't inquire on Chrissy, so once again, I blew it off. . .

Few weeks later, I get an email, can I stop by and see them? I really like Chrissy, blah blah blah. . sure, set up a time, came home and met with her, introduced her to the pups, spent quite a bit of time that evening with her, she fell in love with Aurora, really liked her, blah blah blah, granted I thought and still think Chrissy is the better bitch, but hey. . and as we headed back to the house, she dropped a bomb shell in my lap.

"I like her, but I kind of am in line for a pup out of Breeder Y's litter, not sure if I want one, I don't like the colour, but. . "

Wait a minute here. . .this should've been stated first thing. . IMHO. . There's just no way I'd go to a breeder's house, waste their time and then go oh well, your litter is my back up plan. . it's rude.

Whatever. . she left, swearing she'd make a decision in a few weeks.

Again, heard nothing from her, tho she talked to the cobreeder and a friend of mine. Figured she'd made her decision. . .whatever. . .that doesn't bother me. .

And then, again, she pops out of nowhere, "I'd like to stop by next week and see her again". Ok, fine, whatever. .but again all I heard of was how much she loved Breeder Y's puppies parents, balh blah blah. I dropped her an email and told her it seemed she'd already made up her mind, there was no need to stop by and see Aurora. . I'd rather she be in a home who loved her for her. .first love, not by whimsy,and I don't hear the same things coming out of her mouth about Aurora and her family. That's ok, there's plenty of types of Borzoi. She never responded to that email

Except she ends up calling and cancelling, didn't get out of her summer home when she'd plan, blah blah blah "let's make it tomorrow". Ok. . .at this point, I've about had enough, I feel like I've been ran thru a ringer by this person. . .the next day, she calls. . .now, she has to deal with Friday rush hour traffic to come see me, IMHO, wouldn't you leave early AM if you plan on meeting someone, to insure you get there in time? Already realised she wasn't serious, have no clue why she kept stringing me along. . .my two friends kept saying 'she's a wonderful home', yeah, but not sure I want to deal with this type of crap for the life of a dog.

She calls again, says she's not going to make it (Well duh, I'd already figured that out), but that she'd think seriously about which pup she wanted on the way home. . .later that night, I get a call "i've decided to go with the boy'.

I wasn't angry, I was frustrated, and just sick of dealing with this person. . .sick of being screwed around with and sick of being lied to. . maybe she didn't lie to me, but lying by ommission is still lying to me. . .maybe she didn't mean to run me thru the ringer and screw around with me, but that's sure how she left me feeling.

Hope her baby boy turns out, despite what breeders tell you, there's little you can tell about if the dog is truly going to be show quality until all teeth come in and the bite settles. . .so much can happen, ask the lady who spent $1500 to import a puppy from sweden only to be missing SEVEN teeth. Her replacement puppy ended up having mismatched rear angles(one side straighter than the other) I had a puppy who was beautiful as a puppy, angles to die for, who grew up missing those angles. .

Buying babies as a show dog is a huge crap shoot.

If you want a show pup, buy an older pup. . .unless you have no problem putting a bunch of money and time into growing out a puppy to adulthood, training it, working with it, vetting it only to find out it's not show quality, at which point you either return the puppy to the breeder(if you have a limit law in your area) and get a replacement, neuter it and get another dog(if your'e not at your limit), or just neuter it and be done with showing (if you are at your limit), that's assuming your contract covers any of this.

Yes, it means more work if you get an older pup and have smaller dogs/cats in the household. . .but it's doable. My current setup the puppies don't interact with the cats, but the pups I kept have been introduced to the cats and ignore them. . . but it's really no more work than what you have to do bringing a young puppy in. You cant' just throw them and your other pets together at any time, it takes work.

Buying older doesn't make things written in stone either, you can still ruin a puppy you get as an older pup. . lack of exercise or improper exercise are just two ways you can do that. But at least you have a BETTER IDEA

And remember, 'show quality' at 8-12 wks just mean it has a good bite and both balls(if it's a boy). Our breed doesn't have breed DQ's beyond both testicles, so as long as they have both, there are breeders who call everything in the litter as 'show quality'. You can't tell anything about that age, IMHO. . I've seen dogs grow up and totally fall apart, and those who looked horrid at that age who grew up to be gorgeous specimens.

And most important: BE HONEST with the breeder from day 1. .don't dick them around, don't string them along. . .this incident was ridiculous.

This entire instance left a bad taste in my mouth about dealing with show homes. I now understand why breeders are termed as short/rude if they've had multiple instances with these type of buyers it could make someone jaded and not willing to talk with someone unless they are serious. .

Between this and the local nitwit who despite numerous breeders trying to help her, keeps buying from puppymills, then complaining about the dogs and then getting upset if you agreed with the fautls of the dog. . . Plenty of breeders (not me, I have enough headaches) in the area have offered her a show quality puppy, but she nitpicks them(not white enough, doesn't have a blaze, doesn't talk to her, etc, etc, etc). . .it all makes me want to scream

Not to say all puppy buyers are bad or wishy washy. . .every one of my puppies has gone into a great home, with great owners, even if the puppies had their 'issues', they worked with and dealt with them. . and love them. .but 99% of the ones I've sold have gone to pet homes, some are pet homes who dabble in showing or running, but these are homes that lvoe the dog, no matter what. .. and that's what I love about them.

So to all those wonderful homes my pups are living in: THANK YOU!!!

Not to say I don't have a few show homes lined up for Gossip's litter. . .but these are long time people who've got a track record of keeping dogs who don't turn out. . .if they're as nice as I expect them to be, Bonnie & I have no problem growing them out until the right home comes along.