Circle of life and all that crap

Circle of life

it just ain't fair.

11 yrs ago, I was waiting on pins and needles to see if my darling Kyra was going to grace me with another litter. .she had had her tryst with the handsome DC Silkenswift Blaze of Chaos SC, CD, LCMIV, SGRC, SORCII and it was a waiting game. She eventually gave birth to what became my most successful litter to date. .. luck had a lot to do with that, I got them in homes that ran them for the most part. . . .lots of firsts, a lot of fun.Unfortunately, luck was not on my side for my three keepers. I lost my Races(Mielikki A Day At the Races SC) to the dog flu at 4.5, after he'd sired a lovely litter that gave me my heart dog Gossip, I lost his brother Obie(BIF FC Mielkki My Fairy King MC, FCH) to bone cancer, but their sister(Mielikki PRophet's Song GRC) stayed on with me. .

she was a homebody for a few years, always the perfect house dog (except for her infatuation with the cat box), never demanding, 23 hr and 50 min bladder if I let her, happy to do nothing more than lay at my feet, tho she did enjoy our long walks. She suddenly took to racing at 6+, finishing her GRC as a veteran against younger dogs at 7+. Giving me a lovely litter at 8+ yrs old, never sick a day in her life, some neck problems for a bit last winter, but bounced back from that and spaying at 10+, winning BOS in a huge veteran sweeps last fall and winning Best in Sweeps this year, not looking her age at all.

Summer 2011 at 10.5+

Last month, my last remaining get of Kyra, my sweet Dei, came up lame, and then a huge lump over her hip bone. Took her to the vet, an aspiration came up blood, so the initial DX was a nasty hematoma. The lump didn't go away, in fact, it got larger, and the medicine, specifically previcox, put her in the ER with a bleeding ulcer. . She made it thru that, only to have that damn lump be even bigger. .and unfortunately in a place that isn't easy to remove. . it pressed into the nerves in her hip joint. . .cancer sucks. So fast, in less than four weeks from no lump to this. ..

Trotting in the Veteran's ring BCGNY 2011

Vet doesnt' want to put her under for a biopsy, so idea what kind of cancer exactly, just a nasty, fast growing one. We're taking it one day at a time. . long as she's eating and able to get up to go potty, we'll just take it one day at a time, but it kills me. . they're just not here long enough. . .

Her two remaining siblings are doing well .. Eros doesn't look his age, Scirocco looks older than both of them, may be her inky dark face. But I don't have the bond with them that I do with Dei . .she was the one who stepped into Obie's shoes when he left, holding the spot for Gossip and keeping it warm, always next to me, always just there. . the thought of that space being empty has me in tears.

Vet called Saturday with no hope from the specialists. .the one said we could go to germantown for radiation, but with 3-4 days a week, not feasible with a day job, and too far to go to drop her off and go to work. Another said chemo might only give her amonth or two, and not worth doing that. . .not when she'd be sick and miserable from the chemo

So, we take it one day at a time. . she's happy, snoozing away next to me, or in front of the TV, enjoying her special dinners of whatever she'll eat. . and I try not to dwell on the near future. .

The good and bad of puppy homes

I hate selling puppies to show homes.

This summer made me really hate it. This last litter seems to've brought the loons out of the woodwork, but the worse one was the last one.

She wanted me to guarantee the puppy would be showable. .I won't do that, I will state that the puppy at THAT POINT in time is show potential, and may remain that way IF the buyer will listen to me and give the puppy proper nutrition and excercise, both of which can ruin a puppy if done wrong, but I will not guarantee it. There are too many things that can happen. . .and boy can they go through some fugglies. . Gibbs went through it earlier this year and is coming back together, Bella is currently in the middle of some. . .people new to the breed don't understand that and flake out, or if they don't start winning first time in the ring, OMG, you sold me a dud. They have no patience for the puppy to grow up. . .This person has gone on to annoy a bunch of breeders. . glad I went with my gut and 'ran away!'

Yet, sometimes things happen, the lines connect just right, and you find a good one.

Day after I lost Gossip I got a call from Oregon. . .after dealing with the loons, it was so nice to get a nice, intelligent lady on the phone. I took pictures, I had Kari give her opinion, I gave her faults, and she was ok with eveyrthing. . she had fallen in love with Chrissy NKA Ava from her ad, and wanted her, and if she didn't turn out, that was fine, and whatever Ava wanted to do, Ava was goign to get a chance to do.

A home made in heaven.

This was the puppy I had such a problem getting shipped out last month. . but as soon as she got off the plane, she looked at Christine and said "I'm Home". .And Christine told me she was more than she had hoped for.

And every email or call I get from her mom is how much she loves her. . .

I don't think I'm going to regret this show home.

She went to her first show last week and was the only bitch, but the judge told her he was hard pressed not to give her the breed, but she was too young. . that's ok. . .she went in like she'd owned the place. And handled it with all sorts of finesse according to her mom, and then went on to a puppy Group IV, with that judge telling her that she would've been placed higher, but she was not as mature as they were. .that's ok, her mom is happy, and so am I :)

I'm looking forward to the show photo. . .this litter is much slower to mature than msot of the others I've had, is much more gawky at this age then the NCIS litter was. . .but the promise they've had will hopefully come to pass.

Now, sister Bella went to her first show away from Mom, and was a TWIT!!! She was always the perfect little lady for me, but she pushed every button poor Kari had and more LOL. She's came home to grow up, but will be taking roadtrips with Kari to get over the giant Snit she got into and learn to be the good little show dog.

Cousin Tony went to the greyhound track in Jacksonville for the first time. .. and ended up winning the last HP race. . considering he was running against Kyrie and Sammy who usually dominate the track down there, that's sayign something. He's learning to get his legs going in the right direction and once he stops fighting the box, he'll be good to go. THEY love him incredibly. . .he goes racing next month and then maybe see the coursing field this winter. :)

To round up the weekend, took three gals to get their eyes done. I'm happy to say Pickle Hill's Touchet at almost 12, Mielikki Prophet's Song GRC at almost 10, and Mielikki-Windhaven's Whispered Secret all (6)got clean bill of healths on their eyes. This gives Touchet the last test she needs for her CHIC, well she's had her eyes done before, but Bonnie misplaced the paperwork. . .

So other than Bella being a NITWIT, it was a nice weekend. . .got my 105 gallon tank setup, just need to get the sump acrylic redone, and I'll be setting that up :)

End of year, things are winding down. . thinking of starting Jenny or Ziva in OB this winter. .. maybe JOanie, my new co owned puppy with Bonnie. . .we'll see. . .next weekend is the last racing, then a weekend of coursing. . unfortunately Jenny hurt her shoulder so she's out for a few months. .. but Ziva will be out as will Nacht the end of month, so I can get her ready for her trip to Austria, her new mom is excited that she's so keen on the bunny

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.

the tiers of the dog world

Was thinking last night about the people in the dog world due to the shit someone close to me is going thru because of one of the EVIL people in Borzoi. .and realise most of them are not evil or nasty, quite a few of them I wouldn't trust further than I can throw them for various reasons, but most of them are good.

Only two Breeders are truly evil. .both have wished evil things on others. .funny, they both purport to being religious, and the golden rule there is "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" as well as "Let He Who Is Without Sin Cast The First Stone". The one wished my good friend Pat Hardy had died on the table when she had her cancer surgery, the other has been caught numerous times laughing over my misfortune and the misfortune of any others who she has whatever cause to dislike. They both lie to suit their fancy and to fit their bill, both are used cars salesman. . .sickening sweet as long as you do what they want you to do.

Then there are those who I don't respect or trust. . the reasons there are a myraid, from admitting to breeding 10+ litters a year in order to get a certain colour out there,to breaking their word, to treating their puppy buyers like crap or not caring at all when they respond with a health issue. This group is bigger than the first, but not a huge population in Borzoi.

Then there are the "Good" people. Overall they are decent, you may not agree with their principals or their breeding philosophy, or maybe you do, but they themselves are good people. They stand behind their dogs, they are respectful, they don't fall into the BS the first two do. . . They are here to breed their ideal, they don't do the political bullshit of trashing all others dogs. They're just good people.

Then there are the Angels, bigger than the 1st, smaller than the 2nd & 3rd. They reach out to those in need, always have a good thing ot say to anyone, never try and stir up crap, just very sweet, loving people. I am so tickled to have two of them in my life. . .and love them both dearly. . but others have dipped into my life in the last 2 yrs to help out, to give a helping hand, a shoulder to cry on. . .All but the 1st group has this in them, just doesn't show up as often as the last group.

Just some thoughts on a hazy Tuesday morn

of honesty and good breeders

And so it starts.

Just as I expected, instead of admitting there's problem in a litter with temperaments, the accusations fly. OBVIOUSLY the son had to've done SOMETHING to the dog.(doesn't admit at least one of the sibs is a fruitloop too from what my sources in TX say) Just like her best friend did to a good friend of mine who's dog was dog aggressive, obviously something THE OWNER or her dogs did had to be the problem. Instead of just going oops, I'm sorry, let me make it better. Yep, that makes people want to return dogs to you! NOT!!!!

Funny thing is, if the 1st breeder bothered to contact the breeders of dogs behind hers, she'd find out that strange temperaments are back there. But OH NO, to do so would be to admit she doesn't know EVERYTHING. And we JUST can't have that, can we? Even before she showed her absolute true colours, she never asked question one about the pedigree behind the dog I gave her. Duh.

Both of the idiots i'm talking about are such control freaks it's not funny when it comes to things like this. They have to seem all knowing, omnipotent, to do otherwise is a failure. She'd learn a lot about the pedigrees behind her dogs and good borzoi in general if she opened her mind and ears and shut her mouth (that's the hard part with her)

Good grief, nobody knows everything, not even the true experts in the breed. And if they're honest with themselves(and so many are not) they will admit it. And those are the true master breeders.

When I had the quirky temperaments pop up, I went to the breeder of the dam, and we figured it out. The sire's sire was shy and slightly spooky, the same temperament is behind the dam, and the genes come together and bam, you get things you don't expect. Dam is half sister to the sire of my friend's pup, so it's there.

But nope, instead of researching it, the blame starts getting lobbed. .same thing happened to me with the pup I returned, OBVIOUSLY i didn't train her right and that's why she didn't course(she got the same training as the litter her sire came out of, and 8 of the 9 pups run, so I think I know what I'm doing), OBVIOUSLY I didn't train her right for the ring, cuz she acted like an ass for her breeder, but never acted like an ass for me in the ring, nor the stranger I handed her off to for futurity at the nationals.

This time its worse, accusations of my friend's child abusing the dog. . .yeah, right. .. they got the dog as a mature adult, they got the pup from me at 3 months. .the pup grew up find and dandy, the bitch has always been a FRUITLOOP.

Admit it, call a spade a spade. Instead, you cause animosity between you and the puppy buyer, the word gets around, and people won't return dogs to you because you're known as a dishonest loon. And yes, the word gets around, it already has. I know of at least one person, an unhappy home, that won't return the dog, despite it being dog aggressive, because of the way the breeder has treated her and others. Sad, isn't it?

rehoming dogs

People use contracts to protect themselves, the puppy buyer, and the dogs. In many instances, the contract states if at any time you can't keep the dog, it comes back.

Why put this in a contract when you then go on to treat the puppy buyer like complete and total crap for deciding the dog is not going to fit>?

I hate returning or rehoming dogs, by the time it comes to do either, you’ve got a lot of emotional, time and money into the animal, but there are times I needed to, for their good or for my other animals good.

First was a sweet pet, bought as a show/coursing boy, he stopped running, he really needed a home where he was one of few, wouldv'e made a great therapy dog. His breeder gladly took him back and replaced him, no questions, agreed with me on his build, and he's since been rehomed in the perfect pet home.

Then there was Mariah, lovely, lovely bitch, but temperamentally did not fit in my pack. She put a huge hole in my Greyhound, was constantly attacking the older bitches, and this all started at 6 months. Her breeder gladly took her back, still has her, as it's a very special home that's needed for her. Didn’t give any grief, she is an uber alpha bitch, and some people don't know how to handle it. She understands that

But then there was another, who I've mentioned before, where the breeder was not so nice.

I know of people who've turned dogs, per contract, only to be slandered and demoralized by the breeder. Why bother having the dog come back if you're going to treat people like shit? Someone didn't take time to groom her dogs, and the breeder has vicious photos up denouncing her an unfit home, how dare she leave her dogs like that, blah blah blah.

Another person returned a dog, temperamentally didn't fit the pack they had, and the breeder has slandered them too all could hear, saying they dumped said dog just to make room for another, without knowing the facts. The new dog was offered before the breeder knew they were returning the dog, and after they had already called the 1st dog’s breeder saying it wasn't going to work out. Since this dog’s mom was a bit aggressive according to her first owner, the pup could very well have her temperament.

WHY be nasty? This makes people NOT want to return dogs to you. I know someone who really doesn't want the dog they have, temperamentally does not fit the household, but refuses to return the dog to the breeder, due to the way the breeder's treated others who've done so. Thus the owner & the dog are unhappy because of an IMPERFECT FIT.

I had someone return a dog after only 12 hrs of being home, it 'wasn't going to work out'. Yeah, it angered me that they didn't give him time to fit in, but I didn't treat them like shit, I didn't trash them for all to hear, I kept my disappointment inside. The right home finally showed up for him. If the home is happy, the dog is happy, if the home is unhappy, the dog suffers.

Not to say you shouldn't comment on the truly horrid homes. A friend had a dog returned in absolutely horrid condition, no muscle mass, tick disease infested, it was obvious she did not get the care she should've. But when people return dogs because they don't FIT, the dog is properly socialized, healthy, and otherwise in good health, there's no reason to treat them like shit or slander them all over because you're offended they dared to return one of your perfect dogs.

Contracts are

Only as good as the ones who join in on it.

I've learned that important lesson over the years, I have had two verbal contracts go south. One got a free dog, and initially screwed me out of the return pup, lying by saying the cobreeder said I had to pay, that she'd put out so much money in this litter she needed to make the money back. Said cobreeder never even heard of the agreement(Yep, same instance I've talked to before). Said puppy owner finally paid me what I would've charged her for said dog when she bought said pup back 3 yrs after the fact,), but now she's spreading crap about that, forgetting that she hadn't paid me for the sire, but it just shows what kind of person she is. Funny, she screams bloody murder if someone violates her contract, but she did just that, oh well. Do as I say, not as I do! Tis a lot of people's motto.

Second got a nice bitch for half what I could've sold her for, and that bitch'll probably never be bred, because the co owner got offended when I got upset about her wanting to breed her to a dog that tried to bite me, Loki's mum, and I witnessed him trying to bite a third person, all within a span of 3 days. Her only comment was if he meant to bite us, he would've. . .hello?!?!? I don't CARE!!

I just placed an otherwise beautiful bitch because her temperament was like his. Was it lack of socialization or genetics? Who knows, could be either or both. Was I tempted to blame it on socialization instead of genetics and keep her and breed her anyway? A little bit, but I knew I wasn't in a position to keep an entire litter if they were like her or worse, and never was or will be. And I have a hard time putting down a deathly ill dog, let alone a healthy one who's biggest fault is a bad temperament.

She is being spayed today and her new owner absolutely loves her, but knows her restrictions.

I'll just strive to breed something equally as nice as she is bodily, with a better temperament. But the co owner of the first bitch couldn't see it, even when presented with the thought that she might end up keeping an entire litter due to temperament. So the bitch probably won't be bred, she's not willing to let me lease her and breeder her my way, and then to have her back and do it her way, nor was she interested in any beautiful, running, performance dogs I pointed her way. Says she's interested in performance, but kept pointing out dogs with no performance titles.

Oh well, least both my puppies are loved, right? I can only hope.

What got me on the rant on contracts again?

A myriad of reasons. . a friend asked me for help to rehome a dog she has. . .asked her if she had a contract, she said no. So, I put out feelers to help her find a single woman home where this dog could be the sole dog. This is an experienced home, has dealt with dogs with issues(race track greyhounds), so when she told me about the issues this dog was having, I agreed that bouncing her back and forth was not good for the dog. She was in no hurry to place said dog, just if the right home came along. Going back to the breeder was not in the dog's best interest, not that the breeder would've abused her, but she's better off with fewer dogs than one of even more.

Unfortunately, it blew up, the breeder found out, screaming "I have a contract." Again asked my friend about contract, she said no. Since I had caught the breeder in lies, believing her was not a question . . .it ended up after digging thru papers, the owner forgot she had signed a contract. . .::sigh:: so much for good intentions. I would never suggest someone go back on a written or verbal contract, I've upheld my side of contracts even when I hated to do it, but if you have no contact with someone, you start to forget important things.

Which brings me to my real reason for my rant:

COMMUNICATION!!!

Too many breeders once the dog leaves the property(especially a pet), make no attempt to communicate with the puppy buyers, leaving it all at the feet of the puppy buyer, and then not bothering to respond back when contacted. When you're a pet person, this smacks of you're not interested in the well being of your puppies. Hell, it smacks it to me. I have had breeders not care in my eyes, due to their interactions with me or friends: when I email them info, nothing back, hell, not even communication when siblings of said dog died before my dog did. . .something as a breeder you really WANT to know, and they should've passed on. A good friend has a dog with health problems, and the breeder makes no effort to keep in contact to see how the health problems are progressing, it's nothing easily (if) treatable, but it's something you'd want to keep track of you know? She's reached out to the breeder, the breeder doesn't respond.

Communication does go both ways, but as a breeder, you need to make the 1st step, to show the owner you are interested, it makes a lasting impression on their mind.

I started out with a newsletter. It went out quarterly. It told what was going on here at home, and then talked of the exploits of the rest of the pups. Listed by litter, I told if someone was sick, if we lost them, new titles or points, new homes, etc. . and ended with a note to remember, if something should happen, you can no longer keep your mielikki's hunt borzoi, they are always welcomed home, blah blah blah. It seemed to go over well. And it was a quarterly reminder that the pups were always welcomed home if something happened.

Then I started a news list just for my puppy buyers. . .and it's a place where they can interact, tell their silly stories, and learn more on how their relatives are doing, I still have to put out the newsletter periodically for those who have no internet, but they know I am interested in the lives of their babies.

But that's too much work for some breeders. I've seen it, witnessed it, and heard of it: the lack of concern for the dog once the check clears the bank. Pet buyers treated like second class citizens unless they violate THE CONTRACT, then it was OMG! But ya know, the respect that's needed for a contract to be a good one, goes both ways, it's not a one way street. If you don't treat all your puppy buyers like the gold they are, without them you couldn't breed, they're not going to respect you enough to tell you when things go wrong.

thoughts, thoughts and more thoughts

Yeah, it's wed, what a long freaking week this has been.

It's sad when you try and point someone towards a responsible, ethical points of information about someone they're doing business with, and they refuse to take that step. Maybe they won't have a problem, but since everyone else I've pointed towards a good source of information about a different person always came back and said "You Told Me So", only time'll tell.

If someone had pointed me towards someone like that, I'd've never've gotten into business with The Witch, but instead the only information I got warning me away from her was that she slept with judges(Oh boy, I can't count on two hands the number of people who supposedly do this just because they win), or she used her dogs to traffic drugs across the border. If someone had pointed me towards a SANE person who'd had dealings with her, the story may've been different, but then I also wouldn't've had my Kyra. . .but at least Kyra's breeder was breeding for show dogs, I had a better chance of getting what I wanted.

Oh well, can't say I didn't try.

Gossip was a good girl at the show, need to work on her down and back. She tends to stand funny on that foot where the amputation is 50% of the time(toeing in) But she behaved nicely, gaited nicely, didn't do anything, but it was a training experience.

Puppies for Touchet are due end of June. . the waiting list grows LOL. I don't think she'll have enough puppies if everyone follows thru.

Nice damn weekend

Whahoo.

Unfortunately I let my cell die last night LOL (I was busy introducing Mr Wiz to his lady to be) Otherwise I know Ms Nancy would’ve called me with this WONDERFUL news

Sammy, a Kyra grandpuppy, my pick puppy out of Nancy’s B litter in fact, picked up a BIF win this weekend. I know his owner is flying on cloud 9. She’s wanted a great running dog since Wings retired, and she’s got one. I am so glad I was able to connect those two(nancy & Robin) when I couldn’t take Mr Sammy-man

I told his future wife to be(Kani), she didn’t care LOL. She’s in that young(2.5) teenager brain stage, what EVER LOL

Mr River went coursing and picked up some more points towards his FCH. I can’t wait to see what his puppies are like, if they have his silly goofy temperament, I know the breeder will be ecstatic! And she was able to see the LIE that was spread about him running dirty was just that, and since she’s been doing this quite a long time, I think she knows what the hell she’s talking about.

And Ms Gossip continues to heal. She actually PLAYED with Mr Wizard last night, or at least, tried to get him to play LOL HE was exhausted after his first full weekend of coursing. She spent most of the weekend in the big yards playing, came up a little lame, but seems to be fine this morning. Every boy seems to be interested in her butt, I wish she’d come into season damnit!! My luck, she’ll wait til the middle of the spring racing.

ARGH.

Finishing a thought**

Raced out to dinner last night, and didn't finish my thought. This is a continuation of a post two posts down.

The reason I SHOULD'VE gone to the cobreeder is when I finally did go to her, she DENIED that she was ever told about a puppy back agreement.

Taught me some valuable lessons
1)contracts, contracts, contracts
2) you can't trust most people.
3) never pick a baby puppy out. I've had crap luck picking any puppy I did not breed.

good to be a breeder

having a crappy, depressing moment in my life, depressed about Grins, depressed about Gossip and angry at myself for not having done the surgery earlier, even tho she's coming along well. Depressed that when the best Mir son that came along was offered to me, I couldn't keep him(tho if I knew I'd be placing Sage I would've), tho I am so damn thankful Nancy offered him to me.Have known her for 12 yrs now, longest friend I've had in Borzoi, and I appreciate her friendship, advice and just shoulder to lean on soo much. One of the best people there are in Borzoi, she really is.

Not to say Sammy isn't in a great home, he is, but that doesn't stop me from being jealous wishing i'd been able to keep him.

But, on to my point, with it being so depressing right now, it's so nice to get notes like these. .

"You'd never know that leg was ever broken, hes fast as a whippet and strong as an ox. Maui is loving and very sweet and laid back but likes his space. Dickie is like Loki and is ALWAYS stuck to me like glue..which means now I have TWO laying on my legs at night (workin on that blood clot for me! VBG) altho Dickie has been known to climb up and try to lay on my HEAD....and I never get to shower or pee in private."

And then from my sister who's had her borzoi one whole month lOL

"Anyways- sooooo.... When are you th inking of breeding Sage? *SNORT* I want one of her puppies!"

And then from Bob's mom

"He's doing great ! I've been dating a guy that has a 4 yr old black lab so he now has someone to play with.......... someone that can
"almost" keep up to him. :) He's been such a good dog to have...great with the kids. Although he does like to kill dumb rabbits that
get into his kennel once or twice a year :)"

Out of 41 puppies placed, only one went to a scumbag, two went to people who don't appreciate the gift I gave them. . but the rest of the owners are all gems. .
Makes you glad to be a breeder.

VENTING

why oh why don't people look up references of people they sell or buy dogs from?

I mean, COME ON. . we're there to help YOU out, to help YOU not get screwed, why do people ignore this?

Case 1) Big name OB(Other breed) person sells a puppy to scumbag Borzoi breeder, then sells her two more, without bothering to check up on her, without bothering to call BCOA or NBRF to find out what kind of person she is. Now it looks seriously like there's been a falling out, why? I'm giong to assume cuz Scumbag bred her barely 1 yr old male OB to her older girl. . .typical of Scumbag Breeder. . .and if Big Name Breeder had asked around, she'd've been TOLD so.

Case 2) Breeder breeds to a dog I bred, without coming to me to ask what health problems/structural faults are behind him, has a large litter, and OMG, every single structural fault I could've told them would appear(Dam has the faults, and the sire's dam's line has the same faults) haev shown up in that litter. . .and I could've told them that. .if they'd asked. This same scenario plays on over and over and over. heck, even when you do ask, it sometimes will bite ya in the butt anyway, BTDT, but at least you ASKED!!!

Case 3) Breeder is contacted by a puppy buyer of mine, who speaks highly of me, but do they contact me to ask me about puppy buyer? No. Thankfully, this is a wonderful puppy buyer I'd recommend to the gods if need be, but you just never know.

Case 4) breeder sells a puppy to a buyer out of state, without asking friends if they know this person, or doing a homecheck. Puppy is returned a year later in horrid shape, so underexercised, because puppy'd been living in an itty bitty run, no proper excercise, lots of forced excercise(long walks).

Case 5) Buyer goes and buys a puppy from breeder X. . .without askign for referrals from people who've sold or purchased a dog from breeder, including a friend that had. When given people buyer NEEDS to talk to about the Breeder, refuses to. . .

and the list goes on. . .then there's the people who do ask for referrals and then go and buy the dog anyway, only to come back and go, I'm sorry, you told me so . .. ARGH

And there's the people you DO ask, who say nothing, even tho they know bad things, because they're afraid. Instead of sending you on to someone who CAN give you the truth, they clam up. .

COME ON PEOPLE. It's for the betterment of the dogs and the breed and to encourage new people to come into the breed. if they come in, get hooked up with a scumbag and get hurt, they may leave the breed, and sorry, just look at the recent BCOA letter, we NEED new blood. .

I have had two breeders ask me what's behind my dogs, one when she had an oops between two siblings, not before she bred to their sire, but at least she finally came and asked. And i've had numerous people, after they've been lubed, screwed & tattooed, tell me they wish they'd listened to me in the first place before dealing with a breeder.

And that leads me to the next gripe. Why the HELL do people insist on buying baby puppies as show/performance dogs? Often times before you know if the testicles are there and going to stay, and many times before you even know what the bite is goign to be like. You can't tell what's going to be a performance dog until they're much older, and that is something I've learned from someone who's been doign this since the 70's, so I think her word is pretty much written in stone. And you have no clue on confirmation at this age either, I proved that with Beau, beautiful 8 wk old puppy, developed into a pet quality adult. .

I have bought 4 puppies at a young age, and had ONE turn out. The one I saw in the flesh. Rio was a giant, sweet, pet. PC was a midsized, sweet, pet, and Yanna was a wonderful sweet pet. . .none of them were show quality, none of them were real performance dogs (on plastic, yanna'd chase a squawker, but not plastic), and I bought/picked them all out at a young age(Rio-5-6ish wks, PC at 4 months, Yanna at 4-5 wks). You just can't tell. Oh wait, there was a fifth puppy I picked out, but didn't buy, she grew up to be gorgeous, and missing SIX teeth!!

Youngest I've sold a puppy to a MAYBE show home(they'd show him IF he turned out) was 10 wks, but they had to have that puppy when he was 2 wks old. Unfortunately, he didn't turn out, but did they learn? Nope, they've bought two more young puppies, but they're mainly a pet home will dabbles in performance/showing. . . I knew that unless he was vicious, or tried to bite a human, he wouldn't come back to me.

But most people who want show dogs, don't have room for 'just a pet' (nothing against just a pet, people, I've had a few of those myself, but currently don't have room for one that does nothing but take up space). . .so I don't understand the need to get a puppy as young as possible, I know what fuels the breeders. . .but the buyers just boggle my mind. I don't want my puppies coming back, so I refuse to sell to a for sure show home, they want a puppy younger than I'll let a show pup go, they can go elsewhere.

::SIGH:: it's as frustrating as the people who go to a show only breeder for a performance dog :P