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| Lychee and pups - all settled into their whelping pool at Jen's office. |
Jen and the puppy crew survived the first day at work. It was a bit of a circus getting into a new routine of bringing pups to the office, but the pups and mom and her friends all traveled beautifully and settled right in.
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| Puppy kennel set up at the office - Lychee & pups already sound asleep... ...everyone else mugging for the camera! |
And now...for some words of wisdom (we hope)...and a couple of really cute pics thrown in along the way!
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| Lychee and Wingnut snuggle time. |
We want to remind everyone not to focus on just one puppy, but instead to sit back and enjoy watching the whole litter (and Trinity's litter to come in about 4.5 weeks, as well), and the whole process.
We also know that patience is a tough thing to come by, and that sometimes all the 'rules' of buying from a breeder can be overwhelming - not to mention the anxiety of the waiting!
Sometimes the way breeders do things can seem weird (like not allowing any visitors before 5 weeks), or super-controlling (why do we ask for such a detailed puppy application?), etc. We promise - there's always a method behind our madness. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask!
And on that note, Jen stumbled on a really well written and informative blog post from a Cardigan Welsh Corgi breeder that really hits the nail on the head, in regards to Puppy Buyer Etiquette. We'd like to ask everyone to read through this post, if you will! If the above link doesn't work, here's the address: https://rufflyspeaking.wordpress.com/2009/04/26/puppy-buyer-ettiquette/
This gal (as well as every other really good dog breeder we know) does things a lot like us, and her post on Puppy Buyer Etiquette is a great way to avoid pitfalls along the way.
Because her philosophy is so similar to ours, a lot of the information will sound familiar, if you've read our Puppy Selection Primer.
But there is lots of new information, too - she talks about things we've been through here at Horsetooth Whippets, and that have shaped the way we match our pups to their homes and homes to their pups.
The one thing we differ on from the above article is that we don't value show homes over pet homes. In fact, because of our professions, our first and foremost priority for each and every pup is to be in a loving home - regardless of show potential or desire. If any particular puppy owner wants to show their dog, great, but the love comes first!
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Hi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteThe etiquette guide is excellent.
Guilty as charged. I have been puppy surfing the internet. Here is what I freely share: Look for a Breeder First.
I want two dogs eventually and staggered so one gets- all -of -me at the first stages then my husband takes the next chapter.
Anyway, the internet is filled with dog breeders. The two that I spoke with asked not one question of my suitability. RED flag. Practice patience and trust the process.
Waiting for the dog to pick me/us. Joyce
Hi, Joyce! It's so hard NOT to puppy surf...especially when you're READY for a puppy. But you're right, trusting the process and waiting for the right pup is always the best way to go. It IS hard to be patient though,lol. You know - if one of Lychee's (or Trinity's) pups works out for you, we may have one more litter later this year, as well - hoping to repeat our Spicy/Feynman breeding from nearly 4 years ago. They were wonderful pups, and it would be Spicy's last litter, sometime around October, if timing is right. :)
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