I
don't have to wonder why.............I can't imagine choosing any other breed. But I am a bit biased!! Seriously though, here are some things to
think about from my perspective as a breeder. Please read on.
Golden
Retrievers are most appealing and popular dogs. The puppies are
beautiful, cute and cuddly and frequently appear on calendars, posters
advertising and a host of other media.
However, they are also dogs and owning a dog is a responsibility not to be taken lightly.
These
days many regulations are in place for owning a dog and one must also
meet National and Local bylaw requirements in order to give your dog a
happy life in your home and your environment.
Breeders often state that puppies are "sometimes available to approved homes"
As
a breeder, this would mean to me that a potential puppy owner has not
made an impulse decision about buying a cute puppy, but that they have
considered carefully the obligations and responsibilities of owning a
dog for the rest of its life.
First of all, an 8 week old puppy
is a BABY and as such needs not only food,water and somewhere to sleep
but also a person to care, comfort, train and protect her for at least
the early months.
For this reason I do not sell my puppies to
homes where they will be left alone all day. Dogs are pack animals and
left alone for hours on end will quickly become miserable and lonely
and then bored and destructive. A puppy also has no understanding of
things dangerous and could hurt, choke or poison itself on all manner
of ordinary items found in the home.
Puppies are also very
time consuming and all the hours spent training and socializing your
puppy in the beginning will later make your large adult dog a pleasure
to live with and you a proud owner ---- instead of having a dog
deprived of company, always needing attention and not knowing how to
behave.
Many dogs are rehomed [or worse] at this point as they
have become too hard to cope with and are destroying the home and are
often nuisance barkers who have attracted the attention of the local
Dog Control Officer.
I put time, effort and passion into
breeding quality puppies whose parents have been tested for known
hereditary disorders. My expectation for the puppies I breed, is for
them to go to homes where their needs are met and they will, all things
being equal, live out the whole of their lives as a treasured member of
their new family. Generally speaking I do not consider a student
[definitely NOT a student from overseas] to be at a place in their
lives where they can offer a puppy that kind of stability. There are
exceptions in every case of course but this usually means there is
good, organised and willing backup with the parents if a young owner
wishes to travel etc.
Parents with very young children should
think carefully about adding another "baby" into their lives. There may
be not enough hours in the day to do justice to a puppy as well as to
your littlies. It may well be better for you to wait until your
children are a little older.
If you think that you are able to
offer a puppy a home where it can reasonably expect to live "forever"
and that you are committed to offer everything for its health and well
being, I would be happy to talk to you about any forthcoming litters.
Unfortunately
there are unforseeable circumstances that crop up in peoples lives and
it may be that it does become necessary to find another loving home for
a dog or puppy that I have bred. If this happens, I would always like
to be the FIRST PERSON you contact as I will be more than happy to help
you to find that special home.
