Jay Talbot’s Ramblings

Hmm….. Well, we went tonight to see the new puppy at the breeders. She sure is a cutie, and I have no doubts she’s as smart, or maybe smarter, than her predicessors. Of course, now she’s right at the five week mark. We held her for about an hour or so, letting her get use to our smells and get accustomed to us handling her. It was quite nice, actually.

During this time, we also visited with the breeder. She told us about how she’d contacted other breeders and that one inparticular was piculiar in their dealings. According to her, for $1200 this breeder would send a dog from their breeding stock for her to use as the base. Also, in the agreement that has to be signed, you have to agree not to breed the dog they send with any other bog, unless they approve of it. I can see where the other breeder is coming from, wanting to keep the Sheltie breed healthy and desease free. On the other hand, I can also see the point of the local breeder in that she doesn’t want someone telling her what she can and can’t do. Actually, I can see both sides. Eventually, that agreement has to run out and the “apprentice” breeder has to be able to do things for themselves. Selective breeding are what purify breeds as a whole, and this involves heavy and costly testing.

I guess it boils down to what your goals are. You either want to preserve and better the breed, or you want to breed for your own self-satisfaction. The later is probably considered, in official circles, just as bad as puppy farms. I believe there is a place for both show and pet dogs in this world. After all, no matter which type they can be considered, they are still a pet.

In any case, I believe everything happens for a reason. We probably recieved Cerwyn as a stepping stone of sorts, preparing us for our next little girl. I can’t wait to get her home, and it’s going to be hard not to go get her next week, when she’s the very minimum she can come home. I want her to stay with her momma for a couple of extra weeks, making sure she’s mature enough to leave without some of the mental issues I’ve seen with animals who;ve been seperated from it’s mother too early. We shall see if I have the will to go through with it.

Maybe more later….

Tags: Pets //