The right decisions are not always the easiest decisions. Drawing a line of excellence in whatever you do in life is filled with these types of decisions.

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Dedication Takes Sacrifice...

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My dedication for this breed and providing families with the best bred dogs as future companions and family members runs very deep with in me. I am a wife and mother first, and know the priceless value of having a loyal and trusted canine companion in your home and sharing life with family and sometimes children.

 

The best bred dogs come from strong foundational bloodlines of excellent conformation, temperament and health testing. The outcome of good breeding is proven to the world in the show ring, and performance, but most importantly it is proven in the home and in our communities! We all want dogs that will love when loved, will learn when taught and will be our forever companions in this journey called life. This comes with the dedication of breeders to the breed and going the extra mile to insure the best of the breeds are put forward.  This doesn't just "happen" by putting two pretty dogs together, responsible breeding is planned and executed as planned, but sometimes things don't work out as planned!

 

 

Dedicated breeders are constantly looking to the future generations in their dogs... trying to find the one that will fill the shoes (or paws) of their parents and improve however possible. In order to do this pups have to be chosen and held back from sale to hope that they pass the vast array of health tests and behaviour tests to fill the shoes (paws) of their parents! Some testing detects if a dog is simply a "carrier" of a particular gene which would never be any health concern on its own unless the dog is bred to another "carrier". A carrier of such gene may disqualify that dog from becoming part of a breeding program. Preliminary tests of hip and elbows must be done and results are of a higher standard for breeding than required for pets. Or a pup may not have the markings or temperament to bring forward as a breeding prospect but would certainly make a wonderful pet. These tests and results take time, and sometimes a pup that was a great prospect didn't work out as planned, but would still be a wonderful pet to a family. There is never a perfect dog, but one is only doing their best as a breeder to compliment prospective mates and produce the best those two lines could produce. 

 

The problem with breeding and doing it well is you tend to acquire too many dogs! There are active dogs in your program, then there are young prospects that you would like to hold back, and then as your kennel gets older in years, so do your dogs and retirement of your dogs is soon to come! 

 

The decision to home retired breeding stock is a tough one!...My dogs are just as much a part of my family as anyone else's pets. Sometimes the very best decision for a dog is the toughest one..to find a suitable home that can give him/her undivided attention and spoil them as they deserve to be spoiled! Retirement age is dependent on the dog, but most often is approx 6-7 years old for females and older for males. Retired females will be spayed and rehomed with an adoption fee. If you would like more info on adopting a retired dog please contact me and tell me a little bit about yourself!

 

An older pup is sometimes available due to not meeting the highest standard for breeding purposes or possibly the pup is a strong candidate to become part of the program and requires a guardian home. If you would like to know more about the guardian program, please message me.

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Contact: info@thehorsegate.com      Patty Edwards          Phone: H.250.379.2790  C.250.212.1522