No news is good news

I don't have any news on upcoming litter updates at Crooked Creek Cairns. Unfortunately for those waiting, no one has bred yet. We'll continue to watch and wait. Although we're not accepting additional deposits, we are accepting names for the waiting list. As soon as choices are available, we'll then open up litters for deposits. A friend stated they thought God was taking care of me and giving me a break. I'm not going to complain. :)

Bridget's puppies are just adorable. Their tails wag 100 mi/min and they are getting more active by the day. The little boy crawled over the divider and was sleeping in the food bowl when I got up this morning! He's still very large for his age, and his sister is petite. They are both getting their ears up today and are so fun at this stage.

I hope the holiday season is treating everyone well. We're very busy with birthdays, Christmas, and family coming to stay for the holidays. Thankfully the weather has been mild and we're all healthy! Three shopping days left and counting!

Potential Hazards during the holidays

For a list of potential hazards to your Cairn Terrier during the holidays, please visit this article. http://www.designerdogavenue.com/shop/holiday-pet-safety.asp Dogs and cats have the potential to ingest odd things and these are things to be aware of. Also be aware of the dangers of Christmas decorations, salt and chemicals used to melt ice, and other things around the house during this time of the year.

• Aluminum Foil
• Plastic Food Wrap
• Anti-Freeze
• Poisonous Plants
• Christmas Tree Ornaments
• Bones
• Chocolate
• Corn Cobs
• Bloat
• Electrocution
• Candles
• Hypothermia
• Ice-Melting Chemicals and salt

Bridget's puppies

Bridget's puppies are growing and doing really well. They're just now walking and sitting up on their own. I caught this shot yesterday and thought it was so cute. I've been busy sanitizing and repainting inside the puppy house. Christmas is just around the corner and the cards aren't out, the decorations aren't completed, and I haven't even started shopping! I'm not a procrastinator, I just can't find the time. We've been passing around some sickness and it's then hard to catch up let alone get ahead. Hope your holiday season is treating you well. We've been lucky to avoid the ice and terrible weather that so many places have now.

The Cairn Terrier Ear

Someone inquired that they had a Cairn Terrier who's ears did not stand up, and wondered if they were supposed to be cropped. I tried responding and my email was rejected, so I decided to post it here. Cairn Terrier's ears are dropped as puppies and they stand up on their own between 5 and ?12wks, depending on the individual. I was once told that they stand upon the molars coming in, but since they can stand on their own as early as 4 1/2-5wks I would say that is innaccurate. Ear sets can vary in size and at Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers, we breed for a small ear set with correct placement on the head. The AKC breed standards says Ears - Small, pointed, well carried erectly, set wide apart on the side of the head. Free from long hairs.

Cairn Terrier ears are never dropped and are never cropped. If someone has a Cairn with drop ears it is either a mix or an extremely poor quality Cairn, as I have never seen a full Cairn with drop ears. As the puppy's ears are starting to stand, they look quite commical with 1 ear up, 1 ear down, and it may change for a few days as they try to stand on their own. Nothing cuter than this awkward ear stage! LOL This is Daisie at 9 weeks, with 1 ear up and 1 ear down.

A Puppy For Christmas

Getting a puppy as a gift for Christmas sounds like such a romantic thought. But the reality is that puppies don't make good Christmas gifts. It's kind of along the same line, that you wouldn't surprise a family member with a baby adoption, just because you thought they would like a baby. It sounds rediculous, I know. But puppies require a similar preparedness and responsible decision because it's a lifetime commitment to that puppy for 10-15 years. Parents may want to give their children a puppy, and as long as they are making the decision in a responsible way, that may work out fine. But I caution against bringing home a puppy during the hectic holidays. The transition home should be a quiet transition, with the puppy coming into a normal family routine. Let's face it, the holidays are usually not quiet or routine! There's often travel, visitors, and a lot of commotion surrounding the holidays. Not to mention that having a lot of visitors coming into the house may risk your puppy's health when they aren't fully vaccinated and protected until 12-15 weeks of age. If your plans for the holidays revolve around a nice quiet period of being home and off of work, then with being prepared and mindful of the puppy's transition, it may work out to adopt a puppy at this time. But just be prepared with a normal schedule and minimal visitors for puppy.

Crooked Creek Cairn Terrier Update for November

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We had a great visit with family in Missouri. Even with the turmoil and stresses we're faced with on a daily basis, there is so much to be thankful for. Christmas is in the air and I'm still in shock that we're heading into December. I don't know where the time goes but it definately goes faster as each month goes by.

We received a preliminary report on Libby's puppies that died. It was a bacterial infection, but we are puzzled since antibiotics did not treat them. Further testing is being completed to see what strain of bacteria it was to see if it was a resistent strain, and we're waiting for recommendations on treatment and prevention for the future. I'm glad it wasn't viral and all of the dogs and puppies are doing fine here, so hopefully we won't have it occur again. We can only learn and move forward. With all the sanitizing I do, I'm still in shock that anything could have infected them. How do dirty puppy mills EVER raise puppies in the first place!? I even switched last year to a professional strength vet/kennel sanitizer instead of my good old Lysol that I used to use. I use bleach on the outside runs so the mama can't step in something and bring it back into the whelping box to her puppies. I just don't know what else I can do and it's frustrating to think you do a good job and still have something as simple as a bacterial infection occur. I know life isn't perfect, but I want it to be!!! LOL

I have planned upcoming litters for the year. The preliminary plans are posted on the Our Cairns page of the website. Sires and/or dates are subject to change if someone cycles at a different time than planned. We're holding upcoming litter choices for those that did not get a puppy recently, but we'll resume deposits after everyone has their puppy. In the meantime we'll accept a waiting list for next available puppies, and upon assuring that the puppies are available, we'll accept deposits.

I have several dogs that need new photos as they are maturing. Lanie & Bailie are just gorgeous and Miyah is still a puppy but so far she's making it into the breeding program. She's a beautiful gray brindle color and has everything headed in the right direction. Daisie is still as cute as a button! I'm really excited about the quality of the next generation for Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers.

Bridget whelped

Bridget whelped this morning. She had a male that was just huge. He is the size of a 3 week old already! I waited around a couple hours and when she continued to push with no results, I checked her. She had a puppy that was trying to come down and she wasn't able to make progress. I took her in and we did a c-section. Another healthy female but much to my surprise, that was it. Just 2 HUGE puppies took up enough room for 6! Bridget is in pain, but is doing pretty well. The puppies are latching and are strong. After losing Libby's puppies, I really hoped for extra puppies. We'll make plans to save the next upcoming litters for those already waiting. At this point we're at nature's mercy. So we're hoping and waiting for strong healthy puppies and some nice litter sizes.

Brindle Cairn Terrier Color

The brindle gene causes a striping pattern in the coat. Cairn Terriers are often mislabeled in color, because with a long coat it's difficult to tell if a dog is a wheaten with black hairs in their coat, or a light brindle. A light brindle has black striping that goes all the way through the undercoat and has a lot of light colored hair in their coat. A dark brindle has the same striping in the coat but may have much more dark than light. A true brindle can not lose the brindle gene, even though Cairns do change color over time and from season to season. You can have a very dark puppy that appears to be a brindle because of the dark color. But if it does not have the tiger striping, it is not a brindle. I only know about the brindle gene because I owned a horse with the brindle gene and was so intrigued. In horses, the brindle gene is so rare there are not enough brindle horses in existence to trace the genetic marker!!! Shai was quite a rare Quarter Horse!!!!! Attached is a photo of his left side, where the tiger striping is very obvious. This is how the striping appears in the Cairn Terrier at birth and as the coat grows longer, the striping looks more mixed throughout the coat and they can be from a dark color to a light color. Also attached is a photo of Hailie from the side, showing her striping of silver, wheaten, and streaks of red. The black goes all the way through the undercoat and she is genetically a brindle even though she is very light in total color.

Ella Update

Ella is doing wonderful in her new home! He says she's a wonderful dog and I was pleasantly surprised that what we thought was a grade 1 luxated patella, his vet could hardly get it to move and said they would only call it a 0.5 grade (which the grades start at 1). So that's great to hear for Ella and it confirms that Dr Gail is very cautious. I'd rather be over cautious than not cautious enough. His vet said Ella was the prettiest Cairn she'd ever seen. That makes me happy to hear compliments like that! Ella lives in the city and is doing litter box house training. They wanted to pass along the recommendation of Purina Dog Litter which erases odors completely, doesn't stick to the fur, is less messy than clumping cat litter, and is working just great. They're very happy with her and I'm so happy for Ella that she has such a great forever home!

Hailie

We picked up Hailie over the weekend and attended an all breed dog show in Springfield, MO. We met at the dog show to get Hailie, and her full sister is being shown in the AKC circuit down there so I got to meet her. They look identicle and are such a unique color. She's a very light wheaten brindle, but appears more like a silver wheaten with a black mask. She has bits of red in her coat but is primarily wheaten. She's got a really nice confirmation and is so sweet. She's a bit scared coming into our busy household. But I think she'll adjust and do just great. Her pedigree is incredible and I'm really excited to add her to our family and our breeding program. Her first litter will be June 2008 and I haven't decided on a sire yet. I will groom and get more photos for the website soon. Most of the dogs need new and better photos as soon as I can find the time!!!!

Loss of Puppies

We've had a very traumatizing experience over the weekend. Libby's 2 5 week old puppies suddenly got sick and died within 12hrs, despite my extensive treatment with medications, fluids, and supportive care. We started the litter on antibiotics on Friday and the remaining puppies acted perfectly fine. Sunday night I found another puppy dead suddenly, and again Monday morning, a puppy who acted fine a few hours before was dead. I took the last puppy to the vet for an emergency IV and antibiotics. They decided to change the type of antibiotic and by yesterday afternoon his condition became grave. He has hung on through the night which is a miracle, so I'm hoping the antibiotics are helping. But it will be a miracle if he survives. We have sent tissue samples to the university for culture and my veterinarians believe it is some type of bacterial infection that has effected the puppy's livers. Since none of my adults or other older puppies are sick, it must have something to do with their immature immunity. It's heartbreaking to have something like this happen, but even worse to tell families just after a happy update and photos, that the puppies have died. I know I'm not in control of nature, but there is just nothing more upsetting than to have something happen and not know the cause. I'm very medically minded and need to know a diagnosis, treatment plan, and how to prevent it and so far no one can tell me anything. It's hard to understand when I'm such a thorough sanitizer, and jokingly call myself a "Germ-phobic", how something could possibly infect my puppies. I sanitize outside with bleach, inside with kennel with vet strength sanitizing solution, and even Dr Gail has commented several times on how clean my place is. The puppies were young enough that although they had been in the puppy house floor and the kids had played with them, they had not been in the yard yet or anywhere that they could have picked up something. It's driving me crazy trying to figure out the how/when/where/why.

Update 11-7-07

Libby's puppies are petite little adorable puppies. They're only 14-16oz, but are healthy and doing well. They clumsily chatter and attack each other. Although they are 5 weeks old now, they are much like 4 week old puppies in that they aren't responsive to noises enough to get good photos or see personality. In another week, they'll be more physically active with a more stable gate and will be showing more activity. Attached is a photo of one of the brindle females.

We have a new girl coming this weekend. We will welcome Crooked Creek's Fancy Hailie into our Cairn Terrier family! She's a 1yr old wheaten female and is a niece to Bridget and Thea. Her first litter will be next summer.

Bridget is due next week. We're looking forward to her litter. It's always like Christmas as we anticipate the number, sex, and color of the puppies!

Gourmet All Natural Treats

Cairn Terrier customers often ask me, what kinds of treats are good. Of course, anything without preservatives, and that contain natural, and healthy ingredients are best. I have added a line of gourmet natural dog treats to Designer Dog Avenue.com. The company offers a full line of wheat, corn, and soy free treats, pie's, and cookies. I have added a few treats and pie's, including soft baked birthday pie's topped with real fruits, nuts, and veggie's. If it's popular, I will add other flavors and treats upon demand.

Libby's tiny female puppy

My efforts to raise Libby's tiny female puppy are not looking promising. Although she has grown some, she continues to lag behind and shows signs of abnormalities. I tried to reassure myself by providing her feedings, antibiotics, and thought I had nothing to lose as long as she kept hanging on. But by 4wks of age, she is still only the size of a normal newborn. Her growth is not proportional, she has difficulty keeping herself upright, and at first I believed that she had neurological damage. I then discovered last night, that she is blind. I'm not sure what went wrong but she could have any number of serious complications which is not a good outcome. It's heart wrenching to make the decision, but Dr Gail and I have decided that her future doesn't look good and we should put her to sleep before she shows any sign of suffering.

It's times like these that shows that regardless of a breeder's love, compassion, and caring for a living being, sometimes nature has to take it's course. Even good breeders have bad things happen, it's part of nature, part of life, and we have to let go. For me, I just have to assure myself that I did all that I could and gave her a better chance than some would have given her. She has had an enjoyable life. She loves her milk and is never satisfied with her tiny amounts, so I would hold her and let her suck my pinky until she seemed satisfied. I enjoyed the time with her so much. I have just told myself that it's time for her to "go home".....

Why Register Your Cairn Terrier Puppy?

Once in a while, I have someone ask if there's any reason to actually register their Crooked Creek Cairn Terrier puppy, since they're just a spayed or neutered pet. There are a few reasons that I think it is important to complete the registration process.

1. Accurate record keeping. A puppy not registered or not transferred effects my record keeping as a breeder. I have multiple retired dogs still in my name online, which makes it difficult to keep track of my active records (current breeding records).
2. A buyer only has 1 year from the date of purchase to register the puppy without additional late fees. It's only $20 if completed within the 1st year. Avoid unnecessary late fees. By the 2-3rd year, it's very expensive to register them.
3. Delaying registration may mean that you lose the paperwork in the meantime.
4. With immediate registration of your puppy, you receive a free check up with participating veterinarians. You're required to take your puppy to the vet within 3 days of purchase, why not get that visit FREE? You also receive a 60 day complimentary healthcare policy.
5. People purchase AKC registered puppies because they want known heritage from a quality breeder. Take full advantage of what you've already paid for, complete the registration process.

As a breeder, I'm always glad to register a puppy for a buyer. I can simply collect the transfer fee upon pick up of the puppy and complete the registration process for you!

Miss Daisey

Miss Daisey is home and doing great! She's a beautiful puppy that promises to be a very nice addition to our breeding program some day. She is a cousin to our Maggie, coming from my friend and fellow breeder Tami Calise, of Breezy Hollow. She did a great job, sending me such a nice quality puppy!

Libby's female Cairn Terrier puppy

I've been busy with one of Libby's little girls. She slowly lagged behind in growth and has been similar to a failure to thrive infant. She sucks well, latches on, and is active. But she is remarkably smaller now at 2 1/2wks of age. I started supplementing her intially and am now fully syringe feeding her in order to monitor her intake. I've added a high calorie supplement to her formula and put her on antibiotics. I'll continue to monitor her growth. I took this photo with my chin! It's not in focus, but shows how tiny and sweet she is. She's about 1/3 the size of her siblings, who are very small Cairn Terrier puppies. My scale isn't very accurate but I believe she's about 2 oz. She takes her milk and still acts hungry so I let her suck my finger until she seems satisfied. It's so hard not to get attached when they are so tiny and innocent.

Cairn Terrier Puppy Supplies

You'll find a new page on Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers, identifying a list of Cairn Terrier puppy supplies. The product links are not live yet, but there will be links to products on Designer Dog Avenue to make shopping easier and/or give an example of products that I recommend. I can get Midwest brand wire crates with a divider in 3 styles- single door, double door, or triple door. Since I haven't placed them on Designer Dog Avenue.com yet, please contact me if you are interested in getting one. crookedcreekcairns@verizon.net. I may add other supplies later, but these are the basic supplies that I would recommend.

Why not show?

People often ask me why I don't show my Cairn Terriers. I've actually considered it many times. I even went so far as to keep back a show prospect (Cooper) and contacted 2 show handlers. I intend to learn more at some point in time, but my first limitation is time. I do not have time to travel and participate in the act of showing.

Second of all, the true purpose of showing is a grand idea. It is intended for a breeder to prove the quality of their breeding program, by comparing their dogs to the breed standard. What a beautiful concept. But unfortunately, there are those that believe in winning at all costs. To some, it's only about titles and they are willing to lie and cheat to ensure that they have their titles. I have had mostly negative experiences with show breeders in my career as a breeder. I thought I could avoid the politics and rudeness by hiring a handler, and that may be the only answer for me. We will see. But at this point in time, I am not capable of competing in that type of world. I'm not competitive, I believe all quality dogs have a right to "win", not just those who happen to be handled by the right person in front of the right judge. I believe in honesty, integrity, and the golden rule. The first person that made a negative comment about me behind my back would make me cry! It's not worth the emotional stress to me.

Another "rule" you may read about is that a good breeder not only shows their dogs, but they belong to breed clubs. I live 2-3 hours from the closest breed club. For most clubs, this means that I'm not eligible to be a member. If I were eligible to be a member, I live 2-3hrs away and simple geography limits my ability to participate. I'm not a cluby person. I was once told that I should join a club, it would make me a better breeder. But the problem I have, is that one club in particular requires that you know a current member for a minimum of 2 years. That's not about who you are, that's about who you know. So, if you aren't part of the clique, you're not a good breeder? I don't believe that. I have developed friendships with several good breeders who have quality Cairn Terriers, they monitor the health and quality of their lines, and have the goal to improve the breed over time. We share support, knowledge, and pedigrees. Am I less of a breeder because I'm not a club member or I don't show? I don't think so.

I think we should implement a system of quality ranking that is noncompetitive. Let's judge the quality of our breeding stock based on the individual. We should apply a score based on disposition, confirmation, and health. All breeding dogs should be eligible for scoring, and breeders would have a universal communication score for judging the quality of our dogs and therefore our breeding program. For example, if Cooper was scored on a 1-100 scale for confirmation in the areas of the ear set, tail set, top line, bite, over all Type, etc. Then disposition, and finally health testing. If completely perfect (which there are no perfect dogs) he would have the capability of scoring a 300. Anything less than a certain score would be pet quality, over a certain score, breeding or show quality. It's universal, mostly objective, and we would have a concept that doesn't rule anyone out based on the lack of notoriety. Now isn't that a grand concept!!?? It would benefit the breeder, the breed, and everyone's happy! Maybe I should just implement that for my breeder friends and maybe the concept would become popular. Greater things have happened. LOL

Crooked Creek Cairn Terrier Update

Libby's puppies are growing and doing well. They've doubled their weight already and have fat little tummies. She is doing fine with all 6 puppies. We have 5 brindles and 1 dark wheaten female. I don't believe she has the brindle gene. Even though she is dark in color, she does not have the brindle striping pattern. They are adorable puppies!! Of course, I say that about all the puppies, but they're all so adorable!!

For those that have been asking about Miyah, she is growing! After being 2lbs until 13wks of age, she suddenly gained 1 1/2lbs in only 2 weeks. So we will continue waiting to see if she develops into breeding quality. Our hopes are that she will continue with her growth spurt. Her vet check was normal and healthy today, and she is very cute! She is a wheaten brindle.

We have a new baby coming in a couple weeks from our friend Breezyhollow in VA. Our little red girl is named Daisey and we're excited to welcome her home soon. Tami and I are very good friends and have shared several of my lines. I'm excited to get a line back!

Bailie & Lanie continue to be very nice quality and so far, both are making it into the breeding line up. It takes time to hold back puppies, monitor their growth, confirmation, and characteristics. Upon a healthy vet check at 6 months, they will make their final entrance into our breeding program.

Gracie has passed all her assessments and she is planning her first litter in the Spring of 2008. She is a remarkable cream with a black mask. She has that nice tail, ear set, short level back, and overall confirmation. We're very excited to see what she contributes at Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers! Her personality is quiet but happy go lucky and that is my favorite personality. I couldn't be more pleased. Chloe has been an outstanding producer and she has done it again.

We look forward to Cooper's first litters coming this Spring. He has continued to prove himself in confirmation, disposition, and health. He's a remarkable Cairn and has impressed 2 show handlers. However, I have decided not to hire a show handler at this time. Although it is something I truly think is valuable for the purposes intended, I can't help but want to avoid the political and dishonest games that occur in the show world. I just don't think I can participate at this time. I plan to continue raising show quality Cairns and will focus on charity, improving the breed, and education of the public to improve the lives of pets. Somehow I feel that these things are what really matters rather than show titles.

Libby's 7 Puppies!!

Libby whelped on Tue evening. She had 7 puppies, which really surprised me!! 5 females and 2 males. The puppies are really small and 1 female had a difficult time. We did surgery to repair the abdominal wall when the cord pulled off and caused a severe umbilical hernia. She was strong and nursed with assistance for the first night. But by yesterday she was getting weaker and soon refused to suck. I pumped colostrum from Libby and syringe fed her and by afternoon I realized I wasn't going to save her. She was just too weak and small, and there may have been some intestinal insult from the cord injury. My vet had never worked on such a tiny puppy and I even wonder if she was premie. Although all the puppies are small and they were 59 days, this puppy had a smooth head and shiny skin. This is how you determine prematurity in humans, so I can only guess that maybe this puppy was fertilized up to 48hrs after the others, which would make her 57 days. She just didn't look quite term.

I know most breeders would have disgarded the puppy at birth, but I couldn't help but think she had a chance. I don't believe in letting an animal suffer, but I think we gave her the best chance possible without prolonging suffering. I feel good knowing I did what I could for her.

Libby's other puppies are small but have gained already and are doing very well. Libby is a good mama and I enjoy just sitting and watching them nurse. Amazing nature......

Crooked Creek Website

I wanted to let everyone know, I'm just fine. My website domain name www.crookedcreekcairnterriers.com is down and they are working on it. It has gone through a migration, just like the Designer Dog Avenue website and now there are features that are not functioning correctly and now I believe the domain is down. This is why you see a different temporary page. I trust that they will get it up as soon as possible. Thank you for the calls and emails, we're all ok!!! You may contact Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers at crookedcreekcairns@verizon.net.

Just a thought on Nature

Regarding nature and separation from the young. (after the previous blog about puppy development and 8wk old puppies annoying their mother!) Ever wonder why teenagers are so difficult!? Think about nature and the time period that a parent needs to separate from their young. Teenagers are growing up, needing independence and are preparing to step out on their own. Just like 8 week old puppies, weanling foals, etc, Teenagers annoy the heck out of their parents. My father once told me, parents are supposed to be annoyed by their teenagers and teenagers are supposed to be annoyed by their parents. That's how they are prepared for separation and stepping into the world on their own. I didn't quite understand what he meant until I became an adult. Now as I look at these little 8 week old puppies that are jumping in their mother's faces, licking, nipping, pouncing on their mom, no wonder she's ready to say "See Ya!" I hope I'm ready when my teenagers grow into adults and are ready to separate...... My father is a smart man. I hope my kids think that about me some day.

How old should a puppy be before being sold?

Years ago, puppies would be weaned from their mother's and sold at 6 weeks of age. This is no longer acceptable practice. The breeder's code of ethics say a puppy should be 8 weeks of age, before being sold or adopted. There are 15 states which have laws governing the age by which a puppy may be sold or adopted to a new family and in most states it is 8 weeks of age. At Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers, puppies may go home at 8-9 weeks of age if being picked up, and may be shipped at 9-10 weeks of age.

Puppy mills and bad breeders will take puppies from their mothers at 5 weeks of age and sell them. Puppies don't even have all their teeth through their gums at 5 weeks of age. They've only been toddling around since 3 1/2- 4 weeks of age. At 5 weeks, they are toddlers in that they are starting to be playful but are clumsy and they still sleep most of the time. At 6 weeks, they are gaining coordination and are being weaned from their mothers, but most still nurse along with their solid foods. At Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers, we don't wean the puppies from their mothers. We allow the mothers and puppies to decide when to wean based on their instinct and individual needs. Puppies are introduced to solids at 4 1/2- 5 weeks of age, but most aren't eating on their own until closer to 6 weeks of age. Most of our puppies wean on their own by 7 weeks.

By watching puppies and their mother's instinct, you can tell developmentally when weaning and separation should occur. Mother's are so protective the first few days of life that they usually have to be forced to leave the puppies to go potty and eat/drink. It is their instinct to keep the puppies warm, and frequently nurse the puppies to nourish them and maintain the fragile puppies. Pupppies are like infants in that they have difficulty maintaining their temperatures initially. It's being snuggled up to Mom and littermates, that they stay warm. Their blood sugar stays stable by nursing frequently.

By the time the puppies are 1 week of age, the mother's instinct is still strong, but she is more willing to leave them for short periods of time. Watch out if you think you can touch or take them without her noticing though! By 3 weeks she's more relaxed about the human interaction and seems content to let you touch them and hold them. By 4 weeks she may leave the puppies for longer periods of time, just returning to them to nurse them. At 5-6 weeks, she's completely comfortable with the puppies being taken for longer periods of time, but is anxious to see them returned to her. She starts to wean them usually at 6 weeks, but some bitches vary in when they wean their puppies. By 8 weeks, the mother is annoyed by these little bundles of energy and says "See ya!" as the family takes their new puppy home.

My parents raised Siberian Huskies when I was a child and teenager, and as I said, it was common practice to sell the puppies at 6 weeks of age. Our Lobo would howl and cry for days when the puppies were taken from her so early. My father said he quit breeding because he couldn't bare to hear them cry for their puppies. But from what I understand now, if we had weaned them and sold the puppies at 8 weeks vs 6 weeks, their instinct would have been ready to give up the puppies and it wouldn't have been traumitizing.

So as you see, if we understand and listen to nature herself, we would understand why puppies should not be sold until developmentally ready. If a breeder sells puppies before 8 weeks of age, it may be reason for concern about the practices of that breeder.

Dogs and Children

I was reading an article that was kind of interesting and I can honestly say I have no opinion since I've (in whisper....never seen the show by Cesar Millan on "Dog Whisperer"). I whispered that because I do love training and honestly, our TV rarely gets changed from Nickelodeon or Discovery Channel because I rarely sit down to watch it! So I can't comment on the show. I can comment on people's views and comments. Some seemed to be relatively good observations, others were just expressed opinions.

My experience with training has been from living with and training my dogs. My formal education in training has primarily been in horses, which being a prey animal they do have a set of slightly different instincts and responses. The rest of my knowledge just comes from behavior modification that I learned in my degree of Psychology. I haven't had formal dog training classes but really want to find time to take some with my friend and trainer, Ashli. I enjoy it all very much, it's just hard to make time! I come from the the thought of making good behaviors easy and bad behaviors difficult. I've read some books but the rest of my knowledge is from experience.

I did want to comment about dogs and children since I've lived that! Dogs are animals with a set of instinct first, and training brings out the ability to react in a thinking manner. Without training, dogs respond by their own instinct (which isn't necessarily socially appropriate in the world of humans). Dogs respond to others (including humans) with their own pack & dog social rules. Direct eye contact and an upright stance means aggression or domination. Since children are the same eye level as large breeds, and stand with an upright position, they appear aggressive to large dogs and this is why children often get bitten. Children also don't heed a dog's warnings, they don't speak dog and don't usually understand that a dog's growl is a warning- back off, quit, show me submission. If you're going to have dogs with children, it takes a great deal of training and teaching of both the children and the dog. The dog needs to be shown they are submissive to all family members, including the children. Dogs have a pecking order in the pack. Your family is their pack. Their ranking is at the bottom. Some dogs will challenge this ranking and try to be above the children. This should never happen, and if it does the dog will nip and dominate the child and you have a recipe for disaster. Children (whether you have dogs or not) need to be taught respect, empathy, and kindness to others. They have to be taught not to put their face in the dog's face, not to hit, pull the dogs ears or tail, jump on them, ride them, and all the things that children think must be good ideas at the time. My children are empathetic, loving little kids, and before the age of 4, you'll still catch them doing inappropriate things like chasing the dog with a stick. They can't think through their actions and understand that it would hurt the dog if they hit them. It just seems like a good idea at the time. Here's a stick, that dog is running, let's chase it! Young children aren't able to empathize and understand the point of view of the dog's. But what a perfect time (at age 3+yrs) to start teaching them and talk through what a dog might feel if you were to hit it. I've seen children who were not redirected and puppies who were being held by one leg or abused in public. Parents are at fault and then when the dog bites a child, it's "the dog's fault". Good dogs will defend themselves too. It's so important to never let it get that far.

If you have small children and are interested in getting a dog, choose a small but non-fragile breed that is good with children. Many large breeds are good with children, but choose the breed wisely due to the size and height of a child's eye contact. The Cairn Terrier is good with children, with parents who are willing to spend the time to train the dog and the child, monitor their interaction, and redirect the child or the dog when interacting inappropriate. This means a lot of work! Puppies have sharp nails, sharp teeth, and they go through a nipping stage. Their sign of submission is to lick in the face, but we don't want our children licked and/or nipped in the face. It takes a lot of effort to observe and control their interactions and ensure that they are good interactions. Prevent problem behaviors in both the dog and the child and as they grow, and they will have a relationship that can't be replaced by any other. Children who learn to nurture, be empathetic, and be kind to animals carries over to appropriate social interaction and they will become well adjusted children and adults.

Did You Know?

Did you know that Cairns usually blow their coat upon having a litter of puppies? The bitch often loses their undercoat and sometimes their top coat as well. The hormonal changes associated with pregnancy and whelping causes the hair to fall out and some bitches will go almost bald. By 6 months later, they have a full new coat that has grown in and is beautiful again. With humans, the hormones that maintain pregnancy cause the woman to maintain their hair throughout the pregnancy. They grow stronger finger nails and keep the hair that they would have normally lost during the time of the pregnancy. Upon having their baby, with the change in hormones, the hair then falls out. They are actually losing the hair they normally would have lost if not pregnant. This may be the case with the Cairn as well, but if you visit the dam of your new puppy and they aren't as beautiful as you expected, don't be alarmed. She's just blowing her coat due to having puppies and she'll grow it back after the hormone fluxuations. I've also had bitches blow their coat with their heat cycles, and this is another reason spaying is such an advantage.

Visitation Policy Change

We have had a visitation policy change at Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers. Due to several scary instances over the last few years, but a more serious personal threat recently, we no longer accept puppy visitors to our home.

I am more than empathetic to a buyer, that wants to see the facilities and the cleanliness and quality of the environment. I also think it's important to see the dam and sire and meet the breeder. But I also know how it is to be a buyer and understand how rare it is to have a website available that is thorough and offers photography and information that gives a virtual tour of a breeding program and facilities. My website is intended to communicate and answer the questions desired by any buyer. The facilities and my yard are pictured. The only pictures not shown are those that would identify my home from driving by. I do not want predators to recognize my home and know where I live!

There are photos of all the Cairns in my breeding program. We also have 1 retired Cairn that will stay with us for her lifetime, as well as a spayed protection Doberman. There are no surprises with the number of dogs I own. For any visit, I previously ensured with mitculous detail that all was clean and the dogs were groomed. Someone visiting on any other day of the year may see a Cairn 1/2 stripped and waiting for the next session, as it kills my hands and I get frequent interuptions. But my kennel is cleaned daily, sanitized every few days, unless there are small puppies and it's sanitized every other day or as needed. They have fresh food & water available at all times, and appropriate housing. We do have plans for a new facility and enclosed adult quarters and septic system to ensure there is no "kennel smell". I'm very consciensious and am always thankful to those who point out how clean my kennels are and how good it smells, considering they are dogs!

And I have to share some funnies from the last several years of visits. The funniest comments I've received were: On a wet humid rainey day, a customer paused as she came out of my puppy house and with a long uncomfortable silence, she finally said "Hmmm.....sure smells like wet dog, huh?" Well, considering you're staring at 10 wet dogs, that really surprises me! Here's your sign! LOL The other comment that I still chuckle with, we live in a rural community and we have fields of corn and beans. The customer drove over from the city and says "There's so much.........corn........................and weeds..............." Yep, it's takes a while for those darn farmers to get all the fields weed eated and landscaped! Here's your sign. LOL

The nicest comments I've received are how nice our home is, how beautiful and quiet our yard is with the shady mature trees, how quiet and well behaved the dogs were, how pretty my Cairns are, how nice it must be to live in the country with horses and dogs, and all that I love. I've been thanked for the hospitality and have received many thanks for such wonderful little puppies. It's all these wonderful sweet people that make me want to continue breeding! They offer the puppies I love so dearly, wonderful forever homes, and how can I let a few freaks ruin that for us!?

My testimonials on my website are from previous customers, as well as my veterinarian's observations and reference. But a buyer has to realize how much more risk there is to a breeder than a buyer. I would never risk my reputation and presence as a breeder by doing something dishonest. A person can check the validity of the information and considering that I sell my puppies before they are born, there is no greater risk visiting my puppies in a public place vs visiting them at my home. A buyer still gets to see the dam & sire, the puppies, and meet me. They've seen the facilities through photos and can validate the accuracy from my references if they choose to do so.

We have to realize what's important these days. What's more important- seeing facilities in real life just to "Experience" a breeder's home, or having a breeder be at risk to predators who may attempt to murder her and her children? I'm quite offended by anyone that could say that visiting someone's facilities that they can see in photos is more important than a person's safety. I have sold many puppies to people across the nation that I never meet in person. They can attest to having had a wonderful experience, only seeing photos, and having the puppy shipped to them. I can be empathetic to somone that wants to visit a breeder in person, but I no longer believe it's a necessity. I can not live, feeling vulnerable and fearful to have people come into my home and know where I live. I always argued that I met the nicest people, nothing bad would happen. But killers don't have a sign across their forehead. Murderers look just like the boy next door. They gain your trust and can be charming. That's HOW they get you. It wasn't until a friend said "Of course murders are nice, that's how they get you!!!" that I realized I'm placing myself and my kids at risk by allowing people to come into my home. This just isn't a necessary part of breeding. So I will continue breeding only as long as I feel that my family's safety comes first. People are still getting wonderful, quality puppies from Crooked Creek. They can still enjoy the experience. But we'll both enjoy the experience knowing that we're reducing the risk to predators and that we're safe.

Stripping Cairn Terriers

Stripping and grooming Cairn Terriers is probably the single biggest question I receive, and the hardest question to answer. Most pet owners don't need to follow the stripping zone method which is used in show grooming. Zones on the body are stripped at week intervals, so the end coat has some zones a bit longer than the rest. The primary necessity for pet owners is to keep the Cairn healthy, clean, and appearance kept up. My methods of stripping & grooming are only based on my experience with my dogs. Several of my Cairns need a variance in method, due to the way their hair happens to grow out.

The first strip can be completed when the puppy is about 12-14wks of age. The long scraggly puppy hair is being replaced with a new coat underneath that is harder. These long hairs that were once the fluffy puppy coat can be pulled out. Pull ALL of it out.

After a dog is about 1 - 1 1/2yrs, they'll start to have a long coat that is being replaced with their next new coat. Some dogs will have long hairs that you pull out, while the new coat is growing in underneath. My Libby will grow a complete new coat underneath and it will be about 3/4" long when the longest hairs are pulled out, leaving a fresh new coat behind after stripping. The hair that needs to come out, pulls easily. I just take small locks and go slowly, and she acts like she enjoys it. Some of it even seems a little itchy and it's a relief to get it out.

Some of my other dogs will start blowing their coat, which means losing their hair and it comes out easily all over their body. They may have very little hair left and they require a complete strip. This means all the top coat is pulled out. They look a bit funny for a month or 2 while the new coat grows in. But the new coat is new, healthy, and goes through the process all over again. They need stripped annually.

Others will have some shorter hairs, some longer hairs, and the longer hairs are pulled on a continuous basis. This is rolling the coat and it's something that can be kept up on continuously. Not all coats can be rolled.

For a photo example of grooming, you can visit my grooming page. As I groomed Chloe, I took photos to show how I did it and what the before & after looks like.

Scammers are back

The scammers are still at it. Buyer beware. I posted this photo with an ad about Scammers and that they repeatedly steal photos from breeders. The scammer ads were gone immediately upon posting this photo. Then it seemed that they weren't present, and as soon as puppyfind.com removed my ads with the photo alerting about scammers, there are pages of scammer ads again.

Here's how to recognize a scammer:
1. Little real information about the puppy's dam, sire, breeding program, and little or no photos

2. Price is too cheap- $350 with shipping included, shipping is $225-250 by itself!!!

3. Seller pushes sale of puppy rather than assisting the placement to a forever home, and asking questions about the home the buyer can provide

4. Seller wants Western Wired Money, never send wired money for a purchase of any kind!

5. Check "all ads by this seller" and scammers will have pages of ads of all different breeds. If a breeder breeds more than 2-3 breeds they aren't a breeder you want to work with even if they aren't a scammer. It's hard to be an expert in that many breeds.

The Doberman

Ok, this is a Cairn Terrier blog, but I have to tell our friends about our new Doberman protection dog. I'm so impressed with the breed! I grew up with large breeds, and our first "child" was a German Shorthair who was so impressive with his advanced training. I taught him verbal and sign language commands and his mind set was so quick and responsive, he was eager to please! I could tell him to sit & stay outside of the grocery store (after walking him to the store), run in quick, and he'd still be in his position when I came back out. No one dared to come into our house without our knowledge. He wouldn't touch them, but would stand with his nose next to their hand growling, and they didn't dare take another step. Cairns have been a much different breed, and I had forgotten the characteristics I enjoyed that were different than a Cairn.

So, we bought this adult, trained, Doberman for protection. I researched breeds and because of the shorter coat to groom, and the fact they are such a family dog in addition to protection, I felt it was the best fit. Then we got hooked up with Zora. I can't believe how quickly she bonded to us!!! She understands so much daily language in addition to commands, and responds with amazing instinct! She gets very alert and can be dead asleep, hear something, and she's on the prowl ensuring that everything is secure! I tell you what, if she came running at me barking, I would climb a tree! And I'm comfortable with dogs!!!! LOL Chances are we'll never need to use advanced protection training. (at least I hope not) But it sure feels better to know she's on alert at a moment's notice. I'm so used to admiring the beauty of a quality Cairn. I'm not experienced with Doberman confirmation, but I admire her beauty! Her sire is an International Champion in Indiana.

So anyone looking for a family dog that has good instinct and is protective, I'd recommend looking into them! We just love Zora!

My Breeder's Blog

I started my blog to assist in keeping our Cairn family, who has grown to about 135 families, in communication. I think continuing education is important regardless of the field or subject. It's also been important to me, to educate about puppy mills, unethical breeding, and let knowledge become power to increase the quality of living conditions for breeding animals and pets across the nation.

It takes a detective these days to see an advertisement and decide if they're a scammer, unethical breeder, or ethical breeder. There has to be certain rules applied, in order to separate an advertisement that appears legitimate vs an advertisement that in the least leads you to believe they are either a scam or an unethical breeeder. I have attempted to help buyers understand these generalizations.

If you are a breeder, email me and I'd gladly offer my observations about the scammers who take my photos, identity, and make me feel vulnerable to a dishonest realm beyond my imagination. I'll also gladly educate about our breeder's code of ethics and how we should be raising our puppies so that buyers can easily see that we're an ethical breeder. Dogs deserve to have proper living conditions with mental stimulation, exercise, love, compassion, and wonderful homes. Puppies deserve to be born into sanitary, daily socialized, and lovingly cared for hands. They deserve to have a breeder ENSURE that they have a deserving forever home for the rest of their lives. If we as breeders, take nature into our hands, by planning offspring, we owe it to those lives to ENSURE that it is for the purpose of improving the gene pool and characteristics of those offspring. Sure we have to sell the puppies at a fee that demands a quality home and makes our budgets balance. But if someone believes that they can enter the world of breeding just to make a little cash on the side, they're going to get a wake up call eventually. If you breed long enough, you WILL have c-sections, emergency fees, and vet bills get big very quickly. It quickly eats away at any profit.

I have formed my breeding policies with the guidance of a published breeder's code of ethics. My policies have come about by "The bad apples" that I've seen through either my experiences or the experiences of fellow breeders. I try to keep the perspective of the buyer in mind, as well as the protection of the puppy's well being. By all means, my policies will change over time since I will continue to learn and grow in time. If a buyer doesn't like something about my policies, by all means they are welcome to purchase their puppy from someone else. I'm never more interested in a sale than the well being of my puppies and a great relationship with my buyers. The rewarding relationship with buyers is what it's all about! (beyond the love for the breed of course) I'd forgotten that while I was upset with somone sending me threatening hateful emails. But you know what? I've had the BEST experiences with families who are wonderful people!!!!! I can't let 3-4 people over the last several years, overshadow 135 WONDERFUL families!!!!!! If someone doesn't like or want my opinion, don't read my blog. But for those that want to learn, grow, and explore the world of Cairn Terriers with respect for nature and each other, welcome to my blog!

New Personal Protection Dog!

Please welcome our new personal protection dog! With Rick working so many hours I felt more comfortable having the protection of a trained dog in our home. It'll make me sleep better at night knowing Zora will be protecting us. We're looking forward to the new addition to our family!

Grooming & Stripping Photos

The grooming & stripping information with photos has been posted on our website color/grooming page. The photos give a visual example of the grooming & stripping process. Not all Cairns grow a coat in the same manner but it fits most of our Cairns and their coat stages. Hope it's helpful!

The Ugly Stage! LOL

Maggie 1yr






Maggie 12wks

Cairn puppies are all very round puppy fluffs at 6wks of age. By 8wks of age, some have a more fluffy coat, some a little smoother coat. I didn't know the difference in coat other than I've observed that some of the smoother coated puppies have a little harder coat upon maturity. I just wanted to point out that they go through a rather awkward stage at 3-5mo of age. Their puppy coat is growing out to be long scraggly hair, their new hard coat is coming in underneath. (The first strip can be done when the long hairs come out easily at 3-4mo - pull it ALL out!) Depending on the puppy, some have gigantic ears, long legs, and grow into them about about 6 months. Others grow in proportion and suddenly look like a Cairn at 6 mo of age. I just wanted to prepare buyers that looking for quality at 8wks sometimes looks very different than looking for quality at 12wks. In general, it's very difficult to see quality until 5-6mo of age. This is why show breeders keep their puppies longer, and price the puppies according to quality (pet, breeding, and show quality). Because we cater to pet homes, we send our puppies home at 8-9wks of age and they are all priced for pet homes or occassionally to a show/breeding home.

I remember bringing Maggie home at about 12wks and being very excited about her! Rick looked at her and bursted my bubble when he said "But....she's kind of ugly." Like so many, he was unable to see her potential! She could have developed into something I didn't like, it's sometimes hard to tell. But I saw her potential and was so pleased when she suddenly became a little perfect Cairn at 6mo! And as a side note, the Cairn generally gains most of their growth by 6 mo of age.

What's the Difference?

Puppy A
Puppy BI once had a gentleman call and ask "Why are your puppies so much more expensive than this one in MO that I found?" "What's the difference?" He had found a $300 puppy in MO and he thought there must be a catch, but couldn't figure out what it was. After doing a lot of education over the phone about puppy mills, back yard breeders, quality, ethical breeding, etc, I told him to keep shopping and he'll figure out the difference. I told him to send me some pictures and information about a puppy that he was looking at, and I would give him my opinion and help him find something. He agreed and called me back in a few days to ask my opinion on a puppy he found. It was a gorgeous little brindle male that was show quality and very well priced for his quality at $650ish? I asked what the story was on the puppy, the pedigree, and it all sounded legitimate. The breeder was ill with cancer and her friend was selling her puppies for her here in IL. He said "Boy, I know what you mean. It's like a night and day difference between this guy and the $300 puppy!" I told him to give the breeder my name, I really liked their lines.

I didn't hear anything for probably a year and had forgotten about the breeder and puppy. I then got an email that the breeder was ready to sell all her Cairns, she was very sick with Cancer, and they wondered if I would be interested. As I looked at the pedigrees, I noticed the name Aquarius. I said "Who is Aquarius? My original lines dating back 17yrs ago have the kennel name Aquarius in them!?" She replied "That's Linda!" I'm not superstitious, don't necessarily believe in fate. But what a small world! Linda died before I had the opportunity to meet her and it made me sad for the family who had to arrange to get me the dogs all the way from TN. Those dogs were Keagan, Bridget, Thea, and their puppies including Cooper. The above photo in burgundy is that little show quality male's full sister, Bailie (our future breeding female).

I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings that may be breeding a puppy that appears as the other photo above. But I think it's apparent what the difference in quality is. If it were me, I would much rather pay a few more dollars for a cute Cairn appearing puppy with the expression of a Cairn. In the end, you're probably going to get a more healthy, long lived puppy. By only purchasing from reputable ethical breeders, you're also narrowing the market for puppy mills and bad breeders. Let economics and supply and demand, help us improve the lives of pets!

AKC Registration Only

AKC (American Kennel Club) is a registry for purebred dogs. Although there are various other registries such as CKC, APRI, etc, I always felt that they were not as quality but I didn't understand exactly until more recently.

AKC has the strictest guidelines for registry. They are also the only registry that does spontaneous breeder inspections. AKC inspectors come to a breeder's facility and they go through documentation of litters, check identification records against the dogs in person (they scan microchips and/or check tatoos), they pull up records on puppies sold and who they went to. They go through a breeder's records in detail to check that breeding and whelping dates match, etc. They will also do DNA checks on present puppies, and check parentage. They view the facilities and make notes on kennel conditions, cleanliness, and the conditions of the dogs.

Inspections are completed on breeders who breed 7 or more litters a year. My first kennel inspection was in 2006 and I was scared to death of this "big mean AKC inspector" that was coming to "investigate" me and my dogs. I was literally shaking as he drove into the drive. Having learned all the documentation on my own and having AKC be less than helpful in the process, I was just sure he was going make me cry! I was pleasantly surprised to meet a gentle man, and when I asked for any information or guidance that would help me become a better breeder, he offered tips and advice along the way. After carefuly going through all my paperwork he even told me how impressed he was, that I passed with flying colors and did much better than most on a first inspection. I was proud to have a little "AKC Compliance Report" that proved I was in fact a "real breeder" with a great big "In Compliance" and a whole lot of "acceptables" on it! Of course it's still stressful to know they can come unannounced at any time from that point forward. In the mornings, when there's poop in the kennel runs and I have puppies who've gone home with their paperwork all in a pile waiting to be filed and organized, I get a panic feeling of "What if they showed up right now. I would just die!!!" I'm sure they've seen much worse, but it takes a lot of work to look good and have everything ready for scrutiny at any moment's notice.

Now AKC isn't perfect to work with. I've had more errors in my records with my records mixed up with people I've never heard of. I've had them lose paperwork, later to be found in their system that just got separated from the rest, they've sent me pedigrees for dogs and breeds I've never heard of. Sometimes I wonder why I would ever put up with so much. But I do like the fact that they give the breeder the right to say what puppies are to be spayed/nuetered and live life as a pet, and what puppies are either quality or are going to the correct environment for showing and breeding.

A breeder can give full or limited registration. Full registration means that the animal can be shown in AKC licensed events for confirmation, to prove it's quality as a breeding animal. They can also be bred and their offspring registered through AKC. Limited registration means that they are an AKC registered dog themselves, but are to be spayed/neutered and can not be shown or bred. This gives the breeder control in a couple ways. For puppies that aren't up to the standards for breeding, they can ensure that the puppy is not used for breeding. But they also don't want their puppies ending up in a back yard breeder, bad breeder, or puppy mill environment, so by giving limited AKC registration, this enforces that the puppy go to an appropriate pet home. For ethical breeder's, it's a device used for quality control.

What I didn't know is that some registries accept a registered dog regardless of full or limited registration and they allow all dogs to be bred. So when you purchase a CKC or APRI dog, you have no idea if the animals were all breeding quality. A dishonest person can purchase a pet puppy, register it with a different registry and produce puppies to make money. I didn't want to give the secret away to any dishonest people that might read this blog, but then I figured dishonest people probably already know about this. If we want to promote healthy puppies and quality puppies, lets just buy AKC and the people making money off of various other registries won't have a market! When you breed pet quality dogs over and over again, guess what happens to the offspring? You get pet quality, health disorders, and some day you get dogs that don't even resemble the breed standard. People say they don't care about show quality, they just want a pet. But don't you want a cute Cairn that actually looks like a Cairn? And don't you want a pet that is healthy and doesn't die at 9mo of age of liver failure!? (happened to a customer of mine that bought a pet store puppy from unknown origin) Ethical breeders and quality control is how you maintain production to resemble the breed standard and have the healthiest puppies possible.

Another story recently was that a guy had a dog that resembled a Great Pyranese. It wasn't of registered stock, but looked like one. So he sent photos of him to a registry, they said "Yep, looks like a Great Pyranese" and sent him papers for him!! What kind of registry sends you papers for your mutt!? It's against all reasons for having documented pedigrees and known heritage in the first place!

Here's a new one, The American Hybrid Club. Lets take our breeds, mix them up, create mutts and register them as "Designer Dogs". Now I will admit, that there is purpose to some designer breeds such as labradoodles which create a hypoallergenic service dog. In some cases outcrossing to a different breed expands the gene pool on a breed that is overbred and is ridden with health problems. But just creating mixes to make money is unethical. My own brother in law heard my piece of mind when he failed to spay his beagle and the neighbor's schnauzer bred her. She had 9 healthy beagle schnauzers and I jokingly made up a sign for him to sell his lovely "Schneagles" just to see his hair turn more fiery orange and his face turn red. Come on, spay & neuter and don't become part of the problem of pet overpopulation! It's not fair to these 9 little puppies who may or may not find quality homes. Nothing makes me more angry and I'm not afraid to make family members mad by saying so!

List of Puppy Supplies

Here's a quick list of supplies to obtain before bringing your puppy home.

Adjustable Collar & Lead- ask your breeder the size of your puppy’s neck, Cairn puppies are usually 6-7”, toy breeds should wear harnesses rather than collars for leading, since they have fragile tracheas
Food & Water Bowls- stainless is preferred by some, but when washed and kept sanitary, crocks and plastic are ok too, match your décor!
Food- ask your breeder what brand they use, feed a premium puppy formula until 1yr of age
Crate- large enough for the puppy to stand and turn around comfortably, but not so large that they can potty on one end and sleep on the other
Crate bedding- washable towels or waterproof liner, if puppy soils their crate remove the bedding so that they are uncomfortably wet, to encouraged them to hold it
Training Treats- small and easy to keep in your pocket for rewarding your puppy
Chew Treats- for teething puppies
Shampoo- dog shampoo only, never use human shampoo, they have a different ph balance
Between Bath Spray- handy to freshen up between baths
Puppy play pen or puppy gates- offer an appropriate play area to protect your carpets and keep your puppy safe
Potty accident clean up supplies- a carpet cleaner and/or sanitizer to clean up accidents
Booster Car Seat, harness, or crate for safe travel in the car- appropriately restrain your puppy during travel
Dog Bed- used not only for comfortable sleeping outside of the crate, but for training purposes
Toys- appropriate for age and breed size, too small of toys for your breed is a choking hazard, puppies need comfort toys, chew toys, and things that are interesting and stimulate them
ID tag- all dogs and puppies should wear an ID tag with your contact information
Sweater, Jacket, or Coat- for cold or wet weather, dogs and puppies acclimated to indoor temperatures need protected from weather
Soft Sided Carrier- handy for small dog breeds and puppies
Books on Training- don’t wait for puppy classes to start training, learn how to crate train and start your puppy’s training before bringing them home

Maisie in Modern Dog Magazine

My issue just arrived today! Check out pg 96 in the Fall 2007 Modern Dog Magazine. Maisie is featured in her pink raincoat! "Awesome anoraks. Anoraks are all the rage right now. This sporty, reflective rain slicker, with hood and stylish pocket over the back, fits the bill. Available in blue, pink, orange, and yellow. designerdogavenue.com" I was so excited! Our usual ad is showed on page 79, although they mistakingly printed our Spring/Summer ad vs the Fall ad! But I guess the bonus feature will make up for it.

Crooked Creek Website

You'll notice a fresh new look on our home page at www.crookedcreekcairnterriers.com. There are various changes that have been on my mind for some time now, so we'll slowly try to get updates and improvements made to the site.

I would very much love to receive updated photos from our previous Cairn Terrier pupppies! Please email photos of your Crooked Creek dog along with stories about them, or updates, so we can add this additional information to our website. I attempt to place photos of previous puppies with our breeding female's information, but they haven't been updated recently. I believe an adult photo of their previous puppies would be even more helpful to prospective customers.

Any other ideas that would make our website more helpful or educational for those looking at the breed? I hope to incorporate more about grooming, which is our biggest question about the breed. It's not an easy answer, but maybe we can get photos of a dog in progress to give a better look at coat growth and stripping. After years of practice on lots of Cairns, I still don't feel like an expert. But we'll do what we can.

After more experience building websites and doing SEO (search engine optimization), I've learned of things I can do to make the website more searchable and user friendly. We'll update it as we have time.

Thanks for your input! I'm feeling much better about my work load and thank you so much for the sweet, funny, and supportive emails! Love you all!
Traci
crookedcreekcairns@verizon.net

Explanation of a Health Guarantee

So what is a health guarantee and what should I expect when purchasing a puppy?

The first guarantee that a breeder should offer, is an initial money back guarantee for any defects. This protects the buyer by allowing time to visit your veterinarian and ensure the health of the puppy that you purchased. For any health defects found, the breeder agrees to offer your money back or a replacement puppy if one is available. These guarantees are usually for a 3-5 day period, proving that upon receiving the puppy it was also free of communicable disease. Due to the gestation period of parvo and other communicable diseases, we require that our Cairn puppies be checked within 3 days of receiving them.

A puppy's health can change from week to week for the first several months of life, and thereafter. Some defects such as lion jaw or luxated patellas may not be apparent until several months of age. Although ethical breeders attempt to breed healthy puppies, they can not guarantee against all possibilities. Therefore, a breeder should offer an extended health guarantee such as a 1-2yr guarantee for genetic and hereditary defects. This does not usually cover bites, hernias, or cosmetic defects for pet puppies (although you should notify your breeder if any of these occur so they can track them). Some breeders require that the puppy be returned upon diagnosis, and will replace the puppy or dog with a healthy puppy. Some breeders may offer partial refunds and allow you to keep your puppy or dog. These health guarantees can be difficult to put into writing and sometimes they are vague and cause problems when interpretted differently. It's easy for a disappointed buyer to penalize a breeder if their puppy develops an overbite or underbite, which usually doesn't effect the dog's daily life. It was a situation with a friend that proved to me that I would not offer partial refunds. The buyer felt that their puppy wasn't worth the value paid because they expected to purchase a perfect puppy, and after several months of age the puppy developed an overbite. He refused to return his pet of course, but demanded a partial refund. It was this situation that guided our policy of no refunds. We do not believe a 'defective' dog or puppy should be uprooted from it's home and be returned to a breeder who will only have to find it another home. We will instead, offer a replacement puppy for documented life threatening hereditary or congenital defects. Because diagnosis can also have such a gray area, we made our contract black and white and not open to interpretation by requiring that the animal die before 2 years of age. Our veterinarian guided us with the statement that most all serious genetic or congenital defects will cause death of the animal by this age. This is not to say that I couldn't be more lenient and compassionate to a family that I've grown to know through the adoption of one of our puppies. If a puppy died at 2 1/2 or 3yrs of age, I'm going to replace the puppy! But I didn't want placed in the situation if a dog that had a heart murmur and still lived to 10yrs of age, that the family expect it to be replaced.

Facilities

Our facilites at Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers are pictured on my website. Due to a hurtful criticism by a not so nice breeder recently, I'll offer a description and explanation of our facilites and care we provide to our Cairns.

You will see that we have a puppy house, which houses my grooming, storage, and puppy areas. I raised 1 litter in my laundry room years ago, and I will tell you now, I will NEVER do it again. The first 3 1/2-4wks of life are no issue. Our Cairn Moms frequently keep their puppies in our home, particularly in the winter time when I'm fearful a pilot light will go out in the middle of the night and get too cold for newborns. They require 80-90 temps for the first couple of weeks, and a stable temperature with no drafts. But when puppies are 4-5wks old, and they start on solids, the mother stops cleaning up after them. This equates to lots of puppy poop! I watched puppies at 4wks who could barely walk, wake up from their naps, leave their bedded area, go potty, and return to their bedded area. This proved to me first hand, the instinct that puppies naturally posess. It's a den instinct. Having 6 puppies in a single room, not knowing where the poop area is, is a disaster. They pooped all over, played with potty pads, and smeared the disaster even when cleaned up 5-6 times a day! They were difficult to potty train and to this day, my friend has a female from that litter that will make potty accidents upstairs in her home! At this point, I called Daddy to come to IL and build me a doggie door'ed puppy house! At 4-5wks of age, when the puppies start on solids, we leave a pile of Mama's poop outside. Sometimes the puppies need assisted through the doggie door the first time, but as soon as they realize where the 'poopy spot' is, they go potty outdoors! It's amazing to watch nature at work!!!! If some puppies don't understand the system, we put the divider in to close the space down inside, and this pushes them to go outside with only enough room inside for their "bed area" and the potty area is outside. It's no fail, and customers report puppies who potty train much more easily!!! The only problem with the puppy house is my realization that without 2x4 construction, it's impossible to correctly insulate and finish the inside as I had planned. So within the next year, we are making plans for a new facility with the same type of set up, but fully insulated and finished with separate adult quarters that mimic the current puppy house.

The criticism that I received revolved around my dogs having an outdoor kennel. Now if I lived in a northern state, this would not be appropriate for the Cairn Terrier. However, in our southern IL climate, we have mild winters and summers and it's quite conducive to the breed. Dogs, horses, and various animals prepare with the seasons by building a thicker winter coat and their bodies are prepared for weather conditions. Dogs that are kept inside year round, don't build an appropriate natural coat, aren't acclimated beyond potty breaks mid-winter, and they do need a sweater or coat to protect them from the temps. But dogs that are used to the exterior temperatures and have an appropriate coat do quite well in our climate. I do want to point out that they do have adequate housing. An appropriate sized dog box surrounds the dogs with their own body heat and keeps them warm. We do bring them inside the puppy house at night for the coldest weeks of the year, but most days are warm enough I hose the kennel out with water and it's above freezing.

The comment that was so incredibly hurtful was, that she couldn't imagine the isolated life my dogs must live in our back yard. (a breed bred for hunting who loves the outdoors?) I was kind of a smart elic by showing her the above photo of poor Bentley being "isolated" in our back yard. (I kept myself from sending many more photos) It made me chuckle when I think of my 3 boys who beg to play with the puppies and bring the dogs to the back yard to play. Our poor dogs have to play with kids and run around in a yard! Can you believe it!? LOL Now, this breeder thought I should have all my dogs in the house full time. I can't imagine such a situation when males and females mark their territory, and both Rainey & Carmie (females!) even hike their leg on my bushes! Can you imagine a house filled with 10 dogs hiking their legs on furniture, marking their territory.....with 3 boys under the age of 6, and litters of puppies pooping and pulling their potty pads around smearing such a wonderful mess for me to clean up? Hmmmm......as a nurse and someone who is almost freakish about germs and sanitation, it sounds like a nurse's horror flick!

Now I realize, that a full time indoor home sounds wonderful and I want that for my dogs. That's the purpose of a very expensive indoor facility for all my dogs in the near future. With tile floor and indoor play space, my dogs will enjoy air conditioning and constant temps indoors. But there is one more element involved in an ethical breeder's home. An ethical breeder requires that the goal of breeding be to "Improve the breed". I'm here to tell you that the production of a couple bitches (appropriate for a full time indoor home) will in no way "improve a breed". It requires the production and management of several litters a year, to accurately monitor and maintain a quality breeding program. So if I had to pick a sanitary, ethical, loving environment for my Cairn Terriers vs back yard breeding or having 10 dogs in my household full time? I choose a sanitary, safe environment and knowing that when my Cairns are finished with their breeding career, they're rewarded with an indoor forever home where they are pampered.

For now, I assure you that an insulated dog box lined with water resistent beds, more than adequate kennel space, planned exercise, socialization and mental stimulation, chew toys and treats, a sanitary clean environment, and fresh water and food accessible at all times, is very appropriate for the Cairn Terrier. I assure you that I adore our Cairns and that they are very much our family pets and adored by my children and family. At some point in time, we have to gain some common sense and realize that there are different views in life. And as long as the views provide a safe loving environment for animals, there is always a polite way to treat others. There is never an excuse to be rude or treat others badly.

Cairn Terrier Characteristics

Cairn Terriers are a hardy breed. This makes them a good breed for families with children, who might otherwise "break" a toy breed. Children should be supervised closely with any dog, but with obedience and appropriate dominance training, the Cairn is a great family pet.

Cairns were bred to hunt vermin and these instincts still hold very strongly in the breed. They enjoy the outdoors, tracking scents and chasing squirrels! They must have a safe fenced yard due to their strong instincts to hunt, regardless of how well trained they are. If there is a squirrel across a highway, they WILL chase it and this leaves them vulnerable to injury and death. Therefore, a family interested in the Cairn must be prepared to keep them on a leash or within a fenced yard at all times.

I've been caught off guard myself when I trusted Maisie to stay with me in the front yard. Now you have to understand that Maisie is my shadow and is deeply attached to me. Regardless of what I'm doing, she's at my feet or nearby watching me or sleeping. Contrary to many Cairn personalities, she's extremely laid back and quiet!!! Well one afternoon, she took off running at full speed from me, yipping at the top of her voice in excitement. I look up to see the neighbor's cat, Tess, high tailing it across our yard, hopped the creek ditch between our yards, and across their yard they go.....towards a main busy highway!!!! I'm here to tell you "You can not trust them off the leash, regardless of how well trained they are!"

Thank you Dr Gail

I've had the pleasure of having a top quality veterinarian, Dr Gail Bushur-Irwin for several years now. She came to Newton, a small country clinic, and brought medical advances and services to our small town. We developed a friendship through our love for horses, dogs, and animals in general. Our conversations frequently start with my comparison of medical knowledge in humans to medical care in my animals "So Dr Gail, in humans we do this.....can I do this for my dogs!?" Dr Gail frequently humored me with in-depth educational responses to my questions, and fulfilled my hunger for knowledge!

I'm happy for Dr Gail, but sad to announce she is leaving our local Newton clinic at the end of August. I've had the luxury of being 2 miles from immediate emergency care and I truly appreciate the care and support that she has provided to my animals. She's received more than one tearful phone call with an "I need help" plea and she's always been a supportive friend willing to listen. She was willing to give me Dr's orders and allow me to practice my nursing knowledge and skills on my dogs and puppies, whom I love so dearly. Not many breeders have the luxury of such perfect teamwork with their veterinarian.

The good news is Dr Gail has accepted a position at Effingham, IL which is about 30 min from me, so it will still be possible to receive her care. I hope that she enjoys her next adventure. From the bottom of my heart Gail, I appreciate everything you do for us! Here's a big thank you from "all the Dow's"!

Love Ya!

Horses- Emma, Makina, Kiah, baby Mahala, Jazzy, baby Chase, and Dolly the Donkey!

Rex- the tortoise

Riley- the cat

Cairns- Keagan, Bridget, Thea, Cooper, Maggie, Chloe, Camille, Carmie, Ella, Gracie, Bentley, Libby, Rainey, Miyah, Bailie, Lanie, and Maisie!