The Designer Dog Canidae CLUB is ready for membership! We offer a 3 month, 6 month or 1yr membership with no sign up fee. By signing up, you will receive automatic delivery of your choice of Canidae dog or cat food on a schedule that meets your needs. The longer your membership, the higher percentage of savings on food, shipping, and all purchases at Designer Dog Avenue.com. Visit Designer Dog Avene for details. Order the membership that fits your needs online, free of charge. I'll then contact you to set up your first shipment and complete your membership. Don't worry about the details like frequency of delivery. We can adjust the shipping timeline as needed.
For example: Order a 6 month membership. Choose Canidae All Life Stages, 20lbs, to be delivered every 2 weeks. We'll keep your credit card on file and will complete your order for you and ship it every 2 weeks. You receive 10% off Canidae and only pay actual shipping fees (with our volume discounts) saving you 35% on shipping. For a 20lb bag of food shipped to MO, it's $8.99 with the discounts. Normally it would be over $13 and any small package such as a collar/lead is usually $10-11. If you run out of Canidae early or need to delay a week, email us and we'll be happy to accomodate you. If you need shampoo and some Dry Dog, place your order online with your Membership coupon code, for a 10% discount on all Designer Dog Avenue purchases! We'll throw it in with your Canidae and only charge once for actually shipping costs. So not only are you saving 10% on ALL purchases, but you get shipping for one of your orders Free.
With more premium brands of dog food continuing to be recalled with rice concentrate contamination, it's getting even more scary! I have confirmed with Canidae that they do not import any ingredients for their dog and cat foods. It's comforting to know that they have remained a safe food to feed your dog or cat despite such a tramatizing time of industry recalls.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Too Cute Puppies
We took photos this morning of the puppies playing in the yard. These are Lacey's male puppies. We now have available 3rd choice of the males. Aren't they cute!? I never get enough of puppies!
Friday, April 27, 2007
CKRH - Toto Casting Call News Release
Photo by Traci DowCrooked Creek Cairn Terriers & Designer Dog Avenue
Newton, Illinois
April 26, 2007
News Release: Central Kentucky Riding for Hope
Lexington, KY
Cappy Tosetti (859) 256-0025 Cell: (623) 810-2090
cappy@fastq.com
Toto Casting Call
Excitement is in the air as everyone with Central Kentucky Riding for Hope in Lexington, Kentucky gets ready to follow the yellow brick road at this year’s Night of the Stars Gala Benefit Auction on June 16th at the Keene Barn at Keeneland. This year’s theme is: The Wizard of Oz.
What would Oz be without little Toto at Dorothy’s side? It’s only natural that a perky pooch be part of the festivities, so a special search is on the way to find just the right dog to reign supreme. This will take place at the:
Toto Casting Call
Sunday morning, May 20th - 11:30 am
during the 21st Running of the High Hope Steeplechase.
(check-in time is 11:00am for Toto hopefuls).
Kentucky Horse Park – Race Grounds
(where the Terrier Races & Children’s Activities & Arts & Crafts take place)
In the film, Toto was a dark brindle Cairn terrier, but the invitation is open to all small canines, especially Cairns, Norwich terriers or any other scruffy little pooch. The judges will make the final decision based on: appearance, personality and patience (the ability to be held in a stranger’s arms) and a brief comment by the owner on why they believe their dog should receive the honor.
There’s no fee to enter – the only cost is the $25 (per car) parking/event fee at High Hope which benefits Central Kentucky Riding for Hope, The Secretariat Center and other local charities. Every dog entering the contest will get a blue ribbon and a certificate of participation, plus an opportunity to win an array of doggie door prizes awarded during the fun. The event will be held outside in the grassy area by the terrier races. It’s a good idea to bring a lawn chair to watch the festivities and have a fun tailgate party!
The winning canine will be awarded a dazzling trophy, a big basket chockfull of treats, pet supplies and gift certificates donated by animal-loving individuals and pet related businesses and associations. His/her family will also receive four tickets to The Night of the Stars to enjoy the royal treatment and festivities watching their precious pooch bask in the glory of the evening. Lots of surprises in store!
Central Kentucky Riding for Hope is a non-profit organization that provides horse-
back riding for therapeutic purposes and social and recreational activities located at the Kentucky Horse Park. Dedicated volunteers and gentle horses help individuals of all ages with a wide range of disabilities to develop self-esteem, confidence, coordination and a sense of achievement while learning horsemanship and riding principles. For more information on Central Kentucky Riding for Hope and The Night of the Stars: http://www.ckrh.org/ (859)231-7066
Toto Casting Call
For more information:
Cappy Tosetti
Casting Call Coordinator
(859) 256-0025
cappy@fastq.com
A special thank you to everyone with the High Hope Steeplechase for opening their hearts and hospitality to CKRH – for their continuous support and kindness, and for sharing the day so Toto can be discovered and honored. For more information:
(859) 967-9444 http://www.highhopesteeplechase.com/
More thanks to everyone cheering on this search for Toto, especially those generous individuals, businesses and associations donating gifts and services for all the door prizes that will be awarded, plus the goodies going into the winning pooch’s gift basket. There’s still room for more. Please contact Cappy Tosetti for donation information.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Canidae Dog Food Photography
Libby's puppy posed as the "official Canidae spokesman". LOL He jumped right in, eating away, so it's "Crooked Creek Cairn Terrier approved"! I thought he was too cute in the gourmet shot, so wanted to share the behind the scenes! The All Life Stages Formula has been added to the website. By signing up for the Designer Dog Avenue Canidae Club, you will save on the purchase price and receive discounted shipping rates. We also plan to offer Designer Dog Avenue discounts as an incentive to join our club. The more customers we're able to sign up, the more savings we can pass along. Canidae is not effected by any of the industry recalls and their canned formulas will be added to Designer Dog Avenue soon.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Nutrition and Canidae Dog Food
With the recent recalls for foods containing gluten, I’ve made my nutritional research a priority. I’ve read about dog nutrition and what brands to recommend to my puppy customers. I’ve spoke to my veterinarian, read and researched various diets, including RAW diets, and nothing seemed to make more sense than what I already recommended. It wasn’t until recently when I read 2 articles that were congruent, both scoring beneficial brands of dog foods, and I began searching for a more holistic dog food with quality ingredients.
I knew from previous research that a dog’s diet should contain mainly protein and carbohydrates, with added vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. In looking at a dog food, read the first 3 ingredients, which should contain quality proteins and carbohydrates. Corn, wheat, gluten, and soy are generally inferior sources of protein. They are often difficult to digest and to use by the body. They can also cause GI problems. Meat and bone meal can contain an unknown quantity of bone, which is an inferior protein, as well as by-products. Preservatives can be harmful, as well as artificial dyes. Look for powerful health promoting ingredients such as probiotics, antioxidants, chelated minerals, and vegetables.
With this information I found that several foods had been scored by starting with 10 points and deducting 1 point for each unfavorable ingredient or lack of health- promoting ingredients. The scoring for brands that I recommended was as follows: Science Diet: 4, Iams: 5, and Eukanuba: 4. This shocked me as I recommend these premium foods and yet they only scored 4-5 out of 10! The article was published by a holistic food company, so I thought they had published results in their favor to boost their own sales. I continued searching.
Another article scored multiple brands of foods on a scale of 100.
How to grade your dog's food: Start with a grade of 100: 1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points 2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points 3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points 4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points 5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewerâs rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points 6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points 7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points 8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points 9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points 10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points 11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points 12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points 13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isnât allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points 14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isnât allergic to beef), subtract 1 point 15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point Extra Credit: 1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points 2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points 3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points 4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points 5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points 6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points 7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points 8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points 9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points 10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point 11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point 12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point 13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point 14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point
94-100+ = A 86-93 = B 78-85 = C 70-77 = D <70>Alpo Prime Cuts / Score 81 C Canidae / Score 112 A+ Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+ Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A Diamond Performance / Score 85 C Eukanuba Adult / Score 81 C Eukanuba Puppy / Score 79 C Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D Innova Dog / Score 114 A+ Innova Evo / Score 114 A+ Innova Large Breed Puppy / Score 122 A+ Nature’s Recipe / Score 100 A Nature’s Recipe Healthy Skin Venison and Rice / Score 116 A+ Nature’s Variety Raw Instinct / Score 122 A+ Nutra Nuggets Super Premium Lamb Meal and Rice / Score 81 C Nutrience Junior Medium Breed Puppy / Score 101 A+ Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B Nutro Max Adult / Score 93 B Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice / Score 98 A Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Wheat Free / Score 86 B Nutro Natural Choice Senior / Score 95 A Nutro Ultra Adult / Score 104 A+ Purina Benful / Score 17 F Purina Dog / Score 62 F Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F Purina One Large Breed Puppy / Score 62 F Royal Canin Boxer / Score 103 A+ Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+ Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+ Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
(partial list, less common brands ommitted)
Although Diamonds Naturals scored in the 90’s, I had previously fed their Maintenance (scored 64) and puppy formula. The recalls associated with gluten, and poor beneficial scoring has led me to search for a food that I felt was reasonably priced but offered the most nutritional value. Wheat and corn are often culprits in allergies, and since Cairns are prone to allergies, I’ve sought a food that would be least likely to be a culprit. I’ve been the most impressed with Canidae dog food which scores A+ 112. The Life Stages formula is appropriate for puppies, adults, working, and seniors. Its ingredients are human grade with essential vitamins and minerals and mixed tocopherols as natural preservatives. Its holistic and herbal formula has 4 meat meals in the first 7 ingredients: chicken, turkey, lamb, and fish. The other 2 ingredients in the first 7 are brown rice and white rice. If your dog is sensitive to different meats they also offer single meat formulas. What I like in the life stages formula is that it contains 10 skin and coat conditioners, balanced Omega 6 and 3 Fatty Acids and is also contains guaranteed digestive enzymes.
The next recommendation that I make is whatever you feed your dog, make it convenient. I’ve searched to find that Canidae is only offered through boutiques and select stores. So I’ve solved that issue for my Cairn customers as well! Our online boutique Designer Dog Avenue.com will not only carry the food to be ordered online and shipped to your door, but we will be offering a program to offer a 10 % discount for customers who sign up for scheduled delivery on a continuous basis! We’ll offer Designer Dog Avenue coupons, and discounts for our upcoming Designer Dog Avenue line of gourmet dog treats and training treats. The program will be value added while being the most convenient, high quality nutrition available! It’s taken a lot to convince me to change my feeding program, but I’m so excited about Canidae and am glad to share with my friends at Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers and Designer Dog Avenue!!
Stay tuned in the following 1-3 weeks as the programs mentioned are launched. Please email traci@designerdogavenue.com to sign up for more information upon availability.
I knew from previous research that a dog’s diet should contain mainly protein and carbohydrates, with added vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. In looking at a dog food, read the first 3 ingredients, which should contain quality proteins and carbohydrates. Corn, wheat, gluten, and soy are generally inferior sources of protein. They are often difficult to digest and to use by the body. They can also cause GI problems. Meat and bone meal can contain an unknown quantity of bone, which is an inferior protein, as well as by-products. Preservatives can be harmful, as well as artificial dyes. Look for powerful health promoting ingredients such as probiotics, antioxidants, chelated minerals, and vegetables.
With this information I found that several foods had been scored by starting with 10 points and deducting 1 point for each unfavorable ingredient or lack of health- promoting ingredients. The scoring for brands that I recommended was as follows: Science Diet: 4, Iams: 5, and Eukanuba: 4. This shocked me as I recommend these premium foods and yet they only scored 4-5 out of 10! The article was published by a holistic food company, so I thought they had published results in their favor to boost their own sales. I continued searching.
Another article scored multiple brands of foods on a scale of 100.
How to grade your dog's food: Start with a grade of 100: 1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points 2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points 3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points 4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points 5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewerâs rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points 6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points 7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points 8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points 9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points 10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points 11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points 12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points 13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isnât allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points 14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isnât allergic to beef), subtract 1 point 15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point Extra Credit: 1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points 2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points 3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points 4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points 5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points 6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points 7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points 8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points 9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points 10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point 11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point 12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point 13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point 14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point
94-100+ = A 86-93 = B 78-85 = C 70-77 = D <70>Alpo Prime Cuts / Score 81 C Canidae / Score 112 A+ Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+ Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A Diamond Performance / Score 85 C Eukanuba Adult / Score 81 C Eukanuba Puppy / Score 79 C Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D Innova Dog / Score 114 A+ Innova Evo / Score 114 A+ Innova Large Breed Puppy / Score 122 A+ Nature’s Recipe / Score 100 A Nature’s Recipe Healthy Skin Venison and Rice / Score 116 A+ Nature’s Variety Raw Instinct / Score 122 A+ Nutra Nuggets Super Premium Lamb Meal and Rice / Score 81 C Nutrience Junior Medium Breed Puppy / Score 101 A+ Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B Nutro Max Adult / Score 93 B Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice / Score 98 A Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Wheat Free / Score 86 B Nutro Natural Choice Senior / Score 95 A Nutro Ultra Adult / Score 104 A+ Purina Benful / Score 17 F Purina Dog / Score 62 F Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F Purina One Large Breed Puppy / Score 62 F Royal Canin Boxer / Score 103 A+ Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+ Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+ Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
(partial list, less common brands ommitted)
Although Diamonds Naturals scored in the 90’s, I had previously fed their Maintenance (scored 64) and puppy formula. The recalls associated with gluten, and poor beneficial scoring has led me to search for a food that I felt was reasonably priced but offered the most nutritional value. Wheat and corn are often culprits in allergies, and since Cairns are prone to allergies, I’ve sought a food that would be least likely to be a culprit. I’ve been the most impressed with Canidae dog food which scores A+ 112. The Life Stages formula is appropriate for puppies, adults, working, and seniors. Its ingredients are human grade with essential vitamins and minerals and mixed tocopherols as natural preservatives. Its holistic and herbal formula has 4 meat meals in the first 7 ingredients: chicken, turkey, lamb, and fish. The other 2 ingredients in the first 7 are brown rice and white rice. If your dog is sensitive to different meats they also offer single meat formulas. What I like in the life stages formula is that it contains 10 skin and coat conditioners, balanced Omega 6 and 3 Fatty Acids and is also contains guaranteed digestive enzymes.
The next recommendation that I make is whatever you feed your dog, make it convenient. I’ve searched to find that Canidae is only offered through boutiques and select stores. So I’ve solved that issue for my Cairn customers as well! Our online boutique Designer Dog Avenue.com will not only carry the food to be ordered online and shipped to your door, but we will be offering a program to offer a 10 % discount for customers who sign up for scheduled delivery on a continuous basis! We’ll offer Designer Dog Avenue coupons, and discounts for our upcoming Designer Dog Avenue line of gourmet dog treats and training treats. The program will be value added while being the most convenient, high quality nutrition available! It’s taken a lot to convince me to change my feeding program, but I’m so excited about Canidae and am glad to share with my friends at Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers and Designer Dog Avenue!!
Stay tuned in the following 1-3 weeks as the programs mentioned are launched. Please email traci@designerdogavenue.com to sign up for more information upon availability.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Puppy Update and Nutrition
I'm delayed in taking pictures and keeping everyone updated on these adorable puppies by Libby & Lacey... we've been fighting sickness since Easter. Now the kids are getting it also, so it's delaying things here. I'll be posting new photos of the puppies today. I'm working as I'm able, on some exciting updates. I've got information on nutrition after a lot of research, and we've decided to change brands of dog food that we feed at Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers. I'll be posting not only some information on nutrition, but why we're choosing Canidae all natural dog food. I'm excited to be offering the product line through our site Designer Dog Avenue.com! We're also excited to be well on our way of our own Designer Dog Avenue gourmet dog treats that are all natural, human grade ingredients, no preservatives, AND corn and wheat free! We will start with 3 flavors of treats, are formulating a training treat, and fancy bakery items too! My dogs have fully enjoyed this recipe experimentation phase! You can expect to see the treat line appear on Designer Dog Avenue.com in about 3-4 weeks. It will also be available at select boutiques. Canidae dog foods will appear in about 1 week or sooner, with a dog food program available soon. Stay tuned! It's taken a lot to convince me to change my feeding program, so you can tell I'm excited! :)
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Stripping Cairn Terriers
Stripping is the single most confusing part of the Cairn Terrier breed! I get more questions about it and have had more questions myself! The process involves pulling the dead hair and leaving the new hair in the coat. The correct way to strip a coat is by hand, between your thumb and forefinger. The problem is that individual Cairns are so different! Some coats can be rolled. This means that on a continuous basis, you pull out the longest hairs and a new coat is constantly growing in underneath. This is an easy process and they continually have a coat length of 2-3" over their body. But not all coats grow in this manner. Most of my Cairns have to be stripped completely once a year. This involves the coat growing out to a long length and in the Spring, with natural shedding timelines, the coat becomes loose and you pull all the hard coat out, leaving an undercoat. Very rarely will they have their new coat already growing in underneath, but that is my preference. The hard coat then grows back in course and beautiful again. For the head, I like that nice round shaped face, and I use thinning shears or scissors and trim the hair in a circle around their face, the length of the ears. I then strip the hair completely off the outer 1/3 of the ear. Show grooming is a different story. It involves completely stripping different zones, and letting the hair grow out with about 6wks between zones. It takes about 6 months for the process to be complete. I never completely strip the head because they look so funny without their head hair. Since I don't currently show, and with my breeding bitches who blow their coat after whelping, I have to keep them looking as cute as possible while dealing with the hormonal changes. Another reason why spayed/neutered pets are wonderful! Rumor is that Col Potter Cairn Rescue network is working on a stripping/grooming video. That's something I've wanted to do for a long time but don't feel expert enough to let people watch me! LOL So when it comes available, I'll publicize it. In the meantime, keep plucking! :)
Buy from a Reputable Breeder
So you've decided the Cairn Terrier breed fits what you are looking for, and you're committed to a new addition despite the hard work, sleepless nights, chewed up furniture, potty training, etc. You've begun reading up on obedience training, crate training, and are ready to look for a new addition.
Consider if a puppy or adult would work best for your family. By skipping the puppy stages, sometimes an adult is easier to house train and accept as a new addition. The Cairn breed adapts well so rescue or retired breeding adults make wonderful companions. Col Potter Cairn Terrier rescue is a thorough reputable organization that places Cairns across the US and Canada. Breeders often have healthy adults ready for retirement at 4-7 yrs of age, which makes a mature companion with many good years left to offer. Expect to pay $300-650 for an adult adoption fee. This fee assists adoption agencies and ensures that someone can't profit from the adoption of adults. It isn't as much about the money as it is intended to ensure that a responsible buyer is serious about the commitment. Free dogs are subject to scammers who pretend to be a good home and then sell the animal for lab experimentation.
If a puppy is what you are looking for, ensure that you purchase a puppy from an ethical reputable breeder. Ethics involve the code of ethics for breeders. There is purpose and intent in their breeding program, to increase quality and health of the breed. They are very familiar with their lines, where they came from, and where they are going. Health disorders are tracked from the dogs they are breeding, the lines they come from, and the offspring they produce. They provide quality care to the adults and puppies, ensure that the puppies go to quality forever homes, and are responsible to the lives of the puppies and dogs they produce.
Reputable breeders mean that they have a history of providing good quality care, and good customer service. They will have happy customers and quality references including a veterinarian that they work very closely with. A reputable breeder doesn't have to have a 20yr history, everyone has to start sometime. But a reputable breeder is knowledgable, educates, is a good communicator, and their top priority is the quality placement of their animals. They should be well aware of the health disorders within the breed. They should educate the buyer about the breed, and assist families in making good decisions about purchasing a Cairn Terrier. The breed is not meant for everyone and the key to a successful match is to understand the expectations of the buyer. Reputable breeders often have waiting lists and you should expect to pay $600-1500 depending on the puppy.
When inquiring with a breeder, be prepared with your list of questions and first offer information about yourself, what you are looking for, and what your expectations are in adopting a new family member. Do you have children or what is your life stage? Do you work outside the home and if you do, are you able to drop in at home to let the puppy out mid-day? What is your experience with dogs? What breeds have you had previously and was it successful? Are you prepared to attend obedience classes and offer quality time to your new addition? Take time to talk with the breeder and expect a reputable breeder to be involved in this process. If they only push the sale of a puppy without educating or understanding the home you will provide, they are not the right breeder for you.
How do you find a reputable ethical breeder? Many of the classifieds are full of back yard breeders (breeders who only breed 1 male and 1 female pet and aren't knowledgable or have a breeding program). Scammers also steal photos from breeders and pose as a seller on those sites. You'll find lots of puppies posted, but expect to take a lot of time investigating to see if they are reputable ethical breeders. Research sites that have standing breeder ads and not just single puppy ads. Puppy Dog Web.com is paid advertising for breeders. Breeders.net is a site that allows you to search for puppies by breed and zip code, to find a breeder nearest you. The American Kennel Club AKC.org has breeder classifieds, but the ads are taken out upon a litter being born, and I never use their ads because my puppies are already sold at that point in time (expect breeders to have a waiting list). Once you find a breeder that you like, investigate the timeline for puppy availability. Sometimes there will be a puppy available, other times you may have to wait several months. Even planned litters are sometimes changed by nature, so be flexible and understanding of what breeders can't control. If they don't have puppies available, ask if they have friends who may have puppies available. Ethical reputable breeders often know other breeders or have friends that they would recommend. Although they will not tell you the horror stories about a particular kennel or talk about other breeders, if someone were to approach me and say they were looking at a particular kennel, and ask if that would be a good one, I may discretely tell them to keep looking.
For more information about the code of ethics and breeders, visit my web page. http://www.crookedcreekcairnterriers.com/?pageid=56068
Consider if a puppy or adult would work best for your family. By skipping the puppy stages, sometimes an adult is easier to house train and accept as a new addition. The Cairn breed adapts well so rescue or retired breeding adults make wonderful companions. Col Potter Cairn Terrier rescue is a thorough reputable organization that places Cairns across the US and Canada. Breeders often have healthy adults ready for retirement at 4-7 yrs of age, which makes a mature companion with many good years left to offer. Expect to pay $300-650 for an adult adoption fee. This fee assists adoption agencies and ensures that someone can't profit from the adoption of adults. It isn't as much about the money as it is intended to ensure that a responsible buyer is serious about the commitment. Free dogs are subject to scammers who pretend to be a good home and then sell the animal for lab experimentation.
If a puppy is what you are looking for, ensure that you purchase a puppy from an ethical reputable breeder. Ethics involve the code of ethics for breeders. There is purpose and intent in their breeding program, to increase quality and health of the breed. They are very familiar with their lines, where they came from, and where they are going. Health disorders are tracked from the dogs they are breeding, the lines they come from, and the offspring they produce. They provide quality care to the adults and puppies, ensure that the puppies go to quality forever homes, and are responsible to the lives of the puppies and dogs they produce.
Reputable breeders mean that they have a history of providing good quality care, and good customer service. They will have happy customers and quality references including a veterinarian that they work very closely with. A reputable breeder doesn't have to have a 20yr history, everyone has to start sometime. But a reputable breeder is knowledgable, educates, is a good communicator, and their top priority is the quality placement of their animals. They should be well aware of the health disorders within the breed. They should educate the buyer about the breed, and assist families in making good decisions about purchasing a Cairn Terrier. The breed is not meant for everyone and the key to a successful match is to understand the expectations of the buyer. Reputable breeders often have waiting lists and you should expect to pay $600-1500 depending on the puppy.
When inquiring with a breeder, be prepared with your list of questions and first offer information about yourself, what you are looking for, and what your expectations are in adopting a new family member. Do you have children or what is your life stage? Do you work outside the home and if you do, are you able to drop in at home to let the puppy out mid-day? What is your experience with dogs? What breeds have you had previously and was it successful? Are you prepared to attend obedience classes and offer quality time to your new addition? Take time to talk with the breeder and expect a reputable breeder to be involved in this process. If they only push the sale of a puppy without educating or understanding the home you will provide, they are not the right breeder for you.
How do you find a reputable ethical breeder? Many of the classifieds are full of back yard breeders (breeders who only breed 1 male and 1 female pet and aren't knowledgable or have a breeding program). Scammers also steal photos from breeders and pose as a seller on those sites. You'll find lots of puppies posted, but expect to take a lot of time investigating to see if they are reputable ethical breeders. Research sites that have standing breeder ads and not just single puppy ads. Puppy Dog Web.com is paid advertising for breeders. Breeders.net is a site that allows you to search for puppies by breed and zip code, to find a breeder nearest you. The American Kennel Club AKC.org has breeder classifieds, but the ads are taken out upon a litter being born, and I never use their ads because my puppies are already sold at that point in time (expect breeders to have a waiting list). Once you find a breeder that you like, investigate the timeline for puppy availability. Sometimes there will be a puppy available, other times you may have to wait several months. Even planned litters are sometimes changed by nature, so be flexible and understanding of what breeders can't control. If they don't have puppies available, ask if they have friends who may have puppies available. Ethical reputable breeders often know other breeders or have friends that they would recommend. Although they will not tell you the horror stories about a particular kennel or talk about other breeders, if someone were to approach me and say they were looking at a particular kennel, and ask if that would be a good one, I may discretely tell them to keep looking.
For more information about the code of ethics and breeders, visit my web page. http://www.crookedcreekcairnterriers.com/?pageid=56068
How to Find a Reputable Breeder
So you've decided the Cairn Terrier is a good fit for your family, and have considered the commitment despite the hard work. You're prepared for sleepless nights, teething, potty training, and have began to read about the subjects in preparation for a new family member. Consider if you are better suited to a puppy or an adult. Adults are available through rescue organizations such as Col Potter Cairn Terrier Rescue. Breeders often have adults available upon breeding retirement, and they make wonderful pets. But if you're interested in finding a puppy, ensure that you only buy from reputable, ethical breeders. We know the horrible conditions that dogs in puppy mills endure. The only goal for a puppy mill is to produce puppies for a profit. As a breeder I will tell you that they have to sacrifice the dog's care to make a profit. The dogs are housed in less than ideal and sometimes abusive conditions. They don't track health disorders or even breed to benefit the health of the breed. So puppies are produced in unhealthy conditions, and are sold to brokers who then sell to pet stores. Although some pet stores attempt to place the puppies in an appropriate manner, they are still not tracking the health disorders back to the breeding animals, to correct the lines of breeding. If I sell a puppy to a family and a puppy develops a disorder, I'm looking at that breeding bitch and dog to see if it is hereditary and if it is, I don't breed them to each other again. That connection of communication is so important!
April News at Crooked Creek
There is lots going on at Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers these days. Lacey's puppies are growing and just got their eyes all open. They still sleep most of the time, but are filling out and doing well. Lacey is back to her normal self after her surgery and is happy go lucky. Libby's puppies are starting to get playful in a clumsy manner. They're still very much like infants, sleeping a lot. But they're growing and looking more like little Cairn puppies every day. Rainey is breeding for her June litter. We're still waiting for something to happen with Camille or Maggie!
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