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!

Pronunciation of "Cairn"

Have you ever wondered how Cairn is really pronounced? The correct pronunciation is [kairn] meaning a heap of stones set up as a landmark, monument, tombstone, etc. In the US, it is not pronounced "Karen" or "Karn" which are both common mispronunciations.

What's next?

I feel a little bit like I'm on a witch hunt lately! In the last 3 weeks, I've had my name used by scammer's twice with a large number of false ads trying to scam people. I've had my photo of Cooper posted multiple times and each time, puppyfind.com removes the ad and the scammer's just post them again. So in a rage of irritation, I posted the above photo with an ad describing that people should be aware of these idiots. Don't send wired money, and if there's a $1500 puppy pictured for $400 with shipping included (a $250 value), don't you think that's a little bit of a clue that something isn't right? What was funny was that within minutes of posting my photo & SCAMMER alert ad, the scam ads with Cooper's photo were removed. The African jerks must watch the website all the time. (You can probably read my frustration between the lines here! LOL)

As if it isn't enough to have people stealing your photos and scamming buyers, I've had 2 Cairn breeder websites directly plagarize my copyrighted text from my website that is all original verbage written by ME. Maybe it wasn't intentional, but just a word to those that may read this. Taking photos or text from a website that clearly states it is copyrighted, and then using the text in your 0wn website without giving recognition to the author is plagarism. The text has to have the author cited, or be original text. I don't mind if someone wants to link to my website stating "more information about..." as I do on my own website. But please don't take information and photos from my website without my permission. In my world that's just being polite but it's also a legal matter.

I don't want to be on a "witch hunt" and have to ask breeders to remove photos and text that they've taken from my website. I don't want to be offended by other breeders when they may or may not have philosophies different from my own. I just want people to be kind, polite, respectful and show compassion towards others. Is this too much in this day and world? I hope not.

First Nights Home

So you've been waiting months for this new little bundle of energy to come into your life. Then you bring them home and they poop, pee, and cry!!!! What can I do!?

The first step in successfully bringing a new puppy home is to do your homework BEFORE you pick up your puppy. Read up on training, crate training, puppy care, prepare your home for this new little arrival. It's just like having a human baby! Find out what kind of food your breeder feeds and have it purchased (along with supplies) before the puppy comes home. Ensure you have puppy proofed your home, have a schedule, and a plan. Who will be the primary trainer/care giver (needs to be an adult in the household)? If you work outside the home, who will let the puppy out to potty mid-day? What will your schedule be for crate training? What are the first few commands you should work on before puppy classes start? What type of training treats should you use? Read, plan, and prepare!

On the day you pick up your puppy, it's helpful to take a soft toy to the breeder's to rub on the siblings and/or mother for a comforting scent. There are warm puppy cuddle pals that you can warm in the microwave to give puppy a warm companion to sleep with. It may also be helpful to place something in their crate that you've worn, to comfort them with your scent after a day of bonding.

After dinner, potty time, play time, and last minute potty time again, it's bed time. Puppies sleep in a crate, not your bed. Their needs for food, and potty have been met and they are worn down and sleepy at bed time. Place them in the crate and ignore their cries to be let out and held. After 10-15min if they are still crying, firmly tell them no and ignore them. They will soon quiet down and realize crying doesn't get them out of their crate. Most puppies can hold it in the night for 6-8hrs. Taking a puppy out of the crate upon crying at bedtime teaches them all they have to do is cry, and they trained you to come get them. So as hard as it is, don't let them train you! It may be helpful to place their crate by your bed, so they know where you are.

The first few nights and weeks can be difficult with potty accidents, crying, puppy nipping, and chewing. But hang in there! It gets better! And try to enjoy those sweet snuggly puppies because just like children they grow up all too fast!

Shipping Dogs and Puppies

I get frequent questions about shipping. Is it really safe? Isn't is scary for a puppy? Is it ok to ship an adult dog? Should the dog or puppy be sedated first? Isn't it better if I travel by car 10hrs, to pick up the puppy? Are there any other options?

Shipping has become common place. It's convenient for a buyer to have the option to shop for a good breeder across the nation.

There are 2 methods for shipping, ground and air. Ground shipping would be an option for relatively close distances. But it is usually more expensive ($300 and up?) and I do not recommend it for long distances due to the time necessary for travel. We want to make transport as short as possible for a puppy.

Air shipping is the other option. It's safe, convenient, and affordable at $225-300, depending on the airline, location for shipping, and this includes the breeder's expenses. The buyer keeps the crate the puppy arrives in, which at Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers is the perfect size for crate training your puppy.

A breeder usually chooses an airline based on cost, convenience for their location, and I personally only work with a few of the top quality pet shipping services. Temperatures usually limit shipping due to extreme hot or cold conditions. Puppies can not be shipped if temps are over 85 degrees. Extreme cold temps are also hazardous. However, Conintenal airline's pet services are temp controlled even during transport to and from the airplane. Pets are either hand carried to the plane, or placed on a cart specifically for pets. They are handled with care and personel that I have met are excited to see cute puppies arrive.

Since incident reports are public knowledge, you can check on different airlines and see if they have had any issues. The reports that I read were related to a crate that was not properly secured (therfore we zip tie crates closed), or animals that were elderly or had health problems to start with.

Is shipping overly stressful to a puppy? Cairn Terrier puppies are generaly fearless little creatures. I've had them run into the garage to investigate the loud noise when Rick was sawing a piece of lumber! Most of our puppies are not bothered by traveling in cars and loud noises. Puppies are resilient creatures, learning at a very high rate, and investigating new things and their surroundings. Is it stressful to take them from their litter mates and mother? Yes, they've never been alone before so just going home is stressful. Is traveling by car vs traveling by air, or being presented with new circumstances unhealthy? NO, not in my opinion. From 8-16wks, puppies are like children in that they soak up new experiences like a sponge. I recommend exposing them to scary and loud objects like blow dryers, traveling in cars, clipping their nails, visiting with strangers (after fully vaccinated), etc. Introduce them to as many things as possible and they don't know it's any different than exploring the world they're so inquisitive about! Start them early and they don't know it any differently than normal life. So is shipping too stressful? No, not in my opinion.

Adults who have not had proper socialization or who are fearful of car travel should not be shipped. Since it is not known how a dog or puppy would react at high elevations under sedation, we never sedate an animal for shipping. If there are concerns about an adult, don't ship them. But I've never had a puppy that wasn't wagging their tail and happy to see their new family upon arrival.

For those that live 5-6hrs or more from their breeder, we do not recommend traveling by car. Frequent stops are not healthy for a puppy that is not full vaccinated before 14-16wks of age. With so many people traveling with their pets, rest areas, gas station grassy areas, and stops along the way could be contaminated with parvo, distemper, etc and your puppy can get sick and die even after 2 vaccinations. It is somtimes best to place a puppy in a crate and send them straight to their destination than to risk stops along the way by car.

Another option would be to fly to your breeder's location and pick up your puppy in person. Small dogs and puppies can be carried on to an airplane and hand carried home.

In Memory

Our Little Man June 19-August 19, 2007.

A Sad Day in the Life of a Breeder

When people tell me they want to breed to make a little extra money, I cringe and try to explain the heartache, time, and expertise involved in breeding. There is so much more that can and does happen. I had once told a fellow breeder how lucky I was. I had never even had a still born, no c-sections, no loss of puppies. She said "You will." I fully believe her now. Eventually it all happens and you're lucky if you can recognize the symptoms early and treat them appropriately for the best outcome possible.

Camille delivered in June and had 5 healthy puppies. Since she usually had puppies that were small and we had lost a couple to unexplained deaths beyond failure to thrive, I planned to treat the puppies early and vigorously. I dewormed them more than our normal protocol and started early. I also did a full 10 days of Albon when the puppies had mattery eyes and seemed to be small. In case Camille was a carrier of coccidia and she had passed it along to her puppies, we would treat them early and prevent the puppies from having any problems.

The smallest female of the litter then had an acute case of hypoglycemia at 4 1/2wks. She was tested for a liver shunt since we hadn't explored that avenue previously. We also did a fecal for parasites and coccidia. All was negative and normal and she made a recovery after 2 days of treatment by Dr Gail. Her growth continued to be stunted and she fell well behind her litter mates by failing to grow. But nothing was cuter than a 7wk old 1.1 lb puppy, with a tail going 100mi/min! We explained everything to the families waiting for puppies and planned to keep the puppies an extra week and delay their vaccination schedule by 1wk.

Yesterday, all seemed normal on the video monitor. I had been letting the dogs run, and had done some bathing and grooming. I noticed Camille's male seemed sleepy. I watched him a few minutes later and he was mopey and didn't feel good. I thought he may have been overheated and brought him in. His temp was low, and I offered him puppy formula to boost his blood sugar and he refused. I syringe fed him some formula and he vomited it back up. I then gave him subq fluids, placed him under a heat lamp to stablize his temp, and called Dr Gail. She's offered to come over and see him on her way back into town. His blood sugar was low so we supplemented him and it took 3 testings and supplementing before it came back into normal range. Everything else including his temp seemed normal except for vomiting. We left him under the heat lamp and went into the clinic to run some blood tests and get some Reglan for the vomiting. The testing came back with some slightly low electrolytes that only said that he had been vomiting. So all seemed normal and he just needed a little Reglan to settle his stomach, eat, and keep his temp and blood sugar stable through the night. The Reglan didn't help and although he was thirsty he refused to eat. I force fed him supplement to keep his blood sugar stable and since he continued to vomit all fluids, I gave him subq fluids throughout the night, every 2-3hrs.

After the 2nd dose of Reglan this morning and continued vomiting, I called Dr Gail to ask for an IV and some dextrose fluids. We took him into the clinic and she decided to explore his abdomen to ensure he didn't have an obstruction or anything. The xray and ultrasound didn't show anything abnormal and he was neg for parvo (although we didn't think that was it, at least we could rule out one more thing). We started an IV with D10 fluids. Our plan included Reglan, antibiotics, and IV fluids to get him through his vomiting. I fully expected him to perk up with the D10 and feel better soon. He was stable and resting and I laid down for a few minutes. I got up to check his IV drip rate and he had died. I felt complete shock and disbelief.

I realize most breeders don't take all the precautions and do IV drips at home. Dr Gail knows me personally and since I'm an OB nurse, she knows I'm fully capable of doing these cares for my puppies, particularly when she's not even on call and has other plans. But in the sense that in less than 24hrs, things can go very badly, this is what I want to communicate about why breeding should be left up to experienced breeders. It isn't just the knowledge of confirmation, breeding lines, and being an expert in the breed. It's about giving a life the best chance possible.

I'm tearful and it's been a very sad day. Nothing hurts more than to have to wrap up a little warm body and know you did everything possible and it still wasn't enough. Nothing is harder than to not know. Why did he die when "there is no good reason for him to feel bad". I exhaust my bank account with what some may consider extreme measures. But in my mind, this is just basic, quality care that every puppy deserves. Nothing is harder than to tell a family that the puppy that was supposed to go home on Sat has died and I have no explanation. I just try to cope the best way I know how, and give a tribute to a little guy that was part of our life for the last 8 weeks.

Now I'm headed into another long night as my son started vomiting this evening. There seems to be a virus going around that although is short lived, must be pretty contagious and causes wretched vomiting. This is child #2 to get it and we have one more to go! Nothing is worse than small children and vomiting. For some reason they don't know how to contain it in one spot, and unlike puppies you can't contain them in a crate for easy clean up. Oops...here he goes again.....gotta go!

Nigerian Scammers Update

I have just been forwarded the emails from the Nigerian scammer that is using my name, and posing as a valid seller. Thankfully the buyer saw my warning on my website!

Here's the initial reply to the buyer's inquiry about the puppy advertised on puppyfind.com.

"Dear ,
Calvary greeting to you. Regarding to your mail, i quite apreciate your interest in adolpting my little baby. I have actually been looking for a caring parent to adopt my baby. I have prayed fervently about it and I believe the lord has answered my prayer. I believe you are a God fearing person? She's a loving pet that love to play with kids, she's akc registered, recently dewormed and had all their shot up to date. The puppy is still very much available and she's here with me in West Africa, because i was posted to West Africa countries by the united state christain organisation for (Worldwide Missionary Outreach) to preach for the world. I want you to know that am not happy to give my lovely PUPPY , but i have to do these because of the weather here is harsh, am not only selling her but giving it out for someone that will take good care of the puppy for me. If you know that you are interested in adopting the puppy, send me your name,your delivery address,phone number including nearest airport and more also i will shipping her through Express Pets Delivery on next day delivery which i use in bringing her down here on next day delivery. Exactly why i am giving the puppy to you for adoption,you will be responsible for her shippment to you,which is 350 usd adoption fee ,shipping and other travelling document to avoid any delay at the airport. l feed her with Nutro's, and Eukanuba. I will like her to stay with a lovely family that will take good care of the puppy for me. kindly make sure you take along your id card to the airport when the puppy land at your nearest airport after your payment is been confirmed at the shipping desk..


Thanks

Rev Harmony Antonio"

You will notice the poor english and writing, and the fact that the word "PUPPY" has been inserted in a form type of email. They probably sell various items. I frequently get inquiries for my puppies that say "I would like to know the condition of and final price for your PUPPY" as if the word Puppy was inserted. Who in their right mind asks about the condition of and final price for a puppy? Again, NEVER wire money for merchandise or a puppy. I never respond to inquiries worded in this manner.

Spread the word, tell friends and family members about the Nigerian Scammers. If a breeder doesn't have an established website, visit in person or shop elsewhere. It isn't worth the risk.

Miyah update

I've had families ask about "The Little Puppy" and thought I'd post an update. Camille has a little female that had a very close call. At 4 1/2 wks, she suddenly became lethargic and had what we believe was hypoglycemic seizures. She spent a couple days with Dr Gail and we tested for a liver shunt, coccidia, round worms, etc and everything was normal and negative. Since she responded immediately to feeding, we attributed the attack to simple hypoglycemia. She has not grown much since then, but is doing quite well. At almost 8wks of age, she is only 1.1lbs and runs around with all the "big kids" as if she's just as big. Her tail goes 100 miles/min and she seems like a normal puppy! We will keep her and see how she grows and matures. We've named her Miyah and the kids and I are getting attached. I may have yet another that I can't give up and she'll have to be my little pocket puppy!

More scam ads

Yet, more scammers! I was alerted after someone saw my warning on my website, that they had seen my name advertising an Akita puppy on puppyfind.com. Sure enough, 5 PAGES of ads with all kinds of various breeds. Please be aware of these scams and let others know if they're searching for a new family member.
The ads had the below information attached to them.
Traci Dow
Location: Wilmington, DE, United States
Telephone: (302) 434-3200
we’re a Big breeder of quality AKC puppies, and have selected lineswith great health and disposition. Although we aren’t currentlyshowing.they love playing with toys and some other home pets.Email formore Information.

This was NOT ME!!! I have no affiliation with any breed other than Cairn Terriers. Please contact me if you see my name posted with ads other than my Cairn Terrier ad with MY information. Thank you to Michelle for alerting me to this scammer! Puppyfind removed the ads immediately upon notifying them.

Crooked Creek News and Update

Hi everyone.... I'm sorry for the absent blogs and fewer emails. It's been so incredibly busy. I've been a bit overwhelmed with losing my babysitter and having the kids, businesses, and everything on my own. It seems that everything tends to pile up at once. Please excuse the absent memory and stressed out Traci! :)

My husband has been promoted to a position with even more travel, so we will be temporarily canceling Cairn Terrier litters after the December 2007 timeframe. I've already promised puppies for the litters before then, so we will continue the schedule as planned until then. I'm unsure how our schedules are going to work out and it's becoming increasingly more difficult to make 2am runs to the airport. Although I love the visits, it's also become more difficult to allocate enough puppy visit appointments. Designer Dog Avenue has been more demanding and I've been running on super overdrive which is very tiring. I'm hoping a little vacation from breeding and a new babysitter will lift my spirits and remind me of why I love breeding and my businesses so much.

Thank you for your support. I've had friends email with concern and support, asking me not to retire from breeding. I think "a little vacation" will be just what I need.

Dangers of Invisible Fence

I get frequent questions about invisible fencing and whether it is appropriate for the Cairn Terrier. You will read that it is not appropriate for Cairns because they will accept the shock to chase a squirrel, but will not accept the shock to return to their yard. So the containment system doesn't necessarily work. What I didn't realize is the threat to your dog's safety, because it may keep your dog contained but does not prevent dogs or coyotes from entering your yard. We recently had a Cairn family member attacked at dusk in a St Louis suberb. She went out to potty and when she didn't return, her owner found her dead from a coyote attack. We do not recommend invisible fence containment systems for dogs that are left unattended. Particularly be watchful and never send your dog out to potty without supervision in the evening. Coyote attacks are common, particularly at dusk or evening hours.

Another note on fencing to prevent you from making the same mistake we did. Smaller Cairns can go through a standard picket fence. We planned an open feel to our extended yard but wanted a safety parameter for the kids and dogs. But the spacing is too wide for most of our Cairns and although they have a huge fenced yard, the acres beyond are always more interesting! I would recommend solid fence panels set at ground level. Cairns should then have supervision since they love to dig and may find a way under the fence if they get too bored.