Day 26 A.M. & P.M.

Let’s talk contract, which is really just a way to spell out expectations so that everyone is on the same page.

A breeder’s contract reflects what they value but also has to include terms required by the stud dog contract, and a good contract reflects commitment to previous generations of agreements.

A big one for any responsible breeder or stud dog owner is limiting reproductive rights on a puppy.

Why?

A lot of reasons.

Breeding well is hard and requires so much knowledge. We have a breed with health issues — knowledge matters, and it takes time and mentors to get it.

Even more — no puppy deserves to be created, raised, and sold by someone without knowledge or scruples. When dollars are the driver, puppies do not have lives like the Wildflowers.

The Wildflowers — like every other Kaibab puppy — will be required to have hips and elbows x-rayed for OFA evaluation at age two; we also ask that eyes and heart be screened as well. All results — good or bad — are to be shared in both the OFA database and BernerGarde.

I ask owners to follow our vaccination schedule and choose from a list of high quality foods; I am also fine if people want to feed raw and/or cooked homemade food (although I highly recommend using Balance It for homemade food).

Training methods are a dealbreaker for me — I require positive methods. No prong collars. No shock collars. No trainers who advocate those things. No sending away puppies for someone else to “train” — and make no mistake, those board-and-train places are typically Bad News for dogs.

We talk about death from the beginning — we require that cause of death be established and shared.

And under the Category of Circumstances Alter Cases — I want new families to agree that I may request and receive copies of veterinary records. I need to ensure I do not find myself in a situation of wondering what the actual heck just happened — and be stonewalled by a puppy owner. That is not cool.

Our puppies may not be placed or parked with another person. If something happens and they cannot stay with their family, the puppy/dog comes back to us and we will refund 100% of the purchase price. If a puppy/dog needs to be parked for a month or two due to a hard life circumstance — we are the place or we can help owners find a suitable option.

Those are a lot of “you shall” — I know. And my Perfect Sister is an attorney — my contract will have teeth.

But what I offer — in addition to a carefully-bred and raised puppy — is myself as a lifetime resource, and entrance into a wonderful, supportive community from both sides of the puppies’ pedigree.

When hard decisions need to be made, I can help you think things through — that is one of my professional specialties. Training questions? We have that covered. Need something researched? No problem. Need a referral? We have relationships and connections all over.

I spend a lot of time getting to know people up front because I want to make sure that we are on the same page, and that typically means the contract terms are just not a big deal and minor tweaks are easily managed.

I want to mention price.

I have a visceral reaction to people asking about the price of a puppy as one of their initial questions. I think that is because people should know/expect that Berner puppies are spendy, and price just should not be a primary driver of the conversation; if it is, we are done.

Most conscientious breeders I know are charging between $2500 — $3500 for a puppy. That is a lot — but it costs so much to breed these dogs well. I have always charged a little less than others — on principle — and I am doing the same with this litter.

I have debated about whether to change up the content of this post but I decided that my goal in blogging about this litter is to be transparent, and contract terms and expectations are part of the story.

The puppies are not merchandise to me — I love every one of them. And yet I cannot keep all nine. That reality — that I must send most away — weighs so heavily on my heart and mind,. and easily brings me to tears.

And because of all that — and because each of the Wildflowers matters so much — there is a contract.

Life with Dogs — it’s complicated.

EVENING: Photos from the Day

The puppies are getting to be Zoom experts — they had two sessions today and made an appearance during Zoom family cards.

The puppies had their nails dremeled again today — no issues with that. I have decided to do one paw each day and just rotate through their four feet — I will try to get a video of this tomorrow.

We have a new Heavyweight Champion!