Ayer's Longcoat German Shepherds
I have seen on the internet a breeder who speaks poorly of breeders using foster programs -
which most all of the long coat breeders use.
which most all of the long coat breeders use.
The point of this page is to defend only my program. I take full responsibility for what I say and do.
People who know me sometimes say that I "tend to tell people too much". lol! I wanted to share this for my credibility for my program.
Foster program practice has been around for many, many, years primarily with show people,
professional breeders, trainers and with handlers and judges.
professional breeders, trainers and with handlers and judges.
I never did sell many pups for breeding and I stopped selling any pups for breeding in Nov. 2002,
for our puppies welfare.
In my foster program, so far I have had 1 litter by Fancy that produced 2 puppies. I have not used any of my foster males. 12/27/07
I believe that most all breeders who do sell dogs for breeding to the general public do it for the extra money they can charge for breeding dogs, not for the welfare of their pup.
The main reason I sell my pups on not for breeding contracts is to protect my pups from going to breeders who may not be responsible/concerned about trying to help with pet overpopulation and sell puppies for breeding to just anyone/others who may not be concerned about pet over population either! or may even be brokers!! - both just perpetuating the problem! Also so pups would not go to breeders who may just leave their breeding dogs in kennels forever or even tied up to a doghouse, ...etc! The second main reason I sell my pups on not for breeding contracts is to protect the health of my pups(ex: like so my girls are not being bred every heat cycle of their life) as well as well as the integrity of my own lines.
Some about my foster program:
We coheres no one to be in our program! lol! I spend many, many hours explaining to people the program to make sure they know all the details. For all three of the families I have placed pups/dogs with, I spoke to each one for no less than 4 months! before they got a puppy. People are very happy and very excited who get accepted.
There is no constraints in my county to number of dogs one can own.
I pay all expenses related to breeding, whelping and raising a litter.
I have no dogs out of the United States except in Canada.
I have a detailed foster guidelines/contract as well as a non-breeding and informative health guarantee for new puppy owners.
I support anyone who Fosters anytime day or night as well as puppy owners.
I will pay, more than fairly, people in my program who raise a litter for 6 weeks even if I whelp and raise the puppies and care for the momma.
I pay all expenses related to breeding, whelping, as well as raising the puppies.
Fostering doesnt get me off the hook for plenty of hard work since sometimes I will whelp the litter at my home, care for and raise the puppies as well as having the foster temporarily at my home. If I am not whelping the litter here I will be caring for the other half of the breeding pair- the mom or the dad, sometimes driving far distances to vets, and to meet fosters, responding to phone call inquiries to find great homes for the puppies, record keeping, registering litters, carrying the health guarantee, mentoring the Fosters who need help, or going to fosters home to help whelp if they are close enough, having families come to my home to receive their puppy, researching pedigrees & health concerns, business records, taxes, as well as, taking care of all my other dogs, continual cleaning, and on and on and on!
I know how my foster dogs are raised as some of the pups/dogs that go to foster I raised, I have frequent phone chats w/ fosters, sometimes my fosters come to visit me with their foster dog or I will be meeting them with their dog for AI's etc. I had Fancy back here just a month ago while her wonderful family (foster) went on vacation. Another wonderful foster mom just drove 7 hours today to come to visit and brought her boy for me to see! Yes, I certainly do completely trust my fosters as to what they tell me about their dog as they are equally concerned about their dog whether they whelp a litter or not.
My fosters have either whelped puppies before or are committed to learning all they can about breeding.
My clients are all aware if the mom or dad is in a foster home.
My dogs, as of now, are not studded out and this is NO form of studding out my dogs - to breed with my own dogs! lol!
These practices are not remotely similar to backyard or commercial breeding practices, with no
true concern for the dog,- or puppies, placed only for financial rewards. Most BYB or breeders selling to brokers or pets stores would never go to anywhere near the trouble my fosters do as well as myself!!! - driving great distances, vets every other day for progesterone testing, etc. as well as the great expense! (their main concern would be the $), going to theriogenologists(reproductive specialists) saving semen, shipping semen, etc, etc.
true concern for the dog,- or puppies, placed only for financial rewards. Most BYB or breeders selling to brokers or pets stores would never go to anywhere near the trouble my fosters do as well as myself!!! - driving great distances, vets every other day for progesterone testing, etc. as well as the great expense! (their main concern would be the $), going to theriogenologists(reproductive specialists) saving semen, shipping semen, etc, etc.
I support my dogs and last year spent $44,000! on their care and on the business last year.
Since I feed the best dog food there is, Innnova and raw as well, their food alone was over $14,000. As far as financial rewards I made only $11,526.00 last year!, and will be way less this year as I have only had 14 puppies in 1 year come this September.
Considering what I do here working at least 18 hours a day and many many days 20 hours a day and on many, many, occasions - 40 hours straight with no sleep! Staying up all night one night and going to sleep the next night about 2 am. That is not much of a financial reward. Less than $1,000.00 month! People who come to meet me know as far as making money, my only concern is to make enough to enable me to be able to be home to care for my dogs - to be able to pay basic living expenses and all the rest for me to be able to give quality care to my dogs and run my business.
I am a licensed breeder to pay state and federal taxes! (NOT USDA!)
I will mentor, support and educate any foster who needs it.
When my dogs are retired they must be spayed.
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Some of these dogs are my forever pets, and some are my forever breeding dogs as well as my forever pets. Any others that one day will be retired to another home are my forever loved puppers and are treated the same as my forever pets.
Usually it is only new breeders who do not have much actual experience yet who claim they will keep all of their breeding dogs at their home when they retire. Time will tell.... As much as we may want to, most breeders can not keep all of their retired dogs at their home and still be able to replace them with new breeding dogs in order to be able to continue breeding. I will keep many of my retired dogs here but certainly and unfortunately I can not keep them all and be able to continue breeding. As of now I have 1 rescue as well as 5 retired dogs at my home.
A note from my foster mom:
Fostering Fancy has been a most unique experience that has provided for us the dog of a lifetime without breaking the bank on a purebred that we couldn't afford otherwise. With 2 small kids and college to save for, paying full price wasn't an option for us. Spending lots of time with breeding, puppies, and vet care was way worth what we got in return. A dog with a history, personality, and loving nature unlike going to a pound and getting something that could potentially harm our kids with an unknown past.
I will be back from my trip next month. Can we plan on possibly coming to see you and Pippi then? It would be a true blessing to have a suitable companion for our girl Fancy and addition to our home. Just let me know if it's still an option. Fancy likes riding in the car every morning to take the kids to school and still continues to try and play ball with our cat who just isn't interested. She really needs a friend to hang out with. :-)
Melissa H.
Mother, Wife, & Student
Beware of puppies being sold at high prices without health and hip guarantees.
Please be cautious and do your home work if you are thinking of purchasing a puppy from any breeder who does not stand behind their contractual agreements/and health guarantees.
Asking other breeders is one way to see if a new breeder has or has established a great reputation amongst their peers in the business, as well as calling references.
If anyone would like references from me I do not pick and choose who's number I will give out. A person contacting me may pick 'any' puppy off of my site and I will give them the puppy owners phone #.
If I ever was to stop breeding I would still have too many dogs as I would try to keep most here. As much as I love my other lines as well, my Daisy lines have to stay. But anyway that is why I would like to get a few less dogs here so I can spend more individual time with my beloved puppers. I am getting older - they are getting older, minus my new girls. I breed to feed and care for them all and so and so I can be here to feed and care for them all! No more, no less. And that is partially why I want to foster some pups, so I dont ever loose my lines and to keep them available for my family.
My future plans are to be able to spend more time with my family and with my dogs. I may start doing photography and possibly sell matted prints on line, as well as keeping a few girls here for breeding to help feed and vet, etc, keeping some of my retired girls and boys & to be here for my fosters, and to work with my fosters - if I am lucky enough to find another perfect foster family.
When trying to find a breeder - use your own common sense! Trust your own instincts.
Each day 10,000 humans are born in the US - and each day 70,000 puppies and kittens are born.
As long as these birth rates exist, there will never be enough homes for all the animals. As a result,
every year 4 to 6 million animals are euthanized because there are no homes for them.
http://www.doghause.com/index.asp (6-8 million)
every year 4 to 6 million animals are euthanized because there are no homes for them.
http://www.doghause.com/index.asp (6-8 million)
If this isnt enough to make breeders think about selling breeding dogs to people just to make more money, then what is? Sandy
304-384-8884
This page was last updated on: April 16, 2008
Most breeders know and agree that if one has much over 5-7 dogs, they cant possibly all be given enough attention that our dogs do soooo deserve! (Time spent with them - which is love, is what they desire most!)- not time while we are working too- or when we can fit in a bit of time! Most breeders start out small and do have time in the begining for many outings with - and just to enjoy, their dogs. Because some of us love our dogs sooo much, it is very hard for us to let them go and over the years we aquire more plus then some of us keep retired dogs too. For each new dog that comes - there is less time for all the others. Some just get more dogs solely for monetary reasons. I have told many of my customers that I truely believe I should not even be a breeder as I do struggle too hard letting my pups go! Maybe physical needs like food, water, shelter, grooming, elimination, etc. can be taken care of. Put that with the vets, business, phone calls, and computer, etc. and that does not leave too much time for us just ' to be' with our dogs- to just spend time with them enjoying them & individually as well.
My dogs are with me every minute of the day and night but so much the time IS spent working. I want very much to be able to get back to where most of my time is spent enjoying my dogs and small amount of time spent 'dog' working! Everyone who knows me or who has gotten a pup from me knows I have always bred for my own personal satisfaction and emotional rewards - selling of puppies was strictly to fund be being able to care for all the dogs that I wanted to keep here for myself, to never loose my lines(my biggest fear), and to be able to be here to care for them. This venture never turned out to be monetarily successful. But my heart soars with pride from the puppies that came from my pupper dogs as well as from the families I have been able to make sooo happy. I have plans now to keep doing this for myself, so I dont ever loose my 'so precious to me' lines, but on a smaller scale. Thank You Wonderful Families!
