Willow Valley GSD

A Year in the Life of a Breeder

I've decided to invite you all to venture into my world of 19 years, to share with you the reality of breeding and enlighten you with the right way of doing something with careful, honest, and purposeful meaning. With vast experience comes the trials and tribulations, the happiness and heartache, basically, the good, the bad, the ugly, of raising dogs. It's interesting to me, the amount of stereotypical mindsets out there. For the vast majority, the word breeder leaves a negative connotation along with, even for me, a sour taste in my mouth. However, there is a huge difference in doing something you love for all the right reasons and doing something to make a buck. Without further delay, I want to map out a synopsis of the reality of breeding in my world and what that really encompasses.

First of all, I prefer to refer to myself as a "hobbyist" as my vision of a "breeder" isn't a good one. However, my belief, as a "breeder", is that if you aren't out to reproduce the best possible all-around quality you can, you have ZERO business considering it in the first place. For me, that means, start with a dog of health, one of sound mind, good conformation, solid structure, stable temperament, and superior breeding/pedigree. With what I believe to be the ultimate GSD, I then and only then, add in coat and color to tweak some variety in my line. This is mostly for personal pleasure, however, there is a call from others for the "exotic" and unique.

My dogs are NOT kennel dogs. They are all born and raised in my home and manhandled by my kids, as well as friends and extended family. They are a welcome part of our family and raised in a stable and loving environment. My pups are all taken to beginning obedience classes, at my local club, not for training, but for socializing purposes. They are taught manners, do's and don't's, and what human love and affection is all about. They are in and out of the house. Some more than others, but ALL of them come inside. Some of them are inside all the time unless by choice. Are they stuck in a 3 X 3 kennel when they are not inside, NO! Is it fair to your dog, when you leave for work, to stuff them inside either a small crate, or a kennel for 8-10 hours and if they are lucky, they come out to spend a few hours in the house with family before the day begins tomorrow? My dogs are in a 115 X 120 foot enclosure, for safety purposes when I'm not here. That's larger than most peoples back yards! They have no knowledge of being contained. With horses, and other commonalities of country life, it's important to keep my guys safe, and happy, therefore, when I'm not here, this is necessary. When I'm home, they rotate out, OFF chain with us and in and out of the house. My day job is by appointment, so I'm fortunate enough to spend the majority of my time here, for animals and kids.

I do NOT breed, on average, more than 3 litters per year, sometimes less than that. All my mommies are loved, fed a top of the line diet, supplements, and focused on for the 62 days they are pregnant with tiny little miracles. For me, babies are better than Christmas! Once labor begins, I am up, sometimes 24 plus hours, am parked in the whelping box with mom, and each and every little life, holds a special place in my heart. If that means that at birth one of our precious babes isn't breathing, I don't think for a second, of doing anything but breathing life into their little lungs. I have had kids with upset stomachs over this, however, if I were a careless and detached breeder, I certainly wouldn't put forth the kind of effort that, from time to time, is required. Even at times, on occasion, we lose one of our pups at birth, he/she is laid to rest with a proper burial. I have gotten flack about this, in the past, for wasting time on doing something you have no attachment to. I assure you, for us, that is not the case.

I have recently had friends tell me that what I do is definitely a business for me. That there is no way, that they could do this and just sell what they love. I'm here to correct this misconception.

I have a die hard love and emotional investment in the GSD and have for going on 20 years. I will admit, the first couple litters I had, were quite difficult to place because you fall in love with each and every one of them. You believe you ARE the best possible home for these little guys and want to hog them all to yourself. Then the smoke begins to clear, and common sense begins to surface. As much as you love these guys, you know out of fairness to them, mixed with simple logic, you can't keep them all. For me it's become a passion. Out of all the love, adoration, blood, sweat and tears I put into this, the reward is vast beyond a monitory sense. I reproduce phenomenal animals! I breed to share the same kind of love that I have in my heart, for these guys, with someone else. To see the person who just lost their family member of 14 years, and be able to place a companion with them, to see the light come to their eyes and the kind of smile that literally warms you, it's instant gratification for me. To bring such happiness, to share such joy with others, based on what I'm doing to better the breed and human kind is priceless.

From a monetary standpoint, let's get real people...when you do this right, you are lucky to break even. You factor in the expensive dog food, the supplements, the added nutritional requirements, the vet bills, the bills for hips and other health ratings, the religious worming, the vaccinations, toys, the value of your hard work from the second mom is bred, through the journey of each and every puppy finding a wonderful home, YOU MAKE NOTHING!!!!!!! The reward you reap is from the satisfaction of being able to enrich someone else's life and at the same time, out of love for the baby you just raised, being able to place them in a wonderful life long forever home with people to love and cherish each day with that puppy. Is there a greater feeling of fulfillment than that? Not for me! For those of you who may have doubt, please read my ?"Testimonial" page, and you may leave with a better understanding for the kind of effort I put in for other people.

It disheartens me to hear people, so lightly, dish around their opinions in regard to raising animals. If I wasn't emotionally invested, any Tom, Dick, or Harry to show up with cash in their hands, would get a puppy to do with as they so elected. I'm very selective of the homes my animals go, I screen people to match them with the right puppy, I have a lengthy contract that is signed and enforced, and for the icing on the cake, I have probably given away, FREE, as many pups as I have received money for. For that matter, this all applies to horses as well.

No one talks about the puppy you inadvertently placed in an irresponsible home, the one who calls you a month later and tells you that out of simple ignorance they exposed their puppy to parvo, whom is on his death bed with their vet and they don't want to pay the medical bills. Therefore, unless you're willing to buy the puppy back and reimburse them for their medical bills, they will elect to euthanize the puppy. HEEELLLLLLOOOOOOOO!!!!! This is utter idiocy and makes me sick! What does a caring breeder do, what did I do?

Out of no responsibility of my own and under no obligation, I bought the puppy back, paid their $540 vet bill, drove to pick up the puppy with IV still in, take the puppy to my vet and pay another $1000 for intensive care with my vet for over a week. Then bring the baby back here and for 2 months solid, nurse this puppy. Bleach my floor 3 times per day to be certain no Parvo virus could live. Feed round the clock fluids, through a syringe, feeding spoonfuls of expensive canned food 8 plus times per day, loving this pup with every beat of your heat, trying to give the baby a will to live. And after all that, loving that animal enough to again, seek out a home for them that will love them as much as you do, and love them enough to be able to let them go, and guess what...FREE, that's F R E E, that spells FREE! Was it a money deal for me, hell no! I did it based on my devotedness to what I do and my overwhelming responsibility for what I bring into this world.

The ability to breed and part with the animal isn't heartless, it's selfless!

Do I place ALL pups in fantastic homes 100% of the time? No, I have had a handful of experiences over the many years, where I have had to reclaim one of my dogs. Will I "steal" the puppy back due to neglect, abuse, or abandonment? YES! Do I make you sign a contract stating that in those kind of situations, I WILL proceed for the betterment of the animal? YES. Will I take you to court and prosecute if you're a piece of crap? YES!

How about when you place a pup and find out by anonymous calls that he is chained to a tree by a 3 foot rope, no food, no water, and thin as a rail? Do I shrug a shoulder and say, "I got my money". HELL NO! I go take my dog back!

When someone buffalos you into believing they will be one of the best homes you have ever placed in, takes 2 puppies, and turns around and resells them as a broker, to double their money, do I turn my cheek because I made my cash? NO! I take them to court! Animals are NOT MERCHANDISE! I am NOT Wal-mart on a "please return if you change your mind" policy, nor am I Burger King where you get things your way. If I don't believe you are the appropriate home, your money is no good here. PERIOD!

When one of my pups is injured, by a dog fight and you come home to a bloody mess because a puppy was accidentally bitten through a jugular vein with a pierced trachea, do you put them to sleep because the prognosis isn't good and you're told that the time and money it will take to heal will be greater than the worth of the puppy? NO!!! You bestow everything in your power... medications, changing bandages 4 times per day, blending a special diet in a blender multiples times per day so that she can get adequate nutrition, while she heals over the course of 3 months, and when it's all said and done, love her enough to place her in a home with kids, and family, for what in return??? Knowing that I saved a life, I cared enough to see it through and was able to give a second chance to a baby most people wouldn't have put forth effort to save. What did I get out of that experience? The self satisfaction of filling hearts of people just like me, whom have an overwhelming amount of love to give, AND sharing that with an animal who has given you the fight to live, out of love. That's greater than any paycheck!

Let's see, how about when you lose electric for a week long and you refuse to give your puppies creek water due to the possible infestation of parasites? So you decide to purchase Culligan water for them. You come home, open the back of your SUV, and a 5 gallon jug of H2O falls out and just happens to land on a 6 week old puppy. While horrified, you rush them to the vet, and find not one broken leg, but 2! With having splints changed every other day, at $110 per visit for 1 month, then long term casts, and then 3 months of rehab, water therapy, massage, supplements, diapers, etc., do you give up and take the easy road and euthanize? NO!!! I did not. You can do the math on that one. Again, did I place her for even a fraction of the money I had in her? Nope, I GAVE her to someone who would love her as much, if not more, than I did.

What happens, as a breeder, when someone calls you in desperation, in trying to find someone to give them information on how to heal their broken heart due to a loss of their own dog, when they can't afford what most people charge for a puppy? I'm not sure about your "typical" breeder, but here's me (this is based on puppies I get $1500 for, with no questions asked,) I invite these people over to play with my pups and see if we can work something out. I am taken by the nature of these people and know in my gut that this puppy would have a phenominal home. Do I tell them that because they can't afford $1500, they need to find another puppy, and send them packin?? No? I GIVE them a puppy because they instantly bond with him and I know beyond a shadow of doubt that they will love him, without condition.

What happens 3 weeks later when the same lady calls and tells you how much they love their little guy and also break the bad news that their mom's GSD of 13 years past away and she is just lost??? They want to know how to help her overcome her feeling of being lost when she comes home with no family member at the door wagging their tail. I tell them to bring her down here...and I GIVE them ANOTHER puppy! WHY? It had NOTHING to do with money, it had everything to do with people, respect and caring!

Doing what I do is selfless! I make little, put in a lot, and am rewarded far greater than most people could ever hope for. Those people who have no understanding of how I can do this, need to take a step back and try to understand that it isn't a matter of dogs being a "business", it's a matter of loving something and believing in something so much that the desire to share that with anyone and everyone you can, takes over.

Again, is being able to place a baby you have raised heartless? NO, it's SELFLESS!!

I was also recently told that I think more with my head and less with my heart. I'm not quite sure, in everything I do, where that has any logical place, because that is so far removed from the truth it's borderline asinine. It goes beyond trashing someone's moral fabric of being, but is really a misguided judgment. Perhaps, in return, those people who believe what I have passion for in doing, whom can't relate to the same, are more selfish in their actions than what they care about for someone or something else.

For those who can't see that, or refuse to see it, I pity them for being so self-absorbed that their personal gratitude means more to them then making the ultimate sacrifice for the love and enjoyment of good people, good animals, and a life long duty to share that wealth with others. It's my desire to share how I feel and to challenge anyone who doesn't understand or believe in the "right" way of doing this, to step outside their box and for just a moment, try to see through my eyes and walk my shoes...

 It's a pretty magical place!

Written out of amity and respect

for my canine and equine family.

Janie Vanasdal, Willow Valley GSD.