I am a breeder.....

My food receipts for a family of 7 and my dog food bills match
My water bill has doubled
My electricity bill has tripled
It is I, a breeder, who when my fridge quit, saved the dog meds and let the  food go bad.
My feet find the way to the kennel before I have even grabbed a cup of
coffee in the morning and the kennel is my last stop before bed.
While my friends are on a cruise to the Bahamas and
My family meets for Christmas while I am home delivering puppies
I haven't had a real vacation in 7 years, but maybe soon. All plans are made
around heat dates, whelp dates and vet dates.
I shower and 10 minutes later my grand kids say I smell like a dog
My clothes are all stained with fecal matter, urine, afterbirth or bleach
I have to remember to clean my shoes before church

Most of my friends breed dogs
Who else can you call at 3 am for support?
Who else has the experience I sometimes need, the med I sometimes need, or  just an uplifting word I sometimes need?
Who else would understand how it feels to have invested hours and hours and
hours in a weak puppy to lose it? Or the joy in investing hours in one that  lives?
I have slept on the floor beside a litter until the crucial 2 weeks have
passed. I have bottle fed a litter of 12 .. feeding every 2 hours and it
taking 90 minutes to do for weeks at a time.
I have learned to be proficient at micro chipping, vaccinations, fluids,
bottle feeding and tube feeding.
 
My vet knows me by first name
The vet knows my children by name
The vet now knows my grand children by name
My vet knows it was I who added on the wing to the vet clinic
 
                               I am a breeder

It is to me that 63 days takes on new meaning still excited by every new life
It is I who delivers all my pups, towels and heat lamps on ready - happiness and sadness sometimes intermingled -
Even though it increases my work load, I look forward to the 10 day stage
when eyes open, and puppies begin to emerge from the helplessness of
newborns. Puppy breath, a first bark. and a heart of exploration.
I am not uneducated, unemployable, illiterate or lazy as some Animal Rights folks would imply of breeders.
I am a conscientious lover of animals and I have found my niche.
 
                            I am a breeder.

And although I feel no shame there is a part of me that feels the need to
hide from powers that could come to invade my home and take my dogs .. maybe for
.. finding a mild infraction,
.. a leaf in the water dish
.. a kennel not yet cleaned for the day yet
.. a rash I am home treating?
 
I tell my children and grand children to hush, do not tell others we are dog breeders, and I wonder when did breeding puppies go into the same secret place as criminal activity?
I am a breeder and I am not cruel, dumb, uncaring or criminal.
I am not raking in money while sitting on my butt.
Every penny I make I earn through blood, sweat and tears. 
My greatest joy is a healthy puppy and a wonderful home. The cards of thanks and the pictures of my puppy with its new family is the fringe benefits of my efforts.
I am an animal lover, nurse, midwife, heavy labourer, customer service
representative, and marketer. 
AND I am a breeder.

DISCLAIMER:

The Breeder Referral page is a way for our club members to provide links to their web sites and/or email for contact inquiries regarding puppies and adult Shelties they currently have available. Some breeders also take names of prospective buyers for future litters.

While our breeders are members in good standing of the Shetland Sheepdog Club of BC, and the CKC, and/or the CSSA, in no circumstances guarantees or warrants their services or the suitability, quality or health of dogs purchased from them.  It is important to have a clear understanding with the breeder as well as a contract.  Our breeders require that dogs sold as pets will be spayed or neutered.

When e-mailing please make reference to shelties or sheltie puppies in the subject line of your message.

To obtain information on the availability of puppies or adults please contact the club   Corresponding Secretary at