My Breeding Philosophy

My main purpose in breeding puppies is to produce healthy Westies of good temperament to be beloved companions. My goal is to produce Westies of the true conformation type to the breed in looks and character.

I believe in fairness, honesty and transparency – a look around my website will show you the mistakes I have made as well as my good news. Every litter I have had is posted for all the world to see so you can see how many puppies I am truly producing from each dam and I keep customers informed.

My health guarantee is for the benefit of all parties involved, the puppy, my customer and myself. I have seen some sales agreements that are solely for the benefit of the breeder.  I aim to be fair with my health and temperament guarantee.

I am very happy to have been able to import two older male dogs in 2007 Brinkly is nine and Chip is  eight. It is good to have dogs with good histories but these two both also have the added benefit of a proven personal health and temperament history. It is nice to know they don't have signs of skin ailments at their ages which is a common complaint with the breed. They are just two of the nicest old guys you would want to meet and I am proud to have them be the foundation of my future lines.

As far as health testing goes - in this area I admit that I am lapse. The two main tests that dogs have with results registered are C.E.R.F (for eyes) and O.F.A. (for hips). I discussed testing with my vet. The eye test are only good for one year and they need to be done at a specialist, my  vet was unable to take the tests when the dogs go in for their annual check-ups and vaccinations.  In this case it is a question of location - if I lived in Edmonton or Calgary I would do the eye tests. The tests themselves are cheap it is the logistics of taking six breeding age dogs on a two day road trip and finding pet friendly hotel accommodation that puts me off taking the tests when it is not currently a big issue in the Westie breed. The hips testing could be done at my local vet with the x-rays being sent off to be read by a specialist, but the dog needs to be given a general anesthesia; as it is not something that Westies are prone to, I didn't think it worth the risk.

My vet researched for me what is the most common health issues for Westies with the idea of pre-testing but unfortunately the conditions she found most inherited for Westies are Craniomandibular Osteopathy, Keratoconjunctivitis sicca and Seborrhea as well as inhalant dermatitis; non of these can be pre-screened. I have had personal experience with a genetic condition showing up in one of my puppies (CMO) and I took out both parents and two girls that had a chance of being carriers from my breeding program. At this time that is the only way to deal with passing on the most common problems in the Westie breed - this was one of the conditions that you can not pre-test for.

I expect to eventually make a little profit and am not ashamed of that because I know how many hours I spend hours each week maintaining my dogs and facilities; when we have puppies there is much work and risk involved.  I would like to think that in the twenty-first century hard work and investment in the breed is rewarded for the breeder and that one does not have to be independently wealthy or politically connected in order to breed the dog of their choice.

During 2007 I imported five dogs from the USA and Hungary. I bought two more in the spring of 2008 from a Canadian Kennel. I am buying the very best dogs that I am able to buy. I am buying from kennels with long health histories of their lines of dogs and therefore benefiting from their many years of experience. I am very thankful to the breeders in the USA, Hungary and Canada who have been willing to put their trust in me and sell me dogs from their bloodlines with full breeding rights. All the new dogs I purchased since 2007 have championships in their lines, which will help with conformation. I realize that most family homes are not concerned about small ‘faults’ and probably don’t even notice them, but it is a point of pride for me to work to produce the best dogs in breed conformation that I can. I understand that I am only a link in the breed and hope that the trust placed in me will benefit the breed in future generations.

The dogs I have bought from European lines have an astonishing number of ancestors in their pedigrees with championships. Chip is himself a Russian and Hungarian Champion. My four European girls range from 21/30 to 24/30 ancestors with at least a championship. I am really proud to be able to offer such fantastic bloodlines to my fellow Albertans. Rozi's grandfather came in Best of Breed at CRUFTS in 2008. You may wonder why I plan to use Brinkly when Chip has a better pedigree and a championship - for this I am trusting my own instincts - to me, Brinkly has the sweetest face out of all my Westies and I want to get his look into my some of my line while he is still young enough to breed.

Westies have surged in popularity over the past five years (Thank you Cesar dog food brand :-) but that is not the reason I chose the breed – if I wasn't’ breeding Westies I cannot think of another breed that I would go to the trouble and expense to breed.  Westies are the breed that I feel a deep affinity for.

I aim to produce affordable dogs and make them available to regular homes and thus allow Canadian individuals and families to benefit from such a wonderful breed with regard to intellect, loyalty, low allergy, humour and that special spark inside a Westie that makes them ‘almost human’.  I would like to see the breed become as popular in Canada as it is in many other countries such as the UK, Japan and Denmark. Westies are wonderful intelligent companions for older people and make great rough-and-tumble friends for older children – they are a ‘lot of dog’ in a little body and thrive more on human companionship rather than environment – they are just as happy in a small home with a loving human as they are on a farm full of mud puddles to roll around in. My Westies would rather sit by me on an uncomfortable kitchen floor than leave me to lie on the couch or be near the fireplace. They are devoted little friends.

I welcome visits by appointment  from the public to visit the adult dogs but I have to be careful with the puppies with regards to passing on germs to them as they are not fully vaccinated (Puppies are not protected until after third set of shots at around 16 weeks - new owners should resist the urge to go to public parks etc with their young pup). I let prospective owners only view and handle the pups and depending on where they have been, and if they have had contact with other dogs, l require sanitizing hand washes and perhaps keeping shoes away from my puppy environment.  The best way to see if you would like a Westie is to visit with an adult.

I am a member of the Canadian Kennel Club.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions about my breeding ethics. I am happy to learn if and where I am going wrong with my policies.