All About Us: Our mission, our passion
Throughout my life, various agri-science projects have been a constant. I began as a little girl who just loved animals; spending much of my time on my grandparent’s dairy farm. Livestock, mixed breeds dogs, barn cats, scraped up strays, raccoons, skunks; anything I could get my hands on was mine to keep. My first litter included five little hound dogs in 1976, one becoming my childhood companion. I experienced the incredible miracle of his birth and the absolute heartbreak when his time had come to an end.
My parents’ furthered my education in kennel operation beginning in the early 80’s breeding the American Staffordshire Terrier also known as the American Pit Bull. As I was still young, I gained little knowledge of kennel operation; however, a love and admiration of animals of all kind had bloomed. As children, we were taught to have compassion for animals; but, at the same time, we learned the incredible impact working animals and livestock have on our daily lives. As the Pitt Bull fell out of favor due to the use of these dogs for exhibition, our breeding program was discontinued in an effort to curb this trend. We turned our attention to various livestock projects from rabbits to lambs and everything in between. We spent our time providing daily care again at the guiding hand of our parents.
About ten years had passed when my parents began working with terriers once again, Miniature Schnauzers and Scottish Terriers specifically. As I was older, I began to discover the complex science behind a quality breeding program. My parents were not just placing haphazard dogs together, but perpetuating a standard of excellence within a breed. Each litter was carefully planned and the mates carefully selected based on overall objectives rather than financial gain. Their kennel operation continued long after I had left the nest and my own work with dogs began.
In 1995, I began breeding and training sporting dogs, English Pointers and other upland game bird dogs. Our kennel provided proven dogs to various top level gaming programs and field trial participants. Going back to my roots in the terrier / toy group, I purchased a Yorkshire terrier as a companion animal. She proved herself as an unbelievable companion to both me and my children. Concerned about the decline of the standards held by the AKC due to rampant “backyard breeding,” I chose to begin a small breeding program. Years of education and study along with excellent mentors in both my parents and 25 year Yorkie breeder have given our operation, though small, a distinctive excellence.
Our Distinctive Breeding Program
Our philosophy is simple: To breed sound dogs of the highest quality in order to maintain the standard set by the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America.
We have been fortunate to have acquired a variety of Yorkies that we feel meet and exceed the standards of the breed while also meeting the individual needs of our buyers. We feel we have the responsibility and the ability to help improve the Yorkshire Terrier. It takes a great deal of time and considerable resources to produce quality companion dogs. It is one thing to acquire and breed dogs just to get more puppies on the ground. It is another thing to improve the breed, to take the time and effort to see what each dog posses, not that they simply just “look like” a Yorkie, but meet and exceed the expectations of their owner prior to them being bred. We choose Sire and Dam combinations for specific temperament and confirmation. We occasionally use outside Sires and Dams to complement our kennel line rather than only breeding with the same dogs each time.
Yorkie Puppy Program: Puppies are screened by our veterinarian multiple times throughout our observation period for eye, knee, cardiac, and other issues that may be present. Although this is not always a guarantee that a genetic issue may not occur later in life, we do take measures to monitor the possibility of all genetic and congenital conditions.
Our Yorkies are stimulated from day three. We use the Biosensor performance improvement program. This program utilizes neurological stimuli during specific time periods in early development as well as daily human handling and cuddling. This creates puppies far less anti social and timid as well as increasing overall trainability and socialization. By the time they are 5 - 6 weeks old (weather permitting) your Yorkie will be introduced to basic commands, leash training, and housebreaking techniques (no puppy pads or newspaper).
While puppies are exposed to all kinds of new and exciting things, all puppies are prepared for each buyer’s particular needs from the very beginning. As an example, puppies that will be cohabitation with children or other animals are continually exposed to these stimuli in order to make the transition on the new family and the Yorkie smooth. Travel is another example of stimuli for which certain puppies need to be prepared. However, we evaluate each potential buyer for the specific preparations their Yorkie will need.
We microchip free of charge to help insure puppies are reunited with their families if the worst happens. Although microchipping is not a guarantee, it does increase the odds that puppies and adult dogs are returned to their proper owner.
Our Adult Dogs: Our policy is to cut no corners. Our adult Yorkshire Terriers are kept in a temperature controlled comfortable environment. Each of our yorkies is well acquainted with our home and yard as they are all members of our family. These dogs are free to play in the yard or lay in the air condition. It is our belief that dogs need plenty of room, so we do not crate our dogs. Our day begins around 6 a.m. cleaning kennels, completing our first feeding, and turning out dogs to enjoy the day (weather permitting). We work in the kennel throughout the day and generally finish up in the evenings around 9:00 p.m. Our kennel is on our property, so every dog is seen and handled by us individually on a daily basis. Females and males alike are fed premium food along with various vitamin supplements to insure their nutritional needs are met, especially during the whelping period. Our breeding program is not a "side Job" for me. As such, I spend everyday working with our dogs, improving our breeding program and training for other yorkie owners.
