The primary focus of this small kennel is to produce quality (not quantity) companion dogs that may show and/ or compete in Earthdog events, if desired. ....and to produce a dog that most closely captures both the type and temperament of the courageous little dog that originated in their country of origin, England.
All breedings are done to produce the ideal dog and the small number of puppies generated are sold for the purpose of putting registered quality dogs (not necessarily show dogs) in as many homes of true Russell terrier euanthusiasts as possible. The more registered, correct dogs in multiple households, the better this helps establish our breed.
I DO NOT produce 5-10 litters a year, nor do I always have young pups available I do have older pups sometimes where I have kept several pups till they got old enough to best judge the dog to keep and contribute to the gene pool and/or show..
MISSION STATEMENT
As a breeder, I am responsible for the welfare of the dogs I own that represent this breed and I will make every effort through testing and screenings to eliminate heridity problems that may be present in the breed. With careful evaluation of both genotype and phenotype, I pair the dogs that can hopefully produce the best representation of the standard and the embodiment of the character and type of this wonderful little terrier.
Unfortunately, with popularity comes " backyard breeders" and irresponsible "mass production" from warehouse kennels (usually with 20-30+ dogs) without regard for what is best for the breed. These "puppy mills" will usually have 5-10 litters on a site at any given time, or will have litter after litter, breeding their bitches back to back 4-6 times... will little regard to the quality, temperament and genetic faults they are producing in the pups or the health of their females.
You do not have to buy a show dog for $1200-$2500 to get a quality pet, out of genetic and temperament screened parents, but along the same lines, you will not find a genetically screened quality bred companion pup for under $500 either.Some breeders can just buy dogs to show, others know that breeding a quality dog takes time, trial and error, not just money. Staying true to the standard and a love of the breed is the mark of a true breeder.
There are a lot of "backyard breeders that do not breed to standard, just breed "cute for cash". You may not be getting what you think you are. Look at pedigrees, interact with the parents, ask about creditials of breeder, their history with the breed and what they really know about their dogs and the breed itself. Be careful of "breeders" that have 5-15 small breeds...chances are this is just about "making puppies".
A reputable breeder will, at the very least, have all of their breeding dogs CERF and BAER and temperment tested, in addition to regular veterinary care, shots, worming, and socialization. The addition of PLL testing is also one of the more critical of the breed tests performed since the test will actually identify a genetic marker that can be passed to offspring for the posterior lens luxation problem that some lines carry. More and more breeders are including this test when screening their breeding dogs since it was made available to us through OFA in the spring of 2010.
For a more complete description of the ideal Russell Terrier, please visit the AKC parent club website. http//www.theartc.com.
