FAQs
We hope this page will help you in answering any questions you may have about us, our breeding program, and how we place our puppies. If you have a question that is not answered here, please email me and ask.
Do you sell puppies on a contract?
Yes our puppies are sold on contracts, the pets are on a spay neuter agreement, and show puppies are on special contracts based on needs of buyers. You will find I am easy to work with. The contract is written very simple, it does not have fancy terms and conditions that are difficult to interpret. We have the right to refund deposits and withdraw from a sale at anytime for any reason. If a buyer backs out after a sale is started buyer looses deposit unless puppy is not perfectly fit for sale. We have people complete our application in order to ensure we are making a good match for puppy and owner.
I just want a pet, not a fancy show dog.
We hear this all the time. We breed to fit the structure of the breed, temperament, and health of each breed. Not every puppy we produce will qualify as a show puppy. Not every show quality puppy has to be shown, you can have a show quality puppy as a pet. But buying from a show breeder you have a much better chance of getting a puppy that looks like the breed you are after, conforms to standard, and is healthier. So just because we breed show dogs, does not mean we don't have perfect pets too. We breed to preserve the pure breed and the traits it was meant to have. And that is what you should seek in a healthy, happy, family companion too.
Can we pick out our own puppy from the litter?
Yes you my pick your puppy from a litter, however, we will guide you as to the temperaments, size, and overall qualities of each puppy so that your choice puppy will fit your needs. We do not want to place a hyper puppy in quiet homes or shy puppies with wild kids. it just won't be a good fit. We do our best to honestly represent each puppy and match them to homes that will suit them. I do NOT tell you what you want to hear to make a sale. I give honest size, temperament and structure qualities to the best I can. I have turned many sales away cause I know that puppy won't fit that home. It doesn't mean I won't sell you a puppy, just not that one for whatever reason we discuss. Most puppies once old enough, you will see some descriptions as to quality, size, and or personalities on puppy pages displayed with several photos of that puppy. Deposits are always transferrable to another pup should your choice not be perfect fit for any reason.
Do you hold puppies for people until they are ready?
Yes we often will hold a puppy for someone until he/she is old enough and ready to go to new home. We do require a deposit paid in order to hold a puppy. We will NOT hold puppies without a deposit towards purchase. Deposits are NON-refundable, unless the puppy does not meet health/show requirements at time of purchase. We will transfer a deposit on any puppy before he/she reaches 8 weeks old to any other available puppy within 6 months of receipt of the deposit. If your choice puppy reaches 8 weeks or is 8 weeks and meets the health/show requirements, deposit can not be transferred or refunded. Deposits are $500, once we receive it, we will not allow anyone else to select your puppy. A deposit means you are in good faith planning to purchase this puppy, and I in good faith will deny any other home option of this puppy.
Will you keep a puppy an extra couple days or weeks?
Yes it is possible for us to keep puppies few days or weeks past time to go home. Due to rabies rules we do NOT keep any sold/reserved puppies past 16 weeks old. No puppy ever leaves before 8 weeks old. We do charge $15 a day board for any puppy that stays more then 7 days past time to pick him/her up. We do not guarantee time for training in the price of boarding, just all basic care and socializing, grooming, food, toys, etc provided. You have 7 days from the date of the vets 8 week exam to pick up the puppy before boarding fees will apply. If the puppy is staying past the 7 days, the balance of purchase price is DUE IN FULL within the 7th day or you risk forfeiting your deposit. Board fees can be paid when picked up.
Do you guarantee your puppies?
Yes we do. We will guarantee for life that if you ever don't want to or can't keep the puppy we will take him/her back no matter what the age. We also guarantee against genetic health issues your puppy could develop. Just ask to see our contract and guarantee.
What is your opinion on spay and neutering?
Well obviously my dogs are not spayed and neutered as they breed to bring you a wonderful puppy. However, we are totally against the early spay and neuter. We have seen dogs become incontenent, develop patella issues, mess up the teeth line up, legs grow extra tall, and many other health concerns can come from early spay and neutering. We recommend vasectomy or hysterectomy instead if you can find a vet willing. As well as waiting till closer to 2 yrs old. Heres link to the best research article I have found about the pros and cons of gonadectomy. I mean, look at it from humans view, if you neutered your 12 yr old son, do you actually think he would mature to a proper looking, deep voiced man with a beard?
What age to you let your puppies leave for there new homes?
No puppy leaves here before 8 weeks old, many leave at 8-10 weeks. It varies on size and how I feel the puppies ability in being ready to handle the change of lifestyle to a new family. We have found that around the 9 week seems to be the easiest for puppies to adjust to new life. The longer they stay with us, the more bonded to us and other dogs and into our routine they become, making the transition slightly harder.
Do the puppies come already named or can we name them anything we want?
Most puppies do not come with a name. We allow you to pick a name for your puppy and you can use whatever you want, our only request is that you do not name the puppy anything evil or devilish as we feel they are a blessing to us. Please register the puppy with a full name. Any names we have on website, very few puppies know that name, it is used mostly as reference for communication with people.
What do your puppies come with?
Most our puppies come to you, socialized to kids and other dogs, groomed, with vet certificate and shots current. Also included in puppy package maybe food, toys and chew bone. Leash/harness, collar, pee pads, and some supplies to get home all come in puppies take home bag. They come with AKC papers, copies of parents testing, and many years of love to give. All puppies will have a current state of FL health certificate. They now come microchipped, akc papers and chip registration done for you most the time with your name choice.
Can you provide references?
Yes we can, however, this method is not effective as any scammer could give you his brothers number as a reference. feel free to see our page of puppies in new homes too. You can check out our facebook page too. But just remember, asking a breeder for references, that no breeder going to give you number of someone not happy with there puppy and scammers will give you numbers of people in on the scam. Majority of our families come to us thru reference of a puppy they met of ours already. But best way to learn of a breeder is to google them, ask on facebook groups, and find online reviews. You might even find they a scam or other various facts as to quality and health that breeder had.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We much prefer cash, but will accept personal checks for deposits. When picking up your puppy you will need to bring cash or a certified check. Some people choose to pay in full with a personal check ahead of time for their puppy and then don't have to bring money with them when picking up their puppy. We also can take PayPal(please add 3.5%) and now also accept Apple Pay, Venmo, and Zelle.
Why do you have two kennel names?
I started over 26 years ago with Forever as my kennel name. When I ventured into other breeds they already had people using similar names, so I came up with "Honor" for the other breeds. I will never change the poodles as I have over 7 generations with that name. Be careful in looking for your puppy because I have heard of other people using my Forever name for poodles.
What is required to show a dog?
Showing dogs starts with having a quality dog, it must be the correct size range, personality, coat, groomed, and have ideal bone, muscle, head shape, teeth, etc. We pay an entry fee averaging $30+ a day of show per class per dog. And we compete against other dogs each day with a new judge. The best dog will win a point. If we are not that judges best for the day, we get nothing. But if we are, we collect points till we get to the 15 needed for a championship. A championship can cost us from few thousand to many thousands with entries, travel expenses, handler fees, etc. Then if we move on to grand championship, we start over going for another 25 points! There is no finical gain to showing. It is purely love of proving the quality of our dogs to you! A dog with a title is a dog that the breeder/owner has put a lot of time, money, training, work into to ensure the quality it there for the next generation. A dog without a championship, doesn't mean it is a lesser quality dog, but doesn't prove it is a better quality one either. Most of our pets are CH quality, but we don't make anyone show them.
What is a guardian home?
It is a home where the puppy will belong to me on paper and I will have the right to breed him or her when I choose to. But the puppy lives with someone else as their family pet. In this type home, people usually live within few hours of me and must make him/her available when needed for breeding. I do this with many of my dogs so that they get a great life as a family pet and get to produce great puppies for my breeding program. Once he/she is retired from breeding, he/she is spayed/neutered and AKC papers then turned over to guardian family. Many of the dogs you will see on my website do not live here, they are in guardian homes as pets. If this is something you might consider doing, please let me know. I do have some girls and boys currently
looking for guardian homes. A guardian home gets to be the proud family of one of our breeding quality dogs, gets benifits such as free grooming, teeth cleaning, free boarding for vacations (or take vacation while she is here raising a litter), as well as other benifits until he/she is retired from breeding. Contact me for more details.
What do you feed your dogs?
We are currently feeding our dogs RAW. We are feeding a food called k-9 kravings. We also use Lifes Abundance. We find feeding raw that they poop less, have less internal parasites, and easier to train them with fewer tinier stools. If you decide this is not the food for you, then you can put your puppy on Fresh Pet, Instint, or Lifes Abundance dry kibble as we find it to be the highest quality kibble. Our dogs are not feed any corn and little to no grains in there diet.
How much are your puppies?
Prices vary per puppy. It depends on the breed, color, sex, size, temperament, show quality, etc. Our puppies are not the most expensive but also not the cheapest, however you will have a hard time finding better quality then ours. We breed show quality, fully health tested dogs with great personalities So if your priority is cheap and not quality, you won't find that here. We have invested into top dogs, showing them, and health testing. None of which comes by cheap for us. I accept and breed nothing but the best and why would you want anything else. Other havanese and poodle breeders may have puppies cheaper then I do, but are they going to stand behind them and provide you with the amount of health testing from the parents? Our dogs are super healthy, raised on best diet and we have generations of health tested dogs to do our best to ensure health and quality all while preserving the ideal look and personality. We don't skimp on cost when it comes to care, veterinarian expenses, food, showing the parents, and we are happy to show you the PROOF of all we do!
How can we tell who is a good breeder?
To tell if a breeder is good quality, you will need to do your homework. Find out the mom and dads registered names. Find their health testing on the OFA website. A vet exam does NOT replace health testing. If the puppy doesn't come with a health certificate or a guarantee of at least one year you want to move on to another breeder no matter how cute that pup is. If you need help in finding testing online on parents or what test you should be looking for, just ask, I'll show you. Find out if parents are Akc and champions. Champion parent or parents means they meet the breed standard of quality. Puppies should grow up to look like a proper quality dog. Champions in the background doesn't mean the most recent generations are quality. See my page on how to find a good Breeder. Designer dogs (mutts) do not have hybrid vigor, in fact they have the potential issues of all the breeds in the mix, and while one pup might have best of both breeds, the rest don't, so you get a crapshoot of what your after, and no way to guarantee otherwise.
Price does not always mean quality. There are puppy mills charging as much or more then we do. They do not do testing and do not show, therefore cannot prove quality. Puppies from untested and non show lines may have health problems, deformities, and may barely look like a Havanese when grown. Purchasing from stores or puppy mills isn't just rescuing the pup, but supporting the poor quality breeder to keep producing.
If you ask me about another breeder, I will be happy to teach you how to do your homework and what questions to ask. But I will Not say negative things about another breeder no matter what I know. My puppies sell based on the quality they are, I do NOT need to say negative things about other breeders to make mine sound good. Be leary of breeders that do. There is no need to make up, invent, or expose lack of quality on another breeder to make ones dogs sound better. Do your homework yourself on each puppy/breeder and get the facts. I'm happy to show you the quality and testing on all my breeding dogs. I'm happy to show you how to find the testing and what testing to look for so that if you don't like my puppies and want to ask around, then you know what to seek.
What does AKC breeder of Merit mean?
AKC breeder of Merit means that the breeder has completed all the requirements for showing, breeding, registering, and health testing their PUREBRED dogs. I qualify for this award. When purchasing a puppy from a breeder that has this award, you are much more likely to get a quality puppy. The breeder has been breeding and showing dogs for over 5 years, produced at least 4 champions, and does health testing on parents as required by the mother clubs. I have been breeding for over 27 yrs, have over 260 champions, and have health tested my puppies parents.
Do you Smoke?
We do NOT smoke nor allow smoking inside our home. Therefore any puppy purchased here by me or one of my friends will have good clear lungs and not be raised around second hand smoke prior to coming to new home. Nor will your puppy have an odor of smoke to it on the way home.
Why is it important to get an AKC registered puppy?
You may have heard of CKC or APRI or many other registries. AKC is the only non profit purbred only registry. They also now require DNA on all males and they inspect breeders for paperwork and quality of care of dogs. Other clubs will give you "papers" for money. They operate "for profit" and are out to make money issuing fancy papers to make a dog look important to buyers. Some even issue papers on mutts.
Why are your puppies more expensive then some other breeders?
Our puppies prices are based on what we put into our breeding program, we do not actually at this time, make any money from our puppies. We put all sale price back into each show dog, the next breeding, and vet bills on our dogs.(our veterinarian bills typically are over $50,000 a year). This keeps all dogs vaccinated, licensed, teeth cleaned, health tested, and in the best of care. Some breedings cost us more then we could get for the pups, and sometimes we pay out huge stud fees and get no puppies at all. We feed expensive top quality food to ensure their health. Health testing is important to ensure good health too and it doesn't come cheap. We spare no expense when it comes to producing top quality puppies. I want to feel confident that I am providing the best quality puppies that I can. See link here for finding a good breeder.
Do you ship puppies?
NO, we do NOT ship our puppies. ALL buyers must personally come or meet me somewhere and meet the puppy in person at time of purchase. Buyers must meet, approve, and like the puppy they are getting. We do not sell sight unseen. Nor do we ship cargo. You are welcome to fly to Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, or Gainesville and I will be happy to meet you at one of those airports with the puppy. But we will NOT ship cargo to your airport. We do allow flight nannies to fly on your behalf, they well meet the dog for you and text you photos to ensure your getting what you should be.
Why should we purchase a puppy in Florida?
if you live in Florida, I would not seek a pet outside the state. As Florida has lemon laws to protect buyers in our state. Purchasing a pup from another state you will not be protected by the state laws on puppies health. Very few other states have any laws protecting buyers from paying for sick puppies. ALL Florida breeders are required to guarantee puppies for a year. All Florida breeders are required to provide a Florida state health certificate detailing puppies vaccinations, must show a clean fecal test, be free of ear issues, and overall health detailed. If you purchase outside Florida you can get a very young puppy with all kinds of issues, parasites, etc. That breeder has no obligation to guarantee anything at all and no obligations to cover vet bills they caused you. So be careful in what you get. Getting a puppy from a Florida breeder can be a huge benefit due to the healthy vet exam and the guarantee breeders must provide with your purchase.
Delivery:
I have someone with Pink Collar Pet Transportation that lives near here and she drives puppies to meet people near there home. She delivers within most of Fl and Ga areas. .50 a mile average round trip cost. Tolls and hotels if needed would be extra. So Tampa, Orlando, or Jacksonville areas would be around $75 cost to meet me or deliver to you in those areas. Or if I happen to be going somewhere near you, no charge to bring a puppy along as I was going anyways. Also have a flight nanny we work with that will fly a puppy to your airport from Orlando if you didn't want to fly here.
How often do you vaccinate your dogs?
We don't believe on over doing shots on our dogs. Recent research has shown that annual shots hurt dogs more than they help them. So our dogs get as few shots as needed according to recent research. Vets have to make money, so if they tell you to come every year, you need to be your puppies lifeline advocate and do what's in his best interest. If it upsets your vet that he/she whats to give more shots then needed, it may be time to find a new vet. Remember, the vets best interest is to make money. We recommend titer testing for vaccine levels rather than vaccinating. We feel it is more important to do annual stool checks for parasites and heart worm checks, and dentals to ensure their health, not annual shots. Rabies is only vaccine required by law. Rest are their personal rules.
Where do you keep your puppies?
The puppies are born and kept in my room till about 3 weeks of age. They are then moved to the main part of the house where they can see and hear everything around them. They are kept in playpens with a pee pad in one corner for proper potty training. They may also get some crate training time in as they near time to leave. This way they come with major training started for ease of housebreaking for you.
Can we tour your home?
No we do not allow tours of our home. It is our personal space, our house. We and our dogs live here. We have nothing to hide, but allowing tours is dangerous to the dogs, kids, and puppies. Mommy dogs are protective of the puppies. Seeing a stranger will make them bark, step on the puppies (can greatly injure them) or even snap at you to protect them. Also, we have no guarantee that you or someone wasn't somewhere like a pet store or a place where there was a sick puppy and bring a contagious disease to our babies. By taking this precaution and not allowing tours helps to ensure you that we didn't let someone with an unknown health issue come meet your possible future baby and make him/her ill. This is done to protect the puppies during vital time in there life. Plus all of our dogs would either bark at you or beg for attention, taking away from meeting the puppies. We are happy to show you our puppies and parents on our beautiful front porch or front living room. I can spray it down after visits to kill germs to protect my babies. And, we ask that you don't go to pet stores or other breeders on way to our home. As you may unknowingly bring us the germs on your clothes or shoes that could harm the puppies. Thank you for your understanding.
Why do you raise more then one breed?
I started strictly as a toy poodle breeder over 25 years ago. I have always wanted miniature poodles too and so began that journey. After showing some standards I got one of them also. (I am no longer breeding standards or toys) As a professional handler and showing many different breeds of dogs, you begin to fall in love with some of the other breeds. Well ,then you eventually get one and it begins. While havanese didn't look anything like a poodle, they are such cute and fun dogs once you really get to know one. There are many other breeds that I love as well as the ones that I have, but I will not likely ever have them. I will just enjoy showing them for others. Some of the other breeds I like are PWDs (portuguese water dogs), kerry blue terriers, chinese cresteds, lowchens, toy fox terriers, papillons, and cavaliers.
Do you breed mix breed puppies? Also known at designer dogs, mutts, hybrids.
NO, we do NOT breed mix breed puppies and do NOT stud our dogs to other breeds for mix breed puppies. We do not sell our puppies to breeders that intend to mix breeds. With all the health testing and breeding for the perfect quality dog in an attempt to preserve the purebred, why would anyone chance ruining that by mixing the breeds and getting who knows what for puppies. No one can guarantee that when you mix two breeds they are healthier and non-shedding. As you never know which coat each pup will have and are prone to the health problems of both breeds. While one puppy may get the best of both breeds the littermates may get the worst of both breeds. so your mixed breed mutt is still a CANINE with unknown traits into each puppy and potential for health risk and sizes of all breeds involved.
Do you sell puppies on a contract?
Yes our puppies are sold on contracts, the pets are on a spay neuter agreement, and show puppies are on special contracts based on needs of buyers. You will find I am easy to work with. The contract is written very simple, it does not have fancy terms and conditions that are difficult to interpret. We have the right to refund deposits and withdraw from a sale at anytime for any reason. If a buyer backs out after a sale is started buyer looses deposit unless puppy is not perfectly fit for sale. We have people complete our application in order to ensure we are making a good match for puppy and owner.
I just want a pet, not a fancy show dog.
We hear this all the time. We breed to fit the structure of the breed, temperament, and health of each breed. Not every puppy we produce will qualify as a show puppy. Not every show quality puppy has to be shown, you can have a show quality puppy as a pet. But buying from a show breeder you have a much better chance of getting a puppy that looks like the breed you are after, conforms to standard, and is healthier. So just because we breed show dogs, does not mean we don't have perfect pets too. We breed to preserve the pure breed and the traits it was meant to have. And that is what you should seek in a healthy, happy, family companion too.
Can we pick out our own puppy from the litter?
Yes you my pick your puppy from a litter, however, we will guide you as to the temperaments, size, and overall qualities of each puppy so that your choice puppy will fit your needs. We do not want to place a hyper puppy in quiet homes or shy puppies with wild kids. it just won't be a good fit. We do our best to honestly represent each puppy and match them to homes that will suit them. I do NOT tell you what you want to hear to make a sale. I give honest size, temperament and structure qualities to the best I can. I have turned many sales away cause I know that puppy won't fit that home. It doesn't mean I won't sell you a puppy, just not that one for whatever reason we discuss. Most puppies once old enough, you will see some descriptions as to quality, size, and or personalities on puppy pages displayed with several photos of that puppy. Deposits are always transferrable to another pup should your choice not be perfect fit for any reason.
Do you hold puppies for people until they are ready?
Yes we often will hold a puppy for someone until he/she is old enough and ready to go to new home. We do require a deposit paid in order to hold a puppy. We will NOT hold puppies without a deposit towards purchase. Deposits are NON-refundable, unless the puppy does not meet health/show requirements at time of purchase. We will transfer a deposit on any puppy before he/she reaches 8 weeks old to any other available puppy within 6 months of receipt of the deposit. If your choice puppy reaches 8 weeks or is 8 weeks and meets the health/show requirements, deposit can not be transferred or refunded. Deposits are $500, once we receive it, we will not allow anyone else to select your puppy. A deposit means you are in good faith planning to purchase this puppy, and I in good faith will deny any other home option of this puppy.
Will you keep a puppy an extra couple days or weeks?
Yes it is possible for us to keep puppies few days or weeks past time to go home. Due to rabies rules we do NOT keep any sold/reserved puppies past 16 weeks old. No puppy ever leaves before 8 weeks old. We do charge $15 a day board for any puppy that stays more then 7 days past time to pick him/her up. We do not guarantee time for training in the price of boarding, just all basic care and socializing, grooming, food, toys, etc provided. You have 7 days from the date of the vets 8 week exam to pick up the puppy before boarding fees will apply. If the puppy is staying past the 7 days, the balance of purchase price is DUE IN FULL within the 7th day or you risk forfeiting your deposit. Board fees can be paid when picked up.
Do you guarantee your puppies?
Yes we do. We will guarantee for life that if you ever don't want to or can't keep the puppy we will take him/her back no matter what the age. We also guarantee against genetic health issues your puppy could develop. Just ask to see our contract and guarantee.
What is your opinion on spay and neutering?
Well obviously my dogs are not spayed and neutered as they breed to bring you a wonderful puppy. However, we are totally against the early spay and neuter. We have seen dogs become incontenent, develop patella issues, mess up the teeth line up, legs grow extra tall, and many other health concerns can come from early spay and neutering. We recommend vasectomy or hysterectomy instead if you can find a vet willing. As well as waiting till closer to 2 yrs old. Heres link to the best research article I have found about the pros and cons of gonadectomy. I mean, look at it from humans view, if you neutered your 12 yr old son, do you actually think he would mature to a proper looking, deep voiced man with a beard?
What age to you let your puppies leave for there new homes?
No puppy leaves here before 8 weeks old, many leave at 8-10 weeks. It varies on size and how I feel the puppies ability in being ready to handle the change of lifestyle to a new family. We have found that around the 9 week seems to be the easiest for puppies to adjust to new life. The longer they stay with us, the more bonded to us and other dogs and into our routine they become, making the transition slightly harder.
Do the puppies come already named or can we name them anything we want?
Most puppies do not come with a name. We allow you to pick a name for your puppy and you can use whatever you want, our only request is that you do not name the puppy anything evil or devilish as we feel they are a blessing to us. Please register the puppy with a full name. Any names we have on website, very few puppies know that name, it is used mostly as reference for communication with people.
What do your puppies come with?
Most our puppies come to you, socialized to kids and other dogs, groomed, with vet certificate and shots current. Also included in puppy package maybe food, toys and chew bone. Leash/harness, collar, pee pads, and some supplies to get home all come in puppies take home bag. They come with AKC papers, copies of parents testing, and many years of love to give. All puppies will have a current state of FL health certificate. They now come microchipped, akc papers and chip registration done for you most the time with your name choice.
Can you provide references?
Yes we can, however, this method is not effective as any scammer could give you his brothers number as a reference. feel free to see our page of puppies in new homes too. You can check out our facebook page too. But just remember, asking a breeder for references, that no breeder going to give you number of someone not happy with there puppy and scammers will give you numbers of people in on the scam. Majority of our families come to us thru reference of a puppy they met of ours already. But best way to learn of a breeder is to google them, ask on facebook groups, and find online reviews. You might even find they a scam or other various facts as to quality and health that breeder had.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We much prefer cash, but will accept personal checks for deposits. When picking up your puppy you will need to bring cash or a certified check. Some people choose to pay in full with a personal check ahead of time for their puppy and then don't have to bring money with them when picking up their puppy. We also can take PayPal(please add 3.5%) and now also accept Apple Pay, Venmo, and Zelle.
Why do you have two kennel names?
I started over 26 years ago with Forever as my kennel name. When I ventured into other breeds they already had people using similar names, so I came up with "Honor" for the other breeds. I will never change the poodles as I have over 7 generations with that name. Be careful in looking for your puppy because I have heard of other people using my Forever name for poodles.
What is required to show a dog?
Showing dogs starts with having a quality dog, it must be the correct size range, personality, coat, groomed, and have ideal bone, muscle, head shape, teeth, etc. We pay an entry fee averaging $30+ a day of show per class per dog. And we compete against other dogs each day with a new judge. The best dog will win a point. If we are not that judges best for the day, we get nothing. But if we are, we collect points till we get to the 15 needed for a championship. A championship can cost us from few thousand to many thousands with entries, travel expenses, handler fees, etc. Then if we move on to grand championship, we start over going for another 25 points! There is no finical gain to showing. It is purely love of proving the quality of our dogs to you! A dog with a title is a dog that the breeder/owner has put a lot of time, money, training, work into to ensure the quality it there for the next generation. A dog without a championship, doesn't mean it is a lesser quality dog, but doesn't prove it is a better quality one either. Most of our pets are CH quality, but we don't make anyone show them.
What is a guardian home?
It is a home where the puppy will belong to me on paper and I will have the right to breed him or her when I choose to. But the puppy lives with someone else as their family pet. In this type home, people usually live within few hours of me and must make him/her available when needed for breeding. I do this with many of my dogs so that they get a great life as a family pet and get to produce great puppies for my breeding program. Once he/she is retired from breeding, he/she is spayed/neutered and AKC papers then turned over to guardian family. Many of the dogs you will see on my website do not live here, they are in guardian homes as pets. If this is something you might consider doing, please let me know. I do have some girls and boys currently
looking for guardian homes. A guardian home gets to be the proud family of one of our breeding quality dogs, gets benifits such as free grooming, teeth cleaning, free boarding for vacations (or take vacation while she is here raising a litter), as well as other benifits until he/she is retired from breeding. Contact me for more details.
What do you feed your dogs?
We are currently feeding our dogs RAW. We are feeding a food called k-9 kravings. We also use Lifes Abundance. We find feeding raw that they poop less, have less internal parasites, and easier to train them with fewer tinier stools. If you decide this is not the food for you, then you can put your puppy on Fresh Pet, Instint, or Lifes Abundance dry kibble as we find it to be the highest quality kibble. Our dogs are not feed any corn and little to no grains in there diet.
How much are your puppies?
Prices vary per puppy. It depends on the breed, color, sex, size, temperament, show quality, etc. Our puppies are not the most expensive but also not the cheapest, however you will have a hard time finding better quality then ours. We breed show quality, fully health tested dogs with great personalities So if your priority is cheap and not quality, you won't find that here. We have invested into top dogs, showing them, and health testing. None of which comes by cheap for us. I accept and breed nothing but the best and why would you want anything else. Other havanese and poodle breeders may have puppies cheaper then I do, but are they going to stand behind them and provide you with the amount of health testing from the parents? Our dogs are super healthy, raised on best diet and we have generations of health tested dogs to do our best to ensure health and quality all while preserving the ideal look and personality. We don't skimp on cost when it comes to care, veterinarian expenses, food, showing the parents, and we are happy to show you the PROOF of all we do!
How can we tell who is a good breeder?
To tell if a breeder is good quality, you will need to do your homework. Find out the mom and dads registered names. Find their health testing on the OFA website. A vet exam does NOT replace health testing. If the puppy doesn't come with a health certificate or a guarantee of at least one year you want to move on to another breeder no matter how cute that pup is. If you need help in finding testing online on parents or what test you should be looking for, just ask, I'll show you. Find out if parents are Akc and champions. Champion parent or parents means they meet the breed standard of quality. Puppies should grow up to look like a proper quality dog. Champions in the background doesn't mean the most recent generations are quality. See my page on how to find a good Breeder. Designer dogs (mutts) do not have hybrid vigor, in fact they have the potential issues of all the breeds in the mix, and while one pup might have best of both breeds, the rest don't, so you get a crapshoot of what your after, and no way to guarantee otherwise.
Price does not always mean quality. There are puppy mills charging as much or more then we do. They do not do testing and do not show, therefore cannot prove quality. Puppies from untested and non show lines may have health problems, deformities, and may barely look like a Havanese when grown. Purchasing from stores or puppy mills isn't just rescuing the pup, but supporting the poor quality breeder to keep producing.
If you ask me about another breeder, I will be happy to teach you how to do your homework and what questions to ask. But I will Not say negative things about another breeder no matter what I know. My puppies sell based on the quality they are, I do NOT need to say negative things about other breeders to make mine sound good. Be leary of breeders that do. There is no need to make up, invent, or expose lack of quality on another breeder to make ones dogs sound better. Do your homework yourself on each puppy/breeder and get the facts. I'm happy to show you the quality and testing on all my breeding dogs. I'm happy to show you how to find the testing and what testing to look for so that if you don't like my puppies and want to ask around, then you know what to seek.
What does AKC breeder of Merit mean?
AKC breeder of Merit means that the breeder has completed all the requirements for showing, breeding, registering, and health testing their PUREBRED dogs. I qualify for this award. When purchasing a puppy from a breeder that has this award, you are much more likely to get a quality puppy. The breeder has been breeding and showing dogs for over 5 years, produced at least 4 champions, and does health testing on parents as required by the mother clubs. I have been breeding for over 27 yrs, have over 260 champions, and have health tested my puppies parents.
Do you Smoke?
We do NOT smoke nor allow smoking inside our home. Therefore any puppy purchased here by me or one of my friends will have good clear lungs and not be raised around second hand smoke prior to coming to new home. Nor will your puppy have an odor of smoke to it on the way home.
Why is it important to get an AKC registered puppy?
You may have heard of CKC or APRI or many other registries. AKC is the only non profit purbred only registry. They also now require DNA on all males and they inspect breeders for paperwork and quality of care of dogs. Other clubs will give you "papers" for money. They operate "for profit" and are out to make money issuing fancy papers to make a dog look important to buyers. Some even issue papers on mutts.
Why are your puppies more expensive then some other breeders?
Our puppies prices are based on what we put into our breeding program, we do not actually at this time, make any money from our puppies. We put all sale price back into each show dog, the next breeding, and vet bills on our dogs.(our veterinarian bills typically are over $50,000 a year). This keeps all dogs vaccinated, licensed, teeth cleaned, health tested, and in the best of care. Some breedings cost us more then we could get for the pups, and sometimes we pay out huge stud fees and get no puppies at all. We feed expensive top quality food to ensure their health. Health testing is important to ensure good health too and it doesn't come cheap. We spare no expense when it comes to producing top quality puppies. I want to feel confident that I am providing the best quality puppies that I can. See link here for finding a good breeder.
Do you ship puppies?
NO, we do NOT ship our puppies. ALL buyers must personally come or meet me somewhere and meet the puppy in person at time of purchase. Buyers must meet, approve, and like the puppy they are getting. We do not sell sight unseen. Nor do we ship cargo. You are welcome to fly to Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, or Gainesville and I will be happy to meet you at one of those airports with the puppy. But we will NOT ship cargo to your airport. We do allow flight nannies to fly on your behalf, they well meet the dog for you and text you photos to ensure your getting what you should be.
Why should we purchase a puppy in Florida?
if you live in Florida, I would not seek a pet outside the state. As Florida has lemon laws to protect buyers in our state. Purchasing a pup from another state you will not be protected by the state laws on puppies health. Very few other states have any laws protecting buyers from paying for sick puppies. ALL Florida breeders are required to guarantee puppies for a year. All Florida breeders are required to provide a Florida state health certificate detailing puppies vaccinations, must show a clean fecal test, be free of ear issues, and overall health detailed. If you purchase outside Florida you can get a very young puppy with all kinds of issues, parasites, etc. That breeder has no obligation to guarantee anything at all and no obligations to cover vet bills they caused you. So be careful in what you get. Getting a puppy from a Florida breeder can be a huge benefit due to the healthy vet exam and the guarantee breeders must provide with your purchase.
Delivery:
I have someone with Pink Collar Pet Transportation that lives near here and she drives puppies to meet people near there home. She delivers within most of Fl and Ga areas. .50 a mile average round trip cost. Tolls and hotels if needed would be extra. So Tampa, Orlando, or Jacksonville areas would be around $75 cost to meet me or deliver to you in those areas. Or if I happen to be going somewhere near you, no charge to bring a puppy along as I was going anyways. Also have a flight nanny we work with that will fly a puppy to your airport from Orlando if you didn't want to fly here.
How often do you vaccinate your dogs?
We don't believe on over doing shots on our dogs. Recent research has shown that annual shots hurt dogs more than they help them. So our dogs get as few shots as needed according to recent research. Vets have to make money, so if they tell you to come every year, you need to be your puppies lifeline advocate and do what's in his best interest. If it upsets your vet that he/she whats to give more shots then needed, it may be time to find a new vet. Remember, the vets best interest is to make money. We recommend titer testing for vaccine levels rather than vaccinating. We feel it is more important to do annual stool checks for parasites and heart worm checks, and dentals to ensure their health, not annual shots. Rabies is only vaccine required by law. Rest are their personal rules.
Where do you keep your puppies?
The puppies are born and kept in my room till about 3 weeks of age. They are then moved to the main part of the house where they can see and hear everything around them. They are kept in playpens with a pee pad in one corner for proper potty training. They may also get some crate training time in as they near time to leave. This way they come with major training started for ease of housebreaking for you.
Can we tour your home?
No we do not allow tours of our home. It is our personal space, our house. We and our dogs live here. We have nothing to hide, but allowing tours is dangerous to the dogs, kids, and puppies. Mommy dogs are protective of the puppies. Seeing a stranger will make them bark, step on the puppies (can greatly injure them) or even snap at you to protect them. Also, we have no guarantee that you or someone wasn't somewhere like a pet store or a place where there was a sick puppy and bring a contagious disease to our babies. By taking this precaution and not allowing tours helps to ensure you that we didn't let someone with an unknown health issue come meet your possible future baby and make him/her ill. This is done to protect the puppies during vital time in there life. Plus all of our dogs would either bark at you or beg for attention, taking away from meeting the puppies. We are happy to show you our puppies and parents on our beautiful front porch or front living room. I can spray it down after visits to kill germs to protect my babies. And, we ask that you don't go to pet stores or other breeders on way to our home. As you may unknowingly bring us the germs on your clothes or shoes that could harm the puppies. Thank you for your understanding.
Why do you raise more then one breed?
I started strictly as a toy poodle breeder over 25 years ago. I have always wanted miniature poodles too and so began that journey. After showing some standards I got one of them also. (I am no longer breeding standards or toys) As a professional handler and showing many different breeds of dogs, you begin to fall in love with some of the other breeds. Well ,then you eventually get one and it begins. While havanese didn't look anything like a poodle, they are such cute and fun dogs once you really get to know one. There are many other breeds that I love as well as the ones that I have, but I will not likely ever have them. I will just enjoy showing them for others. Some of the other breeds I like are PWDs (portuguese water dogs), kerry blue terriers, chinese cresteds, lowchens, toy fox terriers, papillons, and cavaliers.
Do you breed mix breed puppies? Also known at designer dogs, mutts, hybrids.
NO, we do NOT breed mix breed puppies and do NOT stud our dogs to other breeds for mix breed puppies. We do not sell our puppies to breeders that intend to mix breeds. With all the health testing and breeding for the perfect quality dog in an attempt to preserve the purebred, why would anyone chance ruining that by mixing the breeds and getting who knows what for puppies. No one can guarantee that when you mix two breeds they are healthier and non-shedding. As you never know which coat each pup will have and are prone to the health problems of both breeds. While one puppy may get the best of both breeds the littermates may get the worst of both breeds. so your mixed breed mutt is still a CANINE with unknown traits into each puppy and potential for health risk and sizes of all breeds involved.
|
|
