Asking for helpful advice re puppy health issues. - Page 3

...The breeder faces huge guilt, grief and remorse when they unknowingly sell a dog who ultimately turns out not to be wanted. Should this happen, we are thrilled when our crystal ball was right, and the puppy is with a wonderful family who will love him for the rest of his life. When our crystal ball is wrong, however, it is a different story. The buyers who want to dump the dog back at the breeder’s after having it for four months or six years, are those who make us shake our heads and try to figure out just where we went wrong, and why we sold them that dog in the first place. We look around our kennel and realize that over half of our dogs are spayed, retired veterans that we couldn't bring ourselves to place. We wonder why we have so many dogs then remember the adorable puppy that was returned after she chewed up a couch, after being left alone all day, and just somehow stayed. And, we can't imagine the people who willingly dump a puppy due to a small medical or behavioral problem. We begin to not trust our feelings and impressions, becoming cynical and unwilling to help.

Our dogs are, rightly or wrongly, a huge part of our lives. We give them our love, our time, our energy, and a slice of our hearts. What we want from buyers is a kind word about the puppy, a phone call or email once in a while to tell us something cool the dog is doing, a note to let us know the dog is loved and will be loved for life. We want a full, lifetime commitment to the dog, whether you took it home at ten weeks of age or at four years of age. We want you to let us know about any health problems, and to listen to us and let us help you through them, should they arise. We want you to say this is the most beautiful dog I have ever owned and I can't imagine what our life would be like without him/her. That is, for a breeder, as big a rush as any win.

And that is the Breeder Care Sheet. :-)