FOSTER PROGRAM
If a breeder wants to continually breed better dogs, they must keep back the best in each of their litters for future breeding. This, however, leads to several problems down the road. First of all, once a dog's breeding career is over at around 6 years old for females, the dog is either spayed and kept by the breeder or re-homed It can be difficult to re-home these girls as the breeder may have become very attached to the dog and the dog is bonded to the breeder. German Shepherds in particular, become very bonded to their people and re-homing at that age is very stressful for them. The other problem comes when the breeder ends up with a large number of dogs. They then become kennel dogs and do not receive the time and attention they deserve.
In order to keep our best puppies for future breeding in an effort to breed better dogs, and still make sure our breeding dogs are beloved family pets, we are implementing a foster program. The way the program works is we place our pick of the litter female puppies in carefully selected homes where they will be kept as part of the family at no upfront charge to the family. The foster family agrees to take excellent care of the dog, including routine vet care for the life of the dog. We retain all breeding rights and when the dog reaches breeding age (no younger than 2 years old) the dog may be bred to a male selected by us. The dog then returns to her family until 1-2 weeks before the due date of her litter, at which time she returns to us to whelp and raise her puppies. When the puppies are weaned (between 6 and 8 weeks), the dog returns to her family.
Foster dogs are bred no more than once a year and will have their hips and elbows x-rayed at our expense prior to breeding. All vet expenses related to breeding will be covered at our expense. We may breed from 2 to 4 litters from each dog. When the foster dog's breeding career is over, no later than 6 years of age, the dog is then spayed/neutered, the dog's ownership is transferred to the foster family and she remains with them for life. We don't breed from every dog that is in the foster program. If the dog does not mature or produce to our high standards, the dog is removed from the program and signed over to the foster family after proof of being spayed/neutered.
There are advantages to all sides in this program and most of all, it greatly benefits the dogs. The foster family gets a top quality pick of the litter German Shepherd at no upfront cost. The foster family is welcome to visit their girl while she is with us for puppy rearing and also is welcome to spend time with her puppies. This benefits the puppies as they get more socialization and the family gets to spend time with the puppies without having the time and effort it takes to raise a litter on their own. The breeder benefits by having access to the best quality females for breeding. We also benefit by not having the heartbreak of re-homing older girls that we may have become very attached to.
The greatest benefit, however, is for the dog. She gets to live her life as a beloved family member and house dog instead of living out her life in a kennel until she is to old to be bred and then being re-homed at a time when she may be to old to easily adjust to a new home. We believe that this program is the best way to maintain our high breeding standards without compromising the happiness and quality of life for our dogs.
We are very selective in choosing our foster families. In order to qualify to be a foster family, you must own your own home and have a fenced yard. The dog must be kept as a house dog, be socialized and have at least basic obedience training. We prefer people who have had some experience with dogs and experience with German Shepherds is even better. Foster families must live in within reasonable driving distance of our location in Newalla, OK. We ask that the foster family provide frequent photos as the dog matures. We also ask that the family bring the dog to visit our home at least once a month during the first year so that she may be comfortable with us and our home to prevent stress to the dog when it come time for her to be with us for the delivery of her puppies.
If you are interested in becoming a foster family for us, please read our foster dog contract and be sure you are willing and able to meet the requirements detailed in the contract. Keep in mind that there are some drawbacks to fostering. You will need to be able to handle the dog being in heat around every six months and be able to keep her from being bred by another male. You must also be able to be without your girl during the time she is raising her puppies. Keep in mind that a breach of contract will require us to remove the dog from the home. If you are still interested in fostering, fill out the foster application and submit it to us. Once we receive the application, we will let you know if you qualify for a foster puppy. As we don't breed a large number of litters per year, there may be a wait for a puppy if you qualify. Thank you for your interest in our foster program and please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about the program.
In order to keep our best puppies for future breeding in an effort to breed better dogs, and still make sure our breeding dogs are beloved family pets, we are implementing a foster program. The way the program works is we place our pick of the litter female puppies in carefully selected homes where they will be kept as part of the family at no upfront charge to the family. The foster family agrees to take excellent care of the dog, including routine vet care for the life of the dog. We retain all breeding rights and when the dog reaches breeding age (no younger than 2 years old) the dog may be bred to a male selected by us. The dog then returns to her family until 1-2 weeks before the due date of her litter, at which time she returns to us to whelp and raise her puppies. When the puppies are weaned (between 6 and 8 weeks), the dog returns to her family.
Foster dogs are bred no more than once a year and will have their hips and elbows x-rayed at our expense prior to breeding. All vet expenses related to breeding will be covered at our expense. We may breed from 2 to 4 litters from each dog. When the foster dog's breeding career is over, no later than 6 years of age, the dog is then spayed/neutered, the dog's ownership is transferred to the foster family and she remains with them for life. We don't breed from every dog that is in the foster program. If the dog does not mature or produce to our high standards, the dog is removed from the program and signed over to the foster family after proof of being spayed/neutered.
There are advantages to all sides in this program and most of all, it greatly benefits the dogs. The foster family gets a top quality pick of the litter German Shepherd at no upfront cost. The foster family is welcome to visit their girl while she is with us for puppy rearing and also is welcome to spend time with her puppies. This benefits the puppies as they get more socialization and the family gets to spend time with the puppies without having the time and effort it takes to raise a litter on their own. The breeder benefits by having access to the best quality females for breeding. We also benefit by not having the heartbreak of re-homing older girls that we may have become very attached to.
The greatest benefit, however, is for the dog. She gets to live her life as a beloved family member and house dog instead of living out her life in a kennel until she is to old to be bred and then being re-homed at a time when she may be to old to easily adjust to a new home. We believe that this program is the best way to maintain our high breeding standards without compromising the happiness and quality of life for our dogs.
We are very selective in choosing our foster families. In order to qualify to be a foster family, you must own your own home and have a fenced yard. The dog must be kept as a house dog, be socialized and have at least basic obedience training. We prefer people who have had some experience with dogs and experience with German Shepherds is even better. Foster families must live in within reasonable driving distance of our location in Newalla, OK. We ask that the foster family provide frequent photos as the dog matures. We also ask that the family bring the dog to visit our home at least once a month during the first year so that she may be comfortable with us and our home to prevent stress to the dog when it come time for her to be with us for the delivery of her puppies.
If you are interested in becoming a foster family for us, please read our foster dog contract and be sure you are willing and able to meet the requirements detailed in the contract. Keep in mind that there are some drawbacks to fostering. You will need to be able to handle the dog being in heat around every six months and be able to keep her from being bred by another male. You must also be able to be without your girl during the time she is raising her puppies. Keep in mind that a breach of contract will require us to remove the dog from the home. If you are still interested in fostering, fill out the foster application and submit it to us. Once we receive the application, we will let you know if you qualify for a foster puppy. As we don't breed a large number of litters per year, there may be a wait for a puppy if you qualify. Thank you for your interest in our foster program and please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about the program.
