Saibeer
Active Member
We recentlylost our 5 1/2 year old DDB (Spike) to inoperable Lymphoma and are trying tofind long-established breeders in the USA. Tough - really tough, as almost no onereplies to e-mail anymore and my business will not allow me to have a facebookaccount. Trying to get calls returned is as hard as it ever was (I'm no young'neither - trust me) if you can even find the time to sitdown long enough tocompose a phone call chat session who has the time left to make the call.
I really would like some serious feedback from qualified breeders with 10+yearsexperience (and apparently there are very few who fit that bill) with DDB.Anyone with inside knowledge of these established breeders please if youwouldn't mind share the contact information.
I do have to admit that the breeders I have contacted here in Texas have beenresponsive and helpful in at least being able to point me to the moreestablished breeders. And their honesty and sincerity has been most re-assuringand comforting. The one thing I have to point out to everyone is that there areno guarantees even when you cover as many bases as you can imagine. There arestill factors that cannot be accounted for and that's what makes life sointeresting anyway. It is my belief (your results may vary) that long-established breeders have seen just about everything and found some way to work around just about everything else - so they know pretty well when they breed sire/dame what the out-come is going to be (yeah I know no guarentees there either)
I have tried contacting severl breeders without any replies so I am definitely doingsomething wrong - just do not know what it is (other than the fact that theire-mail traffic must be way off the extreme scale and their phone call-back log isa mile long).
I have been at this since before Christmas 2012 so I am getting a littleconcerned about having to go abroad for a decent DDB bred dogue.
I did extensive research with our last one and the breeder here in Texas hadexceptional credentials and all of the hip/elbow (pin scores), heartcertificates and thyroid testing results. I thought I had done all I could as I wantedthis to be the DDB that my son would grow up with (he's just now 5). There supposedly was never anycancer reported in the lines that she was breeding (taking her word on that asI do not have resources to validate that claim); but there is now. I am reallyat a lost as to how to proceed (and yes I know cancer can be caused byenvironmental factors but someone would have to explain how a smoke-free homein Northern Texas would have any unusual cancer factors).
We had DDB's back before most people knew what they were (1984 -Scarlet_male / involved in defensive training with the government of SaudiArabia) most beautiful training class failure I have ever seen. He lived longand happily past 10 as did Jolie who after 12 didn't get up from her afternoonnap one day. We had to continuously watch her because she would stop breathingand then snort a couple of times and go right back to snoring while she slept. The last day wecouldn't get her to start breathing again after she stopped - she was abeautiful-dedicated dogue.
Still kind-of shocked about Spike's early departure so we are trying to getused to not having him around and I think the family (wife and 5-year-old) willbe ready to start over with a new DDB in March/April 2013 time frame (We havealready named him Two Spikes / got to keep things simple around afive-year-old).
Just a little background about what Lymphoma can do:
Spike went down so quick it was like he was disappearing right before oureyes. The chemo never had achance to slow anything down. He lost 25 pounds in one week and the next weekhe was down another 20 pounds. He was gone in less than a month and hecouldn't/wouldn't eat a thing even his favorites.
My family is still trying to adjust to life without a DDB and for everyone whohas had one you know how hard that can be. No one sleeps at night because thehouse is too quite, there's no furniture, walss or floor to clean, everyone is gaining weight because no one has an excuse togo out walking or biking and the alarm system is now on more than it is off.
All suggestions, comments, and thoughts welcome. Thank's for your time and efforts. Hope all get to enjoy the love that these guys have to offer - second to none.
I really would like some serious feedback from qualified breeders with 10+yearsexperience (and apparently there are very few who fit that bill) with DDB.Anyone with inside knowledge of these established breeders please if youwouldn't mind share the contact information.
I do have to admit that the breeders I have contacted here in Texas have beenresponsive and helpful in at least being able to point me to the moreestablished breeders. And their honesty and sincerity has been most re-assuringand comforting. The one thing I have to point out to everyone is that there areno guarantees even when you cover as many bases as you can imagine. There arestill factors that cannot be accounted for and that's what makes life sointeresting anyway. It is my belief (your results may vary) that long-established breeders have seen just about everything and found some way to work around just about everything else - so they know pretty well when they breed sire/dame what the out-come is going to be (yeah I know no guarentees there either)
I have tried contacting severl breeders without any replies so I am definitely doingsomething wrong - just do not know what it is (other than the fact that theire-mail traffic must be way off the extreme scale and their phone call-back log isa mile long).
I have been at this since before Christmas 2012 so I am getting a littleconcerned about having to go abroad for a decent DDB bred dogue.
I did extensive research with our last one and the breeder here in Texas hadexceptional credentials and all of the hip/elbow (pin scores), heartcertificates and thyroid testing results. I thought I had done all I could as I wantedthis to be the DDB that my son would grow up with (he's just now 5). There supposedly was never anycancer reported in the lines that she was breeding (taking her word on that asI do not have resources to validate that claim); but there is now. I am reallyat a lost as to how to proceed (and yes I know cancer can be caused byenvironmental factors but someone would have to explain how a smoke-free homein Northern Texas would have any unusual cancer factors).
We had DDB's back before most people knew what they were (1984 -Scarlet_male / involved in defensive training with the government of SaudiArabia) most beautiful training class failure I have ever seen. He lived longand happily past 10 as did Jolie who after 12 didn't get up from her afternoonnap one day. We had to continuously watch her because she would stop breathingand then snort a couple of times and go right back to snoring while she slept. The last day wecouldn't get her to start breathing again after she stopped - she was abeautiful-dedicated dogue.
Still kind-of shocked about Spike's early departure so we are trying to getused to not having him around and I think the family (wife and 5-year-old) willbe ready to start over with a new DDB in March/April 2013 time frame (We havealready named him Two Spikes / got to keep things simple around afive-year-old).
Just a little background about what Lymphoma can do:
Spike went down so quick it was like he was disappearing right before oureyes. The chemo never had achance to slow anything down. He lost 25 pounds in one week and the next weekhe was down another 20 pounds. He was gone in less than a month and hecouldn't/wouldn't eat a thing even his favorites.
My family is still trying to adjust to life without a DDB and for everyone whohas had one you know how hard that can be. No one sleeps at night because thehouse is too quite, there's no furniture, walss or floor to clean, everyone is gaining weight because no one has an excuse togo out walking or biking and the alarm system is now on more than it is off.
All suggestions, comments, and thoughts welcome. Thank's for your time and efforts. Hope all get to enjoy the love that these guys have to offer - second to none.
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