EnchantedMountainRanch
Member
I have been working on an email that introduces my family to prospective EM breeders from whom I'd like to inquire about puppies. I tried to include all that I could think of that might help the breeder decide if we are right for them and what puppy might be best for us.
I would really appreciate any help or suggestions.
Also, while I have two breeders that I am considering, I would really like further suggestions if you have any. We live far Northern New Mexico near the Colorado border. It is very important to me that we buy a puppy from a breeder that is close enough that I can witness for myself the living conditions of the dogs, the temperament of at least one parent, the behavior of the breeder themselves, and the puppies. Having been burned in the past by well respected breeders, only to find that everyone was seemingly unaware of serious discrepancies between claims and actual conditions, I would so rather not buy a puppy sight unseen. This means that it is my strong desire to stick to New Mexico, Texas and Colorado if at all possible.
Thank you so much for your time, and comments!
____________________________________________________
Hi,
I'm writing to inquire about your mastiff puppies. I am a former canine behaviorist who grew up breeding, showing and working Collies, Belgians, Great Danes, St. Bernards, and Shelties. The breeds were split among my aunts, parents, and grand parents, and were the absolute center of our lives. So much so that I turned down a prom date because it conflicted with a National Specialty. There was no way that I was going to miss out on running our dogs in trials, and in the ring, so that I could go to a dance!
As an adult I chose Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherds for myself and my own family, so I am familiar with loving, and living with giant breeds as well. Though I have long, long admired English Mastiffs, I began with the livestock guardian breeds for purely practical reasons. We live on 300 acres in the mountains of Northern New Mexico, and our livestock is at great danger from coyotes, mountain lions, and bears. We are one of only a couple of ranches that are able to free range our small livestock, and we owe this entirely to our dogs. We currently have two working livestock guardian dogs, a 2 year old Great Pyrenees, and an 8 month old Anatolian Shepherd in addition to our goat herd, poultry flocks, and a lazy barn cat.
We have a combination of fencing around the property. The entirety of the acreage is inside of a five-strand barbed wire fence. Within that fence we have our livestock inside of a five wire, high-tensile wire fence. Our house is then fenced in the front with a combination of 4 foot welded wire fence and adobe wall, and in the back with a 6-8 foot combination of latilla log, and wood framed welded wire. All together it effectively keeps our animals in and the predators out.
We are looking for a dog who wants to be part of our family; a house dog as we call them. Our dog would take trips to town with us once a week or so for walks in the parks, or on the mesa where our friends have acreage, as well as trading at the farmers' market. Our summers here at 8200 feet are not too hot; usually topping out at about 80 degrees for only a couple of hours in the height of the August afternoon. In the shade we rarely get over 75 degrees. Our acreage is in the middle of many thousands of acres of National Forest land, and regular walks through the forest are part of our spring, summer, and fall life out here. In the height of the summer we spend at least an hour a day by our large pond, or the shadier river that is beside our house. Our winters are definitely very cold, with very heavy snow, but we keep our house well heated with a wood burning stove, and cushy rugs in every room.
We feed our dogs as well as we feed our children, so a well balanced diet of wild-harvested, raw elk (when we have it), as well as poultry, mutton, and cabrito that we raise ourselves, is what our new puppy would be getting. My husband has spent many years researching nutrition for both humans and domesticated animals through current research as well as anthropological, and historical data, so we feel like we have nailed down a truly health supporting diet for our giant dogs. We would always transition a kibble fed dog slowly, with the use of a high quality, grain free kibble such as Canidae. I am aware of the questions surrounding protein and calcium content, and their effects on the growing skeletal system of a giant breed puppy, and usually choose Canidae food for puppies under a year old.
I am a freelance writer and homeschooling parent, and my husband is a Systems and Network Engineer who also works from home. The only time that our dogs would be home alone is on Mondays when we do all of our errands, and our children have their ballet classes. We also travel to town on Wednesdays, and occasional Fridays, and expect that our future Mastiff will join us for those trips to the farmers' market, and park day. The nearby town of Taos is extremely dog friendly, and dogs are welcome in nearly all businesses, as well as eateries that have outdoor areas. We do a bit of farming here on our property as well, so there is plenty of opportunity for gentle exercise following us around as we move about the gardens, greenhouse, and fields throughout the day. I have three children aged 10, 6 and 3.5 as well. They have grown up with Great Pyrenees in the house and in the field and know how to respect and care for giant breed dogs. Because of my children, especially, training is important in our home not just for our house dogs, but for our field dogs as well, and I can proudly say that I can absolutely trust my working dogs with even my youngest child.
I train with a combination of praise, play, and treats, and teach hand signals from the beginning, to be sure that if I ever needed to communicate with our dogs from a distance I could. I am also familiar with living with dogs that have handicaps and illness. Though it can be emotionally and financially exhausting, it is never a cause for rehoming for me. My first dog, whom I had from the time I was 7 years old, until I was 20 years old, was completely blind for her entire life. We worked closely together so that she could move about with confidence, even in new surroundings, trusting my cues and instructions. She was my life and no connection to our working and show dogs ever quite met the connection that she and I had as a direct result of her disability. When she died I took time off from being a professional trainer and from having a dog of my own. That break turned into a permanent retirement as a trainer, and a long time healing my heart. I fostered a few Bouviers and Belgian Sheepdogs for local rescue groups, but did not take in another dog as part of my family until I began adopting rescued Great Pyrenees. Our recently passed dog, Sheriff, came to us via the Texas Pyrenees rescue group. As a puppy he was found with both of his front legs broken, and had to have plates and pins installed in his legs.
He was a very sensitive dog, and we were always aware of how he was moving, the duration of any walks he joined us on, and adopted him with the understanding that he was at increased risk of cancer as he aged. We take these things as opportunity to be that much more present with the animals we love rather than considering them as burdens. These experiences also act as reminders of how important diet and proper exercise is for the happy longevity of our dogs.
Though we have never had a Mastiff, we have taken it upon ourselves to become educated about them, their gifts, and their difficulties, and truly feel that they are the best fit for our family.
I have been silently perusing the mastiff discussion forums for several years, in addition to all the reading I have done about EMs.
Though I am still researching breeders, your name has come up many times as an example of a high quality breeding program, and I am eager to speak with you further.
I hope that you will consider us a good candidate for placing one of your future puppies with us, and will let us know how we can begin on the road to having a Mastiff in our family.
Thank you so much for your time.
Aimee LeVally
I have attached a few pictures of our home and working dogs in case you are interested.
Our LGDs having a swim in our pond which is fed by our creek and feeds into the river beside our house.
A view of the 6-8 foot latilla fence which encloses the back yard.
This is our back pasture which lies directly behind the backyard fence. This is one of the places that we free range our livestock
A view down the Eastern half of our property,
and our LGD puppy having a look down at our house and barns from the ridge above
I would really appreciate any help or suggestions.
Also, while I have two breeders that I am considering, I would really like further suggestions if you have any. We live far Northern New Mexico near the Colorado border. It is very important to me that we buy a puppy from a breeder that is close enough that I can witness for myself the living conditions of the dogs, the temperament of at least one parent, the behavior of the breeder themselves, and the puppies. Having been burned in the past by well respected breeders, only to find that everyone was seemingly unaware of serious discrepancies between claims and actual conditions, I would so rather not buy a puppy sight unseen. This means that it is my strong desire to stick to New Mexico, Texas and Colorado if at all possible.
Thank you so much for your time, and comments!
____________________________________________________
Hi,
I'm writing to inquire about your mastiff puppies. I am a former canine behaviorist who grew up breeding, showing and working Collies, Belgians, Great Danes, St. Bernards, and Shelties. The breeds were split among my aunts, parents, and grand parents, and were the absolute center of our lives. So much so that I turned down a prom date because it conflicted with a National Specialty. There was no way that I was going to miss out on running our dogs in trials, and in the ring, so that I could go to a dance!
As an adult I chose Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherds for myself and my own family, so I am familiar with loving, and living with giant breeds as well. Though I have long, long admired English Mastiffs, I began with the livestock guardian breeds for purely practical reasons. We live on 300 acres in the mountains of Northern New Mexico, and our livestock is at great danger from coyotes, mountain lions, and bears. We are one of only a couple of ranches that are able to free range our small livestock, and we owe this entirely to our dogs. We currently have two working livestock guardian dogs, a 2 year old Great Pyrenees, and an 8 month old Anatolian Shepherd in addition to our goat herd, poultry flocks, and a lazy barn cat.
We have a combination of fencing around the property. The entirety of the acreage is inside of a five-strand barbed wire fence. Within that fence we have our livestock inside of a five wire, high-tensile wire fence. Our house is then fenced in the front with a combination of 4 foot welded wire fence and adobe wall, and in the back with a 6-8 foot combination of latilla log, and wood framed welded wire. All together it effectively keeps our animals in and the predators out.
We are looking for a dog who wants to be part of our family; a house dog as we call them. Our dog would take trips to town with us once a week or so for walks in the parks, or on the mesa where our friends have acreage, as well as trading at the farmers' market. Our summers here at 8200 feet are not too hot; usually topping out at about 80 degrees for only a couple of hours in the height of the August afternoon. In the shade we rarely get over 75 degrees. Our acreage is in the middle of many thousands of acres of National Forest land, and regular walks through the forest are part of our spring, summer, and fall life out here. In the height of the summer we spend at least an hour a day by our large pond, or the shadier river that is beside our house. Our winters are definitely very cold, with very heavy snow, but we keep our house well heated with a wood burning stove, and cushy rugs in every room.
We feed our dogs as well as we feed our children, so a well balanced diet of wild-harvested, raw elk (when we have it), as well as poultry, mutton, and cabrito that we raise ourselves, is what our new puppy would be getting. My husband has spent many years researching nutrition for both humans and domesticated animals through current research as well as anthropological, and historical data, so we feel like we have nailed down a truly health supporting diet for our giant dogs. We would always transition a kibble fed dog slowly, with the use of a high quality, grain free kibble such as Canidae. I am aware of the questions surrounding protein and calcium content, and their effects on the growing skeletal system of a giant breed puppy, and usually choose Canidae food for puppies under a year old.
I am a freelance writer and homeschooling parent, and my husband is a Systems and Network Engineer who also works from home. The only time that our dogs would be home alone is on Mondays when we do all of our errands, and our children have their ballet classes. We also travel to town on Wednesdays, and occasional Fridays, and expect that our future Mastiff will join us for those trips to the farmers' market, and park day. The nearby town of Taos is extremely dog friendly, and dogs are welcome in nearly all businesses, as well as eateries that have outdoor areas. We do a bit of farming here on our property as well, so there is plenty of opportunity for gentle exercise following us around as we move about the gardens, greenhouse, and fields throughout the day. I have three children aged 10, 6 and 3.5 as well. They have grown up with Great Pyrenees in the house and in the field and know how to respect and care for giant breed dogs. Because of my children, especially, training is important in our home not just for our house dogs, but for our field dogs as well, and I can proudly say that I can absolutely trust my working dogs with even my youngest child.
I train with a combination of praise, play, and treats, and teach hand signals from the beginning, to be sure that if I ever needed to communicate with our dogs from a distance I could. I am also familiar with living with dogs that have handicaps and illness. Though it can be emotionally and financially exhausting, it is never a cause for rehoming for me. My first dog, whom I had from the time I was 7 years old, until I was 20 years old, was completely blind for her entire life. We worked closely together so that she could move about with confidence, even in new surroundings, trusting my cues and instructions. She was my life and no connection to our working and show dogs ever quite met the connection that she and I had as a direct result of her disability. When she died I took time off from being a professional trainer and from having a dog of my own. That break turned into a permanent retirement as a trainer, and a long time healing my heart. I fostered a few Bouviers and Belgian Sheepdogs for local rescue groups, but did not take in another dog as part of my family until I began adopting rescued Great Pyrenees. Our recently passed dog, Sheriff, came to us via the Texas Pyrenees rescue group. As a puppy he was found with both of his front legs broken, and had to have plates and pins installed in his legs.
He was a very sensitive dog, and we were always aware of how he was moving, the duration of any walks he joined us on, and adopted him with the understanding that he was at increased risk of cancer as he aged. We take these things as opportunity to be that much more present with the animals we love rather than considering them as burdens. These experiences also act as reminders of how important diet and proper exercise is for the happy longevity of our dogs.
Though we have never had a Mastiff, we have taken it upon ourselves to become educated about them, their gifts, and their difficulties, and truly feel that they are the best fit for our family.
I have been silently perusing the mastiff discussion forums for several years, in addition to all the reading I have done about EMs.
Though I am still researching breeders, your name has come up many times as an example of a high quality breeding program, and I am eager to speak with you further.
I hope that you will consider us a good candidate for placing one of your future puppies with us, and will let us know how we can begin on the road to having a Mastiff in our family.
Thank you so much for your time.
Aimee LeVally
I have attached a few pictures of our home and working dogs in case you are interested.
Our LGDs having a swim in our pond which is fed by our creek and feeds into the river beside our house.
A view of the 6-8 foot latilla fence which encloses the back yard.
This is our back pasture which lies directly behind the backyard fence. This is one of the places that we free range our livestock
A view down the Eastern half of our property,
and our LGD puppy having a look down at our house and barns from the ridge above
