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YorkieMaybe · 02-18-2009, 01:26 PM

I did see that but as a user of paypal didn't think that was that unusual. I did not know/think it was a bad mark on a breeder....

I e-mailed the breeder... here is my e-mail: Did I ask any/all the right questions?

Hello,
My name is Summer and first of all, I wanted to tell you that you have some AMAZING looking dogs! I am trying to do as much research as possible on this breed. I am in complete love. Let me tell you a little about myself... I am 26 and married to a great man, Patrick...we have 3 daughters 9, 7, and 18 months. They have been raised around animals since, well before they were born. We are very strict about how animals are treated in our house. We currently have a chow named Chi-Ching, and 3 cats, Tiocy(13), Asha(7), and Jinx(2)... oh, and a fantail goldfish named Banana.
Our chow is a wonderful dog but unfortunately he has alot of problems. Due to lack of education, research and honestly, basic common sense... we unknowingly bought him from a puppy mill. With that mistake came many others. We found out right around his 2nd birthday that he has severe hip dysplasia(under 20% coverage on one side, next to none on the other) We also had to have 8 of his teeth pulled due to an undershot jaw that was causing sores in and on his mouth and jowls. When we went to discuss our options with his hips we found out some terrible news, he is not a candidate for surgery. His body is too misaligned. He also has some vision loss that we are unable to do anything about right now too..... The worst news came when our vet told us that he doesn't expect our dog to make it past 7 years old, and that is if he is lucky. My chow is 4 this year. We are hoping he can outdue the vets expectations but after this winter we got to see some bad days and it was very hard to watch.
My point in telling you all of this is because I know when the day comes that my chow has to cross the rainbow bridge, I am not going to be able to be very long without a dog. SO, that leads me to this e-mail. I wanted to find a breed that would work well with my family and learn all I could so that my decision wasn't just based on a 'cute puppy'. I have done lots of research on the Norwich and I have been shocked at how hard they are to find! We have even contemplated having one shipped from overseas because alot of the more local(I live in WA state) dogs I have seen have been more lanky and just not as compact as the better quality Norwiches seem to be. With the cost of money that they are, I want to make sure to get a good quality dog, but more importantly to me then anything else, is health. We have had 2 other dogs, at seperate times, that had rare genetic diseases, one had a throat defect and elongated soft palette, and the other had luxating patellas and pituitary dwarfism.....Both were shelter dogs... (sadly, both had to be put to sleep) after the second dog we opted to go with a breeder, and we ended up with my chow... I have great luck, don't I?? So health is my top priority because I cannot watch my animals in pain any more. I just want a healthy dog... more then anything.

I was very happy to find your site. Like I mentioned, most of the best quality Norwiches I have seen have been overseas, so I was ecstatic to see a states breeder with gorgeous dogs. I am hoping you can answer a few questions and perhaps tell me if you feel that a Norwich would make a good pet for my family.

My husband and I both own our own businesses, he is a real estate broker and I am a photographer. So we can pretty much make our own hours and my job allows me to take a dog with me. Right now, I am also a stay at home mom to my girls... We own our own home, it is a good sized home and we have a large fenced backyard with a big double deck. We are the type that would take a dog with us on most vacations and camping trips, if for some reason we could not take the dog, it would stay with my brother in law, or boarded at my vets office, but we never go on trips we cannot take the dog, so I don't see that happening. Um, lets see, I am very strict with my kids on the rules of playing with the dog. They are allowed to play with the dog and toss the ball, etc. But I don't allow rough housing, teasing or chasing... I won't risk my kids getting bit, or my dog getting hurt. Grooming is not an issue at all... haha, after you have owned a chow, everything seems easier to groom. We have been very active in the animal world, well, all my life, but myself and my husband for the last 9 years. I volunteered at 2 local shelters for 3 years and had MANY foster animals and also did some private rescue.
I am also VERY active in obedience training and agility. Prior to the news of my chows hips, I had taken him through puppy, beginners, intermediate, advanced and agility. Unfortunately, his hips stopped that but I would LOVE to get back into it.

We are really interested in the black and tans, and just completely fell in love with Chester and Rosemary. That 'look' is what we would like. We like the more solid black back but we have a hard time finding it.

As far as you and your dogs go.... I have few questions. They are some basic questions, I am just going to list them...

When is your next planned litter?
How often do you breed/have litters?
What can you tell me about your dogs individual personalities/temperments?
Are your dogs kenneled or in the house?
What type, if any, health testing do you do on your dogs?
What type/length of waiting list do you have?
When registering with AKC, do you name the dogs or do you let the owners name/help name?
How much do your pups cost?
Do you give 'discounts/deals' if someone wants two pups?
Do you help pick out specific pups for owners?
Do you have a contract for your puppies?
Do you allow pups that have been sold to be bred?
How much time do you spend on planning the litter & rearing the pups?
At what age can the pups go to their new homes?
What comes with the pup when it leaves?

We are not specifically looking to buy a dog right now... but in the relatively soon future(probably a couple years depending on the health of my chow), possibly sooner. We are pretty sure we would like a male, but either would be fine. Any other information that you can add would be greatly appreciated and of course if you have any questions for me, or if you would like to see pictures of my home/pets/family to see if it might be a good home for one of your pups at some point, just let me know!

I really appreciate you taking the time to read my novel and I look forward to hearing from you!!

Thanks so much!

02-18-2009, 01:26 PM	#5
YorkieMaybe Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Spokane, WA, USA Posts: 50	I did see that but as a user of paypal didn't think that was that unusual. I did not know/think it was a bad mark on a breeder.... I e-mailed the breeder... here is my e-mail: Did I ask any/all the right questions? Hello, My name is Summer and first of all, I wanted to tell you that you have some AMAZING looking dogs! I am trying to do as much research as possible on this breed. I am in complete love. Let me tell you a little about myself... I am 26 and married to a great man, Patrick...we have 3 daughters 9, 7, and 18 months. They have been raised around animals since, well before they were born. We are very strict about how animals are treated in our house. We currently have a chow named Chi-Ching, and 3 cats, Tiocy(13), Asha(7), and Jinx(2)... oh, and a fantail goldfish named Banana. Our chow is a wonderful dog but unfortunately he has alot of problems. Due to lack of education, research and honestly, basic common sense... we unknowingly bought him from a puppy mill. With that mistake came many others. We found out right around his 2nd birthday that he has severe hip dysplasia(under 20% coverage on one side, next to none on the other) We also had to have 8 of his teeth pulled due to an undershot jaw that was causing sores in and on his mouth and jowls. When we went to discuss our options with his hips we found out some terrible news, he is not a candidate for surgery. His body is too misaligned. He also has some vision loss that we are unable to do anything about right now too..... The worst news came when our vet told us that he doesn't expect our dog to make it past 7 years old, and that is if he is lucky. My chow is 4 this year. We are hoping he can outdue the vets expectations but after this winter we got to see some bad days and it was very hard to watch. My point in telling you all of this is because I know when the day comes that my chow has to cross the rainbow bridge, I am not going to be able to be very long without a dog. SO, that leads me to this e-mail. I wanted to find a breed that would work well with my family and learn all I could so that my decision wasn't just based on a 'cute puppy'. I have done lots of research on the Norwich and I have been shocked at how hard they are to find! We have even contemplated having one shipped from overseas because alot of the more local(I live in WA state) dogs I have seen have been more lanky and just not as compact as the better quality Norwiches seem to be. With the cost of money that they are, I want to make sure to get a good quality dog, but more importantly to me then anything else, is health. We have had 2 other dogs, at seperate times, that had rare genetic diseases, one had a throat defect and elongated soft palette, and the other had luxating patellas and pituitary dwarfism.....Both were shelter dogs... (sadly, both had to be put to sleep) after the second dog we opted to go with a breeder, and we ended up with my chow... I have great luck, don't I?? So health is my top priority because I cannot watch my animals in pain any more. I just want a healthy dog... more then anything. I was very happy to find your site. Like I mentioned, most of the best quality Norwiches I have seen have been overseas, so I was ecstatic to see a states breeder with gorgeous dogs. I am hoping you can answer a few questions and perhaps tell me if you feel that a Norwich would make a good pet for my family. My husband and I both own our own businesses, he is a real estate broker and I am a photographer. So we can pretty much make our own hours and my job allows me to take a dog with me. Right now, I am also a stay at home mom to my girls... We own our own home, it is a good sized home and we have a large fenced backyard with a big double deck. We are the type that would take a dog with us on most vacations and camping trips, if for some reason we could not take the dog, it would stay with my brother in law, or boarded at my vets office, but we never go on trips we cannot take the dog, so I don't see that happening. Um, lets see, I am very strict with my kids on the rules of playing with the dog. They are allowed to play with the dog and toss the ball, etc. But I don't allow rough housing, teasing or chasing... I won't risk my kids getting bit, or my dog getting hurt. Grooming is not an issue at all... haha, after you have owned a chow, everything seems easier to groom. We have been very active in the animal world, well, all my life, but myself and my husband for the last 9 years. I volunteered at 2 local shelters for 3 years and had MANY foster animals and also did some private rescue. I am also VERY active in obedience training and agility. Prior to the news of my chows hips, I had taken him through puppy, beginners, intermediate, advanced and agility. Unfortunately, his hips stopped that but I would LOVE to get back into it. We are really interested in the black and tans, and just completely fell in love with Chester and Rosemary. That 'look' is what we would like. We like the more solid black back but we have a hard time finding it. As far as you and your dogs go.... I have few questions. They are some basic questions, I am just going to list them... When is your next planned litter? How often do you breed/have litters? What can you tell me about your dogs individual personalities/temperments? Are your dogs kenneled or in the house? What type, if any, health testing do you do on your dogs? What type/length of waiting list do you have? When registering with AKC, do you name the dogs or do you let the owners name/help name? How much do your pups cost? Do you give 'discounts/deals' if someone wants two pups? Do you help pick out specific pups for owners? Do you have a contract for your puppies? Do you allow pups that have been sold to be bred? How much time do you spend on planning the litter & rearing the pups? At what age can the pups go to their new homes? What comes with the pup when it leaves? We are not specifically looking to buy a dog right now... but in the relatively soon future(probably a couple years depending on the health of my chow), possibly sooner. We are pretty sure we would like a male, but either would be fine. Any other information that you can add would be greatly appreciated and of course if you have any questions for me, or if you would like to see pictures of my home/pets/family to see if it might be a good home for one of your pups at some point, just let me know! I really appreciate you taking the time to read my novel and I look forward to hearing from you!! Thanks so much!