SoCal-thank you for your kind comments. And FYI, I was formerly an Opthalmic Tech and saw many the corneal ulcer...yes, they are HORRIBLE and you have my deepest sympathies for that one! Nasty scarring they tend to leave behind as well.
When we got our dogs, our motivation was to get one with a bloodline that we would breed if we decided to, but did not get them at first with the sole intention of breeding them. When working with the Shih-Tzu breeder, she sold her pups for 300-400 and honestly would do well to break even. But her dogs were her life. She is retired, has grown kids and all her motivations are for her doggies. She seemed so fulfilled...it was a great feeling. As I said, my father got Cody from a breeder we worked with, we didn't have much of a problem getting him. On the contrary, when we looked for Trixie, we ran accross puppy mill after puppy mill...horrendous conditions. Ultimately, thinking back on that, when it came down to our decision: OK, are we going to breed or not? it sat with me that we could raise 'good' dogs rather than what we've seen. I honestly didn't know if I had an intention on breeding her a second time until I got to see the reactions of those who took her pups home. It has been the most gratifying experience, next to having my own child. One of the new owners told me how adamate he'd been about finding a breeder that wasn't a puppy mill and he was so grateful our vet had mentioned us to him. He said, "you are so organized with everything and you have really put my mind at ease with my decision to get this puppy." After all the hard work, how great a thing is THAT to hear!?!"
