Buying a dog or puppy with the intention of breeding

This is going to be a blunt, straight up note for my customers who are considering getting into the breeding business or adding to their breeding program.
First of all, let me say that there are just as many people getting into the breeding business everyday as there are getting out.  This is not easy.  It takes a lot of work, sweat, time, self-education and lots of tears.  If you are a new Aussie breeder, welcome!

If you are considering buying a puppy or dog with the intentions of making money, let me say that this is an investment.  YOUR investment.  Like all good investments, there are risks involved.  Please understand that these dogs are animals.  They can die.  They can have issues which no one could possibly know about that could cause the dog to be unbreedable for one reason or another.  There is an endless amount of reasons.  I could never cover them all.  They are animals! These things happen!
They happen to me; they happen to everyone who is in it long enough.  This is just part of the risk we take when we make the investment.
As a seller, I never want someone to have a dog they are unhappy with.  Personally, I’d much rather not sell a dog than take the chance that someone would be unhappy with it.  There is a person for every dog and there is no reason for a dog to go somewhere it is not a good fit for that person’s needs.
That being said, it is possible to buy a puppy that for example, never comes in heat or never breeds.  That is not something that anyone can foresee.  This is a risk we all take when we buy a dog or a puppy.  They are animals.  Obviously, I take the same risks.  If I buy a dog that doesn’t breed, won’t raise a litter or must have C-sections I spay and pet them out, give them away or charge a small fee.  I understand this is part of it.  No one owes me for this, it was MY investment.  This is common sense.

I have had people call me after they’ve had their puppy for a week or a month and all the sudden I get a call that died of hypoglycemia They are, of course, sure it isn’t their fault and that I should pay for it.  Here is the thing, I cannot feed and take care of a puppy after it leaves here.  I physically can’t do it.  I have a very informative write up on my website that I spent hours doing so people can be informed.  I also send out a packet to all puppy buyers on how to feed the puppy what to watch for and express how important it is for the puppy to eat and drink when they get the puppy.
I have had someone that left the gate open, dog got out, got hit by a car and they call me wanting me to help with vet bills because they can’t afford it without making payments so since, quote “I can and should have compassion, I SHOULD” pay the vet bills for the dog that got hit.
Yet another person called me wanting to pay vet bills on a puppy that got killed because they left it unattended in an enclosure with other dogs.  The puppy that I sent them is the one that got killed by their other dogs so since they don’t even have the dog paid off yet, they wanted me to replace the puppy.  Yes.  Really.

I can go on and on about the calls I’ve received over the years.  It’s common sense.  I am obviously not going to replace a dog for these reasons.
Unfortunately, there are millions of things that can happen.  Things that can go wrong.  I could never cover every situation that would possibly come up.  I deal with things professionally on a case to case basis.  And as a helpful hint, I sure deal much better with people who do not call yelling and making threats.

Do I replace dogs?  Of course!  If there is a real problem with a dog, I want to know so that I can fix it.  I want people to be happy.  I run a successful business and I haven’t gotten where I am today by scraping by, coning people into buying something they don’t want or doing people wrong.  I deal with each situation on a case to case basis.  Using common sense.  It’s simple.

Will I stand behind a puppy if there is something wrong with it?  Of course!  Therefore, I require you to take your new puppy or dog to the vet right away.  They are vet checked before they leave but I like for you to have your puppy checked out so you can ensure that when you receive the puppy/dog it is up to your standards and expectations.

I have been on the bad end of deals with bad and un-reputable breeders.  Yes, I’ve bought dogs that were supposed to be one thing and were not even the same dog pictured.  Expensive ones.  And their response was- “sometimes you just get screwed”.  So, I just paid the stupid tax and went on.
I’ve bought dogs, unfortunately on several occasions, that were supposed to have papers and then didn’t.  Part of making an investment.  Sometimes they aren’t good ones.  Sometimes you can get it worked out with a lawyer, sometimes it just isn’t worth the hassle.  Again, I just write it off as having to pay the stupid tax again.  Believe me, I’ve been there.  It sucks.  And I will NEVER purposely misrepresent a dog or intentionally sell someone a dog that isn’t a good fit for them.  It sucks.  And it’s not good for the person or the dog.  If the person isn’t happy, the dog isn’t happy.  Both are equally important.

OK, now that that is out of the way…

Let’s talk about expenses, let me tell you, there will be expenses.  There will be expenses that you have thought of and ones that you haven’t.  That’s just life.  Things come up.  Vet bills are not the only thing I’m talking about.  Housing for dogs and puppies isn’t cheap.  Even if they live in your house and just have access to a fenced yard, it never fails.  There will be a hole in the fence, a dog door that needs installed, new buckets, new dog houses, the expense of the government trying to make its dime from your hard work.  Kennel licenses and taxes.

How am I successful?
For the first 10 years, I put everything back into my dogs. The profit I made on my dogs went straight back into expanding or bettering my facilities, adding to my breeding program, showing and promoting my dogs, vet bills, health testing, making sure my facility is in the best condition and that I am doing everything I can to provide quality dogs. I still put the majority of my money back into my dogs.  Now I’m not saying that if I didn’t need a new refrigerator that I didn’t go buy one.  But when you’re getting started if you want to be successful, just because you profit $5000 on a litter that doesn’t mean you have $5000 to go spend on a car, a new wardrobe or whatever you want.  It means that you have $5000 more to put back for unexpected dog expenses or towards your next project.  Be it updating your dog facilities, buying a grooming table to make your job easier or adding to your breeding program. I strongly believe that when spending money to make your facilities better it saves you valuable time and money in the long run.  I have always spent the extra time and money to make things easier.  To work for me instead of against me.

To be successful this is, in my opinion, the only way to go.  Dogs are first.  Always.  No matter what. If that is not or cannot be the case, this is not the business for you.  These are animals.  They live for us and they have no say in what kind of life they have.  We are their world.  We are what makes their lives good, bad, fun or miserable.  If you can’t make the commitment to make their lives the best possible, please consider another investment.  This is not the lifestyle for you.

Let me say, we have just had a blunt discussion about buying dogs/puppies as investments.  Let me be very clear.  Anytime I spend money on something, as a business woman, I consider it an investment.  Vehicle, phone, horses, dogs, saddles, computers, anything.  Now that being said, these dogs are not JUST an investment to me.  They are my life.   My world.  They are my every single day.  They are what I live for.  I plan my life around them as you would around your children.  They are all individuals that hold special places in my heart.  Many are spayed and retired here.  They will live out their lives here if I cannot find the perfect home that fits them.  They earn that.  They deserve that.  Many of these are 5-8 generations my breeding.  That means that I have several generations of old ladies hanging out here while I raise their great great, great, great, great grand puppies.  There aren’t words to describe hanging out with the generations of aussie I have raised and watching them succeed in every situation I introduce them to. To feel the love, they have for me and my family and the desire to please. The pride, the unconditional love, the blood sweat and tears that we have shared over the years.  It must compare to the way great grandparents feel when they sit down for dinner with their family.  Several generations under the same roof.  Proud to be a part of something so wonderful that has taken years of love and nurturing. Something they have spent their life doing.
For me, my life, I wouldn’t change a thing.  I’ll always have Aussies. I love the life that me and my family have for this breed and our lifestyle. I love all the aussie friendships I have made along the way. It has not always been easy but it has all been worth it!!

Keisha Bowman
~ proud Aussie breeder since 2000

Thanks for reading and understanding!  As always feel free to call or email with any questions or concerns.