~ Why it makes
sense to purchase your pet puppy from a serious "show" breeder
~
Serious hobby breeders are those people whose
life effort is spent endeavoring to produce superior animals. At Orchard Hill
we believe that legitimate hobby breeders deserve the respect of their peers
and also of the pet-buying public because it is though the significant efforts
of conscientious breeders those positive changes can be made in any breed.
As serious breeders we are intimately familiar
with the responsibilities breeding healthy, well-adjusted animals. Before being
considered worthy of reproducing, an Orchard Hill Cavalier must first be found
to be free and clear from at least the most common health problems found in the
breed: all of our dogs have their hearts, eyes and patellae cleared by
appropriate veterinary specialists.
The majority of our Cavaliers are shown
to their championships, an exercise which demonstrates recognition by our peers
deeming our dogs to be good representatives of the Breed.
We nurture our puppies carefully; babies are
whelped in our bedroom and handled throughout the day for early socialization.
As soon as they are old enough they are carried outdoors several times a day,
with such trips increasing as the puppies grow. These early lessons provide
exposure to the world and also help with the puppies' eventual house training.
Once the puppies are eight weeks old we begin
to assess them for type, temperament and construction. (The term "type" refers
to the fact that a given animal looks like his Breed Standard
describes.)
Sometimes a youngster just does not fulfill his
early promise: the puppy may be marked too lightly or too heavily. Maybe his
teeth are not exactly straight. Perhaps he has grown too big, remained small or
developed in any number of ways which make him less apt to succeed easily in
the show ring. Although many Orchard Hill pets might well be classified as
"show puppies," we prefer to place these puppies as gorgeous pets in loving
"forever" homes.
Every puppy whelped at Orchard Hill receives
excellent nutrition, loving care and strict attention to detail. All of our
babies are produced from health-tested parents, more than likely champions
themselves. As a result our pet puppies have a better chance of becoming
successful, healthy pets than an animal which has been haphazardly produced by
a back-yard breeder or "production" breeder.
Although we are breeding essentially to produce
show animals for ourselves, the majority of our puppies will eventually be
carefully matched with loving pet homes. Part of our joy as breeders is to see
these puppies succeed in their new homes, thereby reflecting well on their
parents and on ourselves as breeders.
Nothing is accomplished in life without
great effort. The Cavaliers of Orchard Hill represent endless effort to create
animals of which we can all be proud.
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