Visiting Us

Visitation

For the safety of all our dogs and puppies, no one outside our immediate family are allowed to handle, pet, play, view, feed the puppies or walk in the kennel and maternity areas. Strangers viewing and walking in these areas excites and upsets the dogs and puppies. Mother dogs can be very protective of their new babies – as they should be. Also, and definitely the most important reason, humans can track in various serious dog diseases that could be devastating in the least and deadly at the worst to the puppies and dogs (see below for more information on communicable dog diseases).

To insure the health of your puppy, visitors are not allowed in the kennel area. Just think of it like this---you are not allowed to go running and wandering through a maternity ward at the hospital. I consider my whelping area just like a maternity ward so there will be no wandering and running through it either.

Please understand, we protect your puppy as we do our own. For this reason, people purchasing puppies can view the parents and puppies after the puppies have had their vaccinations (around 7 ½ weeks old) and are ready to go to their new homes. All puppies are vet checked, MUST have their first vaccinations and are wormed before they are viewed and handled by anyone but my immediate family.

Puppies need the education they receive from mom and the other puppies up until at least the 8 week mark. You will have a much more well adjusted puppy than if he left here before 8 weeks. Therefore, we will not allow any puppy to go to their new home before 8 weeks. Please don’t even ask. If the veterinarian feels that the puppies should stay together for another week or so then that’s what will happen. Socialization and health are very important to us.

Puppy pickup is done on an appointment only basis. Do not bring any other animals with you when you come to pick up your puppy. Puppy pick-up is extremely stressful to begin with for the puppy’s mother, all the other dogs and the puppy himself. We can’t add to the stress that’s already there by default.

Canine Communicable Diseases

Definitely the most important reason for the way I do visits is because of the risk of Parvovirus, Kennel Cough (Bordetellosis), Canine Distemper and other communicable diseases. Lets take Parvo as an example of why this is so important to me:

Below are some excerpts from an article at PetEducation.com http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1556&articleid=467

Parvovirus:

“There is currently some discussion that there may be other strains that are beginning to emerge and have yet to be formally identified. Current vaccinations have helped to control the spread of this disease but despite being vaccinated, some dogs still contract and die from parvo.”

“Parvovirus is known to survive on inanimate objects - such as clothing, food pans, and cage floors - for 5 months and longer in the right conditions. Insects and rodents may also serve as vectors playing an important role in the transmission of the disease. All parvoviruses are extremely stable and are resistant to adverse environmental influences such as low pH and high heat. Exposure to ultraviolet light and sodium hypochlorite (a 1:32 dilution of household bleach - ½ cup bleach to 1 gallon of water) can inactivate parvovirus. The bleach solution can be impaired by organic matter and needs to have adequate exposure time and proper concentrations to work effectively. The normal incubation period (time from exposure to the virus to the time when signs of disease appear) is from 7-14 days. Active excretion of the virus in the feces can begin the third day after exposure, often before clinical signs appear, and may last for one to two weeks after the onset of the disease.”

“In summary, parvovirus is a very common problem that is a huge killer of puppies. Due to its ability to be transmitted through hands, clothes, and most likely rodents and insects, it is virtually impossible to have a kennel that will not eventually be exposed to the disease. Modified live vaccines are safe and effective, but despite the best vaccination protocol, all puppies will have a window of susceptibility of at least several days where they will be at risk. Using the newer high titer vaccines may shorten the window of susceptibility on many puppies. Prompt treatment by a veterinarian will increase survivability in infected puppies and working with your veterinarian on a vaccination program that is best for your puppy is important.”

So, that being said, after lengthy conversations with my vet we decided that the above practices of viewing and picking up puppies after vaccinations, vet check and when the puppies are ready to leave for new homes would be the safest (health wise) for the puppies and dogs and in the best interest for purchaser’s and myself.

Following these guidelines allows us to provide overall kennel safety and healthy puppies.

Hopefully this explains my reasons to everyone’s satisfaction.
We can forward pictures before the pup is reserved so you can see the litter. I also usually put the pictures in an album that I will be more than happy to give you if you get in touch with me.

All puppies are reserved with a $300.00 deposit. A deposit is required to hold a puppy until they are ready to leave for their new homes. Please note that all deposits are non-refundable so please make sure this is the breed for you before you reserve and pay a deposit. Puppies are reserved and chose in the order that the deposit was received. No puppy will be reserved and held without a deposit being paid by the purchaser. All deposits can be made in the form of cash, cashier’s check, or money order. Please note that any personal checks received will have to clear the bank before you are put in line on the puppy list. Final payment for your puppy on the day you pick him up is required to be cash, cashiers check or money order. No personal checks are allowed for the ANY puppy payments.

Again, there will be absolutely no prior visits before puppy pickup because of all above reasons. Please do not ask me to make just one exception. That is all it takes to risk my dogs or puppies health and I am not willing under any circumstance to do this.

We sincerely hope our kennel will provide you with a lifelong happy, healthy Crooked River German Shepherd puppy who will become a well-loved family companion.

Disclaimer: Any of these policies may be changed at any time by Crooked River German Shepherds.

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