Questionnaire
1. What is your experience with Beagles?
2. Please describe your home, including the size of your yard and the type/height of fencing?
3. Do you have children or pets in your home and what are their ages?
4. Have you ever raised a puppy or attended puppy kindergarten or home obedience classes?
5. How will the puppy spend its day? How many hours will it spend alone?
6. Are you looking for a pet puppy, show puppy, or young adult?
Mail answers to rosbach1@msn.com
Why we breed.
Please, remember WHY we are breeding.
Not to fulfill 'obligations'
for pet puppies, but to produce excellent show prospects for
ourselves. We reserve the right to pick of the litter and preference
will be given to placing show quality puppies in show homes. After
that, our primary goal is to ensure a safe and loving home for each
of our puppies for the rest of their lives. We cannot ever guarantee
a puppy to anyone out of any litter - we must evaluate the litter
for quality first and when we have decided which puppies are
available as pets, we will place them in the most suitable home for
their personality. This means you may wait for one or even two
litters before we have something for you. That may translate into a
year or more. If you really want a healthy, quality beagle, you must
first of all be patient!
why do you want to know so much about me?
No, I'm not nosy! I need to know all about the family that one of my
puppies might be spending their life with. I will place a puppy
ONLY in a home I feel will provide a happy, safe and stable lifetime of care.
It's my responsibility.
2. HEALTH Our puppies have their health carefully monitored, have
had preventative de-worming, and are current on all of their
vaccinations. Only healthy dogs are used in our breeding program. We
screen their parents as much as is possible with current veterinary
practice for Hip Dysplasia, Thyroid problems, Epilepsy, and eye
disorders.
3. EXPERTISE It takes a big effort and investment to acquire and
breed dogs that are sound, healthy, good-natured, and excellent
physical representatives of the breed. We travel every year to the
National Beagle Club Specialty Show wherever it goes across the US.
This networking with other breeders is very important for sharing
and gaining knowledge and experience. Breedings are planned to match
the best stud to our precious girls. Sometimes this involves
shipping dogs across the country with the inherent expense of
transportation and stud fee.
4. SUPPORT A puppy packet is provided for each of our puppies
including health history, four generation pedigree, care and feeding
information, family photo album and training information. We are a
phone call or email away if you ever have any questions or problems
with your beagle.
4. ETHICS We are serious about Beagles. We care what happens to our
puppies after they leave our home and join yours. We mean it when we
say we want to stay in touch and to help you with any problems you
may have. We mean it when we say we will take the puppy back if, at
any time, you can no longer keep it. We breed only one or perhaps
two litters per year. We are not in this to make money (the idea is
funnier than you may think! reputable breeders are SO in the red!)-
our aim is to improve the breed as a whole while we enjoy our own
dogs in our home and on our laps.
'
Pet' and 'Show' quality explained.Potential pet buyers should know that our purpose is to breed show
dogs that exemplify the breed standard and make improvements within
the breed in temperament, health and structure. Pet puppies which
end up being produced are a delightful by-product of our goals.
Consequently, we appreciate your understanding when show puppies are
kept by us or by other show breeders. A 'pet quality' puppy could be
considered that for one of several reasons in the breed standard -
slightly short ears, too soft (incorrect) coat texture, a tendency
to carry the tail too 'gaily' - the list goes on and on. These
puppies are still beautiful; probably only a breeder or judge would
recognize these faults, and many of these puppies could achieve
their Championship.
'Show quality' means that this puppy, in my opinion, has the
conformation potential to become a champion. Certainly most puppies
I produce that are of this standard I will choose to keep myself -
that is why I bred the litter in the first place! If I am lucky, a
litter may produce more than one beautiful puppy, and I may consider
placing it in a show home. My main interest here is the satisfaction
it gives me as a breeder to have produced a champion quality Beagle;
whether it lives with me or in another show home the dog still
carries my kennel name. I place show puppies only with people I've
developed a relationship with so I know they are committed to
showing and bettering the breed. Contracts for show puppies may
include agreements about puppies back and stud rights.
Our "Pet / Show" Contract
One of the joys of breeding a fine litter of purebred dogs is the
opportunity to show the best puppies, exhibiting the results of that
carefully thought-out mating to one's peers. The puppies that are
sold as 'pets' are - sadly - lost to the breeder for that purpose
once they are neutered, because neutered animals are not eligible
for AKC conformation competition. For this reason, 'show' puppies
can sometimes be had as family pets with the following conditions:
the puppy lives with you as your beloved family pet
the puppy would remain partially in my name
the puppy must be kept in show condition (not too fat or thin)
the puppy's training with you must not work against his career as a
show dog (we don't want him to sit for treats, but stand)
the puppy must be available to me on a regular basis for training
while he is young, and for shows (probably one weekend a month)
until he is finished his Championship
the expenses of showing the dog would be Manahound's, the ribbons
won would go home with you
The downside to this arrangement: you would have to give up some
weekends with your beagle, you'd have to live with an unneutered dog
and deal with the bitch's estrus cycle or the male hormones, and
you'd have to be dedicated to keeping your dog in show condition. On
the upside; you have a beagle which would otherwise not be
available, you'd have free professional grooming on a regular basis,
you'd be proud to own one of the most beautiful beagles you've ever
seen, and you would have the opportunity to watch your beagle strut
his stuff (and hopefully do some winning) at the local shows!
I've heard that females make better pets, is this true?
Actually, males tend to be more loyal, more cuddly, and more
playful. Females can sometimes be a little more aloof. Buyers
preferring females will have to wait longer since there are
generally fewer females born and females are in demand by show
breeders and pet buyers alike.
While we're talking about SEX, please don't be shocked if we
occasionally refer to the females as BITCHES. In doggie circles, we
do generally refer to our animals specifically by sex, for example
"the dog has a typey outline, but I just love the headpiece on that
bitch". We've gotten used to using the word and might forget that
it's not generally considered polite!
How old are the puppies when you allow them to go to their new homes?
I want a 'baby' puppy, so it will bond with me better.
It is a very bad idea to take a puppy away from his mom and siblings
before the age of 9 weeks. From five to eight weeks of age, puppies
learn how to behave with other dogs. Their rough and tumble play and
the corrections they receive from mom and other adult dogs are
essential in developing their ability to socialize properly. We will
NOT let a puppy leave our home before the age of nine weeks. Most of
our puppies will stay here longer, so we can evaluate their
conformation to try to choose the best for show homes. Besides the
extra socialization with their siblings and our adult dogs, these
puppies future owners benefit in that the puppies are usually much
more capable of sleeping through the night without a potty break
when they go 'home'. When they find themselves the center of
attention in their new home, these older puppies will bond with the
person who gives them the most attention and who is clearly the
'alpha' of the household. They will be prepared to take full
advantage of 'Puppy Socialization' classes, which we strongly
recommend.
We evaluate the puppies' structure at the age of 6.5 weeks, and
continue to watch them carefully as they develop. Those that are
looking promising for show will stay here until 12 weeks or later.
Once we have decided which puppies are available as pets, we'll help
you make your choice, complete the contract and other paperwork, and
you can take your puppy home. Puppies we decide to keep for a while
to further evaluate for show may come available later, either
strictly as pets or on a pet/show contract (see above).
For some families, adopting an older dog can have definite
advantages over the "joy" of raising a puppy. We occasionally have
young, retired show dogs available to good pet homes. They have
finished their Championships and gone as far in their show career as
they can go, and we don't need them in our breeding program. These
dogs are crate trained, well socialized, housebroken and
micro-chipped. They've received excellent care and training
throughout their young lives and they can make a wonderful addition
to a family. These dogs are much more likely to be able to fit in to
a family with young children. I do not usually place baby puppies in
families with children under the age of 5.
What is the quality of the puppies?
We are committed to breeding beagles with excellent temperament and
conformation. We work very hard to make sure the puppies are well
socialized. We make every effort to keep up with the latest research
about how to breed and raise healthy, well-tempered dogs that meet
the breed standard. Our puppies are first-rate quality in terms of
temperament and socialization. We can discuss with potential buyers
the strengths and weaknesses of any of our puppies in terms of
conformation. We also try to match people with the kind of puppy
that will fit best into their family and lifestyle, so we discuss
personality also.
Do you have any guarantees or warranties covering the puppies?
What are the terms
?Our first concern is for the well-being of our puppies throughout
their lifetimes. Therefore, if - for any reason and at any time -
you choose not to keep your beagle, return the dog to us and we will
refund the purchase price. A suitable deduction will be made to the
refunded amount based upon the dog’s age, and if the dog has any
preventable conditions, including but not limited to: obesity, signs
of abuse, parasites, and a lack of basic training.
The health of the puppies we produce is of vital concern to us -
both for sentimental reasons and because we need to monitor the
health of all dogs we produce over their lifetimes to be sure we've
not missed anything in our breeding research. We'd appreciate being
notified of any and all health issues you encounter in your dog's
lifetime.
Of course, we guarantee our puppies to be healthy at time of
purchase. We encourage people to take their new puppy to their vet
as soon as possible. We have done everything possible to ensure the puppies we breed do
not carry life-threatening genetic defects. We have nevertheless
decided on the following policy, should the unthinkable occur:
If the dog's owner (upon advice of a reputable vet) determines that
the dog's quality of life is seriously affected because of a genetic
defect within the first four years of the dog's life, we provide the
following options:
If the dog is euphonized or returned to us, we will provide a
replacement puppy
(as soon as one is available) at no charge, or refund the purchase
price.
If the owner chooses to keep the dog we will refund a portion of the
purchase price.
Have the puppies had their shots?
The puppies are vaccinated and wormed at least twice before they go
to their new homes. They have also had their dewclaws removed. We're
constantly revising our vaccination schedule to keep up with the
latest research. We provide a health record and a recommended
schedule for future vaccinations, worming, neutering/spaying. The
initial series of shots is very important, and you must be very
diligent about completing the puppy's schedule in a timely manner.
Have the puppies already been AKC registered?
Yes, all litters at Manahound are AKC registered. Your individual
puppy will be registered once we have agreed upon the name. You
should receive the certificate before the puppy is 6 months old for
show quality beagles, or within two months of my receipt of a copy
of the spay/neuter certificate for pet stock.
You can call your puppy any name you choose (though we sincerely
hope it won't be anything embarrassing to the dog!) The registered
name will usually conform to a chosen theme - I may ask for your
input if I have run out of ideas. All registered names will begin
with 'Manahound' or 'Manahound's'.
Do you have 15" or 13" Beagles?
We have both 15" and 13" adult beagles. However 13" parents can
produce 15" offspring and vice-versa. While knowing what's in the
background of the puppy can help predict but there's no way to know
for sure what size a beagle will be until it's full grown.
Other information
:We have an extensive contract on which we sell our dogs. We visit
prospective homes whenever possible. When it's not possible we
require references and pictures. We require that buyers have a
securely fenced yard. We usually don't place Beagles with people who
live in apartments because Beagles are high energy dogs who don't
usually do well if left alone for long periods in an apartment.
However, we have occasionally made an exception when we believe that
the home is a good placement for the particular puppy and that
people have made arrangements to meet the Beagles need for activity
and companionship - apartment dwellers must be extremely committed
to walking their dogs frequently. Also, since Beagles are slaves to
their nose and will take off after the first exciting scent, it's
important that people realize they can NEVER let the Beagle
off-leash.
We require that if for any reason you need to find a new home for
the dog, you must contact us and we will take the beagle back or
provide you with help in making a successful new placement. We are
very concerned about the dogs we breed and do follow-up calls, so
expect to hear from us! We encourage our puppy buyers to call us
whenever they have a question or problem and if we can't help, we'll
consult our resources and networks to find an answer. We intend to
be available to support our puppy buyers for as long as the dog
lives.