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Origins
I am very
proud of my dogs and puppies. Eight
years ago, I bought a coffee farm and decided to breed Labrador retrievers. Earlier in my professional life, as a
university professor, I had occasionally bred Burmese cats, Samoyeds, and
Papillons, and raised four children. Retirement
to Hawaii gave me opportunities to have land for dogs to run, a spacious kennel
area, time to select great dogs, to raise and care for them, and to breed
sound, beautiful companion dogs that make people very happy.
My breeding
dogs were imported from well-known kennels in New Zealand (Ella, Gamefield Enchantress) and Australia
(Stormy. Mikelli DarkN Stormy;
Bonnie, Avokah Choclyt Brownie; Zoe, Cranlamila Dreamtime). From these outstanding dogs, I have selected
a few puppies to keep for the breeding program (Emily, Aloha Emily Dickenson; James, Aloha
Kona Coffee; Sasha, Aloha Sweet
Sasha; and Abigail, Aloha Emily's Abigail of Timberline Big Ben).
Some are
still too young to breed (girls should be two years old for first litters; boys
can be younger).
Three
imported puppies did not work out for a variety of reasons – they did
not have sound joints or friendly Lab temperaments or good conformation. They were not suitable for breeding, though
they are good pets in other families. Some puppies I bred turned out to be
less than I hoped, and they were not kept for breeding.
Parents’
Certifications
Before
breeding, dogs’ eyes are examined by a veterinary ophthalmologist and certified
by CERF (Canine Eye Research Foundation).
Parents’ hip and elbow joints
are x-rayed and certified by OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals). All of my dogs are negative for PRA
(progressive retinal atrophy) and have no history of heart disorders or
epilepsy in their ancestry. All dogs
are registered with the American Kennel Club, and litters are pre-registered
with the AKC.
Puppy
Care, Feeding, and Socialization
I
socialize my puppies to be calm, happy, playful family companions. Puppies spend their first four
weeks in a whelping box in my bedroom, where their mother and I make sure they
are well fed, warm, and loved. I weigh
them, handle and stroke them every day. After
their eyes and ears open in the third week, they get up on their feet to
explore their world. From the third week until they leave, puppies get used to
household and farm noises, lots of different people’s voices and touches, and they
meet some other animals.
In
the third week, puppies begin solid foods (the mothers look so grateful). Puppies are fed a raw meaty mush of ground
beef and beef heart, raw eggs, and plain yogurt. As they get teeth in the fourth week, their meaty mush starts to
have more chewy lumps in it, and they gradually transition to consuming raw
chicken wings (meat and bones) by 6 weeks of age. Before puppies leave here, they are crunching up chicken
drumsticks and tearing meaty chunks off beef bones like the little carnivores
they are. Their mothers still nurse
them a couple of times a day, more for motherly love than for
significant nourishment, because by 8 weeks of age puppies weigh 13 to 16
pounds each – a total body mass that usually exceeds their mother’s.
When
puppies climb out of the whelping box, around 4 weeks of age, they go outside
to the puppy yard, where they have grass, dirt, a puppy pool, a puppy house,
and lots of room to run and play. By
instinct, it seems, they eliminate in the grass and keep their house clean. Their mother comes in to nurse them. Children, friends, and family all come to
play with the puppies. When they leave their birth home, they are ready to join
a new family and to be a family member.
Health
Guarantees
Sound parents are the best health guarantee I
can offer. Of course, if a puppy is later found to have a genetic defect that
limits his suitability as a family companion, I will replace the puppy.
If within the first week
after taking your puppy home, you have concerns about the puppy’s
health, take the puppy to your veterinarian.
If your veterinarian concludes they puppy is a poor health risk,
notify me within 24 hours of the vet visit, and I will take the puppy
back and replace him/her with a similar puppy from a future litter.
Some
problems, such as hip and elbow dysplasia, are strongly influenced by care and
feeding in the puppy’s first year of life.
A good early diet, from their nursing mother and from raw meaty bones,
strengthens their bones, joints, and muscles.
I protect them from falls and injuries. Puppies need continued protection and care for the first year of
life. If their joints are protected
from injury in the first 12 months, they will have no joint problems ever
after.
- Protect
a puppy’s joints by not letting him jump off anything taller than he is
(standing on four legs).
- Do
not play rough games or tug-of-war that can injure a puppy
- Do
not allow your puppy to play with a larger dog who may injure him (puppies
don’t have good judgment about which larger dogs will hurt them; you have to
make that call)
- Do
not allow puppies to run, swim, or exercise to the point of exhaustion or heat
stroke.
- Walk with puppies, play fetch, swim short distances with them, and let them exercise at their own
- Give
puppies plenty of opportunities to rest and sleep – they are babies.
· Feed
a raw meaty bones diet, high in animal proteins and fats, low in carbohydrates,
to build strong bones and muscles to support joints. Chewing raw meats and meaty bones will clean his teeth and gums,
and give your puppy a healthy, long life.
· Do
not feed commercial pet foods. Cooked
carbohydrates are not an appropriate diet for carnivores. Kibbles and canned mush of all alleged
qualities will coat his teeth and gums with bacteria-infested sludge, cause
periodontal disease that will infect his major organs and create a host of
chronic debilitative diseases. Just say
NO, regardless of who tells you to feed the commercial pet food.
At 8
weeks of age, puppies get their first inoculations against parvovirus and other
serious diseases. They will need two
more inoculations at 12 and 16 weeks to complete their immunity. In Hawaii, they also need protection against
leptospirosis (a vaccine) and heartworm (a monthly treatment). At 8 weeks, puppies receive a thorough
veterinary examination for heart, lungs, eyes, joints, dentition and bite. Any
concerns will be reported to you.
Health
Advisory
Because
puppies are not fully immunized against parvovirus, a major killer of puppies, until
18 weeks of age – two weeks after their final inoculation – it is not advisable
to take them to public places where non-immunized dogs have been, until they
are fully protected. Non-immunized adult
dogs can be carriers of parvovirus, which is shed in their feces and can remain
active for 5 or 6 months after they pooped there. Public places to avoid unfortunately include beaches and public parks. It is probably safe to take the puppy to
places where you know the dogs are immunized, such as friends’ homes, puppy
classes, and private pools. After final
inoculations, you and the puppy are free to travel anywhere.
My
Right to Re-home the Dog
My goal is for you to have a puppy you will cherish for
his entire lifetime. We all know,
however, that unforeseen circumstances can arise that require people to give up
a dog. If you must relinquish this dog
at any future time, I retain the right to take the dog back to re-home him. I never want a single one of my puppies to
end up in a Rescue or Humane Society shelter.
By accepting this puppy, you promise to inform me first of any need to
relinquish him at any point in his lifetime.
Contract Read and Accepted.
Buyers’ signature Date
Breeders’ signature Date
(808) 322 9445 • FAX (808) 322 9445
 Kona Raw Pet Food
Co-op helps local pet owners to purchase meats and meaty bones at
wholesale prices. To learn more, visit www.KonaRaw.org.
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