By Rox:
We had spent quite a while thinking and talking and planning…. we were finally ready to find a new dog. We knew we wanted a small dog. We tossed around the idea of a chihuahua because I had one before and loved her. We considered a Yorkie, because my friend, Lee has had Yorkies and I love how small and cute they are. And, though I had never thought about the Maltese, I just kept coming back to them.
So, now we had an idea of what we wanted. And we started researching. Researching breeds, breeders, the AKC, different websites and forums for buying puppies. We became eager to learn the history and genetics of the breeds. We were so impressed with the American Kennel Club and breed standards. And we became fascinated with the science, the process, the intentions involved with breeding.
What we were not impressed with was some (a lot) of the breeding programs out there. By the time we decided we wanted to start with the Maltese, we had also decided that we wanted to breed. It was something that we both were passionate about, ready to commit to and both knew we would love to be a part of. So, we started contacting different breeders and quickly detected a common thread among many of them. They wanted to sell you a puppy, but did not under any circumstances want you to breed that puppy. There were no questions, just a very adamant, “no, my puppies are sold as pets only” or “absolutely not” or “if you’re looking to breed, you need to look elsewhere”. These breeders were up in arms at the mere mention that you were setting out to do the very same thing they do!
We also encountered breeders that were not very professional, answering correspondence with nonchalant replies, basically dismissing an interested buyer. And breeders who talked down to us like, “you’re not getting my puppy unless…..”
In searching for our first Maltese, I literally came to the day that I was in tears and ready to just give up and move on with life. Then we found our beautiful Stormy in Shipshewana, Indiana. The breeder was so classy, so professional, and so helpful. She talked with us about the breeding process and offered her assistance along the way. When we picked up Stormy, she had all of his documents and records neatly in a folder along with his food, blanket, and other items. She called us the next day and has since communicated with us to give advice for our program. (We went on to find Shiloh and Ace from wonderful breeders as well).
And then we knew – for sure – that this is what we are going to do. We want to do this the right way! We don’t want to showcase what sets us apart from all other breeding programs… we want to show what puts us in the same class with the great breeders. We want to breed and offer the best puppies for loving families. We want to be a classy, professional, helpful addition to the breeding community.
And we sure hope you will join us along the way.