Puppy Profits: Pick of the litter
By OMER GILLHAM World Staff Writer
10/24/2007
Last Modified: 10/24/2007 10:19 AM
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Behind each healthy,
happy puppy is a lot of
hard work by a breeder.
Ella Harrison cradles a
bashful white puppy in her
arms and grins.
Thick white curls cover
the puppy’s body and
miniature face. The tip of a
pink tongue rests on a lower lip.
‘‘Isn’t he adorable?’’ Harrison
said. ‘‘He’s a 7-week-old bichon.’’
Still smiling, Harrison gently
places the puppy on the ground
and it toddles off.
Harrison is not your average
commercial dog breeder. She
spends time with her dogs, and it
shows. Harrison walks to another
dog pen where she is greeted
by
a troupe of playful Yorkies and
cocker spaniels.
She bends down and holds outher arms. A Yorkie at the front of
the pack jumps into her grasp and
licks her face.
‘‘This is Ginger and over
there is Sophie, Jim and
Rowdy,’’ Harrison said.
Harrison owns Happyjack’s
Family Pets in West Siloam
Springs, near the Arkansas
border. She breeds and sells
purebred cocker spaniels and
bichon frise puppies.
Harrison knows the names
of each of her breeding dogs.
That’s not easy since there
are 30 of them.
Behind every happy,
healthy puppy is a lot of hard
work, Harrison said. Each
day, Harrison spends four to
six hours feeding, watering
and cleaning pens. There
is the never-ending task of
raking feces into a doggie
scooper so she can remain
ready for unannounced
inspections by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
Harrison does all of this
and works full-time as well.
Harrison was a hobby
breeder before becoming
registered with the USDA
this year. As a USDA
breeder, Harrison’s kennel
is subjected to federal
regulations.
Harrison keeps her dogs
in pens that are larger than
required by the USDA.
The extra space allows the
animals to move about and
socialize. Harrison also
exercises the dogs by playing
ball with them.
‘‘I really care about my
animals,’’ Harrison said.
‘‘They are just like family.
They really are a lot of fun.’’
Puppies from Happyjack’s
Family Pets are registered
with the American Kennel
Club, a dog registration
group popular with
Oklahoma breeders.
Harrison’s operation is
small compared to other
Oklahoma kennels, but
the quality of her litters
has gotten the attention
of individuals and brokers
looking for good puppies,
she said.
She offers a one-year
guarantee on contagious
diseases and congenital
defects, she said.
‘‘I have repeat customers
so I must be doing
something right,’’ Harrison
said.
Harrison is one of several
commercial breeders
interviewed by the Tulsa
World. The breeders were
cooperative in talking about
their operations, their
animals and the care and
professionalism they bring to
their work.
Harrison is one of
645 USDA breeders in
Oklahoma. While Harrison
enjoys being a commercial
breeder, she said that most
people do not realize the
hard work it takes to raise
happy and healthy puppies.
USDA breeder Barbara
Ross says her work day can
be eight to 16 hours long.
Ross owns Dusty Rose
Kennel in Rose near Locust
Grove.
Ross breeds and raises
Lhasa apso and papillon
puppies. She has been in
business about five years.
‘‘Some people think they
can get into dog breeding
and make quick money but
they get out quick because of
the work,’’ Ross said. ‘‘I enjoy
the dogs. If you don’t enjoy
them, you need to get out of
the business.’’
Ross is a retired school
teacher who taught at Locust
Grove.
‘‘When I retired, I wanted a
part-time job,’’ Ross said with
a laugh.
Harrison and Ross are part
of a group of breeders trying
to improve the conditions
of commercial breeding in
Oklahoma. Harrison and
Ross are members of the
Oklahoma Pet Professionals.
‘‘I joined the Oklahoma Pet
Professionals to keep up with
laws and to not be lumped in
with puppy mills,’’ Ross said.
‘‘We are licensed and we
do it right and for the right
reasons.’’
The purpose of the pet
professionals is to educate
breeders about regulations,
kennel practices, animal
treatment and business
practices while also
improving the image of
commercial breeding
in Oklahoma, said Gary
Phillips, Northeast chapter
president of the group.
There are fi ve chapters of
Oklahoma Pet Professionals,
reporting a total of about 200
members, Phillips said.
‘‘One of the main purposes
of our club is to help educate
new breeders and to stop
those who don’t do it right,’’
Phillips said. ‘‘We want to
stop puppy mills.’’
Harrison said she has
learned a lot about becoming
a better breeder. She
recently attended a multistate
breeders’ conference in
Joplin.
‘‘If you don’t try to educate
yourself, you are defeating
the purpose of being a good
breeder,’’ Harrison said.
The education includes
knowledge on improving
sales. While most puppies
sell themselves due to
their inherent cuteness, all
breeders know one or two
tricks to help close the deal.
One trick involves the facelicking
test, Harrison said.
‘‘I teach all of my puppies
to lick my face,’’ Harrison
said. ‘‘All dog lovers enjoy
having their face licked
because it is like puppy
kisses. If the puppy licks you
and you’re a dog lover, the
sale is made.’’
Omer Gilham 581-8301
omer.gilham@tulsaworld.com
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While I can certainly appreciate the care and concern Ms. Ross and Ms. Harrison show for their dogs, they are still puppy millers. They do not appear to be breeding dogs to improve the breed, only to line their pocketbooks. I have to wonder if they do genetic testing on their breeding stock to prevent inherited diseases from being passed on? I can also appreciate the efforts they are making to correct a deplorable situation in this state with regard to puppy mills, but still, puppy mills are puppy mills. As the president of a small basset rescue (Ozark Mountain Basset Rescue, Inc.), I can certainly attest to the fact that many of the dogs out there that are being passed off as purebred bassets, most certainly are not. Several times we have been approached by someone wanting an unaltered dog for breeding purposes and when they find out they won't get one until it's been spayed/neutered, they hang up. And there have been times when we've been told that it's okay that they don't have papers, they'll just use the ones from a dog that has died. The deformities, congential illnesses, bad temperament, and overall condition of dogs we know to have come from puppy mills is enough to make you sick, yet these dogs continue to be bred and their pups are thrown out to the public and many times will also be bred because the owners think it would be fun to have just one litter or their children should know where babies are born, etc. Or, even worse, they just don't care about the importance of altering their pet. Regardless of what has been said, the poor quality dogs coming from filthy, disreputable mills are the majority of what's being presented to the public as shining examples of their breed. These "good" millers are the minority. Breeding good dogs takes time, money, commitment, and as most show breeders who do it right will tell you, they do not make money on the pups they do sell. Millers are in it only to make money, and they will breed their bitches from their first cycle at 6 months of age and every cycle from then on until the poor dog is worn out (as compared to a reputable breeder who will breed once a year or once every two years if that often). These "used up" mill dogs then go to puppy mill auctions where they are sold to upstart millers who continue breeding them until the size of the litters start to severely diminish and the dog begins to be a liability instead of an asset. Some millers will then send them to breed rescues, (most are simply destroyed), and by that time the poor dog is so mentally and physically traumatized that often it can't be rehabilitated. If anyone doubts this, please go to Wedington Animal Hospital in Fayetteville, AR and visit with our 4 mill girls. They have been so emotionally traumatized that our staff behaviorist fears they can't be saved. If this turns out to be the case, I'm going to have to be the one to hold them and try to ease them as they are put down - out of their misery. Puppy mills continue to add misery to an already overcrowded animal population. Shelters and rescues are overflowing now with wonderful dogs who need homes, yet people continue to purchase dogs at pet stores and from back yard breeders. This is only perpetuating an already pitiful situation. What was the statistic I read recently - Tulsa Animal Control put down over 13,000 adoptable dogs last year? What a tragedy... yet puppy milling continues with a flourish. There is a statistic that says in seven years, one male and one female and their offspring can produce 4372 dogs. Another statistic says: Every day 10,000 humans are born in the U.S. Every day 70,000 puppies and kittens are born in the U.S. At this rate there will never be enough homes for these animals. Every year 4 to 6 million animals are euthanized because there are no homes available! And some of us can defend puppy milling. Think about it. Please.
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Karen, Tulsa (10/24/2007 10:14:03 AM)
It breaks my heart to see so many dogs produced at breeders when there are so many dogs who need to be rescued. I have always had rescue dogs, and my current one is just the joy of my life. I really think that breeders should be limited as to the number of pups that they can breed each year, if at all.
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Mike, Stillwater (10/24/2007 11:18:15 AM)
It makes me sick that the Tulsa World picks these individuals to showcase "responsible" breeding. As said earlier, a puppy mill is a puppy mill, regardless of how big the pens are or if you know all 30 of your dogs' names. 30 breeding dogs? Are you kidding me? Tulsa World, here are a few signs of a responsible breeder that you should have asked about: Do you want your puppy back if the owner can't take care of it anymore? A responsible breeder would. Do you require that your puppies are spayed/neutered? A responsible breeder would. Do you refuse to sell to pet stores, puppy brokers and the like? A responsible breeder would. This is definately some of the most irresponsible journalism I have ever seen.
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Liz, Tulsa (10/24/2007 11:29:52 AM)
These are clean places, and the animals are not being significantly abused, if at all. So I make a huge distinction between breeders like this and the ones we've seen horrid pictures of lately. . Still, I have to agree with posts #1 and #2. I don't like breeding dogs with so many homeless, and the ones being bred are not always improvements or even pure breds. I love dogs of almost any type -- excepting the fierce pit bulls -- and it's rather Nazi-ish of people to insist on a pure breed as a pet. If they want specific behaviors from a pet, they perhaps should obtain something with batteries.
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BONNIE, LAMAR, AR (10/24/2007 12:03:17 PM)
I AM A BREEDER IN ARKANSAS AND HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING T/W ARTICLES. I HAVE 115 ADULT DOGS AND YES, I KNOW EVERYONE'S NAME AND CAN TELL YOU ANYTHING YOU WISH TO KNOW ABOUT IT. THEIR PENS ARE CLEANED DAILY, DISINFECTED ON A WEEKLY BASIS, FEED THE BEST FEED I CAN FIND, NOT FROM WALMART OR A FEED STORE, THEY RECEIVE FRESH WATER DAILY AND THEIR FEEDERS ARE CLEANED DAILY. YES THIS IS A FULL TIME JOB NOT TO MENTION THE PAPER WORK THAT IS REQUIRED IF YOU ARE USDA INSPECTED. IN ARKANSAS YOUR VET ALSO HAS TO INSPECT YOUR KENNEL ON A YEARLY BASIS. MY VET BILL IS $5-6000.OO PER YEAR, AS ANYONE THAT NEEDS ATTENTION RECEIVES QUALITY VET CARE. IF YOU WISH TO STOP ALOT OF UNWANTED PUPPIES, THEN STOP THE UNLICENSED BREEDER, STOP THE SELLING AT WALMART OR OTHER PARKING LOTS, STOP THE SELLING AT YARDSALES. YES, ANYONE THAT PURCHASES A PUPPY FROM ME MAY RETURN IT TO ME ANYTIME FOR ANY REASON. I HAVE "GIVEN" ALOT OF PUPPIES, PAPILLION, CAVILIER KING CHARLES ETC, TO OLDER CITIZENS THAT CANNOT AFFORD THEM JUST SO THEY WILL HAVE A COMPANION. OUR BABIES, AND THIS IS WHAT THEY ARE TO US, ARE TREATED FAR BETTER THAN MOST PEOPLES CHILDREN. SO TULSA WORLD NEEDS TO DO A SEGMENT ON "UNWANTED/ABUSED" CHILDREN THAT OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE PAYING FOR. THE PARENTS GET ON WELFARE, RIDE THE SYSTEM, GET THE FOOD STAMPS TO FEED THEIR CHILDREN AND SELL THEM TO GET A FAST BUCK. NO I DO NOT APPROVE OF "PUPPY MILLS" HOWEVER, IF THE DEMAND FOR "GOOD" PUPPIES WAS NOT OUT THERE THEN WE WOULD NOT NEED TO RAISE BABIES. WHETHER YOU SHOW OR DO AGILITY, IF YOU ARE "BREEDING" AND "SELLING" PUPPIES THEN YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN THE COMMERICIAL BREEDER, YOU JUST WISH THEM TO BE REGULATED AND NOT "SHOW PEOPLE." WELL, I AM A BREEDER AND I ALSO SHOW MY BABIES SO PEOPLE CAN SEE THE QUALITY OF BABIES THAT I HAVE.
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People like Sherry Faulkner and others writing in are just ignorant idiots. Where and who do you think produces healthy puppy's with good blood lines? Do think the Stork brings them from Heaven. Somebody has to produce them. You people seem to have this idea that maybe you can by a perfect pup from some one in Jenks that lives in a million dollar home and has 1 female that had pups and the family put the pups for sale in the Tulsa World. That is just another type of back yard breeder, people like that know very little about breeding and razing pups. Most of them do not know who 1 dog that is in the pups mothers pedigree.Get off your high horses people, you want your cake and eat it to. You do not want kennels that know what the heck they are doing razing dogs, you want some fairy tale family or something to that effect sending these pups down from Santa Claus town. If you want a great top of the line dog or pup you go to a breeder that's knows there stuff, they might have 10 dogs and they might have 30 ,but the breeder is razeing the best, and they are well taken care of by the good breeders. Would you go and bye a $100,000 race horse from some ones back yard, or a pet store?, hell no you wouldn't, you would go to one of Kentucky's best horse farms , God for bid it might be the largest, LOL. You people need to get real and get a life. We do all agree on one thing and that is the low life scum bags breeding dogs in concentration camp conditions need to be stopped ASAP.
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sara, tulsa (10/24/2007 1:43:34 PM)
Wow Bonnie...thanks for the insight. You must provide me with your Vet's name and number!! If you have 115 dogs and only $6000/year in vet bills...That's $52 per dog. That's extremely cheap for quality vaccinations, check-ups and necessary testing for your breeds...Papillions: PRA, patella issues, plus dental maintenance....Cavaliers: MVD, hip dysplasia. And since you are a dedicated breeder and not a yucky puppy miller, I know that if any of your "babies" fail the required testing, you have to factor in spay/neuter fees. You're getting one heck of a bargain!! Perhaps if all vets were as inexpensive as yours, more people would take care of their pets and spay/neuter them. I'm glad you show your dogs too...How many finished champions do you have and how many do you breed? Since it's best for females to only be breed once a year (at most) or once every other year, I'm sure you travel to many shows with so many dogs! Good luck with your next show!
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Sara, (10/24/2007 1:55:26 PM)
BTW - Mr. Faulkner, since you are also "writing in" may I assume that you, too, are just an ignorant idiot? I do NOT agree with getting a dog, from Fairy Tale land....One of my dogs is a rescue and the other came from a SHOW breeder whom I researched, attended several breed specific shows so I could watch her (and other breeder's) dogs. I purchased my baby for a $500 (7 years ago)...while there were some in the paper for only $250 (what a bargain!!) I didn't want to support those people nor did I want to support the local LuvAPet who had a puppy of my breed for a mere $875. I took it upon myself to research the breed, research the breeders and EDUCAT | |
