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Welcome to our site, several announcements.
A breeding is planned for Dec and another in Feb. Contact if you wish to be placed on a waiting list.
One litter will be in Texas and another in Louisiana.
Rose Marie Conner has one beautiful smooth blue merle female puppy apx 6 months ready for a new home, if interested please contact either Rose Marie or myself. She can provide photos if interested. Lafayette, La. area.
For older smooths needing special homes contact Donna Denning. Also don't forget to consider a older collies both rough and smooth that are in foster homes hoping for a better second home. Contact Rayne Rockwell.
Be smart and take a few minutes to read what is below.
Part I
"Acquiring a Puppy Companion or a Show Puppy", by Mary Catoir.
1) Looking for a Pet Companion or show collie.
2) Who to avoid.
3) Fraudant Advertising
4) Ethics
Part II
"Acquring a Puppy for Dog Showing" by Mary Catoir
1a)Show prospect
1b)Show prospect defined
2a)Shopping for a Show Dog
3)Who to Avoid ; Fraudant Advertising and Ethics
same as in PART I.
Have a great day, give you collie a hug from me.
#C) Please CONSIDER A RESCUE collie, they come in all colors, all ages - male and female; they are in serious need of better second homes.
UPDATED LIST of collies available that are currently living in foster homes in Louisiana, Houston, Alabama, Florida:
Louisiana south RAYNE ROCKWELL, lemondr @ bellsouth.net
Louisiana north DENISE WILLIAMSON, dwsunsets @suddenlink.net
Houston: BARB LEWIS, www.houstoncollierescue.org;
Lower Alabama area /upper Florida contact; Shelties too. EMILY, emszoo @gulftel.com
Just memtioned that you saw their name on my site.
#D) In Louisiana and Texas there are BACKYARD BREEDERS and PUPPY MILLERS, these are families that sell for a fast sales and profit only, of course they may be cheaper for they have do no pre testing and offer
no real guarantees. In life you do get what you
pay for so buyer beware. There are reasons collies
are held for 10-12 weeks; this is for their and your protection. Please CHECK with your Veterinarian or American Kennel Club or The Collie Club of America
for a list better breeder that has no stains on their reputation. Be sure to visit their homes. You can't buy show quality from non show people. Doesn't that make sense folks?
#E) Learn more below, take the time to read before you buy and before you send a non refundable deposit to a total stranger.
Also ENJOY the Information about my collies below.
Hello again, Let me tell you about our collies. I am a dog show hobbiest that has taken to occasionally and seriously rasing collies. I am a photographer and author. My works are copyrighted and I am published.
"Collies are recognized for their beautiful heads, stylish bodies dripping in coat and alert ears. They are loyal, loving and have fantastic temperament for families with and without children. Collies love people, they want your attention, they want to be with you and in your home."
"Famous last words from those that buy in a hurry, I realized that for the first time having a AKC papers did not mean that a dog was best in show material. This also will apply to having a collie with the best temperament from any breeder around the cornor, from the newspaper or without visiting the kennel and seeing the adults. We encourage home checks and kennel vists. Please also visit our friends and family page."
PART I
"Acquiring a Pet Companion or a Show Puppy" by Mary Catoir of Earthstar Collies
Part One:
1) "LOOKING FOR A PET COMPANION: Most collies are just great family house dogs. Ill raised collies could have major personality problems. Ask to visit the adults before the puppies are born, check out the temperaments. Temperament issues are usually an inherited fault in the parents or the way they were handled in those first twelve weeks. Think with your brain and not your heart. All collies look pretty and are fluffy. Are they friendly or shy; do they look well fed? Is their environment clean? Are their nails and coat well kept? Buying a puppy to "SAVE IT" from it's surrounding, is generous but not kind... to the dam. It only promotes the poor bitch will be bred again, stay in production for the next ... generous soul. This just reinforces the old aged, People will buy anything and others will sell anything to make a buck". ( sick and sad looking may make your visits to the veterianian quite often )
PS. "Also beware of those that knock -gossip about individuals, do your own invesigating, be a wise shopper, kennel inspections thru home visiting is one way to see the quality and condition of a person's dogs and home environment. " mc
"Do not deal with out of the country dogs unless you fully understand you MAY have hard time trying to return them if you find out too late they are defective. Yes, I am serious if you should end up with (example) Hip Dyplasia, you MAY have a large expense shipping the dog back, shipping is not refundable with any dog sales, (it's not the seller's fault you didn't understand that), of course if the breeder will even take them." "I will freely admit I lost money on shipping the first time I order a puppy site unseen, the shipping ended up being more than the cost of the puppy. I learned the hard way." Mary Catoir
"In my opinion, It's best you stick with U.S. born collies, in lieu of recent problems, that all dogs in the pedigree are from United State born and American Kennel Club registered.
2) "WHO TO AVOID: I do not promote backyard breeders or puppy millers, they may be good families trying to make a dollar but they do not met the standards for checking breeding stock and puppies prior to internet fast sales."
"There is no such thing as puppy breeding stock, you have no assurances that a puppy will be capable of breeding as an adult or not have a genetic problem till tested as an adult. *see Health Issue Section of this website.* Paying more for a breeder puppy is a misleading term. A puppy is not even finished growing , how does one guarantee how it will turn out? How can a buyer be so foolish. They are not always healthy or structural sound; collies are famous for being difficult to mate."
"The general public seems to attach a false importance to having a dog that has been shipped to them, as if it make their collie better. What is the hurry. IT only makes it harder to return if found defective. Puppies that go blind after a few months is not unusual and it can be prevented / tested for, at a reasonable cost, to the seller. IF they cared. A licensed veterianian is NOT a board certified canine eye ophthalmologist." Mary Catoir"
3) "Fraudent advertising
is my next pet peeve. They say education is the key, but if you don't listen you can not learn from the mistakes of others."
"If I said I was a member of the Collie Club of America, it only means I pay dues and am accepted as a members. If I said I was in good standing with the CCA, it means I am not in trouble. You can not be a member of the AKC unless you work for them, you can only use their registry service. If you break one of their registry rules or dog showing rules you can be inspected or fined $. You can be in BAD standing with them, written up in their books, fine $$ dollars and suspended and listed in their AKC Gazzette Magazine. Wording is tricky, it gives the customer a false impression of safety. Understand the difference."
"AKC breeders and show people can be googled and their names will appear in dog show catalogs, be careful of those you can't not trace or visit.
What are they hiding? Why do they sell on street cornors or refuse to give you thier address for home visits?
Collie Club of America members can be checked by speaking with District Directors from each state. A few ribbons on the wall don't make you a show person any more than someone typing that they are members of certain clubs or organizations."
4) "ETHICS means more than just honesty, it's you action and behavior. I do not hide behind phony email names or make false statements, slander, liable or harrass those that have clean records. We do not have OPPS unplanned breedings.
I stand behind my dogs. All dog BRED and Whelped in my home and placed by me have been fully checked prior to sale by any one of several different licensed certified veterinarians or specialists. I can't make everyone keep my standards. I can't make the world a perfect place. I can only pray for them.
** **
I have only sold two puppies in 2006. I don't over breed as I look for quality in dogs and the best families for those I do not keep for my hobby, which is conformation and performance activities. I WANT THE BEST FOR MYSELF AND OTHERS so they can enjoy full long lives with their collies. Now have an active therapy dog that visits nursing homes and joined the Read to the Dog local library program to add to our outside activities. ***
PART II:
"ACQUIRING A PUPPY FOR DOG SHOWING ?" by Mary Catoir
1a/b)"What is a show prospect?
2)What is a show dog?"
3)"Who to avoid?"
1a) "It's not a show puppy, more correctly it's a show prospect"
"Why do I say prospect instead of show dog? Well, the puppy is not finished growing therefore anything can happen or go wrong, not in the sense of death or illness even thou that is an unexpected possibility, but while puppies grow they change and may not turn out just as you hope or the breeder hopes. Height, length, legs, coat, or ears and especially teeth could go wrong. What is your guarantee after nine months of growth, it better be in writing. The best insurance is to buy a show prospect from a breeder where you can see the winning parents. The parents are the molds for the offsprings and even thou you may find a good one from any litter there are not many puppies per litter that will actually ever become show winning collies. Use your brain unless you are on a waiting list for a show pick the top three puppies from any average litter or large litter will be previously spoken for. You the buyer are the novice when it comes to picking puppies. You are not the experienced person with years of winners in your yard. Of course all collie puppies are beautiful but for the show ring at eight - twelve weeks you will be choosing on structural qualities, not just cuteness or color markings. Only show winning collies with a multitude of virtues should be bred. Like reproduces like if you are schooled in the principles of phenotype genetic and most will not know the pedigree history well enough to know their genotypes. Many times those fluffy over coated collie may be hiding many structural faults and a breeder that understand this will avoid being fooled and make better and wiser choices. I can't understand people selling breeder puppies (?) are they speaking of cows or chickens ? You are wasting your money if you don't think intelligently; they must be full grown adults for you to honestly evaluate them and make your mating choices."
1b) "SHOW PROSPECT defined: A PROSPECT, is not a sure thing, not guaranteed as a show winning collie. It can only be guaranteed if in writing for no one owns that crystal ball. They are usually one of the first three picks of an average size litter. The ones that the breeder has evaluated to be the best of the litter, not the best marked or the best in this or that but the best that met the AKC and Collie standard at that particular age." mc
2a)"A SHOW COLLIE : A show dog is a dog over nine months of age that is a solid representation of the breed meeting show standards. One that can and is winning already at the show ring. Puppy can be shown starting at six month, no you don't have to wait till full grown to see if your dog's potenial is there. But a show dog has finished with most of his growing. The bites are usually set by then.
"The contract involved with a show dogs is entirely different. Most are sold on co ownerships with the original breeder holding all the AKC papers till the dog completes it's championship. The guarantee is also entirely different as there is not way to tell if a dog will be fertile till he is mature has been medical checked. Have you received a written guarante that is spelled out for life's events. Most puchases are gambles and if so you must accept the dog purchased as is." mc
2b)"SHOPPING FOR A SHOW DOG :
When shopping for a show prospect or dog you should read the AKC and Collie standard first; know what you are shopping for and how to protect yourself from lessor quality even thou all make loving pets. You should Apprentice with an established CCA breeder as your mentor if your intention is showing dogs."
"When buying to show; a dog is either a prospect or show dog; they are NOT all the same, neither are the breeder sellers the same.
"I REPEAT buyers think with your heads not your heart, all collies are lovable but don't start your life and end there with a unsound one." If you wish to save a collie, I will gladly put you in touch with collie rescue in your state."
Mary Catoir Collie Club of American District Director for the State of Louisiana for many years.
