Sherjak Papillons, AKC Gold Level Breeder of Merit - NOW IN FLORIDA
- AKC Registered, DNA Profiled.
- We are a natural rearing Preservation Breeder
- All dogs are clear of PRA-1, NAD, VWD and CF7, and have received their CHIC numbers certifying they are free of patella, heart and eye disease.
Stay Awhile & View Our Dogs Both Present and Past
Our Current Papillon Boys
Retired Boys
Retired Boys
Retired Boys
Our Current Papillon Girls
Our Current Papillon Girls
Retired Papillon Girls
Retired Papillon Girls
Most Recent Titleholders
Vaccines & Diet
Our Upcoming Stars
Our Treasured Celebrations
Puppies/Adults For Sale
What Are All Those Acronyms?
Why Buy From A Breeder?
Our Favorite Puppies!
In Memorium
Fear Wrap Instructions
As many of our followers know, we exhibited Meghan and Mia at the shows during Nationals week in Orlando in June. It was great seeing old friends and making new ones and we are thankful that you took the time to look us up and say hello.
There were 223 dogs entered at the National. It is quite an honor to even win a ribbon at that level of competition and we were thrilled that Judge Sharon Newcomb awarded our lovely Ch. Meghan an Award of Merit and little Mia a second in her class. We are so grateful for the recognition.
MAKE A NOTE: WE HAVE MOVED!!!!! We are now settled into our dream home in Middleburg, Florida. You can reach us at 904-413-7144. And NOTE - this is a landline. Do not send text messages to this number. NEW Email too: sherjak@gmail.com from now on. Check out our Puppy/Adult page as we have some lovely puppies available now, and more planned for the future. Don't worry that we are no longer in NJ - we are able to transport virtually anywhere in the US. Just call us and we can talk about it.
We are proud to announce that ALL of our dogs have passed their CHIC exams and have tested clear of PRA-1 and NAD! We are dedicated to bringing you the healthiest and soundest dogs possible. Further, we will not allow carriers in our breeding program. All dogs must be tested CLEAR.
It has always been our policy to only use dogs that are mentally and physically sound, however, until recently, there was no venue for proving our claims. Well, now we have CHIC. CHIC (The Canine Health Information Center) is a database jointly sponsored by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) And the AKC/Canine Health Foundation. It awards certification numbers to those dogs that have passed the specific health clearances that are dictated by the parent club (in our case, the Papillon Club of America). This means that our dogs have passed health clearances and found to have normal hearts, patellas and eyes. As the paperwork comes through, we will be adding our dog's CHIC numbers after their names which are above their pictures in the website. As always, we are doing our very best to bring you the very BEST Papillon.
Some want it to happen.....some wish it would happen. Others MAKE IT HAPPEN!
The purpose of any true breeding program is to create a Papillon that matches the Standard Of The Breed as closely as possible. With each generation, most of the Papillons we produce should be (and are) of better quality than their parents. We have a small breeding program. We do not house dozens of dogs and produce dozens of litters every year. Therefore we are extremely proud that NINE of our dogs have been recognized in the Papillon Club Of America's Hall Of Fame as top producers. They are:
Ch. Skorr's Tallyho, SOM; Ch. Berman's Roi-L Candide, SOM; Ch. The Pines Rolling Thunder, SOM; and Ch. Sherjak's Fancy Feathers, DOM, Sherjak's Sheer Bliss, Ch. Sherjak's Creme Brule, DOM, Sherjak's Over The Moon, SOM, and Ch. Houm Tet A Tet Maestro, SOM and Sherjak's Essence Within, DOM.
So many people have asked us why we do not vaccinate our dogs. We have studied vaccine reactions for over 20 years, so giving a short answer to that question is darn near impossible. I just ran across this short video and accompanying information. If you want to know what vaccines do to humans as well as our pets, take the time to view this:
http://www.thedogplace.org/Videos/Vaccine-reactions-information-1510.asp
If you would like to read an adventure book whose main character is a PAPILLON, you will thoroughly enjoy this book by Peter Brav. The book is entitled "Zappy I'm Not" and "Zappy" is non other than Sherjak's Just In Case who is an agility titled superstar. Order this book today for some great reading!
Plants that ARE toxic to dogs include: Holly berries, mistletoe, daffodil bulbs and rosemary. Signs after eating a toxic substance are: vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and excessive salivation. This can escalate to tremors, seizures followed by coma and death. It's a good idea to keep all plants out of your dogs' reach. If you suspect your dog has ingested toxic plant material, call your veterinarian or poison control center immediately.
Many dogs suffer from dry itchy skin and here is a home remedy that really works. If you have a rose bush, cut a handful of 3 inch twigs from the tips of several stems. Cut them into small (1/4 to 1/2 inch) pieces and place in a glass or ceramic saucepan. Cover them with water and place over a medium flame on your stove. Heat mixture until it comes to a low boil, then remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain the cooled mixture through a sieve, into a measuring cup or other container that you can pour from. The strained mixture can then be poured over your pet until the coat and skin are thoroughly soaked. Allow to drip dry, do not towel off. You can also add some rose petals to the mixture just as soon as it is removed from the heat for a nice aroma. You can use this mixture daily if necessary.
We often receive great pictures from our clients, and this has to be the best this year. The 3 Graham puppies: Bella, Oliver and Graham. Aren't they adorable?
October, 2013
So many people contact me asking for resources for natural living. Following are some that will get you on the right path:
Holistic Alternative Veterinary Medicine...www.theavh.org
American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture....www.aava.org
American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association...www.ahvma.org
American Chiropractic Association....www.animalchiropractic.org.
American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition....http://aavn.org
July, 2013
For those of you that have arthritic dogs and are still feeding a commercial food (ugh!), please don't fall for the advertising scam that the food has enough glucosamine it to help your pet.
On average, pets need 20 mg. of glucosamine per pound of body weight per day. This means that a 50 lb. dog would need about 1000 mg. of glucosamine. A look at some bags of food showed one product as having 300 mg/kg of glucosamine in it. OK, time for math: 300 mg/kg means that there is 300 mg. of glucosamine per 2.2 pounds of food. On average, 4 cups of kibble equals 1 pound. So to get that 300 mg., you would have to feed your dog 8.8 cups of food per day. To reach your required dose of 1000 mg, you would have to feed your pet 29 cups of food per day! So don't fall into that advertising trap. If your dog needs glucosamine, just give him the vitamin which you can purchase at just about any grocery store, pet store or vitamin shop. This can be a bit tricky with Papillons because their daily requirement would be about 160 mg.
June, 2013
We see a lot of allergic dogs at our hospital and I cringe when the customers only want to load their dogs up with steroids. There is a new product on the market that just may help people get allergy testing for their pets at a price that they can afford. Look into the Immune IQ test by VetDMV.Com. The article I read said the test was about $50! They send you a kit with a collection bag for a saliva sample and another bag for a hair sample. Then you mail it back to their labs and they will e-mail you the results.
The results reminds me of the ALCAT test that I had run on myself last year in that they come back in 3 color coded columns: Green for foods he may eat, yellow for foods that he may tolerate but may be a problem and red for foods that he is allergic to. Can't get easier than that!
Now speaking of "allergies", if you have a pet with itchy feet, itchy ear, a hot spot, etc., more often than not the cause is a yeast infection and not a true allergy. Of course the first thing you should do is get your pet off all carbohydrates, and feed a grain free diet.
If you want to try a home remedy that actually works, make a simple sulfur ointment. Sulfur is an antifungal with absolutely no side effects or toxicity. And it does not smell like rotten eggs! To make the ointment, mix one ounce of sulfur (which you can get from your pharmacy) with two ounces of lard (or Crisco). Rub it in to the affected spot once a day for a few days.
May, 2013!
A lot of people have been asking me to recommend flea & tick products for their pets. Of course, being an all-natural breeder, we do not use any pesticides on our dogs and there are products that will de-bug your pet without causing liver damage or even seizures! If you think your current flea/tick product is safe, eat it and let me know how you feel (no, do not do this!). We use two commercial products, using them alternativey. One is Wondercide which is a garlic based product. The other is Cedarcide, made from Cedar oil. They are both available in a spray for your pet, and a spray for your property and home.
You can also make your own flea/tick spray: Chop an bulb of pealed garlic and put it in a blender with two cups of water. Puree until smooth and regrigerate for 24 hours. Strain and discard the pulp and add 3 liters of fresh water to the garlic water. Then pour into a spray bottle and lightly coat the leaves of all plants and grasses. For added insect repellant, you can add a few teaspoons of unscented castile soap and a dash of cayenne pepper to the garlic water. None of these products will harm your pet if they decide to take a taste.
You can use Natural Castile Peppermint Soap. You can wash your clothing and pet in it. Or you can spray it on using a water-based solution of 5 tablespoons soap to 1 quart of water.
Citronella oil: Add two drops to 1 quart of water and spray it on.
Diatomaceous Earth (DE). You can use the garden grade for this. The food grade is what we use as a wormer. You can use 1 tablespoon of DE to 1 quart of water and spray it on, but I have never used it this way. I use it as a dust. I dust our property with it, I dust the dog bedding and you can even use it as a "dust" right on your pets. Be careful not to get it in their eyes.
Pure Pyrethrum Powder: Use as a dust on your clothes, your pets and their bedding.
If you plant peppermint around your property, you will naturally repel fleas and ticks from your yard. Pepermint spreads quickly and is easy to grow.
Garlic is another natural flea repellant, but too much of it can also be a human repellant so be careful! You can also plant this in your yard like Peppermint.
Yes, our pets can also get sunburn, and therefore, can also get skin cancer. Typically, they burn on their ears and the bridge of their nose. We see sunburn mostly in short coated dogs with white skin and pink noses. If your dog is swimming or boating with you and is in the sun a lot, use a sunscreen on him.
Be sure to only use an all-natural product and it is best to use it just on the bridge of the nose and ears so that it won't be licked off.
Never use a product with PABA in it as it is fatal if licked off.
Never use a product with Zinc Oxide in it because ingestion can lead to hemolytic anema in dogs.
Safe products for your pets are: The Natural Dog Snout Soother, Epi-Pet's Sun Protesctor, Aubrey Organics Green Tea Sunblock (for children) and Jason Kids Natural Suncreen.
If you want to protect their bodies, you can use a lightweight sun shirt, like PlayaPup UV Protective Rashguard Shirt.
November 24, 2012
OK - I have been warned by a good friend not to do this....but I just can't resist. So let me start by saying if you don't think this is FUNNY, go away! Just go away. Take your outlook on life in general and leave. See how easy that is?
For the rest of us who have a sense of humor about our pets, let me say that I did not find this particularly funny back in 1990 when it happened. Mainly because it happened often. Our little Tickle used to take great pleasure in diving into the water buckets we had in the yard for our German Shepherds. Then she would roll in the dirt. Then back to the bucket, and then add more dirt. I actually snapped a picture of her upside down in the bucket, as well as the end result of her efforts. Now fast forward 22 years later when I notice an ad in my favorite magazine announcing a dirty dog countest. Well, up to the attic I went to look through boxes of old pictures. My effort was rewarded because Tickle was just chosen the MOST DIRTY DOG in all of Canada and the US by the respected Animal Wellness Magazine! What a hoot!
Here is Tickle upside down in the water bucket
Here's a closeup of her in all her muddy glory.
NEWS October, 2012:
I don't have a blog, so on occasion when something crosses my desk, I will talk about it here. I just read a book that I think every dog breeder and pet owner in America should read. It's called: SAVING GRACIE by Carol Bradley. It's about the life of one little Cavalier who escaped the horrors of Michael Wolf's breeding kennel. For those that do not know, Michael Wolf was a breeder and exhibitor in Pennsylvania that was raided and closed down due to the terrible conditions of his kennels. Everyone talks about the "puppy mills" out there. People have to know there are "show mills" as well. With Toy dogs especially, I often worry that some breeders are keeping more dogs than they can realistically care for. Michael's story is a perfect example.
We're decided to leave these pictures of Casper up awhile longer as so many of our friends get such a kick out of them. He was such a cool little dog!
It was a cold Sunday morning in January. You know those kind of mornings. You snuggle up on the sofa with your mom and take a nap.
Mom gets the bright idea that we should go to the Summit Health Clinic with some club members. I'm saying "let's stay home and smooch - here's a kiss".
But no, Mom wants to put on her shoes, gloves, scarf, hat and coat and actually go OUTSIDE in 6 degrees. Sometimes I really wonder about her! "You go", I say. "I have to finish reading my e-mail".
Well, she's not having any of that, she thinks I can read anytime. So I ask her if it's OK if I finish my bully stick first.
"NO" she says, "GET DRESSED!" Hmmm, is this considered "dress"?
Now she's starting to get testy. She yells "NO - stop fooling around".
Wait a minute, I'm 12 years old, I'm TIRED and I have to help daddy with the remotes.
Ahhh, DADDY....why didn't I think of this earlier. Surely Daddy won't make me go outside.
Daddy is making believe he's sleeping - COWARD! I'd better try something else. Perhaps if I roll over and play dead?
Now mom is more than a little annoyed and she's actually got a leash in her hand! I never have a leash around my neck. This is getting serious. I'd better give up and get ready to go. I give her my best smile.
So off we went and strange doctors checked my eyes, my heart and my knees! They kept asking mom why she was bothering to health certify a 12 year old dog. Why? Well, of course because she CAN! (well, actually it's ME who can!)
Congratulations to CH. Donshar's Sweet Casper who continues to amaze us with his incredible good LOOKS, good HEALTH and good SPIRIT. Casper has received his CHIC number at 12 years of age. Nice job Casper. (Oh, and we shouldn't forget to mention that Karen brought Ch. Zip along too who he also passed all the required health tests and now has his CHIC number).
I have been breeding and exhibiting dogs since 1969 and am a Veterinary Technican specializing in Emergency/Trauma medicine with a special interest in animal nutrition. I am a member of the Papillon Club of America and the past-President of The Greater Delaware Valley Papillon Club. I hope you enjoy my little web site. Please stay and view some of our favorite dogs both past and present. We take great pride that our dogs are bred naturally, whelped naturally, raised naturally and fed naturally. Our stud dogs have a normal vigor and are able to breed without artificial means. Our brood bitches are strong and healthy and are able to whelp and raise their litters without intervention. And our puppies are sound and intelligent and willing to please. We would not sell you any puppy that we would not be proud to keep for ourselves.
Please e-mail us at: sherjak@gmail.com; or telephone at 904-413-7144. We are retired now. You can reach us at any time.
While you are surfing the net, please be cautious of beautiful websites showing beautiful dogs. I have already found a picture of one of my own Champions on someone else's site where he was pictured as one of their own dogs. Be aware that puppy mills also have beautiful websites. Do not think that everyone you meet on-line is a reputable breeder. The best way I can think of to determine whether or not you are dealing with a reputable breeder is to ask them if they are a member of the Papillon Club of America and/or a local breed club. The Papillon Club of America carefully screens it's members and would not allow a puppy mill to join.
