Page 418 - ShowSight - December 2019
P. 418

                  Joyce Mullan continued
The best thing about being a Breeder? There are many things that give me great pleasure about being a Breeder.
First, I love to research a Standard Schnauzer Dog that I want to consider to be my next Stud Dog. I spend hours on the Ortho- pedic Foundation for Animals website researching not only the ancestors of this Stud Dog, but also researching my four Standard Schnauzer Club of America’s Source Books to view the pictures of the Foundation Dogs behind this Stud Dog. With much experi- ence in learning the faults of this breed, I can view any prominent faults, if any, in the profile pictures of the ancestors going back six to eight generations.
Also, in the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals website, I have found that it is an extremely beneficial tool to find any health issues with this Stud Dog and any of his ancestors from the required AKC tests that are reported on this website.
Second, as a Breeder, I love finding the best homes for my pup- pies and staying in contact with these individuals and/or families now for almost 12 years. I send my Puppy Owners Jacquie Law- son E-cards for the holidays including their dog’s birthday card announcing how old their dog has become each year. I am also available by phone any time of the day or night if my dog/bitch Owner has a question about their dog.
In addition, I love receiving randomly sent pictures of my pup- pies/dogs and updates on some of their trips with their families and/or the latest silly activity that the family has enjoyed about their dog.
Third, with researching of prospective Stud Dogs, and evaluat- ing pedigrees to discover the best breeding for my Bitch, it is very rewarding to improve each puppy litter. This is my final and one of the most important accomplishments as a Breeder is to fulfill the American Kennel Club’s Mission to improve the Standard Schnauzer breed.
The toughest part of being a Breeder? I learned that the canine is possibly the only animal that does not produce mature eggs upon ovulation. A Standard Schnauzer Bitch’s eggs are not ready for fer- tilization until the day after ovulation or two days after ovulation or maybe even three days after ovulation. On the 7th to 9th day after the Bitch has started her heat cycle, the Breeder must have Progesterone Tests done every other day until the test results show a spike in the blood test results. It is then that the Breeder needs to have either the Bitch naturally bred by the Stud Dog and usually the Stud Dog knows best when to breed the Bitch due to hormonal changes in the Bitch when her eggs are mature.
If the Stud Dog is not available for breeding, the Breeder must arrange with the Owner or Handler of the Stud Dog to have semen collected, and have Fresh Chilled Semen shipped and received for two to three consecutive days after ovulation. This is the same procedure for Frozen Semen only much more expensive since the Frozen Semen must be accompanied with a tank to keep the semen frozen.
Lastly, the Breeder must coordinate the insemination of the Fresh Chilled or Frozen Semen with his/her Reproductive Vet. All of these procedures of collection, shipping of semen, and insemina- tion of semen must be done within a tight timeframe. The Repro- ductive Vet may not be available, and weather could hold up the shipment and miss the fertile time to breed. If breeding naturally, the Stud Dog may not be available because he is ill, or at a dog show, or the weather may not allow the Bitch to be shipped to the Stud Dog due to temperature regulations of the airlines to have her shipped in Cargo.
Enough said of the difficulty of breeding a Bitch. It is truly up to many tight deadlines of schedules to possibly produce a litter of healthy puppies!
Do Iwork outside of your home and is my family involved? No, I have been fortunate to retire at an early age in my late fifties. Being a Standard Schnauzer Breeder has been my passion for almost 12 years. My Husband, Rick, is my best Friend and has been my “right arm” when we are caring for our dogs and puppies. I could not do my business without him.
Am I involved with a breed club and held positions within the club(s)? I have been a member of the Standard Schnauzer Club of Northern California for many years. For three consecutive years, I was the Manager/Coordinator of the Annual Auction during our Club’s December Christmas Dinner and on the third year, I man- aged and coordinator of the National Annual Auction for our Club’s December Christmas Dinner. This involved receiving, storing, and tracking all donations from around the U.S. for ten months (over 90 donations). Also, receipts for the donations needed to be sent to the donators; bid sheets for the auctions also needed to be generated.
I am also on the Standard Schnauzer Rescue Team in California for the Standard Schnauzer Club of America. Part of my responsi- bility is to identify physically if the Schnauzer is actually a Standard Schnauzer. If so, I must contact our Rescue Manager and discuss the next step for placing the dog with a Vet and eventually in a Foster Home.
How did I come up with my kennel name and is it registered with AKC? Since I bought my first puppy, Brie, from the Davis’ with the name of Blackhawk, I decided that I would use the kennel name, Castlewood, since this country club is only ten minutes from my home. Also, Castlewood is a name close to the beginning of the alphabet and easy to find. Yes, the name Castlewood has been registered with AKC.
Do I co-breed and co-own with others? Not at this time.
Is my breed easy to place? There are not many Standard Schnau- zer Breeders that are registered in the U.S. with the American Ken- nel Club. When I checked with the Standard Schnauzer Club of America’s website several months ago, there were only 73 Standard Schnauzer Breeders registered with AKC in the U.S.
After interviewing Prospective Puppy Buyers, I usually have 8 to 15 people on a wait list without a deposit. By the time I ultrasound a Bitch who has been bred (28 days after insemination), I call the Prospective Puppy Buyers on my Wait list in chronological order to find out if they still desire to buy a puppy from me. Depending on the number of puppies that may be available, I inform the people on my Wait list if they will be able to buy a puppy.
My Castlewood Standard Schnauzers website was completely redesigned in April 2018. This website enables me to receive infor- mation on prospective puppy buyers when they fill out my Contact Form from my website and e-mail the form to me.
Also, I advertise in the quarterly Pepper ‘N Salt Magazine as well as in The ShowSight Magazine, which circulates December 2019 and January 2020 editions to 300,000 digital copies and 18,000 printed copies of the magazine around the world.
At this time, there are not too many Prospective Puppy Buyers inquiring about puppies right around the Holidays. Many people travel to their families for Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day in 2019, as well as New Year’s Day 2020.
Do I think “Breeders’ Showcases” as a special event at an orga- nization’s site will give breeders the recognition they deserve? I definitely believe that Breeders’ Showcases help many of the canine Breeders throughout the country get recognition that they deserve. Not all Breeders have the opportunity to advertise in publications. However, if these Breeders, who do not advertise, are given the opportunity to write answers to questions given to them without cost to the Breeder like The ShowSight Magazine offers, then other Breeders can learn ideas from these Breeders’ answers. Everyone
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Breeder Q & A
 










































































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