Page 46 - ShowSight - May 2020
P. 46

                PLACING PUPPIES
IN THE AGE
OF COVID-19:
SAFETY ADVICE FOR BREEDERS
BY PENNY LEIGH PHOTOS COURTESY OF BECI BEASLEY
Every evening became a puppy party at Debbie Winn’s house.
Once her pups had their first shots, an ex-pen appeared on her front yard. It did not take long for neighbors to converge around the contents: Roly-poly
chocolate bundles.
Children petted and played with the puppies while the adults sipped wine and super-
vised the action.
“It was invaluable for the puppies to have that kind of contact with other people
and especially children,” the Labrador Retriever breeder said. “This year, that will not be happening.”
With a litter expected in late April, Winn has to rethink how she will prepare the pup- pies for life in their new homes.
Like other breeders with litters on the ground or on the way, Winn faces how to social- ize and place puppies while keeping herself and potential buyers safe from COVID-19.
“Now their ex-pen is going inside my fenced-in backyard, and they will have fun things to play on: ladders, slides, balls, but they will not be in the front yard for everyone to play with,” said Winn, an AKC Breeder of Merit and resident of Lexington, South Carolina.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breeder, Beci Beasley, had heard little about Coronavi- rus when she traveled to Canada in January to breed her bitch, who delivered six puppies. “This is very nerve wracking,” Beasley said. “Socialization is terrifying. With my last litter, I had 15 to 20 different friends visiting on different nights, so the puppies were exposed to people outside the household. Today, you do not want anyone coming to your
home. So how do you make sure your pups get the experiences they need?”
The health crisis has complicated breeders’ lives, but not diminished the public’s desire for puppies. With the majority of Americans working from home, many families decided it is an opportune time to obtain a new dog. The AKC Marketplace has experienced record-breaking visits as the public searches for available litters, and demand for puppies
is high around the country.
“I don’t think this is a case of not breeding, but changing the way we normally do
things,” AKC Breeder Field Representative Vanessa Skou said.
Skou, who is also a breeder, had a litter of West Highland White Terrier puppies ready
to go to their homes in late March. Typically, the families would come into her house, complete the paperwork, and then meet the puppy’s relatives.
This time, she modified the routine to minimize contact. Paperwork was completed online so there was only a final contract to sign when the new owners arrived. She asked them to bring their own pen to sign the document.
44 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MAY 2020










































































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