Welcome to the Breeder Accelerator Program.
I always struggle with these ‘who am I’ areas. I have owned a design and branding company since 2007, through the years I have worked with corporations, and small businesses, you name it, I have done it. I am also an avid lover of Border Collies, call it more an obsession. In 2016, with a strong desire to ‘recreate’ my first love Riley, I embarked on breeding and learning everything I could about how to ensure I did that as safely as possible to protect my girl.
It wasn’t easy, the ‘breeder police’ were out in full force and I found that even though I truly wanted to do everything that I should, there was little to any assistance from other breeders, and in fact, they were short and in contrast had little to any assistance.
Our breeder was an old-school border collie breeder, for us, our breed has only been registered since the ’80s and there are still many people who will not participate in registries of any kind stating concerns about losing the purpose of our breed, I regress, they could have a valid argument. While our dogs very much carry the instincts of a working border collie, we breed for companionship, avid outdoor enthusiasts, and for sport. We also put health and temperament first and foremost above everything else.
Through the years, we have built our program to be one of the largest in Canada and I am blessed to have a partner who shares the responsibility in British Columbia while I and my girls are in Quebec.
Looking back now, I realize that we achieved what we set out to do. I wanted healthy, well-tempered, non-reactive Border Collies (like my girl) who could share in the lives of active, spoiled homes. We have that and so much more. Our parents are truly special but that doesn’t happen by accident and the dogs we produce don’t either.
Fast forward to 2021 and I was approached at least 4 times that year to assist others in homing their offspring. I won’t lie, it was often frustrating to hear someone tell me their dogs weren’t health tested, they didn’t do ENS or Puppy Culture and for all but one I declined to assist simply because our parents have expectations and I need to be confident the puppies would be healthy (long term) and that there were raised with the best tools to avoid behavioral issues.
As the pandemic came to an end, the desire for pets decreased and we saw dog after dog after dog surrendered to rescues. You have no idea how frustrating that is (or maybe you do, and you should). Backyard breeding with no understanding or care for the responsibility of their offspring. More people messaging asking if I had homes and the cycle seemed to be never-ending, seeing posts from reputable breeders who had done no planning, no ‘marketing’ to ensure they had responsible homes BEFORE breeding.
I realized for that group, it was very possible a combination of never having to do that before and a lack of knowledge.
So here we are. Listen, if you want to breed, do it – I am not going to place judgment at all but do it properly. Commit to producing the healthiest, best-tempered dogs or cats you can. PLAN your litters, Pre-Qualify parents, and have a deposit-based waitlist. Do not produce animals that you cannot home. Engage with educating owners and upcoming owners about your breed, and about your dogs and encourage them to buy from reputable breeders (regardless of whether that is you).
We have achieved most of what we have set out to do. We have what I think are the most amazing dogs and parents we could ever ask for. We are at a stage where we can now see those dogs starting to compete in sports, starting to find success and it is an incredible feeling.
I truly will do all I can to assist you to organize your program so that you can enjoy that as well, so you can continue to breed knowing you will have qualified, committed families waiting.
We continue to have a 1 – 1.5 year waitlist, I don’t forsee that changing anytime soon.
