Visits

You may want to visit us and to see our Shibas and puppies in person. The following information will answer all your questions about coming to our home to see our dogs.

Can I pick out my puppy?
NO. We are not a pet store or a backyard breeder, so we do not have puppies readily available for you to pick out in person. All puppies have been promised to loving owners well in advance of their birth. What would you base your selection on anyway? Do you know anything about each individual puppy? Have you spent the previous two months training them, learning about their temperaments and personalities? How can you know which puppy will fit best with your family and your lifestyle when you’ve only just met them? Would you marry someone you just met? No. I realize this isn’t marriage, but it is a 15 year commitment.

I want to visit to see how your dogs are raised.
NO. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work that way. Reputable breeders never let strangers into their homes. Just think about it from their perspective. Most reputable Shiba breeders have just a few dogs that live in their homes as their pets. They love them and care for them in the same way you will love and care for your puppy. Most reputable breeders have invested tens of thousands of dollars into each of their dogs. The purchase price is not the only investment. Genetic testing, training, quality food, as well as reproductive health care are some of the expenses that make our dogs not only loving pets but real financial investments.

So, when you go out in public today, take a look at each stranger you pass and ask yourself if you would let that person into your home if they asked you. They will know you have very valuable dogs. They will see your loved ones. They will see your possessions. They will see if you have an alarm system, cameras, etc. Do you see how vulnerable you are?

Allowing complete strangers into our home makes us vulnerable to criminals of all sorts. People who want to hurt other people. People who want to rob our home. People who want to sneak back later to steal our beloved pets or the puppies owned by our new Shiba Families. If you feel we are being over cautious, just take a look at this long list of articles about Texas breeders who did trust strangers. Just look at this LONG LIST of puppies stolen in our state.

If you made the commitment to adopt one of our puppies, wouldn’t you want the very same respect and commitment in return? All of our future families get to meet their puppy’s father prior to making a commitment to adopt their puppy. The dog and I will come to your home for a visit so you can experience in person the temperament you can expect from your puppy. You will observe how he behaves after a long car drive, going to a strange place he has never been, and meeting people he doesn’t know. You will also get to see in person just how stunning he is. Our dogs exceed all expectations in temperament, conformation, and beauty. You will know what I mean when you see them for yourself. If you want to see more of our dogs in person prior to purchasing from us, go to the next dog show we compete at. You will be able to see them in the show ring and we can talk after the show.

If you don’t believe me that reputable breeders won’t let you visit, you can find out for yourself. All you have to do is email or call around and ask all the reputable Shiba breeders you can find if you can visit their dogs and see how they are raised. I guarantee you will not get one reply. Who stated that reputable breeders allow visitors, anyway? Who stated that if a breeder doesn’t let you into their home that they are not a reputable breeder? Who is putting unrealistic expectations in your head that no reputable breeder can achieve? I encourage you to challenge your source. It simply isn’t true that if the breeder won’t let you visit, that they are not a reputable breeder. The idea that a breeder must let you into their home in order to be reputable creates an unrealistic expectation that all reputable breeders will fail.

Who will let you visit their home to see how the dogs are raised? Backyard breeders will. They don’t care. The dogs live in a spare room or in a shed in the backyard or in the garage. The breeders spent very little money to purchase the dog and haven’t invested in training, showing, genetic testing, temperament testing, etc. Backyard breeders don’t breed for the betterment of the breed nor do they love the breed and want to share it with the world. Backyard breeders simply haven’t invested in their dogs with their love, time, or money that we reputable breeders have invested. Super easy to prove, again. Just contact backyard breeders, breeders who haven’t invested in genetic health testing or training and showing their dogs. Eight out of ten will let you visit.

What will you look for anyway? Did the person who recommended that a reputable breeder must allow you to go into their home also offer you a list for your inspection? What will you learn by that visit that you can’t already know simply by the breeder’s reputation? The following is a list of things to consider when selecting your breeder.

Are the dogs shown? If yes than the breeder trains, exercises, and socializes the dogs. They have a quality diet for good health, fitness, coat, and teeth. The dogs can handle being touched in all places of their body for regular grooming; they will be clean and cared for. The dogs will be socialized, able to have strangers touch them, able to be in huge buildings with lots of lights and noise, able to be around hundreds of other dogs and get along just fine.

Does the breeder do genetic testing? If yes, than they have spent thousands of dollars and many hours on the dog to get those tests done to prove the health quality of the dog. The dog has been xrayed, blood tested, eyes dilated, patellas manipulated, etc. And reputable breeders will not breed a dog who has a genetic defect, but will instead take a loss on their investment.

Are the dogs registered with AKC? If yes, than the reputable breeder is in good standing with AKC because if they weren’t than they couldn’t register the puppies. No complaints, no suspensions, no kennel inspection failures.

If the breeder you are considering hasn’t shown their dogs, than you absolutely should visit to inspect the living conditions of the dogs and to meet them face to face so you can be assured the dogs do not have aggression, fear, or any obvious health issues.

If the breeder doesn’t do genetic testing, than man you are taking a risk. Not only on the health and happiness of your dog, but with your finances. Health issue are extremely expensive. If the breeder hasn’t done genetic tests, just save yourself the anguish and walk away.

Besides, we post photos and videos almost daily on Instagram and Facebook. You get to see our dogs in real life even when their hair isn’t perfect or their nails are dirty from running in the mud.

Can I come out and talk to you about Shibas, so I can decide if they are the breed for me?
No. There are plenty of resources other than me. I simply don’t have the time or desire to educate you. Our Shiba families have taken the time to educate themselves on the breed. These people come to us with a foundational understanding of the breed and are able to have an educated conversation with us to determine if our bloodlines are a good fit for them. If you are unable to do the same, then you are not a good match for us. Our families must be self-starters and problem solvers. We offer support for our families from that foundation for the entire life of their dogs. We are dedicated to them and we do call them family. They are our focus.

My kids have never seen a Shiba before and we want them to see your cute puppies.
No. We are not a petting zoo. Our Shiba families trust us to not allow strangers into our home to handler their puppies; the puppies they already adopted, the puppies they already consider a member of their family.

Where do you get off not allowing us to see the puppies before we buy one?
It is what it is. All our puppies are promised well in advance of their birth. Why should I let strangers into my home, because they can’t make a decision and patiently wait for their litter to be born like our other families do? You don’t have to buy a puppy from us. If you are asking this question, then we are not the breeder for you.

You are unfriendly for not letting people see your dogs.
No. I am very friendly; friendly and responsible. We have a responsibility to our Shiba Families to protect their puppies. Strangers coming to our home opens the possibility of a puppy getting injured by someone not handling it properly. It also opens the possibility of our dogs contracting parasites or other illnesses that strangers tread through and bring in on their hands, clothes or shoes.

We support our puppies and their families for the life of the puppy. We are there morning, noon, and night for any situation. Just ask one of our family members, they will tell you how much we care about them.

Do you ever let people come see your puppies?
Yes! The owners of a puppy are always welcome to visit their puppy at any time and stay and play with their puppy as long as they like.

If you feel offended by any of our answers to these questions, then we simply aren’t the breeder for you. No reputable breeder will be. Your local backyard breeder or pet store will be able to provide you with what you want.

Reputable breeders understand our breed.
We’ve spent hours getting to know our potential future Shiba Families and know how to match the right puppy with them.
We don’t advertise but instead have a waiting list because of our word of mouth reputation and proof of our quality through our existing dogs and their families.
Reputable breeders don’t let strangers into our homes. We are not stores.
We won’t risk the well being of our family, our dogs, or our possessions.
Reputable breeders don’t make profit from our puppy sales. We sell only a handful of puppies each year, and most of us don’t even cover the cost of food let alone all the other expenses required to be a reputable breeder.
We breed for our love and dedication to our breed. We want to share it with others and are willing to sacrifice our time and money to do so.
Reputable breeders offer only a few puppies each year. If you are lucky enough to be approved for one, be grateful because it is an honored. If you have been selected by a reputable breeder to care for and love one of their puppies, then you should know that you must be a pretty great person in their eyes that they found you worthy to adopt one of their babies.

If you feel you can offer a quality life to one of our puppies and that we may be the breeder for you, then contact us so we can get to know each other better and find out if we are a good match!