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OUR CODE OF ETHICS

We hereby pledge to:

HEALTH

I. Maintain the highest possible standards of health, cleanliness and care in my kennel. This includes, but is not limited to proper veterinary care, regular contact with people and exposure to the outside world for proper socialization of all my dogs.

II. Urge all buyers to have a puppy or adult dog sold by me, examined by a licensed veterinarian within 72 hours of receipt. The buyer will pay for the examination.

III. Deliver or ship only puppies or adult dogs of sound health and temperament. Where the buyer or his authorized representative did not personally see and choose said dog, a period of 48 hours is granted to advise of the final decision and an additional 48 hours is provided if the dog is to be returned.

BREEDING

I. Encourage bitch owners to breed only if they have facilities, time and resources to adequately care for a litter and upon strong evidence of the possibility of finding suitable homes for the resultant litter.

II. Refuse stud service to any bitch I consider in poor health, physically or mentally unsound, or lacking the necessary breed characteristics as set forth in the breed standard.

Before or at the time of breeding, an exchange of pedigrees and health testing information must be made.

III. Allow one repeat service where a bitch has failed to conceive after being bred to one of my studs, if the stud is still in good health and available, and at such time and place as mutually agreed upon by the owner of the bitch and myself.

IV. Breed my own bitches only when I have a definite goal for improvement of the breed in mind, never permitting them to produce three consecutive litters unless breeding consecutive litters is recommended by a veterinarian. I fully understand that I am responsible for keeping and/or finding suitable homes for the resultant puppies.

SALES

I. Use a sales contract or written agreement in any sale or purchase involving a dog, which covers guarantees and agreements must be used with a signed copy to each party involved.

II. Refuse to sell or recommend breeders who do not conform to the ideals and obligations expressed in this Code and refuse all sales to dog wholesalers and retailers.

III. Provide buyers of my  pups with a four-generation pedigree, complete health records, accurate breeding, OFA and registration records, except that registration papers may be withheld or limited in the case of a dog who the parties have agreed in writing will not be bred, until it has been spayed/neutered as evidenced by veterinary confirmation.

IV. Provide a copy of the Standard to accompany any puppy or adult dog sold by me.

V. To encourage and invite the new owners of any dog sold by me to attend some type of training class and to join in becoming guardians of the Breed by participating in local dog club activities, educational programs, a regional breed club and/or the parent club.

VI. Assure puppy buyers that if at any time the buyer has to place the dog, the breeder must be notified and given the opportunity to assist the buyer in placing the dog.

*This is the German Shepherd Dog Club of America (GSDCA)'s Code of Ethics and we feel like it is a well balanced Code, so we apply it to our breeding, even though we do not breed German Shepherds.

http://gsdca.org/join-the-gsdca/breeders-code

We are also signers of the American Belgian Malinois Club's Breeder's Code.

Personal Breeding Ethics

In addition to the above Code of Ethics, we maintain personal breeding standards which include, but are not limited to:

I. Ensuring temperament and intelligence of our breeding dogs by requiring a certification (i.e., Canine Good Citizen, Herding Instinct Certificate, etc) and/or title. Not providing stud service to bitches who lack some form of certification/title.

II. Ensuring health of our breeding dogs by requiring routine veterinary exams and health certifications recommended by the breed's parent club (i.e. OFA Hips/Elbows, CERF, etc). Not providing stud service to bitches who lack these health certifications.

III. Ensuring adherance to the breed standard of our breeding dogs by having all our breeding dogs/bitches critiqued by a third party (i.e., IABCA, AKC conformation). Not providing stud service to bitches who have disqualifying faults.

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