Our Practices & Facilities 
We've been asked why we have chosen to have dogs, and are we a puppy mill, just in it to make money. First of all, the term "puppy mill" makes me feel ill. Those places are truly horrible places that do not have any concern for what's best for the animals. Secondly, as many people know, one does not get rich in the animal world, at least not "money" rich. I do believe we get rich in many other ways: love, caring, patience, kindness, strength, and perserverance.
Needless to say, it takes real "dog lovers" (or maybe crazy people) to take on the challenge of providing the best home and care that can possibly be given to all our dogs. We strive very hard to meet all their needs. Some of our dogs live in our home with us. However, realistically we simply do not have a house large enough for all our dogs. Consequently, we do have a very nice kennel building that houses some of the dogs. This kennel is heated and cooled for the dogs' comfort. It includes indoor areas with soft rubber matting for the dogs to sleep on. Through a doggy door in each area, the dogs can exit into a covered run for fresh air and exercise (and hopefully to relieve themselves.). In addition to the indoor area and the outdoor covered runs, there are about 2 acres fenced in which they can run, play, and just be dogs. The dogs are grouped according to size, age, sex, etc. These groups take turns in the fenced in area.
Additionally, all our mother dogs live with us in our home from the confirmation of their pregnancies until their puppies are off to their new homes. All pups are whelped in our whelping area (our den), with our assistance if needed. After the birth, the moms and their pups have their own living area in our puppy room (used to be our music room). Here we can monitor the air temperature for each litter very closely. We can also make sure that the mother dog is eating her special diet and making progress in her recovery. In addition, each pup is weighed regularly to make sure they are gaining weight.
After the pups go to their new homes, the moms get time off in their own "ladies only" area of the kennel to recover, receive some special TLC, relax, and just be a dog.
This makes sure that any physical problems from delivering and nursing puppies will be seen very quickly, in order to take care of the problem. We want our ladies to be in their best health with us.
There is indeed a never ending list of tasks to be done for the well being of our dogs. Also, since I chose the Miniature Schnauzer as my favorite, their cleaning and clipping alone is a never-ending job (Thanks Jason & Miranda!!). Nevertheless, we truly love our dogs, the joy our dogs bring to us, and the wonderful experiences of meeting other "dog lovers" when one of our dogs finds a new home. Even though there is a lot of work, time, and sometimes heartache involved with this adventure, I wouldn't change my journey at all.
I hope this helps you better understand why we have chosen to share our lives with our dogs, and then in turn we try very hard to provide a healthy, good quality, loving, and well socialized pup for a forever family. In other words, we are a family that has chosen to learn about, love, enjoy, and care for some very special dogs. In turn we want to share that knowledge, love, and joy with others. Perhaps we can lead or encourage others to give their hearts to that special dog. It will truly change their lives.
From Janet, Jason, & Miranda,
God Bless You
(We will be adding pictures of our facilities in the near future.)
