We are a small but select kennel breeding for type and temperament. All breeding dogs are hip/elbow scored and DNA health tested. Our puppies are lovingly raised in a family environment with an emphasis on socialisation with children and other animals.

We are situated on the Mid North Coast of N.S.W on the Yarrat State Forrest edge. Our dogs enjoy life on the farm, with the back dam being a great source of fun and fitness for all. Our hounds are not shown every weekend due to family comitments but are competitive when entered.   

   Our foals are handled from birth and are started naturaly with no resistance.

My love of dogs started from a very young age, pictured here with my first dog Cindy winning our first ribbon.

Passing my love on to my children who grew up knowing the love of the Ridgeback.

We are now on the 3rd generation of Ridgeback lovers,with our Grandchildren involved in the love and care of our hounds.

I have added a few facts that are close to my heart and would hope that anyone thinking about buying a puppy would take the time to read.

Responsible Breeder Checklist

Responsible breeders treat their dogs like part of the family. They are treated like companion animals, not livestock.  Responsible breeders want to know as much about you as you do about them.

           In contrast to puppy mills, responsible breeders:

• Do not sell their puppies to pet stores.

• Provide appropriate food, water, shelter, and veterinary care for their animals, as well as sanitary conditions.

• Carefully screen potential buyers and take care to place their puppies in loving homes.

• Take proper care of breeding dogs. Mothers are only bred a limited amount of times and receive appropriate veterinary care.

• Typically specialize in one or two breeds and care about the breed. They are knowledgeable about their breeds’ genetic and health issues. They test and screen their breeding dogs to try to improve the breed and ensure healthy puppies. They do not just breed what breed is in “fashion” and popular at the time, breeding a number of breeds when they are very popular then moving onto the next popular breed.

• Maintain only a number of dogs that they can give love and care to with individual time to each dog.

• Operate with transparency. Responsible breeders allow potential purchasers to tour the property to see the living conditions of the dogs and meet the breeding mother/parents. They are proud to show you how they are rearing their puppies!

•  Sometimes the sire of a litter may live many KMs away, be interstate or ever overseas. They do not use their own dog repeatedly to many of their breeding bitches, instead preferring to use a sire that suits their bitch regardless of distance and cost.

• Properly socialize their puppies and ensure that puppies are with their mothers for an adequate amount of time.

Indiscriminate breeder signs.

• If the breeder won’t allow you to see where the breeding dogs are living, you should walk away.

• If you aren’t allowed to see where the puppies are kept or If you can’t get a view of where the puppies came from, then how can you know if something is wrong?

• You aren’t allowed to meet the puppy’s parents. Far too often, “Mama” dog may be in a horrible shape or might have an undesirable temperament. Seeing your soon to be puppy’s parents/family can give you some indication of your puppy's health later in life. You will never see a bitch in her prime when she has had puppies her coat will drop and she will not look at her best BUT she should be well fed and well-adjusted and kept in the very best environment with comfort and care being evident. Every effort should be made to keep Mumma and babies warm in cold weather and comfortable in heat.

• The breeder is knowledgeable about the breed. Someone who doesn’t know about the breed of puppies they are selling will have no insight into properly breeding a healthy dog –  Responsible breeders will know the pedigree of the dogs they own and will be able to tell you a bit about most of the dogs behind their breeding dogs. A back-yard breeder will have very little insight into the dogs pedigree. Pedigrees are just as important for pet puppies as they are for show or breeding puppies!

• Backyard breeders often portray themselves as a 'registered business', or claim their puppies are 'registered' in an endeavour to justify their enterprises.   They may even claim their puppies are 'purebred', something that cannot necessarily be verified of course, particularly with unregistered dogs.  Their premises might be seen to be clean to comply with council regulations, regardless, it is the breeding principles that produce the puppy that are the most missed, unregistered breeders do not answer to a controlling body or a code of ethics. Please ask any breeder whos puppies you are interested in about health testing. Ask to see the documented evidence of this. If they have done the tests they will have the paperwork and should be proud to show you results of their dogs tests. If they are telling you somethiong that doesnt sound right ask more questions and contact your state breed club or other breeders to confirm the answers you are not sure of. If something does not sound right then chances are its not.

                  PUPPY FARM PUPPIES AND 'DESIGNER DOGS'  (more often - one in the same)

Several things the general public ought to know about Puppy Farming and 'Designer Dogs' (Ooodles and the like):

• Many 'Designer Dogs' are bred by puppy farmers, or backyard breeders, and then sold both direct to the public or through pet shops.   Designer dogs are not 'breeds' and have no standards of type or health.   While all puppies are cute, the mixture of breeds and the genes the individual puppy picks up from it's parents will denote health, looks and personality of the puppy - in short, you have no idea what you're going to end up with in any of those areas.  Families buying the puppy on the basis of an allergy free pet can be just as disappointed when the puppy does not pick up on these genes from its parents, if indeed they existed in the parents at all.

• 'Designer Dogs' are not a breed of dog - they are mixed breeds ( x bred as they can also be known) of very questionable background as to health and certainly have no standard of type.   Indeed the 'oodle' part of these breeds can range from miniature poodle, to standard poodle, for a start.   No responsible and ethical registered breeder will provide a puppy or dog to a designer breeder or puppy farmer, so the original parents are again questionable as to health and type.  Not a good start for a happy healthy puppy I'm afraid.  One only has to visit a shelter or two to realise how many of these puppies end up there for one reason or another. Ethical breeders will take their puppies back if a change of life event occurs and the dog can no longer live with the owner. Most "pure bred' dogs in shelters come from backyard breeders not the Registered Breeder.

• Until the general public is informed and discerning enough to RESIST the fluffy little puppies in the window or cages, puppy farming and backyard breeders will continue to flourish.   The selling of puppies in Pet Shops should be banned outright.  If you want to 'save' one of these poor puppies, go to a shelter to do it.

• Until the Government is brave enough to instigate a law that means each and every breeder has to be registered and accountable in regard to breeding practices, whether intentionally breeding, or by accident, and every puppy has to be microchipped with breeder details recorded on microchip papers ...... then these poor dogs and puppies will continue to be used and abused.Puppy farms are intensive systems with breeding animals and their puppies kept in facilities that fail to meet the animals’ psychological, behavioural, social or physiological needs.  As a result many of these animals have a very poor quality of life.  Puppy farms are usually difficult to locate, with operators tending to hide their activities from the general public and the authorities in isolated or remote areas. They usually do not allow prospective puppy buyers on-site and this is reflected in the way they sell their animals.  One major distinguishing feature of puppy farms is who the breeders will sell to.   Puppy farmers will sell to anyone, wholesale and retail, and by any means, through pet shops, via newspapers, gumtree and car boot sales or by using a false house as a ‘shop front’.

Help us rid the world of these abhorrent practices - encourage people NOT to buy puppies from pet shops and indiscriminate, irresponsible breeders. If there's no demand for these puppies the cruelty will eventually stop.

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