We love what we do, and are happy to share these wonderful animals with families! Every day we learn something new, and work to make our program better. We have been on our own small family farmette since 2012. "I" am Joie (Joselynne) Roddy, and "WE" are the whole family....my husband, Stuart, and all 5 of our kids. I have been breeding and raising horses since 1999, and have had dogs my entire life. Shortly after we moved to our farm, we decided to buy a German Shepherd. Unfortunately, our experience when trying to find a puppy was absolutely dismal. We found extraordinarily expensive dogs from breeders that were mass producing or not completing full health and temperament testing, or didn't stand behind their puppies, and we found puppies that were bred with no discernible intention; no thought towards health, temperament, or conformation, and uneducated breeders. Some of these breeders were quite good hearted, and some were...not. We ended up adopting a senior GSD, and began our search for our perfect puppy. It took some time, but we made the decision to start breeding German Shepherd Dogs in 2014, with the help of a mentor. We learned much from this relationship, including how we DO NOT want to manage our program. In the decade since, we have used every experience, whether positive or negative, as an opportunity to grow and learn. We take something away from every single experience and interaction, so we can keep improving and making the lives of our animals, and their new families, better. We may not be the biggest breeder around, but we do our best to provide families with an exceptional puppy or foal at a reasonable price, with an experience that is comfortable. We work to be fair, and kind, and treat others how we would want to be treated ourselves, while also maintaining strict protocols and requirements for visitors, and the sales process. Our animals are a part of OUR FAMILY! We like to allow our horses to be horses and our dogs to be dogs…they are active, robust, animals with no soundness issues and they run and play TOGETHER, in a herd or in their pack. Our dogs and puppies play and interact with each other, our kids, our cats, and the outside world. We think it's so important to have puppies interact with our family daily. We do not tolerate, nor would we ever breed, any dog that we do not trust with our children. We have five children, ranging in age from elementary school through graduate school, and our big family is our #1 priority. Loyal, healthy, loving FAMILY companions are our goal when it comes to puppies. That goes for the big dogs as well as the lil potatoes!! The German Shepherds are working dogs and athletes, yes, but athletes with GOOD brains, and loving, loyal temperaments. We believe the German Shepherd Dog to be the very best family companion you will ever find, if bred and raised properly. We also love the Pembroke Welsh Corgi's because they can keep up with the Shepherds and have many similar traits. As we have aged, along with our "forever dogs" we have found that having "kennel dogs" is not something we are interested in. We do not tolerate “fighty” dogs, or dogs that are overly dominant or aggressive towards other dogs and cannot function as a normal "pack" within our home, and we have three retired GSD girls in the home who will never leave us. The corgis are nice and small and fit in with our pack AND they function well on the farm. We take the dogs places when possible so they are used to unfamiliar places and new people. Our dogs and puppies are exposed to the sights and sounds of rural life...horses, chickens, goats, tractors, etc. as well. Our puppies are LOVED and are raised in a loving, family environment.
We socialize our puppies beginning at birth!! We start puppies with ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation) at 3 days of age, and continue through day 16. This is standard with every litter, and we only miss a day if there is an event that may overly stress the puppy or puppies. Please read HERE about ENS and its' benefits! After this neonatal period, puppies have a brief transitional period before the critical socialization period, and we begin the real work! Puppies are socialized with a "puppy culture" type protocol. We focus on communication, with light clicker training, manding training, and attention and distraction exercises, as well as habituation, by building a familiarity with a number of experiences, such as a variety of sounds, people, other animals. Our puppies are exposed to new experiences as a matter of enrichment....new sounds, smells, objects, textures, and barriers or puzzles are used to foster inquisitiveness and learning, as opposed to eliciting fear or trepidation! Lots of praise and encouragement for the babies as they play to grow, so they can become emotionally stable dogs, who come from a LOVING, positive environment.
Our puppies are whelped and raised in a clean and healthy environment. Always. From BEFORE birth until they leave us, we put health and safety first.We choose pairings to build an incredible dog....mentally and physically!! Before they go to new homes, puppies are fully vet checked for congenital defects such as heart murmurs, as well as for correct bite, clear eyes, ears, lungs, good bowels, and stable joints. The vet checks the umbilicus for hernias and or other tissue events, and external genitalia for both testicles (male) and hooded vulvas (female). Any abnormalities are noted. They will also receive their first vaccinations at 8-9 weeks, so as to avoid interference with maternal antibodies. We regularly deworm, weighed, and monitor for appropriate growth. Puppies have hands on them for weighing and ENS (and cuddles) AT LEAST twice daily for the first week. They are weighed daily until 2 weeks, and then at least weekly thereafter. Puppies will stay with us until a MINIMUM of 8 weeks, to ensure we are not vaccinating too early, and so they can continue to be socialized with other dogs during weaning and beyond. We ensure that puppies have more than adequate room to run and play, which is separate from where they eat and potty. Our in-home puppy rooms are large; each is 10 x 20' and contains distinct areas for play, rest, eating, and potty. We feel that puppies raised in this type of environment are not only healthier, but also MUCH easier to potty train. Our outdoor puppy yard is large, well maintained, and offers lots of challenges for active puppy brains and bodies when the weather permits. Our puppies are exposed to crates from the time they can toddle, and are individually crated for short periods at weaning time, so the transition from here to their new home is easier, as well. We bathe puppies once or twice before they leave, regularly trim their nails, and do other "mundane" things, such as try to walk on a leash or ride in a car, so these experiences aren't completely new and puppies have these skills built before they have to transition to an entirely new environment. Puppies go home with ALL health records from the day of the birth forward, vet paperwork, a new collar and leash, toys, and enough food for a week.It is imperative that this socialization process continues once the puppy leaves our farm!! We strongly suggest WORKING BREED SPECIFIC TRAINING for German Shepherds, and at the very least basic obedience for Corgis. All dogs deserve to have the opportunity to engage their brain, and training is a GREAT way to build a lifelong bond with your dog.
We will provide LIFETIME support on any health issues or questions you may have, to ensure your puppy grows into a healthy adult and active senior. We are willing and eager to spend time with you, explaining, teaching and advising you about your puppy...for the LIFETIME of the pup! We care deeply about your puppy’s health and well-being, and always will. We encourage open communication at all times, and make ourselves available anytime for questions or concerns. We also believe in full transparency, and will offer as much information as possible about our puppies, our adult dogs, ourselves, and our contract and expectations right on the internet to see. We can offer numerous references.
We require that we SPEAK to buyers ON THE PHONE prior to accepting deposits and offering a contract! At this time, we can discuss the advantages and disadvantages of owning this breed for a buyers' particular lifestyle, and we can get a "feel" for the match. Usually, from a real conversation I can ensure that the buyer is prepared for a puppy, and I can gain a better insight into the lifestyle of the family the puppy will be involved with before proceeding. This ensures a more suitable match much more efficiently than texting or e-mailing or messaging, and the conversation is more fluid. Making a appropriate placement is not something I take lightly. We do not sell puppies to be given as "surprise" gifts, and all family members should be in agreement that the puppy will be a welcomed member of the family.
Once a contract and deposit in in place, puppies are chosen in order of deposit. We will not "hold" a puppy without a deposit! Deposits are 25% of the purchase price, and are non-refundable, unless there is a determination upon veterinary exam that the puppy is not healthy or has a defect OR that the puppy is determined upon temperament testing to not be an appropriate match for the intended family. In either case, the buyer shall have the option to choose a different puppy from the litter, if available, wait for the next litter, OR RECEIVE A REFUND.
We temperament test our puppies at 7 weeks (49 days) using the Volhard method to ensure that all "picks" are appropriate for the environment they will be living in. We will do our best to carefully assess YOUR suitability or readiness for owning a German Shepherd Dog or a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, as well as the dogs suitability to YOUR lifestyle, before a contract is even in place. These are active dogs, and they need a fairly active lifestyle, with appropriate exercise on appropriate footing at an appropriate duration for their age. A large, fenced yard is ideal, but we do have several pups living in the city, quite happily, because their owners take them out and work with them and the buyers themselves were well-prepared for the puppy and for what caring for a puppy in such an environment entails.
We REQUIRE that puppies be viewed IN PERSON at our home, so buyers can see the parents, and our home and farm, and see littermates or older siblings, either prior to or at pick-up. We understand that not everyone is close enough to be able to make a long trip several times, and in the case of long distance buyers, I am happy to send videos or do FaceTime chats so you can be assured the puppies are as pictured prior to choosing your pup or making a long drive to pick up. CONTRACTED BUYERS MAY COME AND MEET THE PUPPIES IN PERSON AT 5-6 WEEKS or so. We are available by appointment. Weekends work best, as this is our home, and we have a very large, active family. Weekday evening visits are generally not feasible for us during the school year, for the most part, but we are more than open to chat via phone or FaceTime during the evening.
***WE NO LONGER ACCEPT VISITORS WITHOUT A CONTRACT AND DEPOSIT IN PLACE.*** This is for the health and safety of ALL puppies. We cannot guarantee that a non-committed buyer hasn't visited several other kennels prior to coming to our farm, putting ALL puppies at risk. We will not have puppies becoming ill due to simple negligence. Therefore, prior to agreement to terms and a deposit, "visits" can be accomplished via photos and video, or FaceTime chats. We apologize for this inconvenience, but it is truly in the best interests of the puppies, and our committed buyers. There are special situations, of course, for which we may make exceptions, but as a standard protocol, puppies are not exposed to the public.
We believe that AKC registration is very important, so *WE* register 100% of each litter. In order to ensure this happens, we PERSONALLY register our litters by 2 weeks of age with the American Kennel Club. WE THEN REGISTER THE INDIVIDUAL PUPPIES IN THE BUYERS NAME UPON FULL PAYMENT RECEIVED AND NOTIFICATION OF THE INITIAL VET VISIT. We do not send puppies home with registration applications. We pay for registration and complete the process on all puppies, as part of the purchase price, for your convenience, and to insure ALL puppies are registered in a timely manner. At the time of purchase, you will be required to choose a suitable name that corresponded with the litter letter (So, for example, the "A" Litter could be “Annabelle”, “Andre”, etc. and then we will add our kennel name onto that name for the AKC papers (i.e. Annabelle Vom Vierblättriges Bauernhof) for German Shepherds or Four Leaf Farm Annabelle for Corgis). YOU MAY USE WHATEVER “CALL NAME” YOU WISH!! But we take a lot of pride in our puppies, and we want 100% of every litter registered for the best interest of the puppy!
Lastly, if at any time your situation changes so that you cannot keep the puppy, we will 100% guarantee that we will take it back. This applies whether the puppy is 10 weeks old or 10 years old! It would break our hearts to have any of our dogs end up in the pound, on the streets, or shuffled from one unsuitable home to another because the its’ family can't keep it any longer.
