My Journey to becoming a Breeder - blood, sweat, tears, and more!

I started my dog journey only recently - and it all ties back to my struggle in finding a well-bred pup in 2013. Having never owned a dog before, much less a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, I had a difficult time connecting with breeders near me. Unfortunately, after several attempts to get on a waitlist, I was quite disillusioned, and turned to the nearest Kijiji advertisement to purchase a puppy*.

At that point I had read only rudimentary material on health testing, and wasn’t aware of what dog shows meant (aside from a beauty pageant). Even though I asked several questions to the “breeder” I had selected on Kijiji, I didn’t notice all the red flags that were present in our conversation, and agreed to purchasing a pup from them in 2015.

Despite being very happy with the Corgi* I purchased (unpapered, unvaccinated, and came home with Giardia & pills to treat it!), I started to realize that it didn’t quite adhere to what the breed standard called for. Later that year (and the next), my pup started needing trips to the emergency vet due to unexplained gastrointestinal hemorrhage (read: bloody vomit and diarrhea). The vet discussed that my pup was in perfectly fine health otherwise, and that these trips were likely going to be a regular occurrence moving forward. Additionally, I started hearing word about other pups from the same breeder - torn ligaments, hip dysplasia, eye issues…you name it.

Each of these trips was incredibly stressful for both myself and my pup, and cost me roughly a thousand CAD each trip (+/- tears, gas, exhaustion). I vowed to myself that I would never purchase a pup from anywhere except for a reputable breeder ever again. It broke my heart every time I looked into my pup’s eyes - how could a breeder willingly choose to perpetuate these issues, and hand them off to unwitting pet owners?

With that, I strove to “become the change”…in the dumbest way possible. In 2018, a young noobie with a BYB dog started emailing members of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Association of Canada asking if they were selling any breeding dogs. Unfortunately, I was turned away at almost every instance. However, I was presented an amazing opportunity to learn and grow through my foundation bitch, Pearl.

Fast forward to today - I’ve built a wonderful connection with many other breeders around me, and am volunteering my time with the Ontario & Quebec Section of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Association of Canada. I am currently being mentored by Barbara du Pree, under whose tutelage I’ve had 3 lovely litters - Fast Cars in 2020, Elites in 2021, and Scaggies in 2023. I’m looking forward to what the future will bring for myself, the dogs, and future puppy families!

*Unfortunately, my first dog is no longer by my side due to personal reasons.