Agatha, 2 months old. Note - this is an opinion piece on what I feel makes a breeder accountable and/or reputable, and how I personally define these two words in relation to my programme! In no way do I condemn breeders who don’t do the things that I do - and conversely, there are many things that I don’t do that other breeders do! More power to everyone - a rising tide lifts all boats! In my opinion, both terms relate to how breeders interact with external parties: other people (puppy people, breeding partners, stud owners) and also their dogs (puppies, show dogs, retired dogs, pets). Before ..read more

Highlighted point in blue represents the progesterone result of 8.1 nmol/L on Day 7 Pearl’s first test, done on Wednesday (day 7 of her heat cycle), came back at 8.1 nmol/L - which is almost the exact same concentration it was for her first litter (in fall 2020) on the same day! Looking at the trajectories of both litters’ progesterone tests shows that Pearl is fairly consistent between her heats. If everything goes “as planned”, Pearl will likely ovulate on day 12/13, which would be the upcoming Monday/Tuesday. In order to have sea men ??? arrive on day 2 after ovulation, I’ll need to coordi ..read more

Pearl’s win that completed her CKC Grand Championship in July 2021. Before I can start looking for studs to breed to my girl, I have to make sure I have an accurate picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the dog in front of me. It’s not quite as simple as looking at Pearl’s traits that I can see, though - I also have to consider her traits in context of her pedigree (her parents and grandparents). I also never forget that Mother Nature takes no prisoners. I’m pretty lucky to still be able to breed Pearl right now, especially after missing her last 2 seasons! I often refer to breeding as a ..read more

Ch Capriccio’s Aston Martin, May 2022 (1.5 years old) Sure, I could give you a big old list of criteria that breeders can search for in potential pairings…but it’s really so much more than just that! Many irresponsible breeders do the absolute bare minimum in order to explain that their dogs were “able to be bred” (read: DM/vWD/EIC/OFA Hips & Eyes), but breeding isn’t as simple as putting together 2 dogs that have been screened. (For those that are curious, this list can be composed of: Health Tests / Genetic Tests, Structure, Pedigree, Temperament and Titles/Workability and MORE in addit ..read more

Exhibit A: Progesterone curves (“What nonsense is this?” <— Don’t worry, that’s what I also thought at first). The above 2 curves represent the results of my progesterone tests for Pearl during her previous 2 litters. As a recap, Fast Car Litter = Aston and Gimli (pka Roy), and Elites Litter = Darcy (pka Dan), Agatha, Rory (pka Lorelei), Chopper (pka Bruno), and Gryff (pka Lance). The highlighted data points (28 and 28.6 nmol/L) represent when we detected that ovulation had happened (within the last 12-24 hours). Progesterone is a hormone (more info about it via link) that has a significan ..read more

Sleepy Pearl. Day 1 - first tinge of blood seen in the morning! Sent off an email to Cranberry Hill Animal Hospital to book her first progesterone test for Day 7 (coming Wednesday). I’m hoping to breed her to an American stud, so it means we have to figure out when she ovulates, and then have chilled fresh sea men (lol) shipped up. Fingers crossed for us! I’ll be going through various steps of the process as we go ..read more

Pearl, 3 years old. Why is it that breeders get SO pupset when you say something that doesn’t agree with them? The fundamental reason why breeders are SO selective with their families – our objective is to make sure every dog of ours finds a forever home. Here is my perspective as a breeder on each of the 5 points raised in @lacorgi’s reel ? I’m looking for a puppy to surprise someone! An ethical breeder generally won’t permit a puppy to be purchased as a gift. A living being is no small thing to trifle with, as it’s a lot of work (and disruption!) for everyone living under the same roof. Con ..read more

It’s been quite the year - starting with my Fast Car litter (Aston & Roy - now Gimli, both now in pet homes), and ending 2021 / starting 2022 with the Elites puppies in their respective homes (Agatha with me, Darcy & Rory with trusted caregivers, Gryff with Ben Lobo @ BredRight, and Chopper residing in Burnaby). While many on social media have followed along on our adventures on Instagram & Facebook, I realize that there are so many more details that are omitted - or simply can’t be communicated properly - in social media posts. I’m hoping that I can start penning my thoughts about ..read more

2 years ago I would have never thought I’d be publishing a purebred dog website, breeding Pembroke Welsh Corgis, or anything of the sort! And yet - during the fourth wave of a pandemic, on Christmas Eve, here we are. For those of you reading this, thank you for your ongoing support. It really does mean a lot to me! I'm hoping that this page can become a useful resource for learning more about Pembroke Welsh Corgis, purebred dogs, and dog breeding ..read more