How much is that doggie....

So the Cirpets grew and every day they got cuter and smarter (Note: Smarter is not always a good thing in a puppy)

We began to think about new homes for them and what we should charge for them. Oops litter or not, they were great puppies!


I said I had no idea what to charge. Walt asked, "Did you stay up all night with Rowan?"

"Two nights," I said, but I didn't know what that had to do with the discussion.

"Did you sleep in the room with her and the puppies for two weeks?"

He knew that I had, since I had been noticeably absent from our bed.













"Did we have the vet remove their dewclaws to prevent future accidents in case they are as accident-prone as...some whippets?"

 Well, yes, when they were two days old.







Are we giving them as much attention as a litter of whippets? Are they getting the same intellectual stimulation and socialization?"

Of course we are and of course they are. Where was he getting this stuff?




"Are you planning to take them to the vet for checkups before they go home?"
"Of course." This was getting tedious.

"What do you know about Rowan's temperament and health background?"




"I know her background is excellent and you couldn't ask for a sweeter,more stable dog. She came from a good breeder."













"How about Denim?"
Same answer.

"Will they go with a health guarantee?"
"Totally." I recited from our sales contract.

If at any time during the life of the dog it develops health problems that in the opinion of two licensed veterinarians are of an inherited nature, that are unexpected in a dog of that age, and that will interfere with the dog's function as a pet, Purchaser agrees to contact Kennel. Purchaser may return dog and Kennel will rebate 75% of the purchase price; or keep the dog and Kennel will rebate 50% of purchase price. If at anytime during the dog's life, it develops a condition thought to be hereditary, the Purchaser will provide the Kennel with details, whether or not a refund is requested.

 (Okay, I really had to look up the wording, but I knew the gist of it.)


"Will we take these puppies back if there is a problem?"
"Of course. At any point in their lives. You know that."
"And we will always refund at least part of the purchase price."
"Yep."

Right of Return: Dog may be returned to Kennel for any reason at any time following purchase. If returned within one month from purchase and provided that the dog has not been injured in any way the Purchaser will then be entitled to a refund of the original purchase price. Refund amount will be reduced by 10% of purchase price for each additional month or fraction that dog is kept. 
However, regardless of the provisions above, if the dog is voluntarily returned to Kennel at any age, Purchaser is entitled to a refund of 20 percent of the purchase price. 

"Do you plan to offer rebates for training classes and titles like we do for the whippets?"
"Yes. They need puppy kindergarten and obedience classes and you can even show them in some AKC events so we want to encourage people to get involved with their dogs."

Performance Rebates: Kennel will pay the following rebates on receipt of proof that the dog has successfully completed the following AKC or UKC classes and titles

Puppy Kindergarten -- $25.00
Companion classes* -- $25 each course
STAR Puppy -- $25.00
Companion titles* -- $50 each title
Canine Good Citizen -- $25.00
AKC Therapy Dog title -- $50.00

* Crossbreeds are allowed to compete in AKC companion events, which include obedience, rally, and agility.

"Will they go home with a bag full of toys and chewies and leashes and collars and books about puppies?"
"Of course."

"And they will be invited to Timbreblue reunions and puppy parties?"

"Absolutely."

"Can people call or email if they have problems?"
"I sure hope they will. I hope they will call or email if they don't have problems too."

Walt's point was pretty clear. The Cirpets are not shelter dogs or rescues or unwanted in any way. Even though they were an unplanned breeding, they are well-bred and have been well-raised.

So then I asked our daughter/partner Johannah, who usually cuts to the chase.

$750 she said without hesitation.

"How did you arrive at that?"
"They are half a whippet. We should charge half what we charge for a whippet."

If you're interested in a very cool, very unusual, few-of-a-kind puppy, drop us an email or fill out the questionnaire on our website and in the comments, say you're interested in the Cirpets (pronounced chir-pets).

And the Cirpets began to grow and develop little personalities. They acted a lot like whippets and looked a lot like whippets. Or maybe they looked like Lab puppies.

Maybe their faces were a little sharper than whippets, but overall, they weren't too different.

 

They were smart and funny like whippet puppies and got into just as much mischief. They might have been just a it more agile, believe it or not. 

We only have the one Cirneco, so I don't know a lot about them as baby puppies. We got Rowan at six months old. 

 She has fairly small "golden" eyes, they have large dark whippety eyes.I couldn't say they looked much like her.

But then...

Maybe some of them did.

Part three to come tomorrow

It was a mystery...

Siren's pups are safely tucked into their wonderful homes. Jo is keeping Ceri and about now is wondering why. Puppies are fun, adorable, delightful, snuggly and maybe the best thing in the world. They are also mischievous, destructive, stubborn, and busy! But Ceri is too, too cute and no one can stay mad at her for long!

Just when I thought I would get the fall and winter off from puppy rearing, our Cirneco dell'Etna Rowan let me in on a little secret she'd been carrying.

It seems she had fallen deeply in love (or something) with...

 Denim, the blue whippet.

And she found herself in an awkward predicament.

But as I told her, though it was certainly not something we would plan, puppies are puppies and we love them all. She presented us with six black Cirpets (pronounced Chir-pets) on August 14,

Why black? Humor me while I give a micro-genetics lesson. The color blue in whippets is actually black with a dilution gene. Think of it as pouring bleach over a black dog (but don't try this at home). The dilution gene is recessive, though, which means both parents have to carry it before they can produce dilute puppies. Rowan, being a Cirneco, does not carry a dilute gene. Also, black is dominant to chestnut, so about the only color we could get was black. 

And boy were they black. We had to color code them as they were born so we could tell them apart. Two girls, four boys, all healthy.

Since we didn't know how Rowan got pregnant,we gave them a Mystery theme.  Well, wait. We did know how she got pregnant (we have, after all, been breeding dogs for 30 years or so), we just didn't know when or how they managed their little tryst. So the puppies were named for classic mystery writers: Edgar Allan Poe, Dashiell Hammett, Daphne du Maurier, Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Wilkie Collins.

Stay tuned for part two.