-- Meet the Breeders --
The Garretts:
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Laura and Todd Garrett, their 3 children and their animal companions - Scarlett, Sable, & Ella
Ella
Actively Bred
Daughter of Ellie & Pyro
(see below-Watsons)
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Sable
Actively Bred
Daughter of Scarlett
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Scarlett
Retired
Sable's mom
Ella's Grandma
Pyro's mom
(see below-Watsons)
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Aggie
1998-2010
Scarlett's mom
Sable's & Pyro's grandma
Ella's Great-Granny
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Brindie
Our "Nanny" passed away November 2009. She was a big part of raising and socializing the pups and deeply missed.
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Lost loved ones (passed away): Aggie & Brindie
Pictured above are the Garretts' dogs which are very much a part of their family circle.
They are all great with our children .. and quite protective, when appropriate.
Here is a letter from the main caretaker of the pups, Laura:
How the pups are raised:
"A lot of my time is spent caring for the pups .. from the minute they are born. My children and I love to hang out with mom and help her get through the whole birth. Each pup is closely watched for the first two weeks. It is crucial to keep an eagle eye on them to make sure they don't get sat on by mom .. rolled up in the bedding .. and that they are getting enough of mom's good milk. One thing I am quite proud of is that we have never lost a pup! There has only been 1 pup still born .. and I was there to witness this sad event. Needless to say, I don't get much sleep during the first few weeks!
After the first three to four weeks, I can start relaxing a bit .. as does mom. It is when they are able to wobble around that the fun begins. They start becoming playful .. and my kids love it!
From the moment of birth to about 2-1/2 weeks, the pups and mom are kept in our laundry room. But, when they start walking, they need more room! We then move them to a nice set up in our garage. The garage is right by our study .. a place the kids and I spend a lot of time in as we homeschool.
When the pups are about 4 weeks old, depending on the weather outside, they are introduced to the green stuff .. grass. During this week, they are also given real food - softened, of course. Both of these moments are so fun to capture in photos. I always try to share this through the updates and pictures.
The pups are given shots by my husband and me around 6 weeks of age. What a team .. he gets the shot ready, I get to be the bad guy. Actually, rarely does a pup protest. They don't seem to mind at all! (Not sure I could do it if they did!)
If the pups are doing well with eating dry food and seem less dependent on mom, we allow them to go home at 7 to 8 weeks of age. They are quite playful at this age. It is a sad time for our children but a good life lesson. They are helped by being made to realize that the pups don't stay small long .. and we simply can't have more than three big dogs around! I like that they learn how to cope with a loss here and there. And, it helps when I can assure them that the pups are going to new owners that are going to love them just as much as they have .. they, in a sense, have helped get the puppy ready for its new owners."
The temperament of our pups:
"For the most part, the Doberman breed has a good temperament. What I have found with our pups, however, that there is something exceptional about their temperament. I whole heartedly believe it has to do with the fact that we are handling them from the minute they are born. Through the entire time they spend in our care, they are handled and loved. It makes a noticable difference."
Role of Protector:
"What you are going to find in all our pups is confidence. Aggie and Scarlett both are submissive only to us, their human owners. In every other area they are extremely confident an cower to nothing. So, shyness is a trait that you will not find in any of the pups. They will approach everything with an attitude of "what is that" then back down. For those who live out-of-state, I wish you could meet Aggie and Scarlett. They have greeted everyone who has ever come to look at the pups very well. As long as they can tell we are okay with the people being there, then they are okay with them, too -- and will insist that hand at their side is petting them!! But, should they hear a noise that they are uncertain of, they take off running to check it out. It is amazing to watch them switch it on and off like they do."
Cleanliness is IMPORTANT!
"Most of our pups sell out of state .. so who is witnessing the living conditions of the pups? My CHILDREN!! They are with the pups all day long. I cannot afford to let things get too messy. I am constantly cleaning up after the pups .. that is where newspaper comes in quite handy. My washing machine is constantly running!
If you will look closely at the pictures throughout this site, you will notice that there are no droppings in the yard, the bedding is clean and the pups LOOK clean! There is no telling how many times I am bathing the pups before they go home. Let's be honest, when a whole litter of pups starts doing their business .. it gets messy. It is a constant job but with the kids around, I HAVE to stay on top of it! There is no keeping them away from the pups!!"
From the Heart:
"Through some of what I have written here, I hope you are able to get a real good depiction of where the pups are coming from .. and how they are cared for while they are here. I take my role of caring for the pups very seriously. In this breeder's environment, it is not just up to mom. I don't want our female stressing herself out anymore than what is absolutely necessary for the survival of the pups. Mom and I work together as a team. What you have to remember is these are MY babies having babies .. I want the best my girls! We are provided a great experience with the pups. It is my job to make sure my girls are well taken care of in exchange!"
--Laura Garrett
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Debbie, Danny, their 3 children and their animal companions -
Ellie, Aires, Pyro, & Taterbug
Ellie
Actively bred
Ella's mom
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Violet
Will be bred late 2012
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Pyro
Sire - Active
Ella's dad
Scarlett's son
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Taterbug
The "Manny"
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"Pyro and Ellie Watson are part of our family. We also have two little dogs, Taterbug is the brown yorkie mix you will see in lots of the pictures because he LOVES the pups, and Tank is our black and tan mini dobe - he gets mistaken for one of the pups as he looks just like Ellie just much smaller.
*Tank & Taterbug observe Ellie and pups
We built our house in 1999 on 33 acres. There is a nice creek, lots of woods, and plenty of room for our dog family to have fun & get lots of exercise. They are all our 'babies' and are a huge part of our lives.
When Ellie has pups, they sleep by my side of the bed in a kiddie pool along with Ellie where they will stay until about 4 weeks ... when they figure how to get out of the pool. It's at that time we will move them to the backyard where we have a fenced, roofed, floored nice home for them and plenty of grass to play in.
Laura Garrett, my sweet cousin, gave me Pyro almost 4 years ago from her Scarlett's first litter and introduced us to life with a Doberman. I remember waiting on Pyro to be old enough for me to bring him home and how anxious I was to get my hands on him. We fell in love with our red Pyro and the breed. Having such a loving nature along with such an intense protective nature for our children and us still amazes me. We raise these pups with so much hands on, loving attention that they are ready to be an addition to any family.
Laura places the pups and provides me all owner contact information once the litter is sold out. I update pictures as often as I can and tag each pup with colored yarn around 3 weeks of age. My children give nicknames to each pup. This helps us better individualize them.
We promise to SPOIL our babies until they go to home owners!"
Debbie
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Below: Cute moments captured with the pups and caretakers.
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-- From the Past --
Harley
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[Sire - Retired]
[Pyro's dad]
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Guen
[Dam - Retired]
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Polly
[Dam - Retired]
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Amber
[Dam - Retired]
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Below is a picture of one of the Garrett children with (from left to right):
Amber, Harley and Polly
Like the Garretts, Pat and her family are very involved with the pups. In fact, the pups are kept inside
their home until they are a minimum of 4 weeks old .. and they are held often and looked after with great care.
Here is a letter written by Pat which demonstrates the type of care her pups get:
"The first week, we constantly check on the pups to see that each one is getting their fair share of mother's milk. During the first few weeks, no one will get to see the pups to avoid exposing them to harmful germs, etc. When the pups are 4 weeks old, we then allow interested owners to see them.
Tina, Don and I hold the pups a lot after they are one week old. We stay close to mom to keep her comfortable. None of our other dogs are allowed near them.
At the end of the third week, the babies are started on food. During the fifth week, we start training our pups to potty on newspaper.
The pups are born in our day room in a whelping box. They stay with us in the day room for 4 weeks. After their first shot, we then take them outside.
Two of Gwen's puppies are being shown in UKC. (I only like the AKC shows).
We sound like we are really picky. We just want the pups to have the best of health!
Pat G"
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* Pat's sire (pictured above) is who the Garretts used for the Scarlett's 1st three breedings.
Pat George with 2 of the Garrett kids
(also pictured Polly and Amber)
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| Awarded by: Next Day Pets | |
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| Dog WebMaster Award |
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| My Pet Outlet |
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