Our Philosophy
We not only require applicants of our puppies to provide "lifetime-commitment homes" but we practice this belief ourselves. Our dogs are honest-to-goodness beloved members of our family and stay with us their entire lives. We don't value them solely because of the puppies they produce - and we don't shuffle them out the door (i.e. "rehome" or "sell" them) when they become older or for any other reason. We love each and every one of them for who they are, not for the puppies they have.
We also have found that the older dogs are invaluable in teaching puppies manners and how to behave properly. Puppies learn more about manners and proper behavior from older dogs than from humans, and a lot quicker; i.e. not to nip or play too roughly, not to grab food or toys that another dog has, not to pester by constantly barking in another's face, etc.
Because we do not "rehome" our older dogs, and since they live in the house with us (we do not have a kennel), we have only a few breeding dogs, and few litters.
Our philosophy, of both the keeping of our dogs and their breeding, is to make everything as normal and relaxed and easy as possible for the dogs themselves. We constantly "put ourselves in their paws," so to speak. In any given situation we think "How would THEY feel?"
In the words of my sister, Donna Hicks de Perez-Mera, herself a breeder of gorgeous Rottweilers, "It is so hard to get people to trust nature and their own good judgement and informed knowledge of their own dogs, rather than paying heed to every vet, breeder, handler, etc. who comes along. Perfection just indicates the direction we should try to head in, and is not the pre-conceived straight-jacket we must force ourselves into (or our dogs) come hell or high water; and to accept what is possible rather than consider the ideal/perfect as the only acceptable result. Life is not perfect; it is life - period."
We also firmly believe that if you cannot rescue dogs, you should not breed. We feel that breeders should not contribute to the problem of pet overpopulation by producing more puppies unless they can help some of the unwanted and unloved dogs who are already in this world by bringing them into their family and giving them a loving, lifetime home.
We will ALWAYS have rescue dogs as part of our family and we encourage new owners of our puppies to do the same.
Soapbox
How can self-proclaimed "ethical breeders" look DOWN upon disgusting backyard breeders & puppy millers when THEY THEMSELVES get rid of their adult dogs????? After being bred and producing puppies, and when the breeder decides not to breed them anymore, the poor dogs are shoved out the door; forced to leave their home and family; forced to have to adjust to a new environment at their adult age; forced to leave behind everything familiar they knew.
ANY breeder who does that - only values dogs for the puppies he/she produces (which is exactly how backyard breeders and puppy millers look upon their dogs).
ANY breeder who does that - does NOT look upon their dogs as "family members." You don't sell a family member just because he/she doesn't make puppies for you to sell anymore.
ANY breeder who stipulates that their puppies go to "forever homes" or "lifetime-commitment homes" AND sells/places their own adult dogs is a hypocrite. They don't even follow their OWN requirements.
I don't care how well-known a breeder is. I don't care how many champions he has. I don't care how many (or how few) puppies he produces in a year. I don't care if he is "AKC compliant." I don't care if he claims to breed "only for the highest standards." I don't care if his dogs can walk on water or leap over tall buildings in a single bound.
If that breeder sells/places adult dogs - he/she has no heart.