ALL ABOUT
PARTNER FAMILIES
(co-own)
These guidelines are for pet owners who are interested in being a partner family with us. We have
plenty of incentives to make being a partner family exciting and worth while for everyone involved.

We often refer to the agreement as a co-own. The dog will be owned by both myself (the breeder)
and you (the buyer).

The first question you may ask is Why co-own a dog?

Here I will explain how you can own one of my show quality Aussies as a pet and I also get to keep
the dog in my breeding program, or at least grow them out and see how they turn out in a year or two.

If you look at it from a breeders point of view. We can only keep so many dogs ourselves.
Sometimes a really nice show/breed quality puppy comes along that is just an outstanding example
of the breed or may have rare and desirable blood lines we need to preserve. Sometimes we would
rather not keep every puppy ourselves for many reasons. It takes a lot of time to raise a puppy. That
is time a lot of us are short on. Sometimes we have more than one puppy in a litter that is
outstanding. It's best to try and only keep one puppy at a time to give it the most attention possible.
Sometimes we have several males already in our home and a male puppy would interrupt the
natural order already established. What ever the reason, we'd like to be able to watch the puppy
grow up, and keep it close by so that we may be able to use it in our breeding program in the future.

If you look at it from a buyers point of view. There are a couple advantages.

  • The first is price.  As of our 2010 litters we have decided to re-write our partner family/co-own
    contracts and now offer some co-owned puppies for as low as $200. This means instead of
    $1500 for a show quality puppy you are paying a lot less if you agree to all the terms.  No other
    breeder is advertising this discount in Ontario that we know of.

  • You get a puppy that is of higher quality than the average pet.

  • Your puppy will likely go on to become a finished champion. If you like to brag about your
    puppy, this is one good way to do it.

  • You could end up getting that special colour or gender you've always wanted, instead of me
    holding it back for myself or for another family willing to do a co-own.
.
While we can not guarantee which pups will be pet quality and which ones will be show/breed
quality, the reality is that when pups are show/breed quality, we will ...
  • First hold them back for ourselves and our breeding program, this includes co-owns.
  • Second we may offer them to other breeders for their breeding program.
  • Last we will sell them as pets if no other option comes our way.

We try not to offer them for sale as pets to be spayed or neutered if we do not have to. So if you
have your heart set on that blue merle female with blue eyes and I happen to have one born and she
is show/breed quality at 8 weeks old, I will probably not have to sell her as a pet for any reason and
you'd be out of luck. Likely between my needs and other breeders needs, a show quality blue merle
will be spoken for very quickly. A co-own may be the perfect way to get the colour and gender your
looking for sooner rather than later, specially if your looking for a merle. Merles are the number one
most desired colour out there and have the longest waiting list. If you were really willing to co-own a
dog with us, you would get priority for the show/breed puppies over any "pet" home on my list. After
all I do reserve the right to keep the best pup from each litter for myself and a co-own is just that.

That said we really have no control over which pups are show breed. If you are set on only one
colour, it may be several litters before we have that particular pup available on a co-own. If your
considering a co-own for the discounted price, you may have to settle for a pet quality pup of regular
price or wait even longer for your puppy.

The contracts vary with each situation. It's something that must be discussed at great length. Every
possible scenario must be clearly outlined so there are no misunderstandings between the buyer
and the breeder. The contract must be considerate of both the buyer and the breeders needs when
it comes to the dogs role in each persons lives. Thats why each contract is drawn up individually.

For me a co-own should cover a few basic points:

1. YOU MUST HAVE A FENCED YARD. I am counting on this dog being safe and not running away
or getting hit by a car. We have seen accidents happen to the most diligent families and we do not
want any hard feelings. So a secure fenced yard is a must with absolutely no exceptions.

2. YOU MUST HAVE PROOF OF PET INSURANCE. While the dog is in your care you are 100%
responsible for all costs including accidents. Accidents can be very costly. Emergency vet care,
broken bones, surgery etc can run you many thousands of dollars. Because of the dogs potential
value to us, we do not want a strain on finances to mean the dog gets second rate care. We also do
not want to burden your family with outrageous costs you can not reasonably afford. So to protect
everyone involved, we now require our partner families to have pet health insurance of no less than
$2500 for accidents and illness. (while the dog is in our care for showing/breeding we are
responsible for anything that happens).

3. The buyer purchases the dog for an agreed upon price. The price is something to discuss when
you contact us. We try very hard not to turn any family away due to money. Co-owns often solve this
dilemma by allowing you to purchase the dog for very low prices.

4. The dog is in my name as the owner on all registration papers. It will only be transferred to your
name once the contract has been fulfilled and the dog has been spayed or neutered. That way I have
at least some control over what happens with the dog while I intend to breed it.

5. This dog will be show/breed quality. I will pick the puppies out of each litter that are show/breed
quality at 8 weeks old. Only these puppies may be available on co-owns. You do not get to pick
which puppy is going on a co-own. I will offer on a co-own only the puppy from each litter that would
benefit me most in the years to come. So while it may be the puppy of your dreams, it may also not
be the colour or gender you hoped for.

6. As a show/breed puppy I will require it to be shown in conformation.  You can elect to show the
puppy yourself (this keeps the price lower and increases the financial kick backs), or you can ask us
to show the puppy for you. We are happy to do all the grooming required or teach you how to groom
for a show. Our children and their friends show our dogs without any prior experience. It's really not
hard. So if you were interested, we welcome you to join us. It's a fun social time.

7. The dog is to stay intact ( not spayed or neutered ) for a minimum of two years. During that time
the dog must have it's eyes and hips tested to see if the dog is suitable for breeding. We as the
breeders bring the dogs back here for that testing and we cover the cost. During the time the dog is
not altered it is NOT allowed to reproduce in any way for you. It will be up to you to make sure the
dog is properly confined and not allowed to reproduce. At the 2 year mark I will re-evaluate the dog
and decide if it is going to be of use in my breeding program or whether it should then be spayed or
neutered. I am the only one who can make that decision.

8. While the dog is intact and is being used for breeding, I am the one to make the arrangements.
For you it is strictly a house pet and companion. You are not allowed to have a litter yourself. You
may not offer a male to breed to anyone else's females, and you may not allow a female to have a
litter of puppies.  

If at 2 years old the dog fails any of it's testing or I decide I do not need it in my program for what
ever reason. Then it will be altered at your cost and remain with you as a family pet.

If at 2 years old the dog is clear for breeding then one of two things will happen:

FEMALES:
For female dogs I will arrange for her to go to the males house for breeding. She will be gone for
around 2-3 weeks. You may have her back at your house during the majority of her pregnancy which
lasts around 8 weeks. When she is close to her due date she will then come to stay with me. I will
have the puppies here, I will raise them and I will place them in their new homes. When puppies are
weaned at around 6 weeks of age, she is ready to go back to your home as a pet. She will only be
bred once a year for a maximum of 6 litters. This is something to be agreed upon prior to
purchasing the puppy and the more I get out of the deal, the lower the price.
In some situations where I get a larger number of litters, and where you are willing to show the dog
and put titles on it, you will get a percentage of each litter to go towards the dogs care, shows, etc
while she is intact. There are a ton of possible opportunities. The more you are willing to help out
with her and put titles on her (obedience, conformation, frisbee, therapy etc) and the more you are
willing to allow me to get from her, the more I can give you as a financial incentive.
As much as $100 per puppy in each litter . Contact us to find out more.

MALES:
For male dogs, when a female is in season and ready for breeding, I will come and pick him up (or
you will bring him back here, to be agreed upon in writing at the time of sale). He will stay with me for
around 2-3 weeks until she is finished breeding. When the breeding is complete, he goes back to
your home until the next time he is needed for breeding. We will agree to either a set amount of stud
uses or a set amount of time he will be left intact. When the deal is fulfilled he will be altered at your
cost and will remain with you as a house pet.
If you are willing to show the dog and put titles on the dog and make him as worthy as possible as a
stud dog, then we are willing to pay to you up to 50% of his stud fee's to other breeders. ($500). The
more worthy he is, the more they will want to use him, so the more money you will make.
If you are not willing to do any of that work and he simply hangs out as a house pet, then other
breeders will not choose to use him as a stud dog for their girls and we will only offer you a one time
payment of 25% of his first outside stud fee ($250).
So the more you do with him, the more you will get out of it in the end.



I generally do not allow the dog to stay with the buyer during breeding regardless of gender. Partially
because dogs only cycle every 6 months on average, we can not plan breedings around anything
other than the dogs. When a female is ready for breeding we generally bring her to the male. To
avoid life getting in the way and not being able to transport the female on time, or having a female
who needs to be bred to your male on Christmas day for example, It's just easier to let the breeders
deal with all the different inconvenient possibilities. It's what we do. There may be exceptions, but
this is the norm.
While my children and in-laws understand if I have to skip a turkey dinner or a school play to breed
dogs, I'm not sure your family would like me at your place in the middle of dinner breeding dogs in
the kitchen. Likewise things can and do go wrong. Sometimes dogs do not co-operate for breeding
the way we hope they would. It takes experience to know when to step in and possibly do an artificial
insemination. While my family now accepts everything involved in breeding dogs, I'm not sure
everyone else's family would be quite so understanding. So to keep things under control, calm and
organized, all the breedings take place at a breeders house. Again, there may be situations where
this is negotiable. So contact us to discuss things.

Same with puppies. Birth can be a wonderful experience with healthy live puppies. It can also turn
into a nightmare where we loose puppies and or the mother dog herself. A hundred things can go
wrong during delivery as easily as they can go as expected. Sometimes experience and quick
thinking is needed. Sometimes a delivery is the last place the children need to be even though thats
where they always want to be. To ensure the safety and well being of mom and pups and to give
everyone the best chance possible, puppies are always delivered and raised in my home. You are
welcome to be here are experience the event, but it will be in my home where I have the set up and
experience to deal with all sorts of possibilities.

Likewise the raising of puppies is an art and a full time job and not all puppies make it the full 8
weeks. My home is a revolving door for 8 weeks where I get very little sleep. I would not expect any
one else to make all the sacrifices I make and to do all the extras I do. I would also not expect you to
be able to make your home available 24/7 for 8 weeks for potential owners to visit. I would also not
expect you to be able to answer all the questions potential buyers have when visiting puppies. So for
everyone sanity, puppies are always raised here.

If your dog is the parent to a litter of our puppies and you would like a second puppy added to your
family, we are happy to give you priority over other families, specially if your willing to agree to
another partnership with another show/breed puppy.

If you would like more information on co-owns and all the in's and out's I'd be happy to discuss it with
you so we can decide if it may work for you or not. It may not be for everyone, but it can open doors
and possibilities for us both.

Nothing is out of the question with a co-own. So if you have any questions on what may or may not
be available, just ask. I'm happy to answer all your questions and entertain all your thoughts on the
process.

So if you think a co-own is at least worth discussing, then let me know. I'm happy to talk to you.

Thanks
Sue