All posts by sarah.sweetman@outlook.com

Madison’s pups turn 2 weeks

Madison’s babies are growing up and this week we got to see their eyes open. They are beginning to toddle around. Kind of – they are pretty content eating and sleeping also.

This next week I will introduce the potty box – it’s that time 🙂

Enjoy the latest pictures of them as they grow. <3

Gordon

Ming

Bobby

Mario

Carla

Julia

Thank you for your interest in my breeding program. I wont be making offers to any families till closer to 6-7 weeks when I can assess their structure and temperament, and decide which will be staying in my breeding program.

Please note for any new enquiries, that I have approximately a 12 month wait time for puppies at this time.

Guardianship Of Our Breeding Dogs

As a reputable and responsible preservation breeder, I care about the well being of my dogs first and foremost.

In order for me to give my dogs the best possible life, while also being a part of my breeding program, I feel it is important for me to limit how many dogs I keep physically at my home. I do not believe in running a breeding program where dogs are living in kennels. All of my dogs are beloved pets and members of our family. If I had to wait till they passed on to continue my breeding program, I would have a very very small breeding program, and would only breed every 10+ years. That doesn’t really help me create a good breeding program.

To be a good breeder of quality dogs, we must keep, evaluate, and continuously add quality bloodlines to our breeding program. We like to keep a few of our pick puppies to monitor their growth and development. Some will eventually fit into our breeding program, but as we only breed the best, some also will not make the cut. We prefer to place these pick puppies in guardian homes so we can watch them grow and health test them and make the decision whether or not to breed them when the time comes.

Both beagles and cavalier king charles spaniels need to be a part of the family to develop their full potential. That is why we have a guardian program.

The guardian home program is an excellent deal for the dog, it’s a good deal for the guardian parents, and it’s a good deal for producing an exceptional breeding program. It’s one of those “win – win” situations for everyone involved.

The family receives a quality, health tested and top pick puppy. These puppies are sold at a small discount. I am able to improve the breed by using only the best for bettering the breed faster than I could if I had to limit myself to only the few dogs I can keep under my own roof as per the county guidelines and as is reasonable to love and care for them properly.

As a guardian home puppy grows up, we closely monitor the temperament, structure and health. As a guardian family, you will agree to meeting me, or allowing me to take the dog to health clinics to check eyes, hearts, hips etc. as well as perform genetic testing. If the dog is a great ambassador of the breed in all aspects, he/she may be used in our breeding program. We do not take back possession of the dog if they enter our breeding program but instead work closely with our guardians as a team. The dog will continue to live with their guardians full time in partnership.

Before any dog is bred all genetic testing will be performed as well as going to a reproductive specialist vet to be cleared for future reproduction. All of these health tests and breeding costs are done at Kazuri’s expense. If the dog does not pass all genetic testing and is not deemed healthy enough to carry/sire litters by the repro vet, he/she will be fixed at the expense of the breeder and all ownership paperwork will be transferred to the guardian at that time. If a female passes all testing and is cleared for reproduction her breeding career will begin on or after her second or third heat. She will be evaluated after every litter by the repro vet and both timing of breedings and length of breeding career will be at the breeder’s discretion upon the professional opinion of repro vet.

Females are generally in guardianship until her 5th year of age or typically 2nd (at most 3rd) litter – whichever comes first. Kazuri may not need her for this many litters, but we would rather set up the maximum expectation. Why 5 years? Well, a girl is not ready to have babies till 2 – 2.5. Since I work with the families and dont force a timeline on them, if she doesnt have a first litter till 3 or 3.5, we may need till 4.5/5 in order to have the 2nd litter, depending on how often she goes into heat cycle. Alternativly, if it works to do the litters at 2.5ish, your puppy may be “retired” by 4.

With regards to pregnancy and whelping the litter, she would have her pregnancy with her guardian home and then whelp and raise the litter at Kazuri. Guardian families receive a monetary gift for every litter as a thank you. And, of course the guardian family will be welcome to visit. After the completion of her final litter Kazuri will pay to have dog spayed and all ownership papers will be signed over to guardian family forever.

Males are in guardianship until a maximum age of 7 years of age. During this time he may or may not be needed for stud service. Guardian families will get a portion of the stud fee if they are ever used by outside breeders, as a thank you. At retirement, Kazuri will have male neutered and all ownership papers will be signed over to guardian parents forever.

General life expectancy of well bred and cared for beagle is around 15 years but can live up to 17 years with lots of love and care and a healthy cavalier king charles spaniel will usually live 12 years but can live up to 15 with proper care.

As an added thank you to our wonderful guardians I do allow guardians to reserve one puppy out of their guardian dog’s last litter to keep as beloved pet at half cost if they would like to.

Please send me a message for our full guardianship overview that goes into greater detail on how exactly the program works!

Mandatory qualifications for guardians

  • MUST BE WITHIN 30 MINUTES OF WOODINVILLE, WA
  • MUST BE IN A STABLE LIFE SITUATION (NOT PLANNING TO MOVE OUT OF THE AREA FOR AT LEAST 6 YEARS AND MUST ALWAYS RENT/OWN A PLACE THAT HAS YARD ACCESS AND ACCEPTS ANIMALS
  • YARD MUST BE ESCAPE PROOF AND CLEARED OF POTENTIAL HAZARDS THAT A DOG COULD GET INJURED FROM
  • GUARDIAN MUST NOT OWN ANY INTACT MALES/FEMALES OF OPPOSITE SEX OF GUARDIAN DOG OR ANY AGRESSIVE DOGS
  • YOU MUST BE ABLE TO CARE FOR THE FINANCIAL DEMANDS OF A DOG. FOOD, VET CARE AND GROOMING IF NEEDED – ALL DAY TO DAY COSTS INCLUDING MEDICAL ARE THE RESPONSIBILTY OF THE GUARDIAN HOME
  • YOU MUST BE READY TO DEDICATE TIME AND ENERGY INTO THE TRAINING OF YOUR DOG. ALL GUARDIANS MUST TEACH THE BASIC COMMANDS OF: SIT, DOWN, STAY, COME, NO, DROP IT, LEAVE IT. KNOWING THESE COMMANDS HELPS KEEP YOUR DOG SAFE
  • MUST BE WILLING TO COMPLETE PUPPY CLASSES/CANINE GOOD CITIZEN CLASS AND POTENTIALLY SHOW CLASSES TO PREPARE DOG FOR FUTURE SHOWING
  • MUST BE ABLE TO GIVE YOUR DOG AMPLE ATTENTION, EXERCISE AND AFFECTION DAILY. BEAGLES AND CAVALIERS ARE DEDICATED FAMILY DOGS AND REQUIRE LOTS OF LOVE
  • MUST BE COMPLIANT WITH ALL TERMS OF THE CONTRACT INCLUDING NOT USING YOUR DOG FOR BREEDING YOURSELF

* Occasionally we do make exceptions to the mandatory requirements for unique situations. If you feel you are a great match overall aside from one of the requirements above, please contact me and explain. We mostly care our dogs are going to excellent families with lots of love to offer and do sometimes make exceptions on a case by case basis.

Vixen and BJ pups turn 1 week

Of course with Maddy’s pups turning a week old, Vixen’s pups are just a couple of days behind. They are also thriving and turning into beautiful chunky little bonny beagle pups. Both mothers are just super at their job – I feel very blessed indeed.

Here are Vixen’s precious 5. I decided the litter theme for Vixen’s babies would be in honor of the Space X launch that happened this week. These are of course only their blog names – we call them all “puppy” until we know their real names from their family or till we name them for real ourselves. The 2 girls were named after Katherine G. Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan who I was very inspired by after watching “Hidden Figures” by their work at NASA.

Boy 1: Elon

Boy 2: Doug

Boy 3: Bob

The Boys

Girl 1: Katherine

Girl 2: Dorothy

The Girls

Thank you for your interest in my breeding program. I wont be making offers to any families till closer to 6-7 weeks when I can assess their structure and temperament, and decide which will be staying in my breeding program.

Please note for any new enquiries, that I have approximately a 12 month wait time for puppies at this time.

Mia and Riker’s puppies arrive

We are so thrilled to announce, after 3 missed attempts at trying to get her pregnant, that Miss Mia had 4 healthy puppies this morning. It seemed all she needed was a young boy in person 🙂 LOL.

**Please note that these puppies are being raised with my very wonderful and super capable co-breeders Mike and Karen down in Sacramento. I am grateful as doing 3 litters and 15 puppies would be a little much. 🙂 We truly didnt think all 3 litters would take. But I am so grateful all the same.

Congratulations Riker on your first puppies. <3

Here they are:

Boy 1: 11oz

Boy 2: 11.3oz

Girl 1: 8.7oz

Girl 2: 11.6oz

Thank you for your interest in my breeding program. I wont be making offers to any families till closer to 6-7 weeks when I can assess their structure and temperament, and decide which will be staying in my breeding program.

Please note for any new enquiries, that I have approximately a 12 month wait time for puppies at this time.

Madison X Buddy’s pups turn 1 week old

The first week milestone is always a good one for me – it signals that I dont have to get up every 2 hours in the night any more (just once mid way through) to check on them, and usually by now they have gained their birthweight back. Well, these guys are little piggies and a couple have made it to double their birthweight already and the others aren’t far behind. To say Maddy is doing a wonderful job with her pups is an understatement.

This week we should see little peepers – I love seeing their little eyes and watching them get up on their feet for the first time. Although honestly, this is the most content bunch I have ever raised so maybe they will just want to keep sleeping a little longer 😛 HA!

I decided since Buddy’s name is “The Cake Boss”, that I would go with a litter theme of some of my favorite chefs from around the world.

Here you go – this week’s pictures. <3

Boy 1: Gordon (aka Gordon Ramsay)

Boy 2: Ming (aka Ming Tsai)

Boy 3: Bobby (aka Bobby Flay)

Boy 4: Mario (aka Mario Batali)

The Boys 🙂

Girl 1: Carla (aka Carla Hall)

Girl 2: Julia (aka Julia Child)

The girls 🙂

Thank you for your interest in my breeding program. I wont be making offers to any families till closer to 6-7 weeks when I can assess their structure and temperament, and decide which will be staying in my breeding program.

Please note for any new enquiries, that I have approximately a 12 month wait time for puppies at this time.

Newborn Beagle Puppies

I always like to take pictures of my pups when they are 1 day old (and then every week if i can to document their growth). With Maddy and Vixen both out taking a dinner and potty break, I stole the opportunity to take quick photos of them in the whelping box – nothing fancy – just threw a white blanket over a dog bed and snapped some pictures. 🙂

Vixen’s pups are just a few hours old which is why they look a little skinny/dehydrated – I promise that Vixen is taking wonderful care of them and they have been nursing on and off since she got home from the vet. I expect her milk to come in quickly. Please also dont be concerned about the red on two of Vixen’s boy’s head’s – we marked the two that were most fluid filled after birth so we could keep an extra eye on them – so it’s nail polish, not blood you are seeing.

Enjoy these pictures of the babies. I am still coming up with the litter themes so they will get their blog names at 1 week i think. 🙂

Boy 1 – Maddy x Buddy

Boy 2 – Maddy x Buddy

Boy 3 – Maddy x Buddy

Boy 4 – Maddy x Buddy

Girl 1 – Maddy x Buddy

Girl 2 – Maddy x Buddy

Boy 1 – Vixen x BJ

Boy 2 – Vixen x BJ

Boy 3 – Vixen x BJ

Girl 1 – Vixen x BJ

Girl 2 – Vixen x BJ

Thank you for your interest in my breeding program. I wont be making offers to any families till closer to 6-7 weeks when I can assess their structure and temperament, and decide which will be staying in my breeding program.

Please note for any new enquiries, that I have approximately a 12 month wait time for puppies at this time.

Vixen and BJ welcome their beagle pups

The last time Vixen had puppies, she had some trouble during labor and delivery. With such precious cargo on board I didnt want to take any risks.

I was so happy I did. Dr Cindy said her uterus showed no signs of going into labor, and yet because we were on day 64, her placentas were all complete and starting to look “old” (whatever that means???) and as you will see her puppies were huge. So, why she didnt start labor on her own, I will never know, but I am thankful to God that we made the call to take them today. It was perfect timing.

Momma and babies are all perfectly well and Vixen has taken to her new babies wonderfully despite being a little groggy and sore after surgery. I am so grateful.

Meet her 5 beautiful BJ babies.

Boy 1 – 11.9oz

Boy 2 – 10.9oz

Boy 3 – 8.4oz

Girl 1 – 8.2oz

Girl 2 – 8.4oz

Thank you for your interest in my breeding program. I wont be making offers to any families till closer to 6-7 weeks when I can assess their structure and temperament, and decide which will be staying in my breeding program.

Please note for any new enquiries, that I have approximately a 12 month wait time for puppies at this time.

Madison x Buddy’s puppies arrive

After much consultation with my reproductive vet, Dr Cynthia Smith (from the Pet Doctor), we decided that if Madison hadn’t given birth by the 27th, we would take them via planned c-section as Vixen was due in the days after and she must have a c-section due to several getting stuck last time. I didnt want Madison to be whelping at the same time Vixen was needed in surgery.

The surgery went without a hitch and though Maddy is a little confused and sore, she loves her babies and is doing really well taking care of them.

So, without further ado, introducing the six newest Kazuri babies.

Boy 1 – 9.6oz

Boy 2 – 12.49oz

Boy 3 – 10.7oz

Boy 4 – 11.5oz

Girl 1 – 9.07oz

Girl 2 – 11.2oz

Thank you for your interest in my breeding program. I wont be making offers to any families till closer to 6-7 weeks when I can assess their structure and temperament, and decide which will be staying in my breeding program.

Please note for any new enquiries, that I have approximately a 12 month wait time for puppies at this time.

My sweet Mee-Mers

Mia (CH Foxtail’s Need For Speed TKN RATI) has lived with us since she was about 1. We heard that her breeder was going to place her as a pet and so I snapped her up. I already had her littermate Madison, but having a different type, meant I could double my odds – breeding the two girls to different types of boys and see what happens.

She is sweet and mellow – a lovely member of our home. We call her MooMe, MeeMee, Mee-Mers. She provided me with the beautiful Vixen and for that I will be forever grateful. I tried to breed her a 3 more times and every time she missed. So, as she approached six, i decided to run bloodwork which came back healthy, and try one last time and either way I would retire her. Lo and behold, she fell pregnant – you could have blown me over with a feather.

She has the most amazing family that she will retire with – they are eagerly awaiting her to finish up with her puppies so she can be spayed and live out her days on their couch. We will miss her deeply but it is so nice to know how loved she is going to be.

I did a quick photo shoot with her. Thank you to my 13 year old Brianna for her help in running around the yard with Mia and with camera work as I stacked her. The fun thing about these photos is she is days away from turning 6, and around 5 weeks pregnant – I love how much muscle tone she still has and how gorgeous her movement is still. <3 You can also see her belly starting to grow. <3

Good Dog – Excellent Rating

Good Dog (www.gooddog.com) is a place where potential families wanting to buy a dog can look for a breeder and know that they have been thoroughly screened. They have an extensive questionnaire that you fill out, and then you have an interview afterwards. Depending on what they find, they give you a rating of “Good”, “Great” or “Excellent”.

The criteria you are evaluated on are as follows:

  1. Breeding practices
  2. Physical health of the breeding dogs and puppies
  3. Mental health of the breeding dogs and puppies
  4. Environment
  5. Buyer education and policies

As a breeder, I had to provide physical proof of the health testing that I do for my dogs. Good Dog matches the health testing they require, based on AKC recommendations and the National Club guidelines for each breed.

I believe they even evaluate rescue organizations, to try and eliminate fake rescues that work alongside puppy mills to “rescue” dogs, essentially funding them to continue with their awful breeding practices. So, now families wanting to rescue, can now verify that they are getting their pup from an ethical and kind place.

I am so proud to say that I received an “excellent” grade for my breeding practices in both beagles and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. I am honored. I work hard to achieve this, but it still feels good to have that recognized.

If you want to check out my “Good Dog” Profile, you can here: https://www.gooddog.com/breeders/kazuri-beagles-and-cavaliers-washington