Ethics

My Promises

I always will properly house, feed, water, and exercise all the dogs under my care and arrange for appropriate veterinary attention as necessary. They will live with me in my house as cherished pets.

I will represent the characteristics of the Lancashire Heelers as accurately and completely as possible. I will honestly advertise the dogs and be forthcoming regarding the health or quality of a dog.

My aim in breeding Lancashire Heelers is to produce dogs of exceptional quality in terms of temperament, health, and conformation. I will breed no combination of sire and dam with an inbreeding score (COI) greater than 10%.

I will screen potential homes to do my best to ensure that the puppy or dog will be suitably cared for, receive affection, and not be abused.

I will keep all the puppies I have brought into the world as long as necessary until I find good homes for them.

I will take back any dog I am responsible for bringing into this world, regardless of the dog’s age, at any time and for any reason.

I dearly love my girls, so I will not over-breed them. They will not be bred more than twice, nor when they are younger than 18 months or older than eight years.

I agree not to breed from a dog or bitch that could harm the parent or the offspring. I will breed away from features or conditions that might impair the quality of life or the physical or mental welfare of the animal.

Before they are bred, the dogs and bitches shall also be health tested for known health problems that the parents could pass down. Lancashire Heelers are generally very healthy dogs but there are a few known risks in the population, risks that we would like to minimize.

• I will arrange DNA testing for Primary Lens Luxation (PLL)—a painful and debilitating inherited condition resulting from dislocated lenses in one or both eyes—and Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA)—an inherited, bilateral eye disease of dogs, which affects the retina, choroid, and sclera. It can be a mild disease or cause blindness.

• All dogs I breed shall be examined clinically for Patella Luxation, a hereditary condition sometimes found among Lancashire Heelers that leaves them prone to dislocated kneecaps. I will breed only dogs with a grade of 0 or no higher than 1 for Patella Luxation (PL). These low scores are the best possible, and indicate no detectable knee problems (0) or minimal deviation from the norm (1).
• All dogs I breed must have a passing score on a Companion Animal Eye Registry (CAER) examination, carried out by a board-certified veterinary ophthal­mologist to screen them for inherited eye problems. I also will ensure that the test is current (within a year of breeding).
• I will arrange a Companion Animal Eye Registry (CAER) examination for my puppies at 7–8 weeks of age.
• I will regularly send the results of these tests—and any others I might add—to the health database maintained by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). I will gladly report the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) number to all who ask.

When I produce puppies that do not conform to a high degree with the breed standard as published at the Kennel Club (UK), I will search for suitable homes for them with people seeking a companion animal or a dog sports participant instead of with another breeder or someone who competes in conformation events. These puppies will be spayed or neutered at maturity and will not breed.

When selling or transferring a dog, I promise that all relevant registration documents are provided to the new owner.

I will never transfer any dog to commercial dog wholesalers, bunchers, or retail pet dealers.