Found a breeder!

I have been contacting MANY breeders by email and phone, and went to visit one in person but none have been exactly what I want. In talking with one person, they mentioned a breeder in TN and also in that same conversation mentioned Eromit (Air-o-mit) Labradors. Somehow, my brain combined the two and I thought Eromit was in TN.  I was surfing their website (eromit.com) and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED all the detailed information I was seeing! I found:

• Extensive health testing
• Photos/videos of the parents (including photos that let me evaluate their confirmation- which is lovely!)
• Information about temperaments
• How they do early neurological stimulation and extensive puppy enrichment
• An extensive buyer questionnaire (showing they care where their pups are going and about matching the pup to the correct home)
• The breeder posts LOTS of puppy photos/videos and updates to her facebook page and the puppy buyers get a disk of their pup’s photos/video.
• AND she titles her dogs in MANY different sports! They even have an all Lab sled team!
• And her pups are competing and being trained in MANY sports and services from Service Dog and Search and Rescue to Agility, Dock Diving, Obedience, and so much more!

I was SO EXCITED and went to the “contact us” page and found out they are all the way on the pacific coast of CANADA! My heart sank. There is no way my body could handle a flight to the pacific coast. I posted her website on my facebook page as an example of exactly what I was looking for in a breeder and a pup hoping that someone would know of someone closer. That’s when a friend I would trust with any puppy or dog said she would be willing to pick up a puppy for me!

A glimmer of hope was restored.

I filled out the breeders questionnaire and crossed my fingers. I got a quick reply and learned about a pairing she has planned (that’s not on the website yet) that sounds like it will meet my needs perfectly! The female is in season right now, so would be due in early April, with pups going home at 8-9 weeks in late April or early June (depending on when they are born). I had lots of questions and all were answered. I’m just waiting to hear back on how to place a deposit.

Import and flying- what a headache!

This will be the first pup I have imported or had to fly and I’m finding it adds a bit of difficulty. I was just looking up flights to get an idea of costs and finding there are ZERO direct flights. The best I found was a flight with 1 stop between Indy and Vancouver and then I’d need to find a flight from there to Prince George or Quisnel. Not only are there no direct flights, but also I had to look at the pet policies of the various airline choices.  Of course the best flight options are on airlines that require puppies to be 10 or 12 weeks old, like Air Canada 😦  And I’m not willing to give up 3 weeks of socialization that will effect the rest of the pups life just because of airline policy. So staying with a single airline for the trip doesn’t seem possible (as far as I can find) which means additional pet fees. So I think the travel expenses will be just about as much as the puppy!

But I’m not discouraged. 

Everything I have heard about Eromit from people that know the breeder or have an Eromit puppy or know an Eromit puppy has been 100% positive. The breeder is doing everything I am looking for in a breeder and the pairing I am looking at seems like it will produce exactly what I want! Still lots of things that could not work out, but I’m in a “hopefully optimistic” state right now. 🙂