Hello fellow Husky lovers!

Let me start out by saying thanks to all of you for answering a few of my questions already, I appreciate all of your advise as I was surfing the forums!

Anyways, onto my question.

I know how most of you discourage buying from online breeders, so naturally I was skeptical at first when looking at sites. However, I did find one breeder close to me, (I live in Iowa), down in Missouri. I saw that she had a litter that was up for adoption with the color of husky that I was interested in. So, I spent the extra time to drive down to down and view the breeder for myself. The area in which she bred was clean, and all of the dogs appeared to be both healthy and happy. So, I put my deposit on this little guy



Now, the breeder had me fill out a questionnaire to see if I would be a good parent to the pup. She approved my application, which consisted of about 15-20 different questions. She then informed me of the health guarantee, which basically guaranteed the health of the pup for up to a year providing that I gave him a vet checkup within 48 hours of bringing him home. When I adopt him, he will be up to date on his shots, heartworm medication, and vet checkups. She also enjoys to keep in close contact with all her adopted families. She has been in well standing with the AKC for close to 12 years, and passes state and Akc inspections yearly she mentioned. Also, she mentioned that she spends 30 minutes each day with each pup, with training, affection, and playtime. She also waits 8 weeks to release the pups to their new home. Now, I've done my countless times of research, and she is the best online breeder, (I think,) That I found. I would appreciate your feedback on this. The website is:

rosevalleykennel.com

Thank you in advance.

Also, she recommends pro pac dog food, which she swears by. I was just curious as to if anybody has any experience with this food?

This is my first husky, and I have already fell in love with the breed by the different visits I have had with them, and I think I will not only be an owner of Azzor (what I'm naming my pup,) But for more huskies in years to come. I've bought 2 books on the breed, and been to a ton of websites, so I think I'm prepared as best as I can be. Here is the most recent photo of my little guy at four weeks old.



Thank you all in advance!

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new puppy!

Now on to the breeder. Personally - I don't like that breeder. I'm an advocate of reputable breeders who show in conformation, do agility with their Siberians, Obedience and especially those that work their dogs in front of sleds. Any combination of them is usually pretty good for me.

Simply being an "AKC breeder" doesn't hold much weight - as dogs you get from Amish families, puppy mills and pet stores are almost always sold with AKC papers as MANY people put a lot of stock in the "paper" aspect. All the papers truly mean is that the dog is a purebred.

The biggest red flag to me is that she doesn't state what her own personal health checks/clearances are and I only see that she does any trialing with her setters.

She breeds A LOT of different breeds of dog which is another red flag to me and she doesn't offer any information of CERF or OFA clearances or how young/old her breeding dogs are.

She gives a 12 month health guarantee - while that's good it's not -great-. Many problems in Siberians won't pop up until after a year unless they are very severe problems like PRA which at its worse can lead to your puppy going completely blind by 5 months old (On the note of PRA - eye problems are EXTREMELY prevalent within the breed which is why eye clearances are VERY important to have). Even only the most severe cases of Hip Dysplasia will be caught within those 12 months.

While you've already put a deposit down and it's nonrefundable I'd like to say once again congratulations and welcome to the wonderful world of being owned by a Siberian Husky. I hope that he is a very healthy puppy and that you get many long years with him .

Pro Pac food is rated 3.5 out of 5 so its a okay food but you might be better changing it over to a better quality once you acquire your pup.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/pro-pac-dog-food/

Home page of the site:

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

I have used Pro Pac, but not on huskies. I used it for my poms. It is DECENT food, but it's not a brand that I would use again. It produced horrid smelling poo, and did not have the best ingredients.

I feed my first husky Pro Pac for YEARS. She was allergic to soy and it was one of the few foods available at the time without soy. Dog foods have some a LONG way over the years! I don't like that it uses corn as a filler. I would choose something else, but I don't think it is a horrible food. There are many worse and many better foods on the market today.

My first husky lived 17 years, she was always healthy and maintained her weight within 2-3 pounds her entire life. So I guess the Pro Pac worked for her!

Congrats on the new pup! Welcome to the forum!

I see nothing special or desireable about that breeder... No Heath testing, breeding woollies, so many breeds.. Given the choice I would not buy from them.

No experience with that dog food. Sorry

Welcome to Huskies!

Thank you to everyone for your advice and input!

I guess I know now what to look for and what not to look for in a breeder. Although it is too late to change anything, the little guy and I connected the few times I've been down there anyhow. When looking next time, I shall look elsewhere, I guess all there is to do now is to hope that he is healthy and happy! . We will find out when I take him to the vet on the ride home, although now I have to admit I'm a bit worried about his health.

Congrats on you're new puppy!

I agree with what Ceara has to say 100%! She does have too many breeds

Also, it look's like she is overbreeding like crazy! She's already had three litters of just Huskies. Who know's how many more she'll have by the end of the year. After doing research on good breeders, I've come to find out some only have 1 or 2 litters tops a year.

Hope all works out well with you're puppy and can't wait to see more pictures of the little guy!!