Scotty Puppies

Who couldn't love a pup like this? Picture taken a few years ago.

I am a small breeder, what is called a hobby breeder (2 or less litters per year), rather than a commercial breeder. My focus is Scotties as pets and companions, I have no interest in the show scene. I love this breed and can't understand why there are not more of them out there because I think they are the perfect dog. 

Lately there has been a lot of bullying of small breeders on internet groups by 'experts' who say you must breed AKC and be part of a Scotty association to be a reputable breeder. And some of them go so far as demanding that your stock be genetically tested for a whole series of obscure genetic conditions, and of course be heavily vaccinated, and only breed from perfect specimens. Any Scotty owner who wants to delay a spay or neuter to have a litter is immediately jumped on as irresponsible and told they should leave the breeding to the experts, which if you press in on what is an expert or reputable, it is a show breeder. And if you buy a puppy, usually at a exorbitant price, from one of these special breeders, you will find that they will double the price if you want to breed your dog. Sounds like a monopoly in progress to me.  

Well, sorry experts and reputable breeders, because this hobby breeder will continue to breed nice Scotty pups without bowing to your demands, and price my pups in a range that the average person can afford one. 

[above is a shot from several years ago of my now retired breeding pair, sporting their new buzz cut for the 100 degree temperature of California in the summer]

I am truly off the reservation because I now register my dogs with the National Kennel Club. I have been both a AKC and a NKC breeder, so I know the truth about these registries. Why aren't my dogs registered with the AKC? Because in my opinion, unless you are planning on showing or breeding show dogs, the AKC is more bother than its worth. Contrary to common knowledge, a AKC registered dog is not any better than a NKC or a CKC registered dog--all are pure-bred and all can be DNA typed through their respective registries. Realize the AKC does nothing to insure their own breeders are 'reputable'.

There seems to be a trend lately that many AKC puppy sellers are advertising that only AKC dogs are pure-bred, this is utter nonsense, and I can only guess those who are doing  this are trying to justify their exceeding high prices. The AKC controls the dog show world, and they put on the shows, so if you want to show that is the registry for you. If you just want a nice pure-bred dog the other two registries will do fine. How do I know a AKC is not a superior dog? Because all the genetic faults that entered my pack over the years came from AKC registered dogs, and it took years to get the faults out of my stock. The AKC is no guarantee the breeder is responsible or ethical. The best Scotty I bought from another breeder for stock was CKC registered--and she is wonderful--perfect. 

Article which lays out facts on AKC registered. https://www.yourpurebredpupoy.com/buying/articles/AKC-registered-puppies.html

                                   four weeks old pup

Above is a picture of the first American Scottish Terrier champion. This is what the breed is all about, tough little dogs. Notice the hair cut--this is the original scotty cut, and personally I like it alot better than what you see as a 'scotty-cut' today. Scotties also come in all sorts of colors--the champ above was a brindle. For those of you who might enjoy the history of the Scotty, I found an old book that was written just as the Scotty was being recognized as a organized breed of its own, and it has been converted to pdf on one of the digital books sites. For those Scotty loving people out there, I am sure you will find it is fascinating read. 

I often read in breed descriptions that the Scotty is aloof--I don't see that in my pack, my dogs are extremely friendly, love people and most other animals, except squirrels, rats, skunks, etc. and they are not too hot on cats unless it lives with them. They are natural vermin killers, rats, moles, mice, are their natural prey--they were bred to keep vermin off the farm--they will take on bigger animals as well. My small Scotty female--the great grandmother of these pups, broke out of her kennel and went after a skunk as big as she is--she killed it (pretty smelly around here for a while) Many Scotties are diggers, they were bred for it--its called going to ground, and they will get those rodents that burrow.

These Scotties are happy dogs! They have enthusiasm and don't hold a grudge. Also, I have read Scotties don't swim, many of mine swim, dog paddle right out into the creek or pond, while others don't like water, it seems a individual thing. If you take them fishing or on a boat it is best to put a life vest on them. One of my previous pups went to a fisherman who takes him out with him every day--he wears a life vest--they fish in the Alaskan waters.

Scotties are able to entertain themselves, and if they must be left alone for a while they are fine with it, as long as there is food and water. They also do fine sleeping in crates, all of mine sleep in their individual crate and look forward to it. It is up to you how you want your dog to settle in, they are very adaptable.

Scotties make great companions, this little girl is Kenzie, a little brindle bunch of love, who charmed her new family so much they made her a facebook page, she resides in southern California, and is the center of their universe.

The pups in the  picture are four weeks, and big enough to spend time in their playroom. Here they are with their mother exploring their new world.

Meet Wallace, almost 3 (black Scotty) and his 1 year old son Magnu (wheaten). Wallace was from one of my previous litters and has such a sweet disposition he and now his son are in training as therapy dogs used for visiting the sick and elderly. Thanks for sharing  the update Suzanne.

Vaccinations.

Recently (2021) we in the dog world began to become aware that our dogs are being over-vaccinated and it is causing many of the illnesses, such as cancers of various kinds, auto-immune disease, allergies etc. And our dogs are dying at ever younger ages, even with much more veterinary care than they received 10 or even 30 years ago. Yearly vaccinations are promoted heavily by the veterinary industry, and dog boarders are requiring proof of recent vaccinations. And the pet food industry is in on this, making their kibble and canned food out of less than savory ingredients with harmful additives. Now, we are waking up to discover that the over-vaccination is by design, to keep our pets ill, to create a steady income stream for the industry. We are discovering that the same companies are controlling both the veterinary protocols and the food supply chain. It is sickening, the industry that is supposed to care about animals, has instead been steadily poisoning our babies.

Many of you have already learned to read food labels, and are actively trying to feed your pets better nutrition, some of you make their food yourselves. 

Now, we are learning that we can chose to use only 'core vaccinations', that is, vaccinate only for diseases that are fatal to our pups or dogs, and that we can and should skip the other non-essential vaccinations, and the multiple vax shots, like the 5-way puppy shot for instance, because we are learning these shots actually cause a auto-immune response, and do not give immunity in most cases. Also, for those core vaccinations, it is less stressful to the pups system and more advantageous to their true immunity to give their distemper alone, with no additives, and then at least a week later their parvo shot, that too, by itself. Rabies in small dogs is chancy, because there is a one-size-fits-all policy in dosage which is dangerous for our smaller breeds, with some unexpected results of seizures and sometimes death. Rabies vaccination is required by law in most states, but it really is not needed with pets, and there is no rabies epidemic, this policy was caused by the industry lobbying your legislatures. 

All vets are trained in colleges, but we find that even their own respected textbook Current Veterinary Therapy by D. Kirk, their industry manual, says: "The practice of annual vaccinations lacks scientific validity or verification. There is no immunological requirement for annual vaccination."  What? And they are pressuring us to give our dogs annual vaccinations continually. Think about that. They know what they are doing. 

What can we do? Educate yourselves, and explore alternative vet care, like homeopathic vets. If your vet is sending you 'time for yearly vaccinations' notices, than they are not your or your pet's friend, they are in it for the money and don't really care about you and your dog except to get you in their door for regular checkups and vaccinations and then more procedures and more prescription only medications, when your pet succumbs to the diseases they instigated. I know this sounds harsh, but I am angry, too many of my babies have died younger than they should have from conditions I now know were caused by over-vaccination.

resources: 

Dogs Naturally Magazine (This is an excellent online source, you can do a search or go their archives and read up on all these issues.)

Raising Naturally Healthy Pets by Dr. Judy Morgan (available at all online booksellers)