May 4, 2013 Moorpark, California 9 to 10:30 am
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| The sign on after a 1/2 mile one lane dirt road |
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| five acres in the middle of citrus groves |
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| Whelping building. One of several Air conditioned and heated. New seemless floor |
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| One of the dozen or so sold pups being trained "started" |
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| The day time kennels. Pups are placed in individual crates inside at night |
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| With 50 plus dogs there was little barking at all. Part of the training |
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| Golden Retrievers being trained as "started puppy" |
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| The trainer, owner and I looking at the breeding Vizslas |
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| The owner and I discussing exercise. Twice a day they play in a 1/4 acre fenced area. |
This post is not to promote Golden Meadows Kennels. I volunteered to see what this operation was like after seeing remarks made on a forum I belong to. My ONLY comments are that it was not what I expected. It was clean and well managed. Professional.
From Tim Hoke on their relationship with AKC as a breeder:
Although the USDA is so overworked that they have little time inspect even the largest kennel, I doubt that they would have time to visit hobby breeders. Although they will undoubtedly be visited by the AKC reps who inspect larger breeding facilities. Our AKC rep, comes outs about every 12-18 months to inspect our facility & record keeping. I think most hobby breeders would be surprised by the amount of paperwork the AKC really does require us to keep on our dogs, matings, where the pups are placed, limited or full registration etc. and that those records must be available on demand at anytime.
Tim
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4 comments:
Rod,
Thank you for coming down & visiting with us. We enjoyed showing off our facility, our dogs & our amazingly dedicated employees. Thank you for keeping an open mind about us, when so many others had already closed theirs based on incomplete or inaccurate information. Your visit was a breath of fresh air, that renewed our belief, that not everyone in the pure breed dog community was out to get us or lump us in with the "puppy mills" that have so tarnished legitimate, ethical breeders.
Tim Hoke
Golden Meadows Kennels
It looks clean, but also looks essentially like a dog farm. The dogs are stored outside, and it seems like twice a day play in a small yard is woefully inadequate for a Vizsla. I also noticed the breeder doesn't show the dogs in AKC shows, nor are any of the dogs titled in any sports or tests. This looks like the purpose of the operation is to make money. I'd rather support a breeder whose dogs are pets, not livestock.
Tim,
I am glad the forum member visited and dispelled the falsehoods that have been circulating about your facility.
I recall the vicious attack on you on the forum a while back. Your facility looks great!
Regarding vizsla hobby breeders that show in AKC... I once went to see a puppy from a reputable "hobby" breeder in Texas, recommended by the local Vizsla club and was astounded to see every wall except the master bedroom, kitchen and bathroom of the 1200 sq ft house lined with vizsla crates on top of each other. The house was on a 1/4 acre lot and the fenced back yard consisted of dirt. Apparently this hobby breeder was in it for the money or just plain insane.
Frankly, I am amazed that "hobby breeders" still endorse AKC shows. At one time years ago it may have been a hobby activity but now days with professional handlers and advertising campaigns it is something else. UKC shows are friendly, relaxed and a lot more hobbylike.
Anonymous,
Thank you for the kind words. We work very to hard to maintain a very high standard for our dogs.
We had the same experience with a "hobby breeder" of Goldens years ago.
We have really come to enjoy the IABCA shows because they are much more owner/handler friendly,plus with the written critique we receive we get great opinions from the judges on what they felt were the strengths & weaknesses of each dog. Haven't done a UKC show have been meaning to give one a try.
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