Our Philosophy
Our philosophy is really very simple:
breed the best dogs we can while developing the health and temperament that will make each owner proud to own one of our dogs. While breeding is not an exact science and genetics only make up part of the equation, overall temperament and health are carefully monitored on our sire and dams.
The Lagotto Romagnolo is still a relatively unknown breed, and it is our commitment to make sure that each of our puppies will be placed in the best possible homes. While we take every precaution to make sure that we incorporate proper and ethical breeding standards, each prospective owner needs to know that there is no perfect dog, and a breeder should be willing to discuss the positive points as well as the negative.
Our breeding dogs are fully health tested, and we are happy to provide proof. The Lagotto Romagnolo Club of America requires club affiliated breeders to perform the following on each breeding dog: DNA profile to assess Benign Familial Juvenile Epilepsy and Lagotto Storage Disease, and obtain Veterinary certification for eyes, hips and patellas. Many breeders are also including progressive retinal atrophy assessment in the DNA profile.
All our puppies are placed with a written contract. A pet is expected to be neutered/spayed after one year of age and not before. A show or breed prospect puppy is the same as a pet puppy except it has been evaluated as having the future potential to carry the proper breed structure, type and temperament.
We raise our puppies using the Puppy Culture protocols. Our puppies are placed in homes to be raised with families and not in kennels. We require that for their lifetime our puppies cannot be resold, transferred ownership, placed or given away. All new owners must agree that if, for any reason, they cannot keep one of our dogs, they will contact us immediately, and arrangements to return the dog will be settled. We will always take our dogs back at any age. This eliminates our dogs from ending up in shelters or puppy mills.
Choosing a Lagotto Romagnolo is a rewarding experience. Our commitment to you is to be there as a resource, offer a support system, and answer any questions you may have. We will give you a puppy starter kit, and a list of other resources for nutrition, training and general care. Your puppy will have been health checked by a Veterinarian, been dewormed, had its first vaccine and is also microchipped. We also will register the puppy with the American Kennel Club for you. As the ownership of the Lagotto is long term, so is our commitment to you.