Celestial Shichons

04/07/2025

Gave the puppies a puzzle toy to play with along with a box and a paper bag. Guess which one they liked most?

04/04/2025

Temperament test for Apollo

04/04/2025

Here is Apollo's temperament test.

04/04/2025

This is atlas's temperament test.

04/04/2025

Here's Altair's temperament test.

04/01/2025

This long message is primarily for the families who are waiting to pick puppies on Saturday. I need to make an announcement regarding Altair.

We took all of the puppies for their vaccinations on Friday. Our very thorough vet, Dr McAllister, thought she might have heard a heart murmur while examining Altair. He was too wiggly for her to have a good listen during that visit. We took him back for a recheck today and she was able to confirm that he does have a definite murmur.

I asked her to answer the following questions for me.

What exactly is wrong with his heart? She said the only way to tell, for sure, was to do an echocardiogram (EKG) and an ultrasound, each of which would cost several thousand dollars and require us to shave his chest down to the skin. He would also need to be sedated which would be very dangerous.

She went on to say that the only reason to get those tests is if I planned on having him undergo open heart surgery to attempt to correct the defect. She said the surgery would cost tens of thousands of dollars. She also said that because of his small size and the difficulty in trying to correct a congenital abnormality that it would probably be unsuccessful. Even if I had that kind of money, which I don't, I'm not putting a puppy through that physical and psychological trauma with such a small chance of success.

I then asked if there were any drug therapies that we could try. She said that if I looked hard enough I could possibly find a vet that would perscribe medicines to artificially bring down his blood pressure in the hopes that it would lessen the burden on his heart. She then said that the problem with those medications is they have a whole host of side effects to delicate organs like eyes and kidneys. So she did not recommend trying that route.

I then asked her what she would do if Altair was her puppy. She said that there were basically three things that could happen in the future.

First, heart defects in puppies frequently correct themselves as the puppy grows. If that was the case he would have a normal life.

Second, the heart defect could persist into adulthood and, as long as he didn't engage in any extreme sports, he could have a normal or near normal life.

And unfortunately third, he could quietly pass away one day, or his quality of life and energy level could decrease to the point that he would need to be put to sleep at a relatively young age.

She said if Altair was her puppy she would take him home and treat him the same as she does any of her other dogs. That way he could have a life that is as long and happy as possible.

Naturally we were very sad to hear this news. We've had 59 perfect puppies and now, in our final litter, we find that we are responsible for a special needs fur baby. We are fully prepared to keep Altair along with the other puppy we have chosen to (hopefully) be Mama Rory's lifelong companion. We understand that in two out of the three scenarios Dr McAllister outlined, he could live a long and happy life. However, Mama Rory is still grieving the loss of her beloved Papa Astral. We want to make sure that no matter what happens to Altair in the future, Mama Rory has another small friend to grow old with.

If after hearing this news, you would like to explore the possibility of adopting Altair, please feel free to contact us and we can discuss what works best for everyone involved, both human and animal.

I wanted to get this information out to All of our perspective puppy parents so that you could have plenty of time to process and ask any questions you might have before we pick puppies this Saturday. I'm so sorry if this makes your process of choosing a puppy more difficult. We've never had anything like this happen before, so we're all doing the best we can under difficult circumstances. 💖🐕

Call now to connect with business.

04/01/2025

Altair and I laughing together on the way home from the vet. 🤣

04/01/2025

What fun can puppies have with a box? How do you tell the difference between fighting and playing? And aren't these little guys supposed to be napping right now? 😂

04/01/2025

This is what brave looks like. 😂

04/01/2025

A puppy wrestling extravaganza! 💖

04/01/2025

Here's a "puppy puppy puppy" shout out to all our grown up puppies I love to hear our voices calling from the internet. PS, don't worry, Altair was napping behind the couch. 😂

04/01/2025

More puppy shenanigans 😂

04/01/2025

Puppy playdate with my friend Jennifer. 💖🐕

03/24/2025

Be happy 😂

03/24/2025

Altair loves playing the training game... And the door stop 😂

03/24/2025

Apollo was a little sleepy during today's training session. 💖

03/23/2025

Atlas goes to puppy school.

03/23/2025

Archer's puppy training is off to a good start.