"Accidental Breeding”
We are committed to producing healthy dogs, with stable temperaments and great workability that are still true to the Cane Corso standard. We intend to test all of our breeding prospects with the minimum of DSRA screening, Pennhip hip exams an OFA elbow tests. In addition, we refuse to breed an immature male or female. We also do our best to compete and earn titles with each of our dogs prior to breeding. Those are some of the standards we have set for ourselves. Unfortunately, once a dog leaves our home, we can no longer supervise and/or guarantee the actions of the new owners.
We recently agreed to allow a family friend to co-own Vici. She went home with Narco’s owner, at the time she was barely a year old. We mean it when we say an in-depth conversation was had regarding the importance of keeping them separate when she was in heat. Not only did we offer to let Vici come back and stay with us while she was in heat to prevent any accidents, we literally spoke about this for over an hour with her former co-owner to ensure he understood the measures that needed to be taken, what to expect while she was in heat and the implications of failing to follow these directions. In fact, just like with all of our dogs, a contract was signed and part of the contract was that neither Vici nor Narco would be bred, unless we had given our approval. Our approval would have certainly come at the completion of health testing that resulted in passing scores and titling.
Unfortunately, a few days prior to this post, we received word from Vici’s owner that he thought she might be pregnant, because “it looked like she was making milk.” We were totally caught off guard because Vici was supposed to compete in her first FastCAT event that same weekend. After a brief physical examination, we agreed that she did indeed appear to be pregnant. If we had to guess, based on the timeframe of her last heat cycle, we estimate her to be 6-7 weeks pregnant, making her due the first week in October. We required her former co-owner to purchase a Relaxin test and make arrangements for an X-ray if that test came back positive. The Relaxin test did, in fact, come back positive for pregnancy, and an x-ray is scheduled for early October.
To be clear, this in our opinion was not an “accidental breeding.” It was not unexpected or unintentional as her former owner had been given specific details and cautioned about the consequences of allowing Narco and Vici to interact while she was in heat. This was instead a negligent breeding. Vici’s former owner failed to properly care for her, that’s all there is to it. When we found out that her owner had also contacted a veterinarian located in south Wichita, close to the intersection of George Washington Blvd, and Oliver Street, and that veterinarian suggested that he pick the best puppy out of the litter and kill the rest, we knew our only option was to invoke the clause in our contract that allows us to repossess a dog. Vici is now back home with us.
Many people wonder why responsible breeders utilize a contract, this negligent breeding is one of the best answers to that question. The contracts are meant to protect the buyer, the seller, and most importantly, the dog being sold. In this instance, Vici’s former owner was negligent and failed to protect her, it is up to us to do that now. We will do our best to help Vici whelp and raise a healthy litter of puppies and then use this experience to help us be even more selective in who we trust to care for our dogs.
Aside from being tested for DSRA, which came back “Clear” and Embark results, which are pending, Vici has not been health tested. Her hips and elbows have not been checked for any signs of Dysplasia or OA. Because of this, our health guarantee will be modified for this litter ONLY. Any pup from this litter with a confirmed diagnosis of a serious, life-altering genetic defect within 24 months will be given a credit in the amount paid for the pup towards another pup from our program. The puppies will be sold at an appropriate and steeply discounted price point for pups in our geographic market with limited registration. No exceptions.
This is a pairing we had planned for several years down the road; after health testing and titling had been completed to our satisfaction as we believe the pair will produce pups with great temperaments, solid structure, and high drive. However, at just over a year old Vici, like any dog, is just not quite ready. Unfortunately, what's done is done and we expect the pups to be born the first or second week of October. Below is a link to the Cane Corso Pedigree database, which will allow viewing of the pairing. If you have any interest, please contact us as soon as possible.