Sterilization
There are too many dogs that need homes. There are too many dogs that are bred indiscriminately. As a dog professional (click here to read About the Breeder) I have made the choice that I feel is best for my puppies and for dogdom as a whole.
Moonstruck puppies are sent to their homes incapable of reproducing. Why? Because as lovely as the vast majority of people are, there are always a select few that ruin it for everyone. Safeguards must be put into place in order to avoid puppies that are inevitably unwanted and/or ill because they are not from health tested and temperament tested breeding stock.
Moonstruck puppies are sent to their homes incapable of reproducing. Why? Because as lovely as the vast majority of people are, there are always a select few that ruin it for everyone. Safeguards must be put into place in order to avoid puppies that are inevitably unwanted and/or ill because they are not from health tested and temperament tested breeding stock.
mALES
Male puppies will leave Moonstruck Bernedoodles incapable of reproduction, but still retaining their genitals. All male puppies - no exceptions - will have a vasectomy procedure performed on them that makes them incapable of fertilizing a female. If families choose to neuter their male at a later date it will be up to their discretion.
Why not neuter them? It is important for males to develop and grow with their hormones intact. Ligaments, muscle structure, endocrine function etc. are affected by the presence or absence of testosterone. It is for the benefit of the male to fully develop intact, but as a breeder I will not contribute (even if it's against my will) to poor breeding practices and more puppies in the world that may end up God knows where. So, for this very reason, all male Moonstruck Bernedoodles will leave intact but effectively sterilized.
Why not neuter them? It is important for males to develop and grow with their hormones intact. Ligaments, muscle structure, endocrine function etc. are affected by the presence or absence of testosterone. It is for the benefit of the male to fully develop intact, but as a breeder I will not contribute (even if it's against my will) to poor breeding practices and more puppies in the world that may end up God knows where. So, for this very reason, all male Moonstruck Bernedoodles will leave intact but effectively sterilized.
Females
Moonstruck females will leave having undergone a tubal ligation (all reproductive organs intact or an ovariohysterectomy (removal of the ovaries). This makes them incapable of reproducing. If you are considering a female puppy you will be asked to make the choice between the two procedures. We strongly recommend allowing the puppy to grow with their hormones intact. A tubal ligation is the option we prefer to see our families choose for their female puppies.
Many pet owners are completely disenchanted with the idea of their female dog coming into heat and bleeding for 3 weeks twice a year. For those that are planning to spay their dog prior to the first heat cycle anyways, opting for an ovariohysterectomy prior to leaving my home it the best option for the puppy. Puppies heal very quickly at this age and the benefit of maturing with hormones intact would not have occurred anyhow.
However, for those that see the value (and I highly recommend you do your research on this subject) of keeping their female dog's hormones intact, a tubal ligation prevents the eggs from traveling to the uterus from the ovaries, thus rendering the dog incapable of breeding. The dog's entire reproductive system is intact. They will experience full heat cycles. It is recommended that a dog go through 3 heat cycles and then be spayed to reduce the risk of certain cancers. The associated risk of cancer and an intact female is virtually nil until 30 months of age. After 30 months, the risk increases substantially with each year.
Many pet owners are completely disenchanted with the idea of their female dog coming into heat and bleeding for 3 weeks twice a year. For those that are planning to spay their dog prior to the first heat cycle anyways, opting for an ovariohysterectomy prior to leaving my home it the best option for the puppy. Puppies heal very quickly at this age and the benefit of maturing with hormones intact would not have occurred anyhow.
However, for those that see the value (and I highly recommend you do your research on this subject) of keeping their female dog's hormones intact, a tubal ligation prevents the eggs from traveling to the uterus from the ovaries, thus rendering the dog incapable of breeding. The dog's entire reproductive system is intact. They will experience full heat cycles. It is recommended that a dog go through 3 heat cycles and then be spayed to reduce the risk of certain cancers. The associated risk of cancer and an intact female is virtually nil until 30 months of age. After 30 months, the risk increases substantially with each year.
Please do your research!
If the procedure below was available to me, my puppies would all be "ethically sterilized". However, this is a new procedure and very few veterinarians are trained to perform it. In our area it is not an option to us. A tubal ligation is the best that I can have done at this point.
Isn't it terrible to have a young puppy undergo a major surgery???
I am well aware of the stigma of forcing young dogs to undergo an elective surgery. In a perfect world I would not make this choice. However, we all know the world is not perfect. People are not always truthful or they break promises/contracts. Here is the concern: The Bernedoodle is all the craze right now. People are climbing over one another to add this amazing little cross to their lives. I receive dozens of emails in a week inquiring for available puppies NOW! Back yard breeding and puppy mills are a problem. They will continue to be for the foreseeable future. As a dog trainer, doggy daycare operator, obedience competitor etc. dogs are my life. I see SO many dogs on a daily basis.... I am living the dream, that's for sure. I am fortunate that my career has brought me nothing but happiness and fuzzy butts for the last 15 years. However, I also know the dark side to the dog world. I know that MANY breeders, both pure and crossbreed, are breeding dogs of questionable nature and health. I commit my life to dogs and my world revolves around raising the best, most sound puppies that I can possibly provide. These puppies are special, they are of incredible quality and they need to be protected. A sterilization procedure means the puppy is able to grow with no detriment to their health, but they are incapable of reproducing. This automatically deters anyone who is unscrupulous from trying to add my dogs to their unethical breeding programs as the dogs are not able to breed. This ensures that my puppies are unable to produce offspring that are sold to Heaven-knows-who and keeps my mind at ease knowing that I, even though I am a breeder, am not contributing to puppy mills and homeless, unwanted dogs, unhealthy dogs.
In the past I bred German Shepherds. I continue to own and compete with German Shepherds, even though I no longer breed them. Here is a story that will break your heart: I was lied to. I have found out that dogs from my bloodlines and my breeding are part of a mass breeding operation and that there are now unhealthy and unwanted puppies that are two generation from my name being sold and even later put to sleep because of extreme health issues. There is NOTHING that I can do. It breaks my heart to know that I have grandpuppies out there that are suffering.
This is a choice that I have made for the greater good. Now, on that note, it's hard to imagine but the puppies do not suffer at all. They are so small and the surgery is so quick that they are literally up and playing by the afternoon. The incisions are about 1'' long and they heal up completely within a week. I have 2 breeder friends who also perform pediatric sterilizations on their puppies. The depth of the experience the 3 of us have with these procedures at this age is so vast, that if there was even a low percentage of puppies that had poor reactions to the surgeries we would know it. In many hundreds of puppies spread over more than a decade of breeding between three of us, there have been 2 puppies actually die on the table. Both of those puppies had a sever reaction to the drugs that put them under and they would have had that reaction even at 6 or 8 months of age. If I did not feel that this was not in the best interest of my puppies, I would NEVER chose to do it. To the inexperienced, this seems like an incredibly big deal, but the reality is, that it does not adversely affect the puppies at all.
In the past I bred German Shepherds. I continue to own and compete with German Shepherds, even though I no longer breed them. Here is a story that will break your heart: I was lied to. I have found out that dogs from my bloodlines and my breeding are part of a mass breeding operation and that there are now unhealthy and unwanted puppies that are two generation from my name being sold and even later put to sleep because of extreme health issues. There is NOTHING that I can do. It breaks my heart to know that I have grandpuppies out there that are suffering.
This is a choice that I have made for the greater good. Now, on that note, it's hard to imagine but the puppies do not suffer at all. They are so small and the surgery is so quick that they are literally up and playing by the afternoon. The incisions are about 1'' long and they heal up completely within a week. I have 2 breeder friends who also perform pediatric sterilizations on their puppies. The depth of the experience the 3 of us have with these procedures at this age is so vast, that if there was even a low percentage of puppies that had poor reactions to the surgeries we would know it. In many hundreds of puppies spread over more than a decade of breeding between three of us, there have been 2 puppies actually die on the table. Both of those puppies had a sever reaction to the drugs that put them under and they would have had that reaction even at 6 or 8 months of age. If I did not feel that this was not in the best interest of my puppies, I would NEVER chose to do it. To the inexperienced, this seems like an incredibly big deal, but the reality is, that it does not adversely affect the puppies at all.
