Our Breeding Program
The Habibi Teddy Bear Breed is unlike other dogs with very unique characteristics exclusive to the breed. The Habibi is not available anywhere else, and nobody has our special formula that was 30+ years in the making! Our breed was developed with the soul/sole purpose of fulfilling their job as a therapy, facility, service, and emotional support dog. Our breeding program has a specific system we have developed over a quarter of a century to help our puppies be the best companion for our special needs clients. With that, our focus is quite different, as we are a private breeder that is fully referral-based and rarely allow our dogs to be placed with the general public. We work closely with our families in placing the correct puppy with the right environment, so it can reach its full potential as a therapy or emotional support dog. We provide ongoing education and support to keep in touch with our families while providing breed appropriate lessons and advice that have been developed with our little dogs in mind. We have spared no cost when it comes to the care and raising of our adults ....and puppies alike.
What does health testing mean and why is this important to you in selecting a puppy?
We have been involved in dog fancy for the major part of our lives. We have a background in showing and raising champion AKC dogs. In the past, our dogs have been invited to Eukanuba and we had the top 5 dog in the nation in our breed. This background was an excellent training ground that sparked the desire to develop a new breed. We understand the importance of complementary breeding pairs and the difference between a pet quality dog and breeding quality dog.
As a responsible breeder working toward clear healthy lines, we health test our parent dogs. Our goal is to decrease (hopefully one day eliminate) health disorders through responsible breeding. We test for traits that effect our breed, and use selective pairing to eliminate traits over time. Years ago we utilized CERF eye exams, which required yearly testing that can only test the phenotypic nature of the eye. Without genotypic clearance, a breeding dog may pass CERF exams one year, but end up showing characteristics of an ocular disorder in a future exam. For that reason we clear all of our dogs by DNA through PawPrint/Canine Health Check for eye disease as well as over 250 other diseases and heritable traits. This testing is safe for the dog and poses no risk associated with anesthesia or accidental injury compared to the previous forms of testing. As science progresses, testing is more thorough with DNA testing, which is the use of research-grade DNA genotyping developed by industry-leading scientists at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.
The ups and downs in finding your breeding pairs
Take into consideration the amount of time and expense it requires to health screen and clear every dog. Some tests cannot be confirmed and finalized until the dog reaches 2 years old. By this age we are bonded and have spared no expense in raising them, dreaming of the beautiful additions they will bring to our line! After all this time to discover our beloved BEAUTIFUL dog is not-so-perfect, genetically speaking. This is a huge financial and emotional loss for us that can set our breeding program back two years, if not bring it to a screeching halt.
Cute is only one piece of the very large puzzle when selecting appropriate breeding stock. There are many cute dogs in this world with serious genetic abnormalities that will rear their ugly heads in later years. Perhaps the cute dog is a carrier of a genetic disorder and passes it on to every litter. We spend a small fortune selecting dogs from healthy lines, pre-screening every new dog in our breeding program. They must pass all tests in order to be considered a potential parent. When a first time mother is bred, if she is not a good mother, or her puppies are not what we hoped for, then she is spayed and will be a beloved pet. In the end, this experience can set us back thousands of dollars as well as bring us back to square one in finding a suitable female (Dam). This is one of many factors why we work together as a team, and also have a few select Guardian Homes for our breeding adults. We are able to work on two areas once; raising puppies to further develop the line, while keeping our younger hopefuls in the sidelines as they mature to adulthood and receive their health clearances.
Puppy Guarantee Available to You
Our Contract protects us and our puppies, and our Puppy Guarantee protects your puppy and you. It is available to download for future reference for all of us.
All our puppies are always placed on a spay/neuter contract. In addition, we will ask that the puppy or dog be returned to us if you find you are no longer able to care for it or cannot find a suitable home, and agree to never take one of our puppies to a shelter. If we ever suspect abuse or neglect of one of our puppies, we reserve the right to repossess the puppy and re-home it in a suitable home. As advocates for our Habibi Bears, we are committed to ensuring all puppies produced by our breeding program are cared for and loved for the entirety of their lives.