WHO WE ARE:
We live 10 miles outside of Park City, Utah. We began our PWD family while living in Michigan. It took us eight months to decide to purchase our first PWD, as we had not spent that much on a dog prior, and wanted to research the breed to see if it was the breed that best suited our family and lifestyle. We had no idea then that choosing a Portuguese Water Dog (PWD) would develop a passion and a strong loyalty in us for these wonderful dogs.
WHY PWD'S:
Even for a family pet, Brenda Hedden was adamant about quality. She visited many breeders throughout the Midwest and Arizona, getting to know the breed's overall personality quirks and fun stories, but also filtering for desirable whelping situations and breeders who loved their dogs and put time, money, and pride into their pups. She intensely studied the breed, as a whole and down many bloodlines and their genetics, prior to purchasing our first PWD. We wanted a line that was free of not only diseases, but free of any carrier heritage as well. With such an investment, we wanted no stone left unturned and as healthy of a line as possible to continue to improve upon. Her hard work paid off, and after over a decade of occasional litters of precious puppies her daughter, Jackie Hedden, even kept two girls from her last two litters, Hera and Athena, and purchased a male, Zeus, to continue the family passion hobby.
OUR DIET AND HEALTH:
Brenda then began researching a diet that would not only be healthy for all canines, but for the specific breeds that led to the creation of the PWD. Through this, we have continued a line that in the past 11 years, our adults have NEVER been to the veterinarian, other than for testing, immunizations or elective surgery, such as spay/neuter. None of our adults have had even minor typical issues that are found to be common in dogs. Their coats glisten, their teeth are pearly white without ever the need for a dental cleaning. Not too many adult humans can claim such excellence in health.
Our puppies are supplemented with fresh goat milk in addition to their nursing, and their parents have a daily diet of raw food, cooked food, as well as supplementary kibble. Our dogs eat high-quality muscle and organ meats daily, cooked and raw vegetables, fruits, and trusted, holistic kibble. We also regularly give them doses of probiotics, spices, and herbs that are meant to promote and support a healthy and happy gut, leading to a happy and healthy life for each of our pets. They have strong, muscular chests and legs, healthy coats, dental health, and much more to pass on to the next generation of beloved household pets.
HOW TO PURCHASE A PWD FROM US:
We must speak with every potential owner on the telephone. We love to hear how you discovered the PWD breed, and why you feel they're the right fit for you. To help assure mutual happiness between you, your family, and you future pup, we seek to learn more about your lifestyle and to educate you on the breed while sharing our stories and insights. We do the same for any pups who may be in need of a new family as well. PWDs love children, but puppies are babies and young children do not understand pain, and generally want to hold the puppy all of the time and do not understand the risks of dropping a puppy or choking it. Children are one of the greatest risks for puppy safety, so I would encourage you to wait until your children are 8 years of age or older to purchase a puppy. Older PWD's are great with very young children.
Initial Disclaimers: We won't ask you for a picture of your house and backyard, because quite frankly, your dog won't care if it's pretty or not, just that it's available and traversable. We won't sell a pup to someone in an inner city without room for a PWD to run and exercise, as these are high-energy dogs. We also will not sell a puppy to a family with young children, as children are the greatest risk for puppy safety, so we encourage you to wait until all children are outside of the 2-year to 7-year-old range if you seek a young puppy (might sound harsh, we understand that sentiment, but we also have heard of many unfortunate accidents, from dropping to choking, even relating to cars because corralling younger children takes too much attention, to welcome further accidents, even if your child is perfect and well behaved. This is not a matter of judging parents, but rather a matter of waiting for the right time to avoid heartbreak.)
To make sure one of our pups is a good fit for you and your family, please email PWDsRUS@yahoo.com with your responses to the following questions:
We will want to know how you plan to will live with a PWD. With that in mind, please let us know if they will they have a companion most of the day, where your pup be when you are not around, where they will sleep at night, how many hours a day they will be alone (weekdays and weekends, on average), and if you plan to take many long vacations without your pup over its lifetime, up to or in excess of a week, and what sort of care you would plan for your pup for such outings. Are there children around (living with you or visiting often)? If so, do they all understand the responsibilities of dog ownership, and can they immediately heed you for when to play or stop playing with the puppy? How much exercise will your dog get (once they are 6 months old or older, so you do not wear out their growing joints and hips via puppy running), and do you understand what life will be like with a high-energy dog? We also want to get a feel for what type of an owner you will be, just by having dialogue, and we want you to interview us as well. There are many wonderful breeders of PWDs, and we want you to know what our values and expectations are as a breeder. We also want you to fly in to pick up your pup, no later than 9 weeks old (10 weeks on rare exceptions for smaller pups not exceeding flight weight limits). We do not ship puppies, as this is an excellent way to traumatize and possibly kill your pet (cargo holds on aircraft are not temperature-controlled - the tarmac is broiling hot, and the stratosphere is freezing cold). You are also more than welcome to drive to pick up your puppy, and on rare occasions, we could meet you halfway. It is our desire for you to see their parents as well, so you have confidence in the nature of your pup's genetics, and seeing the foundations of their first two months of life will give you an idea of who we are and what we give to your dogs and our lines.
We will not ask you to show your puppy, nor will we ask you to allow us to show your puppy. We are not concerned with titles, nor with the Burntwood name being out there, as this is not a competition for us. We want you to only show your puppy love, attention, compassion, and give our/your puppy the best possible life that they can imagine. They will love you unconditionally, and we want you to be true to them. To quote an unknown author: "He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."