Our plans

Well, plans come and go and, often, we've had more plans than litters. Even when there's nothing afoot, we try to provide updates on puppy plans and past puppies in the "Puppy News" section of our Blogs which are currently hosted here at wordpress.

2009:

The only litter that was on the drawing board for 2009 was one that saw Mira , Can. Ch. FCC Ch. SureShot Chosen One, CGN (who we bred and co-own with Keith O'Flaherty in Nova Scotia) bred to Carson, BISS Am. Ch. Firethorn & Sandpiper Easy on the Eyes. A lovely litter of 5 boys and 4 girls was under the care of Keith and I just got to share in his excitement of this well-considered breeding. If you visit his website or check out a few of the puppies that are on our own pages here, you'll see how these gorgeous guys developed. The following links will take you to some of the pictures we put up before the pups headed off to their new homes.

Litter page with pedigree.

Puppies at 5 weeks.

Puppies at 6 weeks.

Puppies at 7 weeks.

Puppies at 8 weeks.

2008:

There won't be any litters born at SureShot this year. Too busy, too side-tracked, too many things to do with the dogs :-)))).

2007:

Although upheavals that year prevented me from finding the time to do justice to a litter here, we did get the opportunity to co-breed a litter with Moonsetter Gordons in MN and have one of those puppies, Denham, live with us. This is the first litter that goes back, on both sides, directly to my imports from Australia and I couldn't be prouder of how that idea seems to have worked out.

2005:

Our 2005 litter from Faith, Ch. SureShot Keep the Faith, produced five lovely girls and three boys. Faith was bred to Rokeena Balthazar and pictures were posted at the links below (with some of the casual pictures also showing up in our blogs.

To see pictures of the '05 litter at SureShot, born October 18, 2005, click here.

To see some stacked photos, taken November 19/05, click here.

The next set were taken on November 24/05. Click here.

The next set were taken on November 29/05. Click here.

And here's another set taken on December 3/05. Click here.

And yet another set taken on December 10/05. Click here.

2004:

Finally!! Our long-awaited litter from Erin, Ch. Rokeena Downunder Delite, AgN, arrived. We bred her to BISS Ch. Bluewin's Gaelic Moon and happily welcomed their puppies on May 10, 2004 and we posted pictures at the link below. There were six of them, 4 boys and 2 girls. Pictures of them as they matured can be found elsewhere on our website.

To see pictures of the '04 litter at SureShot, born May 10, 2004, click here.

2001:

To see pictures of the previous litter at SureShot, born October 7, 2001, click here.

We tried to keep the pages of pictures updated fairly frequently so you could see a typical Gordon Puppy growing up (well, at least a typical puppy for us).

To see pictures of the March, 2001 litter at SureShot, click here.

10 Questions for would-be puppy owners.

So you want a puppy? Why? No, that's not a silly question. Unless you've thought the decision through, you could make a mistake that could be heartbreaking to the dog, the breeder and yourself. Before making the final decision to get a Gordon, ask yourself:
1. What do I want to do with the dog and is that goal (whether just companionship, obedience, showing, running, tracking) one that fits with the breed?
2. Have I checked into many different breeds to make sure this is the one for me?
3. Have I checked with several breeders, seen their dogs, and made the choice that's right for me? Now is not the time for an impulse buy just because a puppy is available.
4. Do I really want a puppy or is an older dog (perhaps even one of indeterminate parentage) a better choice? There are many dogs in need of homes so make a choice that's right for you.
5. Do I have the time? Gordons like to be with their people!
6. Do I have the space? Gordons are wonderful housedogs but also need room to run so, if you don't have the area, you'll need to provide for that outlet.
7. Do I have a fence? This is a very important consideration no matter what breed of dog you choose.
8. Do I have the financial resources? The purchase price is nothing compared to the cost of food, veterinary care, grooming, etc. that goes on for the life of the dog.
9. Is every member of the family committed to this decision?
10. Have I made a long-term commitment to providing for this dog? Gordons can live to 14+ so that's the view you should also take.

10 More Questions?

If you've made the decision to go ahead, you then need to choose a breeder. Perhaps these questions can help guide you:
1. How often does the breeder have a litter? Most responsible breeders only have a litter when they are looking specifically for something themselves. Since that wouldn't usually happen two or three times a year, question a breeder that produces more frequently than would seem logical.
2. What experience does the breeder have? While first time breeders may have wonderful litters if they are being mentored by someone else with more background, make sure that sound experience is coming from somewhere.
3. How did you find out about this breeder? Referrals or breed clubs might be more credible sources than ads pinned up on a grocery store bulletin board.
4. Does the breeder test for known health problems? Are decisions to breed based on knowledge or guesswork?
5. Is the breeder involved in the breed? A person that is active in some part of the "breed community" has an interest in the future of the breed and that commitment should play a part in their breeding decisions.
6. Can the breeder provide references (veterinarians, other breeders, previous buyers)?
7. Does the breeder provide a guarantee? No written guarantee and eliminate the possibility that something might go wrong (we're dealing with animals not appliances here). However, a written guarantee clarifies the obligations taken on by both the buyer and breeder and shows that the breeder is committed to standing behind their breeding program.
8. Does the breeder plan to provide assistance after the puppy leaves? In fact, does the breeder insist that you make a commitment to stay in touch?
9. Do they 'breed to the standard'? The standard describes what this breed should look like. No matter what field of endeavour the breeder is involved with, if they say they are breeding Gordon Setters, then intentional deviations from the standard won't be undertaken.
10. Does the breeder know the background of all the dogs in the pedigree (this relates to the 2nd question above)? Knowing health, temperament, and conformation of those dogs as well as related ones are the foundations of sound breeding practices.


Here's the questionnaire we ask puppy buyers to fill out for consideration for one our our babies.