Emery-n-Denise's Golden Puppies in the Year 2020
Back in January of this year (2020), all was well in our country and our breeding business was moving along as normal. Typically, we would get 2 to 3 calls per week asking if we had any Golden Retriever puppies available, or any upcoming litters. Usually by the time the pups were born, we would have less than half a dozen people in line who had placed a deposit and were anxious for the litter of new puppies to be old enough to take home. The remainder of pups would be sold between birth and 9 weeks of age. But then a couple of months later, Coronavirus (Covid-19) changed this country (and the world) in a way that we are all familiar with. People were temporarily laid off from work, or asked to work from home, and schools were put on hold as our government authorities attempted to control the spread of the virus. From that point forward, it has been a wild ride here in the U.S. but also throughout the rest of the world as we are all aware.
With all the craziness in our country... wear masks, don't wear masks, cooped up with your family at home, cancel school, cancel outdoor entertainment, close restaurants, movie theaters, gyms, and spas, rioting, looting, burn things down, get rid of police, tear down statues, don't love your neighbor... and a lot of hatred seemingly abounding throughout the country.
What is one to do?
We think a lot of people thought long and hard about this question and many have come to this conclusion: owning an adorable, warm, fuzzy puppy that they could hold and cuddle with would be great therapy to escape all the madness we've been through, or watched on TV. Perhaps the time, effort and devotion given to raising a puppy would take our mind off all the disruptions and chaos going on instead of dwelling on what we see on TV. Therapy dogs seem to make a lot more sense now, not just for persons with special needs, but also most of the rest of us as well in light of this world crisis...
One unexpected change that we started seeing in late March was this: our phone was no longer ringing 2 to 3 times per week... it was ring 5 to 8 times a day! ...and still is! It seems with most people's new working arrangements, many have a lot of extra time to be able to care for a puppy. The requirement of devoting a lot of time to raising a puppy during the first few months is what prevents many from getting a puppy. But now things are different.
Our reservation lists filled up quickly. So we started a standby list where no deposit was required. This too has now filled up. We certainly did not see this frenzy of puppy demand coming. Some may be thinking, "What a nice problem to have: too many customers who want to buy from you ASAP!" Well, perhaps if we were a puppy mill that might be what we would think too, but we are far from that. We breed Goldens (and only Goldens) because we are in love with this breed and it is truly our passion. One thing we love about this business is seeing the joy our puppies bring to families and individuals. We love the relationships we have made with our customers for almost 15 years. But one thing we hate, is having to tell people who are on our waiting list that there were not enough pups in the litter for them to get one. It breaks their hearts, and ours too. This is tough for us because our customers have been exceptionally good, and we have been very blessed for the homes that have been provided to our babies. We call the pups our babies because we spend the first nine weeks with them and we grow very attached... how can you not?
Many ask, "How do you handle the inevitable separation when the time comes for the pups to go to their new homes?" Frankly, it's not easy but a wonderful thing for us to think about is the joy our pups will bring to their new owners. And, we get to do it again with our next litter of pups. We also have a very special relationship with all of our adult Goldens. Some have inquired, "Do you ever get rid of your older Goldens when you are no longer able to breed them?" The answer is, No. Our adult Goldens are more than just a breeding animal. They love us unconditionally and we love them the same. If we lose one of our Goldens due to old age, we grieve, and we like many of our customers, ask, "Why can't Goldens live for 30 or 40 years? It just doesn't seem fair for such a magnificent animal to have such a short life span..."
In closing we want to say that for now, we are not accepting any new reservations or adding people to our standby list. In the first part of next year we will re-open our reservations and standby lists. But for now, we have to slow down to avoid doing what we hate most: telling a customer that we don't have a puppy for them to take home. We appreciate everyone's understanding and our prayers are for our nation and each of you who are reading this.
Sincerely,
Emery-n-Denise's Golden Puppies
