Our Retirement Program
Responsible breeders do not retire or rehome dogs from their breeding programs because it is easy. We do it, in spite of how hard it is on us, because it is what’s best for the dog. To do so is to prioritize each dog’s health and well-being.
Responsible breeders retire dogs for several key reasons:
- Protecting the Mother’s Health: Our Code of Ethics requires that 1) we not breed any female dog before the age of two to ensure she has time to fully develop; 2) a female have no more than four litters; 3) she be retired by no later than the age of eight (unless cleared by a reproductive vet and the NIIU for an exception); and 4) she be retired if she has had two C-section deliveries.
- Pregnancy and whelping are physically demanding. As female dogs age, their fertility decreases, resulting in smaller litter sizes and decreased puppy survival. Older dogs are also at increased risk of prolonged labor, caesarean sections, and uterine infections. Retiring females after a certain age or a set number of litters prevents complications like uterine infections, prolonged labor, and decreased fertility.
- Preventing Genetic Diseases: If a hereditary health condition or genetic problem were to emerge in a dog’s bloodline, responsible breeders retire both parents to prevent the disorder from being passed down to future litters.
- Ensuring Quality of Life: Responsible breeding is limited by available space, time, and resources.
- For example, until we complete the restoration of our farmhouse, our living space is limited. We cannot house more than a set number of dogs. The same will be true when our house is done, of course, although the number of dogs will then likely be a little greater, but the same point holds.
- Our dogs all live in our home with us. If we were to keep expanding our pack, we would not be able to give each dog the time and energy each one deserves. Dogs can be competitive for their humans’ attention, the lack of which affects them both emotionally and physically—not, in our view, a good practice. We want to be sure we can provide the necessary training, play, and cuddle time for each dog, so that they each know how special they are to us.
- Each of our dogs is covered for all regular veterinary care; each also has separate coverage for emergencies (we use Trupanion). The cost of such coverage adds up. If we kept adding dogs in an ever-expanding pack, we would find it more difficult to assure them the care they deserve.
- Maintaining Program Standards: Breeders may retire dogs if they prove to be poor mothers, require excessive medical interventions during birth, or do not pass on the breed’s desired traits. Such cases in no way means the dog does not deserve a wonderful home; it may, however, mean that the breeder needs to consider a different future for that dog.
Remember that not everyone wants a puppy. Retired breeding dogs can be highly desirable as pets because they are often already housebroken, socialized, and should possess foundational obedience training.
These dogs are in no way “rescues.” Rehoming a retired breeding dog is the opposite of tossing the dog aside or discarding it. At Squam River, we only place our retired dogs in carefully screened homes—just as we do with our puppies—to ensure each one gets individual attention, care, and companionship.
