Clearvu Collies & Shelties too is my family's business. We sell our puppies to homes wanting pets and
to show homes. We also provide an in-home boarding service. We have offered training and
grooming services in the past, but right now our plates are too full to be doing too much of
that. Let me introduce you to our operations and our commitment -- to the puppies and their owners.
This is a family business in all respects. My husband Lee, and I work together daily to
ensure the health and well-being of all the animals in our care. Our daughter, Jennifer, works
with me every day in the maintenance and care of our dogs. Lee builds everything to my
specifications: The kennel building, directly across from our house, the grooming and whelping
room downstairs in our home, and our puppy play yard.
My children, Daniel and Jennifer, actively participate during the whelping of our
litters. They assist in the daily care to raise them to maturity. Lee rides on his bicycle
with the dogs to give them a good three-mile hike every other day, getting them in condition
for the show ring.
Of course, we take part in shows as a family. The tens of thousands of miles we have
traveled across the U.S. have been all together.
We're constantly upgrading our facility, especially since the boarding business began.
We offer a free weekend of boarding with the purchase of a collie or sheltie, and this is building our
clientele up nicely, because the dogs have such happy associations of this place. The animals
(dogs) get lots of exercise, in our two fenced-in common yards, one an eighth of an acre and
the other a little under half an acre.
"I was a professional obedience instructor for ten years," after attaining numerous obedience titles.
"For many years I was a volunteer for "Animal Welfare and Adoption Network," which is a not-for-profit
all-breed rescue. I studied animal husbandry at Cobleskill State
University. I got involved with breeding when I purchased my first "show quality" collie. We
made a serious financial investment in this girl, not to mention the year of research, and then
found that the breeder did not provide any ongoing support, and that shocked us. It inspired
us to create a different and more personal approach to being a responsible breeder.
When a prospective client meets our criteria and then purchases a collie or a sheltie from us, we're
there to support them in the ongoing health and well-being of the animal for the life of the
animal. You may pay several hundred dollars for an animal. Not only do you want that animal
healthy; you want it to be bred to a high standard of temperament, health, beauty "and, of
course, intelligence" that collies and Shelties are known for.
Every penny that we make from selling our puppies goes right back into the dogs. When
they go out on the show circuit, they are with highly qualified and proven professional handlers.
Our dogs are out with Stephen Barger, Paul Capobianco, and having recently joined our "family," Karen Jordan.
We're a very small kennel by any standards. Each of our dogs knows us, knows its
name, and gets to play in the house. They're born in our home and trained in the house. By six
weeks old, our puppies are paper trained.
"We run a very honest..." clean and professional business. The health and the
temperament of our animals is foremost. All of our collies are examined by a certified canine
Doctor of Optometry and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine before they leave us. Our Shelties
are seen by a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
Before we use any dogs or bitches for breeding, their hips are x-rayed to make sure they are free of hip
dysplasia. We're not vets. Whenever there's a medical problem, we make referrals to licensed
veterinarian. We can also suggest what the vet might look for, based on our experience of
living with the dogs and knowing them very well.
We started with Shelties a few years ago, with our purchase of "Blossom," Eastbrooke She's a Clearvu
from Debbie Blazek. Not only has she been a joy to own, but what a fabulous mom. Blossom has taught
us what Shelties are all about. A little DYNAMO in a small, glorious package.
So winning in the show rings has a lot of meaning for us because of all the work that
goes into it -- the training, the grooming, the daily care and, of course, the love. For
example, we had the honor of a "Group I" at the Trenton Kennel Club, the second largest show in
the Northeast. The winning bitch is our CH. Clearvu Tedjoi's Cinders, a rough blue merle
collie we had worked with since she was ten weeks old. A quick thank you to Joyce Beddow, of
Tedjoi Kennels, for parting with her. We are proud of our stars -- and we do our human best to
create a facility where every collie we breed and sell will be a star in somebody's eyes.