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Why did we Decide to Raise Puppies? | Pleasant Home Puppies

We get this question a lot! I think the more fitting question is why would we not want too? :) No, in all seriousness we have a passion for doing this and we want to give our dogs the love and care they deserve! It is a lot of work & we truly don't think it is a job for everyone unless you truly share that desire.
Our Story
Here's our story! Jordan & I (Julia) both grew up on farms 500 miles away from one another. I in Ohio & Jordan in Iowa. We didn't meet until we were college age, but little did we know our childhoods were very similar! We are both the youngest & dare I say, the favorite children...just kidding :) And although we admit we were a tad spoiled, we both had our duties around the house! Coincidently our parents both started raising dogs the same exact year! My parents with Airedale Terriers and Jordans' with Shichons!
Though our chores looked a little different, we both found ourselves with the dogs A LOT. My dog chores consisted of scooping the poop and cleaning the drains in the kennels when they got clogged which was a truly vial task. From this I was graciously given the lovely nickname of "pooper scooper." Clever.
From what I'm told, Jordan was the head guy in charge of brushing the dogs' teeth... and although he complains to this day about that task, I still think it was better than mine :)
Being a child and being surrounded by puppies was wonderful...until it was time to send them home to their new families. I distinctly remember getting super attached to one of the puppies from our dog, Scouts', litter. When the new owners came to pick her up, I ran up to the barn and hid with her until I was found and forced to hand her over.
Because of the hard goodbyes, and my nose being permanently immune to the smell of dog poop, I told myself I would never raise dogs once I got old. Famous last words, right? When I met Jordan and learned his family also raises dogs, I knew I was doomed. I am now happy to say that it was the best thing that could have happened because we now get share this passion together & we both absolutely love it!
Turns out it is contagious because all of our siblings on both sides, now also raise dogs. Which makes for wonderful resources, and lots of combined expertise, and experience.
How did we choose our breeds?
We started out with one of the breeds Jordan grew up with which was the Shihpoo. I was not familiar with this breed, but it took me about three seconds to give in. They are absolutely adorable and have such sweet little personalities.
Because Jordan's sister, & mom also raise Shihpoo's we decided we wanted something all of our own. So, we started researching! We wanted hypoallergenic, medium sized, smart, & of course sweet and cuddly! We came across the Cavapoochon and fell in love! They were everything we were looking for, and we loved the variation of color you can get in each litter!
From there our love for the Cavalier mixed breeds grew and we discovered the Cavapoo! Again, we fell in love! Recognizing a pattern here? We could not decide between the breeds, so we decided to do all three and haven't had one regret! They are all the perfect family dog and we have seen them bring so much joy to our home, and many others as well!
As our Shihpoo's are getting to the age we like to retire them, we will plan to move forward with just the Cavapoochon & Cavapoo breeds. Although we will terribly miss having Shihpoo puppies around, we make huge efforts to not over work our mama's and retire them in good age to ensure they retain great quality of life!
Why Not Adopt or Rescue Instead of Buying from a Breeder?
Growing up in Ohio, I have seen firsthand some puppy "facilities" that make me absolutely sick to my stomach. There are some wretched & horrible environments dogs have had to endure, and I absolutely think rescuing these dogs is a valiant and important role. But it also takes a certain type of person & knowledge to be able to rehabilitate these dogs. For them to truly heal, they need all of your time & attention and that is not a realistic expectation for everyone to be able to provide.
We also realize that thankfully not all rescue dogs are in that fragile of a state, but we do feel there is nothing wrong with falling in love with a certain breed and wanting to have one of your own. There are other ways to help shelter dogs, such as donation or volenterring to play or work with them.
We also know from experience that people have terrible allergies to certain breeds. We want to be able to provide pets that everyone, regardless of allergies, can enjoy and have in their homes... and sometimes a hypoallergenic dog is not easy to find in a shelter.
Lastly, we want to do this right and be an example for others! We believe it is fully possible to raise dogs in a safe, friendly, enjoyable environment, where they have great lives & are well loved! That is part of the reason we have our Guardian program! We know you can only show ample love to a certain number of dogs, and we never want to neglect any of them, which is why we started this program! Feel free to ask us more about this if you're curious!
All that to say we would NEVER discourage anyone from rescuing a dog. In fact, we whole heartedly thank those of you who have! All dogs deserve a good home and we hope to be able to help ensure that is happening!















