Abel’s New Home!

We are beyond thrilled to announce that Abel, our most recent training foster, has been adopted! Congratulations to Robin on her new best friend. Everyone at Astro fell in love with Abel and we couldn’t be happier that he found the perfect forever home! Robin and Abel have already enrolled in our January Intermediate Obedience class, and she is also planning on introducing him to agility in the future! Stay tuned for information regarding the story on our training foster program & Abel’s journey, filmed by WSPA, Channel 7 News.

#TipTuesday – Holiday Puppies

Dogs are so much fun, BUT they aren’t all fun! Owning a dog is a huge commitment, and it is not a decision that should be taken lightly. A new puppy is a great Christmas gift, but what about when that puppy is chewing your furniture or making a mess of your carpets? Do you have time to enroll your new puppy in training? What about scheduling those vet appointments for puppy shots and spay/neuter procedures? Remember, if you’re planning to add a dog to your family over the holidays that you are actually committing to around 15 years of care, dog food, training, veterinary care, heartworm prevention, flea & tick prevention, and the list just goes on! Owning a dog is a wonderful privilege, and to ensure a successful relationship make sure that your family is ready for the responsibility of a new best friend.

Training Foster – Abel

Recently, we introduced you to our current training foster, Abel. This adorable pup has now completed his basic obedience training at Astro and he is ready to find his forever home! Check out this video that highlights a few of the things that he has learned. If you think Abel might be a good fit for your family please give us a call at 864-297-9636 to schedule a time to meet him. For more information on this program and previous success stories, please visit: http://www.astrokennels.net/About-Us/Local-Partners

Top ten reasons you should NOT; I repeat, should NOT breed your German Shepherd… or any other dog for that matter.

1. You want to make some money. If done correctly, breeding is super expensive and laborious. You should hold your pups for a minimum of eight weeks so that they can socialize with the mother and the pack. The mother teaches them manners, just like yours should have taught you. The siblings teach them to work for their food, etc. Not to mention, if you hold them this long you will incur another vet expense for their second round of shots. On top of all this, if you correctly socialize (expose them to sounds, floors, take them on “pack walks”, etc.) and clean up after your litter, you will be clocking about three hours per day. That’s right… three hours a day. So if you pay yourself, how much will you be spending per day?
2. You are very curious to see what “Bonnie” and “Clyde’s” puppies would look like. If this is your reason, download an app or use your imagination.
3. You just HAVE to have one of “Bonnie” and/or Clyde’s” offspring because they’re the best dogs EVER and how will you ever live without them? OK, that’s great, but what will you do with the other nine living beings that your sweet Bonnie produced?!
4. You have 20 people lined up who say they want a puppy. Unless it’s in writing, chances are only one or two of those people will actually take you up on it, especially if there is money involved.
5. Your one-of-a-kind dog is imported. (Or someone related is imported.) Biiiiiig deal. While I will hand it to the Europeans; they are pretty much better overall at breeding and rearing GSDs than we are, you should not use this as an advertising gimmick to sell your dogs if you don’t know what you’re talking about. Importing usually means quality lines, but the top factors should be things like temperament, drive and workability (for a working dog).
6. Clyde’s great-great-great grandpa was a police dog. While that’s cool and all, it doesn’t mean much for your dog’s offspring unless you know how to raise them. You can have a dog with the best lines ever, but they could still turn up with bad hips, an unclear head, no drive, etc. etc.
7. Any health issues AT ALL. By this I mean less than “good” (OFA certified) hips and elbows. Bad eyes, bad temperament, chronic diseases, the list goes on. Also, keep in mind that OFA certification costs money, honey.
8. Advanced maternal age. Would you feel comfortable having a child at age 42? Ehh, maybe, if you’re in good shape. Supposedly, in dog years, that equals about age six. How about at age 49 (age seven for Bon-Bon)? Probably not. Crazier things have happened, but why risk it?
9. Something went wrong with the first litter. So say you bred Bonnie and Clyde and something went wrong. Could have been a fluke. Mom could have rejected the litter, there could have been an infection, she could have only had a couple pups, whatever the case may be… the definition of insanity, we all know, is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
10. A cop you know told you your dog would make a great police dog and you’re going to stock the local PD with their new K9s! Sorry, folks. In 99 percent of police agencies, that’s not how it works. I’ve seen it happen a few times, but in this day and age, PDs usually call that a “liability” and Rambo spends his life in a kennel at home or in the back of the patrol car.

Did you know that according to the ASPCA, approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.9 million are dogs. Of the dogs entering shelters, approximately 35% are adopted, 31% are euthanized and 26% of dogs who came in as strays are returned to their owner. With the current situation one thing is certain, the world does not need anymore “backyard breeders”. If you’re looking to add a pet to your family why not check-out your local Animal Shelter? Shelters are the perfect place to find your next family member, whether that be a purebred or a mixed breed.

Available for Adoption

This lovely female German Shepherd is Justice. She is currently staying at Astro for training until she finds her forever home. Justice will turn one on October 24th and she is registered with the CKC. She is currently up-to date on all of her vaccinations, heartworm medication, and she is microchipped. Justice is good around other dogs and she has a great temperament. There will be a small adoption fee for Justice to cover her veterinary care and vaccinations. If you are interested in Justice please contact us at 864-297-9636 for more information.