Charlotte’s due date was Friday the 26th. We had done the xrays on Wednesday the 24th and we knew there were 4 puppies on board. True to timing, she started panting and nesting Friday evening around 7pm.
I woke up every 1.5 hours through the night to check on her. I walked her, and pottied her but there wasn’t much action happening. This is normal. Stage 1 can be long (just like a human – they are opening the cervix to “10 cm”). Around 4am she cried a lot so I ended up sleeping beside her from that point, with my hand on her as she slept and panted and shifted.
Saturday was much the same – watching her, but not much happening. we went on lots of walks/potty breaks. That was, till about 4:30pm. During one of our potty breaks, her water sack came out and she proceeded to pop it. “Awesome”, I thought. “We will have a puppy soon.” But, as the afternoon wore on, Charlotte kept panting and then would do an occasional push, but nothing worth noting.
In the dog breeding world, you start to worry when your dog has been pushing consistently for an hour. She hadn’t been doing that, but after 3 hours of waiting, it just didn’t feel right. By this stage, Molly and Abbey arrived. Molly is Charlotte’s ‘other mom’ (Charlotte lives in a guardian home with one of my closest friends).
Around 8pm, we spotted a little bubble – YEAH – a puppy was on it’s way, but then we saw feet. UH OH – that’s not usually a good sign. Feet without a sack means a dry birth, which is harder for momma to push out, and a bubble usually means there is another baby competing for space. We did the “wheelbarrow” technique to try to reposition the babies and called our vet. He said since there was a puppy so close, we should grab a towel and try to gently pull the puppy out. We tried to do this, however, Charlotte kept sucking it back inside making it near impossible to grab. I made the call to Dr Anders to do a c-section – he agreed.
At this stage, I will say a HUGE thank you to Dr Anders Thoreson from Klahaya Animal Hospital for being on call – I know this is not normal and it is SO appreciated.
As irony would have is, just as we pulled in the the Klahaya carpark, Charlotte gave birth to that birth puppy on Molly’s arm. In the breeding world we call that “bumpy road protocol” 🙂 haha.
Inside we talked about it – between the lack of pushing and the long labor, we decided to go ahead with the c-section and get the babies out. Better to have healthy babies alive than wait too long and have them die.
I was in the surgical room (far back from the clean area) to “catch” puppies and then i ran them out to Brianna, Molly and Abbey so they could rub them down. All 4 are healthy and strong – at first a little tired from surgery but it didnt take long to get them nursing.
We got 3 girls and a boy. 2 tri girls and 1 blen girl and 1 blen boy. 🙂 Born just before 10pm on Saturday the 27th. Mama and babies were able to come home an hour later and so I got up all through the night to check on their progress.
We are so thankful for these precious little lives and look forward to them growing up.
Since Charlotte is named after Princess Charlotte, it seemed only fitting we did a “Royal” litter in her honor.
Blen girl was born at 6.17oz. We are nicknaming her “Fergie”
Blen boy was born 6.49oz. We are nicknaming him “Archie”
Tri girl 1 (with the larger blaze) was born at 6.53oz. We are nicknaming her “Victoria”
Tri girl 2 (with the smaller blaze) was born 6.67oz and we named “Kate” since she looks so much like her mom.
**please note that none of these puppies are available at this time**
So, I have been a huge fan of a kennel in Australia called Karakush for a long time owned by Leigh and Helen Gibson. The consistency in their breeding program, and quality of their dogs is something to aspire to. I used one of their boys “Langrigg The Cake Boss” for my last breeding to Madison and was not disappointed.
A short time ago, a good friend of mine, Chelsea from Van Mar Beagles contacted me. She had been given the opportunity to import and own Puddin’ (Aus CH Karakush The Proof Is In The Puddin’). She is a beautiful adult beagle that Chelsea could have a litter from and therefore bring some of that bloodline into her own kennel. Well, she called to ask if I would be interested in owning her with her. It was a no brainer for me – of course I said YES! I am SO thankful to Chelsea for her generosity for allowing me to co-own Puddin’ and I know she will add something wonderful to both of our programs. Puddin’ is a 1/2 sister to Charity, whom we co-own together, so it seems like a wonderful extension of that for both of us.
Puddin’ arrived via plane. A huge thank you to Gemma and the staff at Pet Carriers International for coordinating a smooth and uneventful trip! Chelsea and her daughter picked Pud up from the airport and they enjoyed a night at a hotel and some time at the beach before heading home. Pud was un-phased by her long trip proving her wonderful temperament. She walked out of her crate, tail wagging and even though she had not spent much time with little kids was happy to make Chelsea’s daughter her new BFF.
I also want to take the time to sincerely thank Leigh and Helen for giving us the opportunity of adding one of their lovely girls to my breeding program. I’ve been a big fan of the Karakush dogs for a long time. I feel like Puddin’ will compliment what I have going on and really accelerate the plans I have moving forward.
As Chelsea said, “I am reminded that is truly takes a village to create a successful breeding program. I am so grateful to all the breeders behind all my dogs and the fact they are so generous to share a piece of their success with me. They have become cherished friends and I will never forget their generosity and willingness to allow a fellow breeder produce good dogs.”. I believe those sentiments wholeheartedly. <3
Puddin’ at 8 weeksPuddin’ at 12 weeksPuddin’ at 1.5 yearsPuddin’ at 1.5 yearsChelsea’s daughter helping get Puddin’ out of customs and onto US soilPuddin’s first kissPuddin’ enjoying the beach before driving home to Chelsea’s
Nick continues to show us he is a gift wrapped in a little tri package!
This weekend Mike and Karen attended the Ochlocknee River Kennel Club of Florida & Greater Panama City Fanciers Association in Tallahassee Florida.
Nick (CH Kazuri’s All I Want For Christmas) blew us away by gaining all of the other requirements he needed to get his GRAND CH (Akc pending) – winning five 5 point majors to finish in 2 weekends as a move up special.
On Friday he went Best of Opposite to Paul Hines and Carol Herr’s lovely girl Noel under judge Mr Allen L Odem. This was an honor as Noel went on to win Reserve Best In Show!
On Saturday we went Best of Breed under judge Mr Dana P. Cline.
On Sunday we went Best of Breed under Dr. Steve Keating. He then went on to win a Hound Group 2 under judge Mr Allen L Odem.
I am so thankful to these judges for finding our boy in a large entry of lovely beagles. I am always thankful to Mike and Karen for their care and handling of our Nick.
We are so happy to announce that the first Kazuri litter for 2021 will be (all going well) cavaliers. We expect them to be born late March/early April.
Miss Charlotte is in whelp to German import Est/Lat/Germ CH Angel’s Pride Zakkary.
This is a tri x blenheim breeding and we could get puppies in either color from this litter.
*please note that we have an existing waitlist and so these puppies will all be spoken for*
As a reputable and responsible preservation breeder, I care about the well being of my dogs first and foremost.
In order for me to give my dogs the best possible life, while also being a part of my breeding program, I feel it is important for me to limit how many dogs I keep physically at my home. I do not believe in running a breeding program where dogs are living in kennels. All of my dogs are beloved pets and members of our family. If I had to wait till they passed on to continue my breeding program, I would have a very very small breeding program, and would only breed every 10+ years. That doesn’t really help me create a good breeding program.
To be a good breeder of quality dogs, we must keep, evaluate, and continuously add quality bloodlines to our breeding program. We like to keep a few of our pick puppies to monitor their growth and development. Some will eventually fit into our breeding program, but as we only breed the best, some also will not make the cut. We prefer to place these pick puppies in guardian homes so we can watch them grow and health test them and make the decision whether or not to breed them when the time comes.
Both beagles and cavalier king charles spaniels need to be a part of the family to develop their full potential. That is why we have a guardian program.
The guardian home program is an excellent deal for the dog, it’s a good deal for the guardian parents, and it’s a good deal for producing an exceptional breeding program. It’s one of those “win – win” situations for everyone involved.
The family receives a quality, health tested and top pick puppy. These puppies are sold at a small discount. I am able to improve the breed by using only the best for bettering the breed faster than I could if I had to limit myself to only the few dogs I can keep under my own roof as per the county guidelines and as is reasonable to love and care for them properly.
As a guardian home puppy grows up, we closely monitor the temperament, structure and health. As a guardian family, you will agree to meeting me, or allowing me to take the dog to health clinics to check eyes, hearts, hips etc. as well as perform genetic testing. If the dog is a great ambassador of the breed in all aspects, he/she may be used in our breeding program. We do not take back possession of the dog if they enter our breeding program but instead work closely with our guardians as a team. The dog will continue to live with their guardians full time in partnership.
Before any dog is bred all genetic testing will be performed as well as going to a reproductive specialist vet to be cleared for future reproduction. All of these health tests and breeding costs are done at Kazuri’s expense. If the dog does not pass all genetic testing and is not deemed healthy enough to carry/sire litters by the repro vet, he/she will be fixed at the expense of the breeder and all ownership paperwork will be transferred to the guardian at that time. If a female passes all testing and is cleared for reproduction her breeding career will begin on or after her second or third heat. She will be evaluated after every litter by the repro vet and both timing of breedings and length of breeding career will be at the breeder’s discretion upon the professional opinion of repro vet.
Females are generally in guardianship until her 5th year of age or typically 2nd (at most 3rd) litter – whichever comes first. Kazuri may not need her for this many litters, but we would rather set up the maximum expectation. Why 5 years? Well, a girl is not ready to have babies till 2 – 2.5. Since I work with the families and dont force a timeline on them, if she doesnt have a first litter till 3 or 3.5, we may need till 4.5/5 in order to have the 2nd litter, depending on how often she goes into heat cycle. Alternativly, if it works to do the litters at 2.5ish, your puppy may be “retired” by 4.
With regards to pregnancy and whelping the litter, she would have her pregnancy with her guardian home and then whelp and raise the litter at Kazuri. Guardian families receive a monetary gift for every litter as a thank you. And, of course the guardian family will be welcome to visit. After the completion of her final litter Kazuri will pay to have dog spayed and all ownership papers will be signed over to guardian family forever.
Males are in guardianship until a maximum age of 7 years of age. During this time he may or may not be needed for stud service. Guardian families will get a portion of the stud fee if they are ever used by outside breeders, as a thank you. At retirement, Kazuri will have male neutered and all ownership papers will be signed over to guardian parents forever.
General life expectancy of well bred and cared for beagle is around 15 years but can live up to 17 years with lots of love and care and a healthy cavalier king charles spaniel will usually live 12 years but can live up to 15 with proper care.
As an added thank you to our wonderful guardians I do allow guardians to reserve one puppy out of their guardian dog’s last litter to keep as beloved pet at half cost if they would like to.
Please send me a message for our full guardianship overview that goes into greater detail on how exactly the program works!
Mandatory qualifications for guardians
MUST BE WITHIN 30 MINUTES OF WOODINVILLE, WA
MUST BE IN A STABLE LIFE SITUATION (NOT PLANNING TO MOVE OUT OF THE AREA FOR AT LEAST 6 YEARS AND MUST ALWAYS RENT/OWN A PLACE THAT HAS YARD ACCESS AND ACCEPTS ANIMALS
YARD MUST BE ESCAPE PROOF AND CLEARED OF POTENTIAL HAZARDS THAT A DOG COULD GET INJURED FROM
GUARDIAN MUST NOT OWN ANY INTACT MALES/FEMALES OF OPPOSITE SEX OF GUARDIAN DOG OR ANY AGRESSIVE DOGS
YOU MUST BE ABLE TO CARE FOR THE FINANCIAL DEMANDS OF A DOG. FOOD, VET CARE AND GROOMING IF NEEDED – ALL DAY TO DAY COSTS INCLUDING MEDICAL ARE THE RESPONSIBILTY OF THE GUARDIAN HOME
YOU MUST BE READY TO DEDICATE TIME AND ENERGY INTO THE TRAINING OF YOUR DOG. ALL GUARDIANS MUST TEACH THE BASIC COMMANDS OF: SIT, DOWN, STAY, COME, NO, DROP IT, LEAVE IT. KNOWING THESE COMMANDS HELPS KEEP YOUR DOG SAFE
MUST BE WILLING TO COMPLETE PUPPY CLASSES/CANINE GOOD CITIZEN CLASS AND POTENTIALLY SHOW CLASSES TO PREPARE DOG FOR FUTURE SHOWING
MUST BE ABLE TO GIVE YOUR DOG AMPLE ATTENTION, EXERCISE AND AFFECTION DAILY. BEAGLES AND CAVALIERS ARE DEDICATED FAMILY DOGS AND REQUIRE LOTS OF LOVE
MUST BE COMPLIANT WITH ALL TERMS OF THE CONTRACT INCLUDING NOT USING YOUR DOG FOR BREEDING YOURSELF
* Occasionally we do make exceptions to the mandatory requirements for unique situations. If you feel you are a great match overall aside from one of the requirements above, please contact me and explain. We mostly care our dogs are going to excellent families with lots of love to offer and do sometimes make exceptions on a case by case basis.
~ Where are you located?   We are located just north of Seattle, Washington. My beagle breeding partners are located in Nashville, TN and Spokane WA. My cavalier breeding partners are located in Everett Washington.
My husband and I and our two teens whelp and raise the puppies in our living room, so they are used to being handled from birth, as well as all the experiencing all the normal household noises.
~ How much are your puppies? The price of a Kazuri Beagle Puppy is $2,500. The price of a Kazuri Cavalier King Charles Puppy $4,500 . There is a non-refundable holding fee subtracted from the purchase price when the puppy is 4-6 weeks of age. This price reflects the investment made in the commitment to the care and health of all my Beagles and CKCS, as well as the effort I put into my breeding program. From feeding top quality food, to regular chiropractic and regular vet appointments. It considers the expenses I go through to show my dogs, ensuring that they have the structure, type and temperament of the breed, to extensively health testing the dogs used in my breed program each year. I find the best pedigree matches for each litter – sometimes importing semen from overseas or across the USA. I follow each breed’s recommended health screenings which can include DNA genetic testing, OFA Hips and patella, yearly eye and heart checks from ophthalmologist and cardiologists. I spare no expense. Every dollar that I get, goes right back into my dogs and breeding program. PLEASE NOTE: Prices are subject to change at anytime. If you have paid a deposit, the price at that time will be honored
~ Is this your primary income source? NO! I am glad you asked. I have a full time photography business that I run (Sarah Sweetman Photography), which allows me to work from home when I am not out on location. I breed dogs because I love them and am passionate about them, not because it is any kind of income source for our family.
~ Will I be able to meet both the mom and dad of the puppies? Unfortunately no – I only have girls at home here at Kazuri. This means that I have to find the best studs around the US or even abroad when I want to have a litter. You will only get to meet the mom of the litter. However, most of my dogs are related and so you will get a good idea of the temperament of my bloodline when you come to meet them.
~ Are your dogs all purebred? Yes. All of my dogs are pure bred and registered with the AKC. All puppies are also registered with the AKC and come with paperwork and registration numbers. I am passionate about preserving and improving beagles and cavaliers and so do not breed crosses or mix breeds.
~ You do health testing – does this guarantee my dog is going to be healthy for it’s whole life? I wish I could say “YES” to this. But I cant. I do health testing, because I want to make the best, most educated guess and minimize the odds of producing puppies that could get sick. However, genetics can always throw you a curve ball, and that is something you can not always predict. I will always work hard to do as much as I can, to minimize the odds of breeding dogs who have health issues.
Health Tests for Beagles * Genetic tests (MLS, F7, PRA, NCCD) * OFA Hips * Cerf Eye exam by Ophthalmologist * Cardiologist heart clearance * Thyroid
Health tests for CKCS * Genetic tests (DE/CC/EF) * OFA Hips * Cerf Eye exam by Ophthalmologist (yearly) * Cardiologist heart clearance (yearly) * MRI Scan
~ When can we come and visit? Well, I more than happy for you to arrange a time to come and visit us, even if we dont have puppies. If we have a litter, we don’t let visitors come and visit before 6 weeks just to let the puppies get old enough for us to start to see their structure and perhaps start narrowing down who might stay here at Kazuri as our next show prospect. Please understand that visiting before that can be unsafe for the puppies as it introduces new bacteria to the puppies that can harm their little immune systems.
~ Do you have a kennel? No, we dont have a “kennel”. Our dogs all live in our home (and on our couches). The puppies are born in our living room and we raise them there so they are used to being handled frequently by our children, and also used to normal household noises and activity,
~ Do you have puppies all the time? No – I only have a limited number of litters per year. This is because I breed with purpose. My dams have to have finished their health testing before they can be bred. They also will only have a maximum of 2 litters in a row before having a year or more break. Because they go into season every 8-12 months, I might only have 1 or 2 litters in a calendar year. Lastly, I can not guarantee which month they will occur as I can not control my dam’s heat cycles. I have to go with whatever time Mother Nature gives me.
~ When we can choose our puppy?  With any litter, we dont make any promises of any specific puppies to families till between 6-8 weeks. This is because our primary goal in breeding is always to find a new show prospect for ourselves. Once we have decided on that one, we place the others in their forever companion homes.  We do our best to match the temperaments and energy levels to each family, rather have families choose based on looks.
~ Do you ship puppies in cargo? If you live out of town, we require you to fly in and pick up your puppy. We do not ship except with a flight nanny. Our daughter Brianna, or even myself, is sometimes available to fly and meet new families. You are welcome to ask about this service.
~ What do your puppy’s come with?  They all come with a lifetime of support from myself as a breeder. They come with AKC limited registration paperwork (non breeding), microchipped, their first vaccines, de-wormed, a bag of food and a blanket they have been sleeping on. Each puppy has begun work on potty training and basic manners. You will have to sign a contract. All deposits are received via Venmo, or cashiers check and balance payments are received in cash or cashiers check.
~ What is your policy on spaying and neutering? I believe in not adding to the overpopulation of dogs (and cats) in the animal shelters by responsibly spaying/neutering. In saying that, I believe that dogs should be able to fully grow before they have surgery. It will be in your contract to not spay/neuter before 18 months. If you can not wait, you will need to either do a vasectomy (male) or ovary sparing spay (OSS) (female) or buy a puppy from someone else.
~ Why do you require someone to be home most of the time or the puppy have another dog? Both beagles and cavaliers are very social breeds. They both thrive with their “people”. Bad habits are formed when their needs are not being met, and the worst behaved beagles and cavaliers I have met are ones that are alone for long periods of time. So, I will not sell to you if you work all day and wont put your dog in daycare, or leave your dog with a friend/family member so they can not be alone. It will not be successful for you or them. Please understand and respect that.
~ Do you ever have older dogs available? Very occasionally we will have an older puppy or retired show dog available. Older dogs do have benefits over a puppy – they are already crate trained, potty trained and leash trained. If you would like to be considered for one of these, please let us know. We have a very small breeding program so this is not very common. You can look on the “AVAILABLE” page for any adults that might be available.
