Tag Archives: conformation

Phoenix’s CKCS puppies are 5 weeks

I am so thankful to report that all 4 pups are healthy and with us. Little Sly is still smaller than his siblings but he has put on 5oz since last week and is gaining strength each day as he catches up on all the time he lay sick in the incubator.

They are enjoying toys and really starting to use the potty box regularly. It is fun to hear their little growls which sound like chipmunk purrs as they wrestle and play.

Enjoy the latest photos of our sweet babies

Girl 1: Puff

Girl 2: Raven

Two girls together

Boy 1: Griff

Boy 2: Sly

Boys together

Interested in your own Kazuri Cavalier King Charles Spaniel pup? please visit our Puppy page for information on our breeding plans, and pricing, how we place pups and how to apply.

Lilibet the beagle pup on the blue couch

Lilibet is tiny but mighty – I keep forgetting her age because she is so darn small. There is nothing wrong with her – she reminds me of a 13 and so it will be interesting to see if she follows her grandfather and great grandmother’s footsteps as a 13.

I took photos of her on the blue chair today – I love these pictures so much

Interested in your own Kazuri Beagle pup? please visit our Puppy page for information on our breeding plans, and pricing, how we place pups and how to apply.

Do I want a puppy from a show breeder?

With many enquiries into my puppies or dogs, I will get a statement of “Well, I am not looking for a show dog – just a companion”.

That’s fair enough. Showing is not for everyone.

However, let me explain the benefits of buying a “companion” puppy from a breeder who shows their dogs. What do I mean? Let me explain.

Each breed of dog has a written standard showing the “ideal/perfect” specimen of that breed. It’s the gold standard we are all trying to get as close to. Here is the standard for the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Here is the standard for the Beagle. It goes through everything from earset, to topline, to head shape, to acceptable colors, to temperament, and everything in between.

When show breeders show their dogs, they are asking judges to critique and choose their dogs based on that criteria. Showing dogs is essentially assessing breeding stock – how closely do the dogs match the standard so when they are bred, hopefully they will pass on genes that look and act like that specific breed. So, if you don’t get a pup from a show breeder, you may be getting a puppy that wont really look like the breed standard by the time it is an adult.

Show breeders are often part of clubs also. These clubs hold high ethical standards of breeding and there are penalties for not breeding ethically. So, while it might totally be in fashion to breed designer colors, since it is deviating from the breed standard, a preservation breeder won’t do it intentionally. I just introduced another term – preservation breeder – I did a separate blog all about that – you can read it here:

In any litter that a show breeder may have, they may only keep 1 or 2 pups. The other pups may have not been chosen, may still be beautiful but may have less angle or white in their eye, or be a carrier rather than clear of a genetic issue – whatever the reason, it wont impact your puppy from being an incredible pet. However, a show breeder/preservation breeder only wants to keep the best to continue breeding from. So, as a companion home you get the benefit of all the planning, time, effort that went into the litter.

Show breeders are often involved in other sports, and often they are also involved in their local rescue groups. They are interested in the BREED as a whole. What they can do to help and serve their beloved breed, not just them serve you by producing puppies to sell.

In addition, not all “pure bred” puppies have been well bred. To get a “pure bred” dog, you just need two purebred parents. They don’t have to be good examples of the breed or health tested to have puppies. However, to get a “well bred” dog, means you get the benefit of health testing, and a good example of the breed. A “well bred” puppy is one where the breeder has thought about the whole process – the structure, the temperament and the health of the dogs being bred.

For each breed, there is a club list of the recommended minimum health tests. A preservation breeder will perform these on all of their breeding dogs. The health tests for a CKCS can be found here: The health tests for a beagle can be found here: You can look up any dog by their name on www.ofa.org – not all tests are posted there but you can ask your breeder for their paperwork to look at.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.

xo Sarah

Phoenix’s CKCS pups are 3.5 weeks old

I am so sorry things have been quiet around here. The two girls from this litter are strong and healthy. However, last weekend, the boys both came down with aspiration pneumonia. Griff is now doing much better, but Sly is still pretty sick and in the incubator most of the day. Your prayers are appreciated – I really want him to live.

So – I took photos of them. I guess in some ways I have been hesitant in case I lost them, but at this stage, I want to acknowldge they are here, and the ones that are doing well.


So enjoy their photos from this week

Girl 1: Puff

Girl 2: Raven

Boy 1: Griff

Boy 2: Sly

Interested in your own Kazuri Cavalier King Charles Spaniel pup? please visit our Puppy page for information on our breeding plans, and pricing, how we place pups and how to apply.

Lilibet the beagle turns 4 weeks

Little Lili is growing – although not too much – she is actually rather small and I am really starting to wonder if she will end up as a 13. She loves to explore the yard and play with the other pups – she certainly holds her own even though she is so much smaller.

Now, if only the smoke from the wildfires would clear, maybe they could play outside for longer than 30 mins at a time.

Interested in your own Kazuri beagle pup? please visit our Puppy page for information on our breeding plans, and pricing, how we place pups and how to apply.

Sylvie’s beagle girl turns 3 weeks

Little Lilibet is thriving under Syl’s care – she is now eating 3x a day and nursing just on an “as needed” basis. Its so fun to see this little girl grow up and I can’t wait to see how she will turn out.

Interested in your own Kazuri beagle pup? please visit our Puppy page for information on our breeding plans, and pricing, how we place pups and how to apply.

Phoenix’s CKCS puppies open their eyes

It’s been a long but wonderful week. I wasn’t entirely sure the 2 boys were going to make it to this milestone as they were not gaining weight despite me giving them support with Sub-Q, warmth and top up feedings (so they wouldn’t get tired nursing).

However, I am feeling more optimistic with the whole litter reaching their “double birthweight” milestone and opening their eyes.

So – without further ado, the 4 houses of Hogwarts

Puff (Hufflepuff) (Girl 1)

Gryffin (Gryffindoor) (Boy 1)

Raven (Ravenclaw) (Girl 2)

Sly (Slytherin) (Boy 2)

Interested in your own Kazuri Cavalier King Charles Spaniel pup? please visit our Puppy page for information on our breeding plans, and pricing, how we place pups and how to apply.

Fun playtime in the yard

The pack always loves it when they can play with the babies and of course the baby puppies love to play with the big dogs too. Our adult beagles are so gentle and our golden is like “Nana” from Peter Pan. She just wants to smother them in her love and they adore her for it.

Enjoy these photos taken in the fall sun today, in the yard.