Health & guarantee
A guarantee is only worth what is written in it. Ours is a document you can read in full before you commit to anything, and everything stated on this page is something we can put paperwork behind.
Responsible breeding
Most of them happen long before a litter is born, and none of them are visible in a photograph. They are, however, all things you can ask a breeder about.
Every health outcome in a litter is decided long before the litter exists — in which two dogs are paired, what is known about them, and whether the breeder is willing to cancel a planned mating on the strength of an inconvenient result. That is where responsible breeding actually happens.
Screening breeding dogs for the conditions known in the breed meaningfully lowers the chance of passing them on. It cannot eliminate it, and anyone who tells you their line is free of every problem is describing a hope rather than a fact.
Examinations, vaccinations, worming and microchipping are only worth anything if they are documented. Every puppy leaves here with dates and products written down, so your own vet can continue from exactly the right point.
A dam who is well-fed, well-rested and properly spaced between litters raises stronger puppies. How a breeder treats their adult bitches is the most reliable single indicator of how they treat everything else.
A family who understands what they are taking on is the best health outcome a puppy can have. We would rather spend an hour explaining the breed than an hour explaining a guarantee.
You get the actual certificates for both parents before you commit to anything — not a paraphrase, not a screenshot. If a test has not been done, we say so rather than letting you assume.
Health testing
These are the areas responsible breeders of this breed screen for. Ask us — and every other breeder you speak to — what has been done, and ask to see it.
Joint conformation is assessed by radiograph and scored by a recognised scheme. Ask what the parents scored and what the breed average is where you live.
Several inherited eye conditions are recognised in the breed, some detectable by examination and some by DNA test. Ask for the date of the most recent examination, not only the result.
Panels are available covering the inherited conditions identified in Border Collies. Ask which panel was run, by which laboratory, and to see the certificate for both parents.
A gene variant affecting how some herding breeds process certain common medications can be DNA tested. It is inexpensive, it is worth knowing, and your vet will thank you for it.
Where a breeding involves merle or heavy white markings, hearing is worth confirming. Ask what was checked and how.
Beyond any formal scheme: are the adults fit, well-muscled, of good weight and evidently happy? A breeder who is relaxed about you meeting their dogs is telling you something.
This section describes what to ask about. It deliberately states no results for our own dogs — those are entered by us in the theme settings and shown above, and we will send you the certificates on request. [ADD YOUR OWN TESTING DETAILS IN THEME SETTINGS → HEALTH & GUARANTEE]
Puppy wellness
Weighed from the first day and monitored throughout. A puppy whose growth stalls is noticed within a day, not a week.
Given on a regular schedule from the first weeks, with product and dates recorded for your own vet to continue. [ADD YOUR WORMING SCHEDULE]
Appropriate to age before going home, with the exact product and date recorded. Your vet will advise when the course is complete. [ADD YOUR VACCINATION SCHEDULE]
A physical examination before homecoming, and you receive the record of it. [CONFIRM WHO EXAMINES YOUR PUPPIES]
Implanted and registered, with help transferring the registration into your name. [CONFIRM WHETHER MICROCHIPPING IS INCLUDED]
We ask every family to arrange an independent veterinary examination shortly after arrival. It protects you, it protects us, and it starts your relationship with your vet properly.
Due diligence
Including us. A breeder worth buying from will answer all eight without hesitating, and will not be offended that you asked.
We will not promise you a dog who never gets ill. No honest breeder can. Careful selection, proper testing and a well-run first eight weeks stack the odds heavily in your favour, and that is exactly what a guarantee is for — it sets out what happens if the odds go against us both. Anyone offering you certainty about a living animal is selling you something else.
Raised in Our Family. Ready for Yours.
Tell us about your household and what you are hoping for. We will be honest with you about whether one of our puppies is the right fit — and if the answer is yes, we will help you find exactly the right one.