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Black Forest Kennel of the High Plains We hunt more wild quail than any other Pointing Labrador Kennel! |
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Q: What is your breeding philosophy? A: We breed our dogs to produce puppies that are first and foremost genetically sound. All of our breeding dogs will have OFA hip ratings of good or excellent, as will any dogs we breed to outside out kennel. They also have their eyes checked by a CERF approved canine ophthalmologist. We also breed to produce puppies that will have natural pointing instincts, great marking abilities, outstanding noses, intelligence, and trainability. And last but not least, we bred to provide you with a Pointing Labrador that will make an outstanding family companion. Q: What do your dogs' titles stand for? A: We title our dogs with the American Pointing Labrador Association (APLA) and the American Kennel Club (AKC). We do this to show our dogs are capable of performing at the highest levels of testing within each organization. This testing involves months and years of expensive training for each dog. We feel this helps our customers make a better decision in buying a puppy when they know our dogs are capable of performing the work we say they can. It also sets us apart from all of the kennels that simply put a CP title on a dog then breed it to a top GMPR.
Q: At what age do your puppies point? A: We have had puppies point as early as 5 1/2 weeks old. Some point earlier than others, but most are pointing by 12 weeks old. What is done with the puppy after it leaves our kennel will influence the pups pointing ability. We can offer good advice on things to do and things to avoid ensuring you give the pup the best chance of becoming a top notch-pointing Lab. Q: What guarantee do you offer? A: We offer the original owner of the puppy a 26-month guarantee. If you are not happy with the puppy and the puppy has not been neglected, injured or abused, we will replace the puppy provided you return it to us (at your expense) along with the original registration certificate. Q: Do you hunt your dogs? A: YES!!! This is why we have dogs in the first place. We are fortunate to live in the last great strong hold of wild bobwhite quail hunting left in the United States! Each season our dogs are hunted on more wild quail than the dogs of all the other Pointing Lab kennels put together. As a matter of fact we invited several other kennel owners to hunt with us each year. Our current goal is to hunt our dogs on every species of North American wild quail. This is a feat that to the best of our knowledge has not been completed by a Pointing Lab. We have hunted bobs, scaled quail (blues) and Gamble's to date, with a trip for Mearn's already scheduled. This will leave only Valley and Mountain quail for a trip next year. In addition to our primary quarry of quail, our dogs routinely hunt pheasant, dove and waterfowl. Q: Are Pointing Labs good waterfowl dogs? A: Again YES!!! Pointing Labs are first and foremost, Labrador Retrievers. As such they posses every trait of a Labrador, so water fowling is second nature to them. Q: How did you become involved with Pointing Labradors? A:Growing up in the Panhandle, we were fortunate in that we have been hunting since childhood. At an early age I was hunting behind English pointers, Brittanys, and shorthairs. The one thing we never had a problem with was finding birds for the dogs to point, however once they were shot, the dogs never did a good job of retrieving the dead birds. This lead to getting our first Labrador, Haus. He did a great job of hunting and retrieving the dead birds we had shot. After our first Lab, our losses went down significantly. As Haus aged, we started thinking about replacing him. By this time I had heard of Pointing Labs, and thought they would be the best of both worlds. After extensive research I noticed almost every PL kennel had dogs that went back to Black Forest bloodlines. That spoke volumes to me. I decided to get my first dog from Black Forest, so I called Kevin. Well that phone call turned into my purchase of a decent little pup, which we named Sage. One thing led to another and I eventually work out a deal with Kevin and started Black Forest Kennel of the High Plains. Since then we have had several dogs go on to earn various titles in the APLA and AKC, up to and including 4x GMPR and MH. In that time I have also served on the APLA Board of Directors as well as having judged APLA events extensively all over the country. This has allowed many great friendships to develop. This is probably the best part of being involved with Pointing Labs. (Besides the hunting!!) Q: Do you ship puppies? A: We can arrange to ship your puppy to many U.S. cities. We ship out of Amarillo Texas, which is a 2 1/2 hour drive one-way from the kennel. Typical shipping cost will run $400 to $450 weather permitting. If you wish to have a puppy shipped, let us know when you send in the deposit and we can work with you on making the required arrangements. Q: Do you offer training? A: We do not offer training as we feel the best trainers are just that, dog trainers, just as the best breeders are not trainers. We can steer you in the right direction if you request professional training for your puppy. Q: Do you have started dogs? A: We do occasionally have started dogs for sale. Contact us if you are looking for one. Q: What is your deposit policy? A: Our policy is a minimum deposit of $200 will hold your choice of a puppy out of a specific litter you decide on. You must state the sex and color you are wanting out of that litter. If the sex and color your requested is available you will be expected to purchase that puppy when it is old enough to leave the kennel. If the puppy you requested is produced and you decide you do not want the puppy your deposit will not be refunded. If the color and or sex you requested is not produced you will be given the option of switching to another available pup out of that litter, a pup from a different litter or you can get a full refund of your deposit. Q: What is your payment policy? A: Our payment policy is that you must pay for the puppy in full before it leaves the kennel. This can be in the form of cash, check or certified funds. If a personal check is used for final payment of the puppy and or airline shipping cost, the puppy will not be released or shipped until the check has cleared the bank. It is preferred that final payment be made with cash or certified funds to avoid delays. Deposits can be made with personal checks, however if they do not clear the bank a service charge will be added and if the matter is not corrected swiftly you will lose your pick in the litter. |