I've been owned by keeshonden since 1996 and have learned a lot about the breed and breed
temperament since then. SPUNKEE'S was founded in 1999 when I bought my first show keeshond.
Once I started showing, I found out quickly how much I didn't know. While I had a
general understanding of the breed, there were many things about structure and temperament
that I still needed to learn. Over the next several years, I attended many seminars on
structure, read lots of books about canine structure and behavior, and became an obedience
instructor. The seminars and books helped me to learn about canine structure and behavior
while being an obedience instructor allowed me to get my hands on many different types of dogs
to help me to understand canine structure and to observe canine temperaments and behavior.
While I don't consider myself an expert, I understand the importance of good structure and
temperaments when selecting a dog to show or when selecting a dog to be a family member. Since
I also compete in obedience and agility, I understand that solid structure is not only important
for conformation and breeding, but also for any dog that will be competing in other venues as
well. All of my dogs are OFA, CERF, and thyroid tested before being bred. Once the puppies
are born, they are temperament tested at around 7 weeks and conformation tested at around 8
weeks old.
Puppies from Spunkee are typically reserved far in advance. My puppies are raised in my home with
lots of love and care. They are well socialized and extensively handled by me, my family,
friends, and neighbors. All of my dogs are sold with a standard sales contract that includes
health guarantees. I work with each buyer and their family to help them to find a quality
local dog obedience school, and strongly encourage them to begin training with their new family
member, as soon as possible.
I am a responsible breeder. We stay in contact with my puppy buyers for at least as long as
the puppy's life if not longer. This contact could be once a year to many times a month. I keep
a web page for each of our puppies and update it as often as I receive updates from the puppy's
family. Also, I reserve the right of first refusal to take a dog back, should our buyers ever
need to rehome a dog they got from me. I will help puppy buyers in anyway I can. This includes
pet sitting, grooming or teaching how to groom, and/or teaching how to handle their dog in the
ring. As you can see, I take my responsibility as a breeder very seriously.
I am an active member of the Keeshond Club of America (KCA), the Sandalfoot Keeshond Club of
Central Florida (SKCCF), SouthEastern Keeshond Club (SEKC), and Florida Keeshond Rescue (FKR).
- Karen D. Staats
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