# Would you recommend Amity Valley Kennels



## shelhey (Jul 16, 2014)

I am having a hard time finding black or blue toy poodles within driving distance to me. 

Does this one have a good reputation on here? Amity Valley Kennels

Does anyone know of any other in the midwest? Or anywhere?

Thanks!

P.S. I know I shouldn't care about the color, and I didn't, for my first dog. But I am going to try for a black or blue this time. I do care about health and temperament first.


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

shelhey said:


> I am having a hard time finding black or blue toy poodles within driving distance to me.
> 
> Does this one have a good reputation on here? Amity Valley Kennels
> 
> ...


I really like Anne Seppo, the owner of Amity Valley Kennels. My mini poodle is coming home from Amity in about a week and a half (see my other thread for pictures)! Anne and I have spent a LOT of time talking on the phone together. She's answered all of my bazillion questions, happily provided documentation of the extensive health testing she does on her breeding stock, and has given me frequent updates on my puppy. One thing to be aware of is that she is occasionally abrupt; she's been breeding poodles and running a grooming business for many years so she has formed some strong opinions.

I think it's worth shooting her an email or giving her a call. I don't know so much about her toy poodles. I do know that she is adamant about health testing and offers a lifetime guarantee on her puppies for temperament and health problems. This is important to her because it pretty much ensures that she'll hear about it if her dogs are developing issues later in life. Other people I've talked to who have pet miniature poodles from her were totally pleased with their experience and the pet that they got.

Hope that helps!
Further questions, just ask!


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

If you google Anne's grooming facility you will see reviews that Anne and her staff are sometimes abrupt or maybe rude to their customers. So Anne may be difficult for some people to deal with. I did communicate with her when looking for a mini and she seemed ok and upfront about health testing. I asked if her coming litter might be good for therapy work and she said yes, that she could separate our puppy from the other dogs at age 7 weeks so that they would bond less with dogs and more with people. This answer bothered me a little.

I ended up with a different breeder who actually felt the puppy should be exposed to other puppies and dogs as much as possible. So I don't think Anne and I would have been as good as match as I was looking for.

I have heard that she breeds very good quality dog. I am just not sure I agree with her philosophy in how to treat the dogs. Since I did not get a dog from her, my opinion is not as valuable as someone who did.


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

MiniPoo said:


> If you google Anne's grooming facility you will see reviews that Anne and her staff are sometimes abrupt or maybe rude to their customers. So Anne may be difficult for some people to deal with. I did communicate with her when looking for a mini and she seemed ok and upfront about health testing. I asked if her coming litter might be good for therapy work and she said yes, that she could separate our puppy from the other dogs at age 7 weeks so that they would bond less with dogs and more with people. This answer bothered me a little.
> 
> I ended up with a different breeder who actually felt the puppy should be exposed to other puppies and dogs as much as possible. So I don't think Anne and I would have been as good as match as I was looking for.
> 
> I have heard that she breeds very good quality dog. I am just not sure I agree with her philosophy in how to treat the dogs. Since I did not get a dog from her, my opinion is not as valuable as someone who did.


Anne starts crating all of her miniature puppies at night at age 6 wks for short periods as a group and then they get their own crates at 7 weeks. They learn to settle and begin to get used to spending some time without their litter mates. Unless I'm misunderstanding you, she probably meant to tell you this and was unclear?

The pups spend most of the day playing together and with their mother, but crating early helps them begin the transition before heading to their new homes. Of course they need playtime with their littermates to learn how to be good dogs (especially for bite inhibition), but learning to use and love a crate is also an important skill. It's not like she's keeping them in jail all day. The puppies see her other poodles but not the dogs in the grooming facility because she can't trust that those dogs aren't carrying diseases that a little puppy would not yet be immune to. This is standard practice for a responsible breeder.

This was actually something I liked about her, because it takes more effort to be managing a confinement schedule for a litter of pups rather than just letting them run wild together until they're ready to go home. The organization I raised seeing eye dogs for, which are by necessity some of the best socialized dogs alive, also started confinement early; actually at six weeks for yellow labradors but they're a little bigger at that age. It helps with housebreaking too.

I definitely see how you could be uncomfortable with it philosophically but she isn't doing anything considered bad in the realm of puppy treatment. Each breeder has his/her quirks and you've just got to find one that works for you. :smile:

So for the OP, hopefully our collective info is helpful. I'd encourage you to call her regardless, because it was very helpful for me to hear from many different breeders the way that they do things over the phone. She is happy to refer you to other breeders too; I actually initially got some referrals from her but then ended up circling back for my puppy.

Another thing you could try if you want to get look more broadly than just Amity but are interested in her lines/the colors she breeds would be to look up the pedigrees of some of her breeding stock. There you could see what the kennel names of their parents and grandparents are, see if those kennels are still operating, and if so contact them about a pup.


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## shelhey (Jul 16, 2014)

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. I have emailed with her and she's been helpful with my questions and seems nice. I'm very much interested in pursuing getting my puppy from her, and am talking to a couple others as well. I don't have a problem with the crate training. Thanks everyone!


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## Sayde (Sep 28, 2015)

I appreciate the posts on Amity. I am on Anne's waiting list and after having looked into several breeders I am feeling sure I will wait until Anne has a puppy that is a good match for me. She provides a life time health guarantee. The other breeders I looked into were guaranteeing two or three years. Also, very important -- she does the temperament test on the puppies so it is less likely there will be any surprises and i will get a good match. I hope I don't have to wait too long but would rather wait to get a puppy from Amity.


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