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Lisa Sands, Owner & Breeder 616 Dry Fork Road P.O. Box 1001 Glennville, GA 30427 Phone: (912) 654-1201 E-mail Us |
AKC + UKC Registered  For Showing, Hunting & Fabulous Family PetsMiniatures & Standards * Champion Bloodlines * Decker Bloodline
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Hey y'all! Greetings from the Deep South. We at There are 2 size varieties in the Rat Terrier breed: Miniature (up to 13" at the shoulder), and Standard (greater than 13" at the shoulder up to 18" at the shoulder). The sizes of our 8 breeding Rat Terriers range from 13lbs. / 13" tall to 28lbs. / 16.5" tall depending on bloodline. We may occasionally produce puppies that finish out to be of the Miniature size variety, but typically our Rat Terriers are of the nice and hardy Standard size variety. . .the very model of the breed! We are proud to say that there is a strong presence of the prestigeous Decker bloodline in our breeding program. This adds a particularly hearty build and regal demeanor with heightened working instincts. All of our Rat Terriers have standing ears; however, we may occasionally produce puppies that still finish out with tipped or buttonfold ears. Some of our Rat Terriers in the past have been natural bobtails, but we do not have natural bobtails anymore. Rat Terrier puppies that are born with full tails or with natural bobtails of an undesirable length are docked (according to standard) immediately after birth, and their dewclaws are removed at this time as well. All colors in the Rat Terrier spectrum are represented here including tricolors and bicolors in black, blue, chocolate, and isabella (a.k.a. "pearl") as well as sables in tan, blue (a.k.a. "blue fawn"), chocolate (a.k.a. "high red chocolate"), isabella (a.k.a. "red fawn") and the yellows, which are apricot, lemon, blue apricot and blue lemon. All of our Rat Terriers are AKC-FSS and UKC registered. Since most of our Rat Terriers have some amount of the Decker bloodline in their pedigrees, we do keep a record of those individual percentages as well. We urge EVERY Rat Terrier owner (show or pet) to register their dogs in an effort to keep the genealogy of our breed accurate. We are licensed by the State of Georgia and are proudly inspected by them and by the AKC, too! We are an active member of the RTCA as well as the ARTA, and we enjoy showig our Rat Terriers in conformation events! We compete for the fellowship of the sport and to hopefully put a Champion title on each and every one of our dogs. We usually have a couple of litters each winter, spring and fall. Occasionally we have Rat Terrier puppies and retired young adult Rat Terrier dogs available to approved homes. With an average of about six puppies per litter, that's a lot of work! We sell only to other reputable Rat Terrier breeders and loving homes that we carefully screen for preparedness and ability to handle responsible dog ownership. We DO NOT sell (either singly or in bulk) to pet stores, puppy brokers, or auctions. We ask that YOU help us spread the word to the public about the importance of NOT supporting these entities that foster the terrible puppy-milling industry and cruelty to animals. Please only acquire a pet directly from a reputable breeder who is thoroughly committed to their breed's current and future quality and happiness! Our Rat Terriers are not simply breeding stock. They are our beloved pets, and they are treated as such. We spare no expense in providing them with the best of accommodations, nutrition, and veterinary care. Extreme care and forethought regarding the health, temperament and conformation of the resulting offspring is put into every Rat Terrier breeding we carry out. BEFORE BEING BRED, each of our breeding dogs are thoroughly checked by one or both of our veterinarians, Byron Steve Lynn, DVM and James Neal Deal, DVM. A meticulous examination of the overall dog including its heart, respiratory system, digestive system, genitourinary system, musculoskeletal system, eyes, ears, elbows, hips and patellas is performed to verify complete soundness, and its patellas are OFA certified. If ever there is a valid health concern suspected in any one of our breeding dogs or their immediate lineage, we promptly pursue further testing and necessary certification as such. From the day of birth, we carefully socialize each individual puppy that we produce with lots of love, cuddling, stimulating play and positive reinforcement according to their Developmental Stages. We implement the "Developing High Achievers" (a.k.a. "Bio Sensor" or "ENS 'Super Dog'") Program during their first weeks of life. These gentle exercises enhance the development of a self-confident, accepting nature and a healthier, more resilient condition in each of the puppies by facilitating their coping mechanisms from an early age. Once they are old enough to be up and on their feet, we start their surface training (letting them play on different surfaces such as grass, wood, concrete, hay, sand, water, etc.). And to further promote clean habits in our Rat Terrier puppies, we begin litterbox training at approximately 5 weeks of age using the standard sized Purina Second Nature litter pans and pine pellet litter, like Equine Fresh or Woody Pet. We also administer Panacur to our Rat Terrier puppies for the prevention of coccidia and giardia. Each of our breeding dogs and every puppy we produce is kept strictly up to date on its vaccinations, wormings and health care. Every dog and puppy available for placement is sold with a comprehensive pedigree and a written health guarantee. Our Rat Terrier puppies come with a puppy packet full of lots of wonderful goodies including great training information and a free sample of Diamond Puppy Formula kibble. We raise and maintain all of our dogs on Diamond Naturals. It is an excellent quality, economical super premium pet food that is widely available. You can easily find a dealer near you on their website. For absolutely optimal nutrition, we also feed our adult Rat Terrier dogs natural raw food on a daily basis. About 3 fresh, raw chicken necks per day and a fresh, raw beef or deer rib or shoulder bone per week are thoroughly enjoyed by our Rat Terrier dogs. This keeps their teeth white, their coats shining, their eyes sparkling, and their nubby tails wiggling! All of our Rat Terriers display strong hunting and mousing instincts, and they often bring their quarry to our back door! However, any one of them will find total contentment in being a lap dog if allowed to. The Rat Terrier is typically only as active as its owner - it is NOT a hyper breed. Rat Terriers are happiest being involved in their masters' activities, and they thrive on human interaction. They do not fare well without it. For the BEST of training advice, please seek out one of the wonderful books written by Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D or other great authors like Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson as well as Jean Donaldson. Positive reinforcement is the best form of training, and correction should always be reserved. Punishment is NOT a form of training. It is an absolute MUST for ANY dog of ANY breed to have positive socialization with whatever and whomever it's expected to be completely comfortable around when mature. Positive socialization should be started from early puppyhood (7 - 8 weeks of age or as young as possible), done frequently (daily is best), and continued throughout the dog's life. It bears mentioning that typical terrier behavior is not, nor was it ever meant to be, anything like that of a Golden Retriever or any other type of dog. Terriers are wonderfully bold, and they have very clever little minds of their own, which are calculating all of the time. This self-thinking kind of intelligence is one of the most prized features of the Rat Terrier's intellect because it makes for a highly trainable and enjoyable dog that is yet more easygoing and agreeable than many other breeds of terriers. Being one of those rare instances, though, in which more intelligence equals more work, a few greater challenges than the ordinary should be expected when raising a terrier puppy. During different developmental stages throughout a terrier's puppyhood, it may attempt to test the boundaries of what it can get away with (or who is really in charge) farther than some other types of puppies, but just so long as the owner is ready to meet these situations head-on with a solid resolve for the duration, the payoff at maturity will be a thousand-fold. . .yielding a delightfully well-behaved, obedient and smart little companion like no other! However, if one isn't sure whether or not they can guide the puppy with consummate firmness (yet consistent fairness) throughout these little trials and tribulations of puppyhood, then a terrier of any kind may not be for them.
We acquired our very own first Rat Terrier 20 years ago. His name was Feel free to surf around our links in the upper left-hand side bar to enjoy more information about the breed, learn more about us and see numerous photos of our Rat Terriers. If interested in acquiring one of our available Rat Terrier puppies or available Rat Terrier dogs, you may also fill out our application form. Have fun!
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| Page Last Updated: 4/22/2009
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have been exclusively raising the remarkable Rat Terrier for over a decade. We are absolutely dedicated to the preservation and betterment of this delightful 100 year old American breed! Often called "a big dog in a small package", the sturdy Rat Terrier is renowned as one of the world's most wonderfully versatile breeds of dog. Not only is it an exceptionally loving, even-tempered and eager-to-please little family companion that enjoys other pets and children of all ages, and it is small enough to be a perfect lap dog, but also it has an incredibly alert, highly trainable mind, and it has retained its rugged heritage with the ability to live every bit as atheletic a lifestyle as that of its owners. In the careful development of our own line of Rat Terriers, The Sands Line, we have gone to great lengths to acquire and produce only ideal dogs of extensive pedigrees. Our goal as a conscientious breeder of the Rat Terrier is to maintain its inherent qualities of a keenly high intelligence, a thoroughly affectionate nature and a strong working ability by ensuring complete soundness in our own dogs while we selectively diversify the gene pool. We breed our Rat Terriers for robust health, a mild-mannered temperament and uncompromising conformation to the AKC and UKC breed standards.
, but we called him "Feisty". He was a pure joy and the original spark that ignited our intense love of the breed. Though he's no longer with us, we are delighted to say that we have retained some of his precious grandchildren. We are also proud to say that much of our Rat Terriers' progeny can now be found across the entirety of the continental United States as well as in Canada, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Our location is in southeast Georgia approximately 85 miles southwest of Savannah. We do ship SAFELY, and when shipping is necessary, we fly out of either Savannah Int'l. Airport (SAV) via Delta Pet First or Jacksonville Int'l. Airport (JAX) via Continental PetSafe. Or as another option, we are happy to provide partial-delivery service whenever possible to a location nearer the recipient's point of origin, if desired.