Ishfael Kennels

Please consider the following: **HEALTH TESTED PARENTS DO NOT GUARANTEE PERFECT PUPPIES!** 🐾 I'm not sure why so many people believe that because both parents are health tested and cleared, their puppies are somehow guaranteed to never develop a health issue. **That is simply NOT how genetics work!** I've seen parents with EXCELLENT OFA hip scores produce puppies with less-than-ideal hips. I have personally bought a potential stud dog years ago (Boone). Both parents were OFA excellent and the linear on OFA was good. He was diagnosed dysplastic at 19 months. I've seen parents with clear cardiac testing produce offspring that later develop DCM. Parents with perfectly healthy eyes can still produce puppies that develop eye issues. **There are NO guarantees when it comes to living, breathing animals!** As breeders, we can only health test what is standing in front of us. We cannot predict every genetic combination or every health condition that may develop later in life. But here's where I believe the difference between simply health testing and truly being a responsible breeder comes into play. **IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT WHAT YOUR DOGS PASS. IT'S ABOUT WHAT THEY PRODUCE!** When you start seeing patterns in offspring, it's your responsibility as a breeder to pay attention, investigate, and sometimes make some incredibly difficult decisions. I've personally washed many Great Danes from our breeding program, even after they passed their health testing. Why? Because a certificate saying CLEAR doesn't mean much to me if I'm seeing concerning patterns in what that dog or its bloodline is producing. And believe me, those decisions aren't easy. You've invested years, money, time, and your heart into these dogs. But the future of your breeding program and the puppies you bring into this world should always come before your personal feelings. **Health testing is a TOOL, not a crystal ball!** It's not about collecting OFA certificates, bragging about how many tests your dogs have passed, or having a wall full of paperwork. It's about understanding your bloodlines, following the puppies you've produced, listening when families report concerns, and being willing to make changes when something isn't right. No breeder is God. No breeder can control every genetic outcome. And **NO breeding program is 100% perfect**, regardless of how much health testing is done. What matters is what you do when something goes wrong. Do you ignore it because the parents passed their testing? Or do you investigate, learn, and make the difficult decisions necessary to improve your program? **A responsible breeder isn't someone who has never produced a health issue. It's someone who doesn't turn a blind eye when one arises.** Health testing matters. Genetics matter. But so do honesty, accountability, and the willingness to put the dogs and their future generations FIRST. ❤️🐾 Copy and pasted 3rd hand, but still valid!