TerraCotta Kennels
- Veguita, NM
- Responds within a few days
Upcoming litters
Expected Rhodesian Ridgeback litter
Due Feb. 2026
Meet the breeder
I'm Karen W., the breeder behind TerraCotta Kennels located in Veguita, NM. I carefully choose the sire and dam in order to produce the best quality possible. I do everything I can to ensure the puppies have everything they need to develop into healthy and happy dogs, including rigorous health testing of both sire and dam. Pups are whelped and lovingly raised in my home in Veguita, NM.
Q. & A. with Karen
Why did you start breeding?
My very first litter was from a show quality Whippet I co-owned with a known breeder. It was long ago, before TerraCotta Kennels. I enjoyed the whole process of breeding, whelping, and puppy raising and have continued breeding Rhodesian Ridgebacks now for over 30 years.What makes your program special?
I put hours and hours into searching for the right stud dog for my females to hopefully produce puppies that are better, healthier specimens than either parent and that have as good or better conformation and temperaments. My dogs are well-rounded and can win in the show ring and compete in all performance events or hunt in the field, with the proper training and upbringing of course! And best of all, they are all the greatest of house companions for their families.What are the different breed coat colors in your program?
Our puppies are wheaten. Colors will vary depending on the parent dogs.Where do your breeding dogs live?
They live in my home and guardian homes.
Getting a puppy from Karen
Karen has been certified by Good Dog's screening team for responsible and trusted breeding practices. When you're ready to reach out, feel free to ask any questions about the breed, their program, or specific puppies.
Karen partners with buyers to find the best match as the puppies develop and their personalities take shape. Typically, matches are finalized when the puppies reach about 6 weeks old.
"We do our best to match each pup to the right family, depending on the pup's temperament and the family dynamics and what they intend to do with their dog."
Price
"Unless there are extenuating circumstances, this price includes 1st puppy shot, vet wellness check, puppy wormings, microchip, AKC registration and lifetime mentoring, support and friendship. Once I have a pregnant female I will accept deposits from my wait list. I try not to accept more deposits than pups available. Deposit is non-refundable unless I cannot provide you with a puppy."
Contract & health guarantee
Karen may provide a written contract or health guarantee when you purchase a puppy. This helps protect both you and your breeder, ensuring that you both have a clear understanding of the terms of your puppy purchase. If Karen offers a contract or guarantee, the details will be personalized by them. If you have any questions or want to know more, don't hesitate to reach out to Karen directly.
What's included
From Good Dog
- Lifetime support from Good Dog’s Care Team
- 10% lifetime discount on Figo pet insurance
- Puppy Training Program & private community
Enrichment & socialization
- Various sounds
- Car rides
- Surface & tactile stimulation
- Socialized with children
- Daily handling
- Socialized with other dogs
- Introduced to people of different ages and appearances
Puppy health practices
- Vet check
- First round of shots and deworming
- Vet records
Extras
- Initial potty training
- Blanket with mom & littermates’ scent
- AKC registration
Location & pick-up
You can drive or fly to pick up your puppy from Karen.
Breeder's location
Meet in Veguita, NM
Other pick-up locations
Meet at Albuquerque Sunport
Flexible meeting point
Karen can meet at a location that works for both of you
More about Karen
Club memberships
Karen is a member of The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States.
Certifications & recognitions
CHIC Certified, AKC Breeder of Merit.
Karen has been a member of Good Dog for over 5 years
Karen was screened for responsible practices and has been a member since 2020.
Karen is a trusted Good Dog breeder
TerraCotta Kennels meets or exceeds our community standards in these areas:
- Responsible breeding practices
- Health of breeding dogs and puppies
- Puppy environment and enrichment
- Buyer education and policies
Litter and program updates
Karen W.
Litter update on 21 Feb 2025 •We decided to wait until Una's next season to breed her, so no pups here at TerraCotta until around fall 2025.
Bronn and Una's litter
Parent dogs
Calli, mom
Rhodesian Ridgeback
About Calli
Calli is a beautiful representative of the breed, having a lovely headpiece with dark, correct, round eyes. She has the sweetest of temperaments, always coming up to my desk while I'm working and tucking her head under my arm for attention.
Excellent health testing
Dentition, Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC), +9 more.
Una, mom
Rhodesian Ridgeback
About Una
Una just turned 3 on December 16, 2024 so we might breed her in 2025. She's got quite the personality, listens well and keeps up laughing. She's as smart as a whip and must sniff absolutely everything! I may train her to track game or do scent work or something to utilize that nose. She has passed all of her health clearances with flying colors - excellent hips, normal elbows, normal cardiac, normal thyroid at 2, normal eyes in 2022, RRIVA DNA negative with normal Holter, DM normal, JME normal, EIC normal, EOAD normal. She does carry the liver gene so we could get some liver nosed pups depending on who I breed her with. All of these results can be found on the OFA site here: https://ofa.org/advanced-search/?appnum=2411103. We are excited to see what she can produce!
Excellent health testing
Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC), Early Adult Onset Deafness (EAOD), +8 more.
Parent health testing
Excellent level
TerraCotta Kennels reports to performing the health tests below on their breeding dogs. Ask your breeder about the tests performed on the parents of your litter. Learn more about health testing for Rhodesian Ridgebacks.
Hip Dysplasia
Hip testing reduces the chance of passing down hip dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause hip pain and the eventual loss of the function of the hip joint.
Elbow Dysplasia Finals (OFA, BVA, SV, FCI)
Elbow testing reduces the chance of passing down elbow dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause arthritis in the elbow joint and front leg lameness.
Eye Certification (CAER, registered with OFA)
Eye testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide range of hereditary eye illnesses including retinal dysplasia, lens luxation, and glaucoma, which can cause impared vision or blindness.
Cardiac Evaluation (registered with OFA)
Heart testing reduces the chance of passing down congenital heart disease, which can cause a range of symptoms ranging from trouble exercising to heart failure.
Thyroid (Autoimmune Thyroiditis, registered with OFA), Dentition
A breeder may perform additional tests on their dogs that do not fall into these general categories. These tests may be more uncommon or very specific to a particular breed.
Early Adult Onset Deafness (EAOD), Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC), Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME), Degenerative Myelopathy (DM; SOD1A)
Genetic testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide variety of hereditary diseases of differing prevalence and severity such as Progressive Retinal Atrophy (an eye disease) and Von Willebrand's Disease (a blood disease).
