One of the more difficult aspects of placing a litter of puppies is the knowing that some of these youngsters will go off to their new homes far, far away from their mountain birthplace, never to be heard from again.  Each one of the puppies the Jacobs family raises is a personality.  In the weeks until weaning, the three boys as well as Anna and Eric are involved in every aspect of their care, supporting the mother early on, then taking a more active role at weaning.  The puppies are being constantly evaluated - which one does what first, what is the pecking order of the litter, which ones seem more independent, which ones show the earliest glimmer of bird interest or a sense of seeking out.

In doing so, the boys especially become close to their favorite ones in each litter.  The three boys have been raised knowing that most of the puppies in each litter are likely to be going to new homes.  Still, there is a certain melancholy when a particular Llewellin weanling is picked up at the kennel.  One of the best images of this is young Zachary taking charge of one of "his" favorites awaiting an airline flight to the Northeast.  His eyes, and maybe those of the puppy's, too, say it all.  This hand-raising of bird dog puppies is far, far more than a business to a family operation like the Jacobs family.

So when puppies go off to their new families, sometimes it's as if they just disappear into the ether.  Eric reaches out;  usually, he gets a reply.  Often he does not.  Grateful are the Jacobs's for the puppy owners who keep in touch the entire life of their Blizzard's Huntmore setter, sharing the trials and tribulations and triumphs that all of us encounter in the lifetime of a working gun dog.  We try to share some of that correspondence on the "testimonials" page on the website, not only because we are proud of the successes our owners have with their dogs, but to encourage other owners into helping us follow our breeding choices where it matters most - proving out on wild birds in the field, and as home companions, too.

So if Eric, Anna, Chesney, Jaxon, and Zachary are fortunate enough to place one of these home-bred, family-reared Llewellins with your family, please know that they would love to hear from you.  Let Eric answer questions, trouble-shoot any training issues you encounter, hear what you think about your youngster's natural ability in pursuing its life's work.  Your feedback is an important part of broader evaluation of this breeding program and an invaluable tool to match against the family's own observations there at home.