I’ve been following the SC Dobe rescue with Hungs Iron Dog kennels and the seizure of his dogs. The whole situation is terrible! I live in Georgia and when I was looking for a Doberman I joined this forum. I also never heard of Hungs until I read this forum. I recently purchased a puppy from Shady Grove based on my own research and experience with the kennel and owner, despite the negative reviews here. This is my first purebred dog. I’ve always adopted large breed dogs from shelters, including GSD and Rotts (most were mixed breeds) but I was ready to commit to a Doberman.
When I hear “puppy mill” I think of dirty cages, neglected dogs, and reckless mating/breeding. I visited Shady Grove Kennel several months ago looking for a puppy because it was in a reasonable driving distance and there wasn’t any of that. The adults and puppies looked healthy and were friendly, the kennel building was clean and didn’t smell of pee and poop, and there were several full-time employees to take care of the kennels and the dogs. Plus, she had nowhere near 100+ dogs – I saw about 15 on the twenty-five acres.
Since I had never had a Doberman before, I learned here on this forum about the inherited diseases and testing for them. Thank you!!! I asked the owner about health testing, and she does test her sires and dams for DCM1, DCM2, and VwB. She doesn’t do yearly holters, but she doesn’t breed carriers to each other. I know because I asked, and she willingly provided the gene testing documentation on the parents of the puppy I chose.
Getting back to the thread topic, I wanted to know what was going on between Shady Grove and Hungs. Instead of relying on internet accusations, rumors and gossip, I called her and asked. Yup, I went right to the source. I tend to be direct, and I don’t pretend to be something I’m not and then readily admit my intentional deceit on the internet forums. She said she had purchased puppies from him in the past when first starting out; he was not her brother; and yes, some of her dogs have Hungs in their pedigree. She also said that she hadn’t had any dealings with him in a couple of years. I believe her. No, she doesn’t show her dogs, but that’s not her clientele. Her puppies are a generation or two away from Grand Champions. Not everyone is looking for an expensive show dog. There a lot of us that want a good quality Doberman for a relatively reasonable price. (don’t refer me to the many threads here about I only want a companion, not a show dog. I’ve read them.)
And yes, it’s a commercial kennel. A couple of times a year, she has several litters born close together, and then there will be several months with no litters. That’s the nature of Dams’ twice a year heat cycles. But it’s nowhere near a BYB or a puppy mill. Shady Grove stopped giving breeding rights earlier this year, and there's still a waiting list with the puppies sold months in advance of litters born. That should speak volumes.