The sun rises above the gorgeous Ozark Mountains of South Central Missouri, rays peeking over the edge of the ridge. However, Pawrade breeder partner Ladell has been checking on her dam in labor for several hours, eagerly anticipating a litter of tiny precious puppies as the sun climbs into the sky. She may be exhausted, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Ladell has been raising quality puppies for over 25 years. Her vast expertise and love of dogs have expanded from Beagles and Labrador Retrievers at the beginning of her career to West Highland White Terriers and various Poodle mixes, such as Cavapoos, Poo-tons, and Maltipoos, over the years. Regardless of the dog breed, Ladell pours her whole heart into creating healthy, robust litters to join people as beloved family members. It truly is puppy love!
Catch a glimpse into a day in the life of Pawrade breeder partner Ladell to see how she cares for her puppies with love backed by extensive knowledge to raise happy, healthy puppies.
Ladell’s Love For Her Dogs Shines Through
Ladell has a solid advantage of being around dogs much longer than her established career as a dog breeder. “We’ve had dogs all our lives,” she notes. “Our kids started out with Beagles, and the kids wanted Labrador Retrievers. It kept going! We love seeing the joy our dogs can bring families.” Ladell’s son followed suit and is a successful breeder himself, also owning a ground transportation company to bring puppies to their new homes. Her grandchildren are now a proud part of socialization efforts and helping out with the puppies’ needs, a true family enterprise.
How it started and how it’s going
One of her grandchildren inspired a love of Poodle mixes. “I have seven grandkids, and one couldn’t play with my Beagles because she was highly allergic. We started breeding hypoallergenic dogs.” Ladell notes another change in breed preference over time. “We like the smaller breeds. We had bigger dog breeds when we were younger, but it got harder to take care of the bigger breeds. We like that they’re small but can be fierce little ones!” Ladell started out with West Highland White Terriers as the hypoallergenic choice, followed by Poo-Tons, Maltipoos, and Cavapoos.
How Ladell selects parents
Ladell knows what to look for in potential parents when breeding her dogs, searching for the very best traits of each parent breed. She says they do lots of checking before bringing them to the kennel and are very picky about selecting parents. “We find good, healthy parents. We keep that line and bring in another line. We do lots of checking before we get them,” explains Ladell.
In addition to checking their lineages, Ladell selects her parents based on their conformation and personalities. She chooses parents that are as close to the perfect breed standard as possible, working in her physical preferences as well. For example, Ladell prefers her Beagles and Westies to have a blocky face and build. She looks for Beagles on the smaller side with shorter noses. “Beagles can grow up to 14-15 inches tall and look like hounds. We go for the smaller Beagles under 20 pounds,” she explains.
The personalities of the parents are also extremely important in the parent selection process. Ladell notes, “We don’t want a parent that’s aggressive or a troublemaker. We wouldn’t want to pass down bad traits,” says Ladell. “We want a gentle, loving male that is easygoing, playful, and social, all that you really want your pet to be.”
Get to Know Ladell’s Breeds
It’s clear Ladell loves all of her dogs, but of all the dogs she’s raised, Ladell has a special place in her heart for Beagles. Ladell says, “Beagles have a great personality and are as loving, curious, and gentle as can be. They go on walks and make great hunting dogs. They can be ornery and stubborn sometimes, but we love them. Beagles are a very healthy breed, and we’ve never had one with health problems.”
Beagles are friendly and fun and love to be around people and other animals due to their social nature. Beagles can live 10-15 years, providing over a decade of love to a lucky family. They adapt easily to apartment living. While a Beagle may have a mind of its own sometimes, they do well with consistent praise and positive reinforcement during training.
West Highland White Terriers, also called Westies, are playful, curious hypoallergenic dogs that love to please. “They show affection and keep us laughing a lot. My granddaughter’s little dog is something else! They have a great personality all around and are never any trouble,” says Ladell. Westies are spunky and self-confident, always ready to make their owners laugh with their silly antics. They have an infectious love of life and make lively playmates for children.
Many families are looking for hypoallergenic dogs if they have people in the home with allergies. Ladell’s Poodle mixes fit the bill for a suitable dog breed for allergy sufferers. Ladell states, “Our Poodle mixes are very affectionate and love to make us laugh. They have their own little personalities. They are very social and will let you know that they are there!”
Mini and Toy Poodles may be small, but within those little bodies are incredible agile athletes. They make wonderful emotional support animals due to their affectionate, caring nature. Toy and Mini Poodles are intelligent, too. They catch on quickly to training commands and are always eager to please their families.
Crossing the bright Poodle with other breeds creates hypoallergenic “doodle” dogs that showcase the characteristics of both breeds. Let’s learn more about hybrid doodle dogs to see if Ladell’s breeds she offers are a good fit for you.
You may be wondering what a Poo-ton is. Poo-tons are a cross between a Coton de Tulear and either a Toy or Mini Poodle. Coton de Tulears look like fluffy cotton balls and hail from the port city of Tulear in Madagascar. They can be clownish, cheerful, and affectionate. Maltipoos are Poodles crossed with Maltese, another fluffy white dog bred solely for companionship. Maltese are some of the smallest dogs in the world and have sturdy bodies despite their tiny size. Maltipoos are friendly, adaptable, and social dogs that are gentle sweethearts. Lastly, a Cavapoo is a cross with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and is a popular hybrid dog, and it’s easy to see why. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have a sweet, clever personality and is one of the most loving dog breeds, a trait passed on to Cavapoos. “All of our puppies do great in any environment and adapt very easily,” Ladell reassures.
A Day in the Life of Running Ladell’s Kennel
The tasks never end when running a kennel. Whether working inside directly with the puppies’ care, documenting their growth and development, or promoting marketing efforts, keeping a kennel going is no easy feat. Take a peek into how Ladell works tirelessly to run a successful kennel.
The ebb and flow of puppy adoptions
Puppies are not always predictable with their pregnancies, so no month is the same when offering puppies for sale. Different times of the year are not 100% similar, but there does seem to be a typical pattern.
Ladell notes, “Our busiest time is around October through May, with things picking up leading up to and after Christmas. It’s usually slow in the summer as people go on vacations and school starts up again. Sometimes July is the slowest month, but it’s been the month we sold the most in other years.”
Sometimes people know which puppy they want but are not able to pick them up right at the 8-week mark. Ladell is understanding and flexible in these cases. “Sometimes you just know that the puppy is going to the right family. I’ll hold them for when they come back from vacation.”
It’s puppy time
Ladell’s day typically can begin at 8:00, the long day lasting until way after dark. “We stay busy all the time. It’s like having babies who demand attention all the time. It’s fun but a lot of work to make sure we take good care of them. All of our time goes into our dogs,” says Ladell.
Routine tasks also keep Ladell busy. “I go in and do basic chores, clean, and make sure everyone has fresh food and water. I see who is due for vaccinations and deworming. Then we have more playing and socializing while I make sure everything is good,” says Ladell.
Beyond cute, cuddly puppies
While it may be tempting to snuggle her puppies all day, kennel work never stops beyond a wriggling pile of puppies. One aspect of running a kennel that takes a lot of time is keeping up with all the paperwork and documentation, which can be overwhelming at times.
Ladell must keep up with paperwork from the USDA and the state. “Every year they put more and more we have to keep up with, things we need to do,” says Ladell. While she understands these tasks are necessary, she notes, “It’s hard to keep up rather than spend that time with the puppies.”
Ladell also documents each parent on cards, noting their microchip number, whether or not they are a good mom, and if the dam raised a good litter. For example, some dams can lose interest in their litters around 5 weeks. Ladell will note if the dam raises her babies all the way to the 8-week mark when they go home. They will not use the uninterested dam in future litters. “We want moms that are good with their pups, keep them clean, and feed them right,” notes Ladell. All of this impeccable attention to detail when producing healthy litters with competent dams can take a lot of time and effort.
Staying afloat of current best practices on kennel and dog topics can also be time-consuming, especially when events require travel away from the puppies. “We’ll go to a seminar close by to see what’s new, but it’s hard to find someone you trust to be with your babies while we’re gone,” explains Ladell.
Puppy Development the First 8 Weeks
After the parents are selected and mated, Ladell is on puppy watch until the litter is born. She says the birthing day is “a very long day. We spend all our time with them and try to keep it very calm.” Ladell notes that dog mamas are no different than humans. “My American Bulldog, Sadie, would put her paw in my hand like a woman giving birth. It’s a very special time.”
From the beginning, Ladell keeps up with documentation, carefully watching and monitoring their development. “We know how to check for problems and do their health checks. We have the vet come out to check the adults and puppies on hand and conduct inspections. They’ll let us know if someone has an overbite we’ve missed, but we don’t usually miss anything,” says Ladell.
Emerging puppy personalities & socialization
Until about 4 weeks, the puppies are continuing to develop as they are able to hear, open their eyes, and start toddling around. Until then, they don’t show personality traits beyond typical young puppies.
“About 4-5 weeks old is when you can see their personalities come out. They start by being very curious, walking around and exploring,” explains Ladell. “It’s neat to watch them react to different things.”
Ladell recalls a moment that made her smile. “They can be very comical and funny. Puppies would rather play with leaves than a toy sometimes. One time my grandchildren made a big leaf pile in the fall, and the puppies just loved it, jumping in it and playing just like the kids!”
As puppies interact more with the world around them, they will need to be socialized to acclimate seamlessly into family life. “The puppies play with my grandkids all the time. We take puppies on rides and have a radio on in there,” says Ladell. “We expose them to different noises just like being at home.” Ladell explains they keep the puppies together and frequently bring them into the house, getting them ready for their new homes.
It’s clear Ladell’s socialization efforts are successful. She’s raised several dogs that go on to be working dogs in the police academy, military, and therapy dogs at nursing homes. Ladell notes, “One of my Beagles went to a lady in construction, and some have earned therapy dog certification,” Ladell proudly proclaims.
Puppy potty time & nutrition
Another important aspect of getting puppies ready for home life is potty training the puppies. Ladell’s kennel is set up so the puppy whelping area is set apart on its own with plenty of room in a temperature-controlled space. Puppies and their mama have access to a doggy door. Ladell starts them out early by taking them to the door, and once they figure out where to go, they will navigate toward the outside on their own. That way, they are ready to go to the door or learn how to ring a bell to go out when at their permanent homes. “We get good feedback that they’re already potty trained. You can have one that’s really stubborn, but most don’t even have accidents,” Ladell says.
A healthy mama will produce quality milk for the puppies, with mama nursing through the 8 weeks. However, Ladell starts putting out food and water in front of them around 4 weeks old to get them started on it, and they’ll nurse less frequently until it’s time to wean.
Time to meet their new families
Puppies go to their new homes after they turn 8 weeks old. Ladell has prepared them for their new families and while it’s a bittersweet time, it’s exciting to think about their futures.
Ladell’s puppies all come microchipped and are sent home with up-to-date veterinarian records, a health certificate, a 3-year health guarantee, 30 days of insurance with MetLife, a sample of puppy food (Nutri Source or Life's Abundance), a sample of Nuvet supplements, and Ladell’s contact information. She’ll sometimes include a toy or a collar, but what you won’t find is a blanket with the kennel’s scent. Ladell says, “My thoughts are it’s easier on the puppy because if they smell Mama and its littermates, the puppy will miss its first home. It’s better the puppy takes in all the new scents and bonds with its new families without having something from us.”
Customers who purchase puppies through Pawrade have a variety of travel options to meet their new puppies. Ladell will meet parents in a local, public place, offer a flight nanny service through Pawrade, deliver a puppy via plane according to airline guidelines, or use pampered ground with express delivery. Because her son owns his own ground transportation delivery, Ladell knows puppies are well taken care of during their journeys.
Pawrade Helps Breeders Like Ladell Take a Puppy-First Approach
Ladell is grateful to partner with Pawrade, citing several benefits that allow breeders to focus on raising puppies and also for customers searching for puppies for sale.
Ladell used to spend so much time on her own marketing, a task that still needed to be done between caring for puppies and documentation. “Pawrade helps me run my kennel. I take puppy pictures, crop them, and put them up on Pawrade, and Pawrade does everything else, like answering emails for me.” Ladell also likes how it is easy to set up and use a breeder account. “When I had my own website, I was twice as busy, answering texts, emails, and questions,” explains Judy. Having Pawrade handle all the marketing allows Ladell more time with her puppies.
Customers aren’t left out of an amazing customer service experience. “Customers can talk to someone at Pawrade who knows individual details about the puppy and get back to them so quickly. They also like the financing and insurance,” says Ladell. Pawrade allows potential parents an easy, well-designed, secure way to select their new best friend.
Ladell’s Puppies Make a Difference in People’s Lives
When reflecting upon her most memorable times as a breeder, you can hear the love in Ladell’s voice. “Throughout the years, we’ve given puppies to some people who have wanted them but couldn’t afford them. We see the love. It helps our hearts to know how much they appreciate adding a dog to their family,” Ladell reminisces. “We receive texts, pictures, and emails from people who have bought puppies from us years ago.” Ladell is also fortunate to have repeat customers, a testament to her healthy breeding program. “They come back and get the same breeds from me.”
“When you hand them over to their new owners, you can see love there. I don’t know what we’d do without our dogs. They make a family complete,” Ladell concludes.
