After losing my male German Shepherd (Baxter) to cancer in June 2021, little Bambi (pictured above) came home with me in September 2021. Not to replace Baxter — Bambi brought a lot of love and excitement into our family again.

Bambi was not from a registered breeder — just a well-meaning family who wanted to breed a litter of puppies, but who did not bother to follow through with relevant joint and genetic testing.

4 months old

At 4 months of age, I heard Bambi yelp loudly whilst walking around outside — no cuts, no bleeding, hadn't tripped on anything. I took her to the vet.

From here on in, Bambi underwent numerous vet visits, trials of medications for pain management, and x-rays. All of this led to the discovery that she was suffering with severe elbow dysplasia, well-set-in arthritis, and muscular shortening as a result.

After being given the option of an $8,000 surgery plus more pain and rehabilitation for her, we decided to euthanise Bambi at 8 months of age to stop her suffering any longer.

The Why

After this devastating loss, I made it a goal to become a registered breeder with Dogs Victoria — to ensure a commitment to only breeding healthy dogs that meet or improve the breed standard.