11/03/2026
It truly comes down to a genuine love for the breed and a commitment to investing in its future. 🩷
BREEDER MATH. 🫠🐾
Let’s talk about Platform Chinooks’ most recent litter, shall we?
Minerva welcomed 11 puppies into the world on April 4th. Unfortunately, we lost four beautiful tawny girls in those first days. Absolutely heartbreaking, and something no amount of money could ever make easier.
We also walked away with a $2,500 emergency vet bill on Easter Sunday.
The seven surviving puppies required around-the-clock care. I’m talking 2½ weeks of tube feeding SEVEN puppies every TWO HOURS. Hundreds of dollars spent on formula, very little sleep, and a whole lot of praying that we could get everyone nursing from Nerve. Watching Minerva struggle at what she is amazing at because she wasn’t well either was extremely emotional.
Eventually, we transitioned them to puppy mush/gruel earlier than I normally would have, because I desperately needed some semblance of sanity before the teething, p**p, and absolute chaos began. 😂
And before I get into the numbers, I need to give a HUGE shoutout to Coulee’s people. ❤️
Ashlee drove from another state and spent an entire week sleeping on my sofa, waking up every two hours alongside me to care for Minerva and the puppies, and doing everything possible to keep me sane through one of the most physically and emotionally exhausting experiences I’ve had as a breeder.
She wasn’t just helping with puppies. She was making sure I was eating, drinking water, and taking care of myself, because somewhere between tube feedings, vet visits, and trying to keep seven tiny lives going, those things weren’t exactly at the top of my priority list.
She gave up a week of her life, traveled across state lines, lost just as much sleep, and didn’t get paid a single penny for any of it. Steve stayed home to hold down the fort and care for their dogs at home. They as the stud owners went absolutely above and beyond. I’m so so so grateful to have them as the bestest friends through all of this. They deserve to be recognized.
THAT is what it looks like when people genuinely care about a breed and the future of the dogs they’re producing. It’s not always about money, contracts, or whose name is on a pedigree. Sometimes it’s sleeping on someone’s couch, setting an alarm every two hours, and showing up when things are really, really hard. I’ll forever be grateful for that.
Now, back to breeder math. 😂
Of those seven surviving puppies:
* One went toward our stud fee.
* One was promised to a dear friend who has supported Platform Chinooks since the very beginning in so many ways.
* Two stayed with me.
* Three puppies were sold.
That’s right. Eleven puppies born, seven survived, and THREE actually brought in money.
And one of those puppy sales? Essentially paid for our Easter emergency vet visit.
The other two? Well, let’s talk about what goes into each Platform puppy before they ever leave my care…. AKC registration. UKC registration. Lifetime microchip enrollment. Embark DNA testing. Vaccinations. Deworming. Quality food. Puppy supplies. Socialization. Enrichment. And countless hours of hands-on care.
Those two puppy sales barely put a dent in what went into raising this litter.
And we haven’t even started discussing what I invested in Minerva BEFORE she ever became a mother.
Years of raising, training, showing, traveling, competing, health testing, and proving that she was a dog worthy of contributing to this breed. Thousands upon thousands of dollars invested long before a puppy was ever conceived.
And you know what hasn’t been factored into any of this?
MY TIME. Or the time of the people who stepped up to help me.
Not the missed work. Not the sleepless nights. Not the hours spent cleaning, feeding, worrying, evaluating puppies, communicating with families, or making sure each puppy went somewhere they would thrive.
Not to mention the emotional toll of losing four puppies we fought so hard for.
I’m not sharing this because I expect anyone to feel sorry for me. I made these choices. I chose to breed dogs, and I knew there were financial risks involved.
I’m sharing it because people see a $3,000 puppy and assume breeders are making a killing.
I promise you, my bank account would LOVE for that to be true. 😂
Could I cut corners? Absolutely. Could I skip some testing, stop traveling to shows, eliminate all the extras, and put considerably less into each puppy?
Sure.
But then I wouldn’t be breeding to the standards I’ve set for Platform Chinooks.
There is a difference between producing puppies and investing in a breed.
I don’t breed to produce as many puppies as possible. I breed with purpose, with the hope of producing healthy, sound, temperamentally stable Chinooks who will contribute positively to the future of this incredibly rare breed.
And the people who share that commitment? They’re the ones who show up, roll up their sleeves, lose sleep, and help each other through the hard stuff. Because at the end of the day, we have a breed worth fighting for, and none of us can do it alone.
Sometimes that means spending a ridiculous amount of money, losing a ridiculous amount of sleep, keeping a puppy (or two 🤦♀️), and somehow convincing myself I’ll do it all again.
So the next time someone multiplies the number of puppies in a litter by the asking price and assumes that’s what a breeder pocketed, please remember there’s a whole lot more to the equation.
Platform Chinooks, where the dogs are spoiled, the standards are high, the village is priceless, and the profit margins are apparently imaginary. 😂🐾
