Vom Kylohaus German Shepherds

07/21/2025

That little black fluff ball at the bottom is Kylo. Kylo is the reason I do what I do. My kennel is dedicated to him.

Kylo was the first German shepherd puppy I sought out and purchased. I was young and naive. I took the “breeders” word at face value when she told me they were vet checked and clear. I don’t know if they were just never vetted, or if she lied about them being clear, but Kylo was not healthy.

We took him for his first vet appointment a week after we got him. The vet discovered that he had a grade 6/6 heart murmur on both ventricles. You could feel it by just touching his chest. The cardiologist had a very long wait time, and it was going to be very expensive. The vet recommended I return him to the breeder, but I was extremely attached to this dog. He was active, eating well, using the bathroom like he should, and never tired or slowed down more than normal puppy behavior. He was so incredibly smart too.

The vet told me if I didn’t return him, he could still live a full life we just had to be careful not to let him get too aroused without seeing the cardiologist first to determine the underlying cause.

Kylo had another follow up two weeks later to get his next round of vaccines. His murmurs were graded 5/6 but she said they would most likely never go away. That following weekend, I woke up to my outside dog losing his mind. The neighbors dog was in my yard and was injured. While we were trying to get ahold of her owner by knocking on doors, Kylo heard us and was extremely wound up because he wanted to come out of his crate. After tracking her owner down, I went to let Kylo out and found him gone. His heart gave out because he got too excited. We went from learning his murmurs sounded less severe to losing him in a matter of days. I was devastated.

Now, almost 9 years later, I have my own program, and my main focus is to avoid putting families through what I went through with Kylo. I want to ensure that my dogs live long, healthy lives. All of my puppies are vet checked between 6 and 7 weeks old to check for any issues such as heart murmurs, umbilical hernias, mouth issues, etc. it’s why I offer a health guarantee. I stand behind my program because I know what it’s like to feel that heartbreak.

07/14/2025

Tempest is here to explain the genetics behind long coat in German shepherds, because apparently it’s a hot debate and many people seem to not understand how it works. So let’s dive in:

• long coat is a recessive gene. This means that in order to express, there has to be two copies on the locus. Each locus only has two alleles. So for coat length, both alleles have to be Lc to have a long coat puppy.

• Tempest’s parents are both stock coat, but carry for long coat. This means that their coat locus is Sc/Lc. Sometimes you can’t tell if a dog carries for long coat without testing.

• if you pair two long coat shepherds, you are guaranteed 100% long coat, 100% of the time. That’s because the only allele each parent has to pass from the coat length locus is Lc.

• if you pair a long coat with a stock coat that carries for long coat, each puppy has a 50% chance of being long coat.

• if you pair two stock coats that carry for long coat, each puppy has a 25% chance of being long coat.

• if you pair two stock coats that don’t carry for long coat, or one stock coat that does and one that doesn’t, you have a 0% chance of long coat, 100% of the time.

Now don’t confuse the odds of each puppy as odds for the entire litter. 50% chance of each puppy being long coat doesn’t mean that it’s a 50% chance the entire litter will be long coat, or that 50% of the litter will be long coat. It all boils down to how the genetics line up.
Rivers litter had 4 long coats, and one that didn’t even carry for long coat. Genetics are wild, and can’t be predicted.

I hope this helps! Maybe next week, we’ll dive in to the color genetics 😜

11/06/2024

Today I was at a small store in pigeon forge, tn and saw these preserved goat hooves. My first thought was “most of these goats were suffering”. All three of these goats have various degrees of hoof rot. The first is very mild and could have easily been cut out. The second is what happens when it gets deeper in the feel and isn’t treated. The third is the worst, and is when the infection gets all the way down to the bone. The third one, and sometimes even the second one, needs antibiotics and regular trimming as well as daily treatment with a medicated foot treatment such as kopertox. This is why it’s important to regularly trim your goats feet, especially if they’re in a wet/muddy area. Goat (and sheep) hoof care is super important!

05/14/2024

“Breeders are greedy.”
“Breeders charge too much.”
“That puppy is expensive.”

This is one visit, and one month of flea and tick meds for my inside dogs.
This is one visit for a dog that will probably be washed from my program. Why? Because she seems to be just not healthy, and I won’t pass that on to future litters.
Sometimes flukes like this happen, and you can’t predict it. Sometimes every other dog bred by the same parents are healthy, and yours isn’t.
I walked away today with no answers, just trials to see if we can figure out what’s going on. There is a next step for a more definitive answer, but for now, we’re trying other options (that are less expensive).

So let’s break it down, on why breeders AREN’T greedy:
I paid $1300 for this dog, just for the dog.
I have dedicated hours to training, and that’s just basic obedience.
I have hundreds in vet bills towards this dog because of other issues early on. I actually almost lost this dog to an extremely rare lung worm that she developed pneumonia from.
I have the cost of feeding this dog.
I have the cost of toys, treats, her crate, and other small things.
I have INVESTED in to this dog, as a potential breeding female for my program later on.
And that doesn’t even include the ofa health testing and future vet care for her later on.
And now? That investment is for a pet. And that’s OK because I LOVE this dog. Her temperament is perfect. Her structure is perfect. Her drives are perfect. But none of that trumps her health.

Breeders invest in their dogs. Breeders spend thousands on their dogs, and take losses all of the time. We spend a fortune in preventatives and dog food alone every month, much less the additional costs.

So next time you think “man that puppy is expensive. That breeder is greedy,”Step back and look at the bigger picture. Especially if the dogs are titled. A good breeder will never make money off of their litters. They will only recoup SOME of the costs that they have invested in to their dogs.

My dogs are pets before they are breeding dogs. They will always have a home here, even if they are washed from my program or retired. I will always give them the care that they need, regardless of if they’ll ever “return” any of the money I spend on them.

04/17/2024

📢📢📢 ATTENTION TRIMMING CLIENTS:
I am currently booked for the next two weekends. That said, I will be taking June, July, and August OFF. I plan to spend the summer break with my kids. So if you’re wanting trimmed before then, please get with me to schedule.
Those few that are already scheduled these months will keep their slots, and I have a few other regulars that I will fit in during this time as needed.
My slots fill up fast, so please get on my schedule if you need a trim soon.
After May 3rd, I will have week day scheduling available as well.
You can message the page, or text me at 4235092322 to schedule!

03/17/2024

Look who’s home 🙌🏻🩵

03/15/2024

I noticed juniper was off yesterday and today was even worse. I toyed with the idea of taking her to Jefferson animal hospital in Louisville, because I KNEW something was wrong.
My vet’s office does after hours emergencies. I texted them and asked if it was truly an emergency (I can be slightly dramatic 😅) and he said she probably had an obstruction and bring her in first thing in the morning, unless she took a turn. About 20 minutes later, she projectile vomited and my vet said take her in, hed meet me at the clinic.
They have two clinics: Green River Veterinary Services and Larue county animal clinic. The other vet on staff called me and told me he’d meet me at Larue county animal clinic because it worked out better for everyone involved.
We get there are start with a parvo test (negative) and X-rays. Xrays revealed a ton of fluid in her abdomen. When he drained some, it showed that it was free fluid in the abdomen, which was a bad sign. He did an ultrasound and confirmed. Then it was a game of blood work , fecals, more bloodwork, and finally more ultrasounds to determine the cause.
She had intussusception, which is where the intestines telescopes in itself.
The first vet made the drive in to the clinic so together, both doctors could do exploratory surgery to verify the bowel issue, and make sure there wasn’t an obstruction or other issue.
She is far from out of the woods. The next 7-10 days, her prognosis is guarded. But her surgery went well. I will hopefully get to bring my baby home on Saturday. But we could both really use your prayers and good vibes. I would be absolutely heart broken and just devastated if I lost this girl.

03/11/2024

03/07/2024

My most beautiful girl supervising while I feed the goats

03/02/2024

02/26/2024

I’m considering adding services to my business for the goats.

Disbudding
Wethering
Blood draws
Ultrasounds
Fecals

Is any of this something anyone would be interested in?
Just gauging interest before coming up with a price list

02/25/2024

PSA: 📢📢📢

Sweet feed is only good for making friends with your animals. It has virtually no nutritional value and is just empty calories