CH.ZEN TAO BLUECREAM TEDDY BEAR ROM

Teddy is pictured at 7 months old, winning his first Group placement!

Judge JoAnn Schullier

Breeder owner handler Marianne Minks

     Tibbies are a “different” breed & not for everyone - but no breed is. That is why there are so many breeds - something for everybody. They are intelligent - sometimes TOO smart! They are a very thinking breed & have been known to plot & scheme together to figure out how they will get their way. While they are quick to learn, if you teach them a trick & they do it, but if you ask them again right away - they may not.  Ask them the third time & you will get “THE LOOK”. Head cocked to the side as if to say, “Weren’t you watching? I just did that. I know how to do that. If you don’t pay attention to me - what is the point of doing it again?”. They can be independent. They will do whatever you want - as long as they think it is their idea. While some are more trainable than others & some will take a bribe, generally they are not a breed who is usually trustworthy obedience-wise. I applaud those devoted owners who train their Tibbies & obtain obedience titles on them. If you want a dog to heel along side you, pay attention to nothing but you - that is NOT a Tibbie! They are little busy-bodies & need to know what is going on. There is always a flower to smell or a rock to examine. They are not a noisy breed. They do bark to alert you to a knock on the door or a car in the driveway. They seem to know what belongs in their environment. Mine don’t bark at the rabbits in the yard or the birds. They seem to know they live there, too, & accept that. But a deer too close to the fence or the few times a year a neighbor rides horses down the road - that sets up the alarm. While they are good with children, Tibbies & other small breeds are fragile as pups & not the best choice  for a family with toddlers who may accidentally drop the pup or trip over him, injuring him or breaking his small bones. A young adult or older can be a better choice as they are more durable & ready for a romp. While all puppies are playful, the boys are more rough & tumble. For example, if there is a puddle, the boys usually go right through it or stop to pounce in it. The little girls tend to walk around it. The little girls also tend to be more prissy when they grow up. All Tibbies love being fussed over & catered to. Their antics will delight & amuse you - but don’t laugh at them if it is a behavior you don’t want repeated. It only encourages them! They are manipulative, endearing & absolutely enchanting!

AKC & INT. CH. DUD-LEE’S ZEN TAO TWEE

Ziggy is pictured at 3 years old

Judge Miss Dorothy Nickles

Owner Handler Marianne Minks

I breed as my hobby, with the intention of keeping & showing in conformation. I like to have 2 litters per year, but some years I have had more, 1 or none & have currently not had any pups from 2008 until 2011. My goals in this breed is to breed happy, healthy Tibbies that are winners both in the show ring & in the hearts of their families. To strive for freedom of hereditary defects & health problems. To produce long-lived Tibetan Spaniels.

 

Many of my Tibbies have finished their AKC Championships from the puppy class. These include Best of Breed wins over adults dogs who were already Champions of Record & Non Sporting Group placements. Yet they make wonderful pets & are always ready for a romp & a cuddle.

 

My oldest Tibbies currently (Dec. 2011) were whelped in 1996 & are nearing their 16th Birthdays! They are still active & playful. Most live to be 15 - 16 years old. I recently lost my beloved Sue-She, who was just under 17 years old.

 

Tibbies used for breeding have their eyes examined by an ACVO (American College of Veterinarian  Ophthalmologist ) Board Certified  Veterinarian. The exams are done to detect the presence of any hereditary cataracts, progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), or any other eye condition. These exams are not done once on young dogs. They are done at regular intervals throughout the dog’s lifetime & until the dogs are at an age where cataracts are “senile” & due to old age & are not hereditary in nature. CERF (Canine Eye Research Foundation) issue exam forms.

CH. ZEN TAO BLUECREAM TEDDY BEAR ROM

Pictured at 2 1/2 years old. winning his 5th Group placement

Judge Dr Alvin Krause

Breeder owner handler Marianne

Hips are OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) X-rayed for the OFA Hip Dysplasia Database & certification. These X-rays are not conclusive, nor is certification issued, unless done after the dog is 2 years of age or older.

Patellas are examined by a veterinarian, using OFA standards for examination & paper work done for OFA Patellar Luxation Database Certification. Certification is not issued unless the dog  is age 1 year or older at time of exam.

More detailed information about CERF & OFA are on my Genetic Testing page.

 

ZEN TAO is the breeder owner handler of many AKC & International Champions, including Best of Breed & Group winners. Partnership in breeding & showing began in 1987, between Marianne Minks & Steven D. Peterson. Sadly, Steve lost his 3 1/2 year battle with Brain Cancer in 1996. As a man who liked the larger breeds, he fell in love with the Tibbies. I would get such a kick out of when he would go buy suits to wear at the dog shows, he would bring them home & try them on in front of the mirror. Then he would hold Pearl in front of him & stack her on the dresser to see how she looked with that suit as a background. How proud he was to escort his Tiffy to a Group 3 the day that she finished her Championship at 9 months old with Best of Breed over 2 top ranked Champions, including her sire, Ziggy. That wonderful day was one of Steve’s fondest memories, as he collapsed that night at home & was hospitalized for a month & could no longer walk well enough to handle, though he tried a couple more times before he became wheelchair bound shortly thereafter. He still greatly enjoyed the shows & could hardly wait for the Canine Chronicle to come in the mail so he could check the rankings. His thrill when it came to find that Tiffy was in the Top 10 ranked Tibetan Spaniels through April 1995! Steve wanted his ashes scattered in  special flower bed that would later be used to bury with him the dogs he loved so much. Now he rests with Jesse Dobie (Doberman), JR & Bailey (Cockers), & his Tibbies Peanut, Pearl, Sue, Ziggy, Gunji, Prints, Tilease, TT & finally his Sue-She Pie Tri. We couldn’t agree what to name Sue-She. I wanted to name her Sweet T Pie Tri, as her dam was Sweet Sue. He wanted to name her after her dam & name her Sue-She. We finally compromised & she was Zen Tao Sue-She Pie Tri & became the first Black & Tan Parti female AKC Champion.

 

CH. ZEN TAO TA-TI-FANY

Finished this day at 9 months old with BOB over 2 Specials & a Group 3!

Judge Arley Hussin

Owner handler, the late Steven D. Peterson

“Ziggy” AKC & INT CH. DUD-LEE’S ZEN TAO TWEE, was the #4 Tibetan Spaniel in the USA in 1995. He was owner handled by myself & the late Steve Peterson. Ziggy finished his International Championship in 3 straight shows, with 3 Best of Breed wins, a Group 1 & a Group 3! In AKC shows, he had 35 Best of Breed wins & 3 Group placements. In 2000 he went to his first 2 AKC shows in 5 years, as a Veteran. He was Best of Breed & won the Group 1 both days, defeating a Best in Show winner, among others. Ziggy sired 1 litter, out of Peanut. All 4 pups became AKC Champions. He is the grandsire of 5 Champions, the Great grandsire of 4 Champions & the Great Great Grandsire of 1 Champion as of the end of 2011. Ziggy lived to be 16 1/2 years old.

 

“Peanut” is CH. DUD-LEE’S TIMBLES TA-TI-ANA, ROMX. She is tied for 2nd Top Producing Dam in Breed History! ALL 11 of her offspring, by 3 different sires, are AKC Champions. 2 of those are also International Champions. She has 10 Champion Grandpuppies, 9 Great Grandpuppies are Champions, with 3 pointed. 3 of Peanut’s Great Great Grandpuppies are Champions, with 4 others currently pointed & close to finishing. Peanut lived to be 15 1/2 years old.

 

“Tiffy”, CH. ZEN TAO TA-TI-FFANY, mentioned above & pictured to the left with Steve, was 1 of the 4 Champion pups sired by Ziggy & out of Peanut. Despite her fabulous show career as such a young pup, she was never Specialed as we were showing her sire, Ziggy. She had 1 litter, of 1 pup, which did become a Champion.

 

“Teddy” is CH. ZEN TAO BLUECREAM TEDDY BEAR, ROM. He is a Peanut Grandson & is pictured on the right side of this page at different points in his career. He won a Group 4 at 7 months old &

finished his AKC Championship at 10 months old with multiple Best of Breed wins. I rarely special a dog, but Teddy was just SO special that he began his Specials Career at age 2 1/2 years, always breeder owner handled by Marianne Minks. Shown for only 9 months in 2007, (Feb. - Oct.) Teddy was the #4 Tibetan Spaniel Breed System, # 13 in the All Breed System & #11 AKC/Eukanuba National Championship Qualifier through June 2007. He was not shown for 3 months of the 2006 qualification time period & not seriously specialed until June 2007. He ended the AKC/Eukanuba qualification period as the #9 Tibetan Spaniel in the USA for mid Oct. 2006 to mid Oct. 2007. Despite being shown for only 9 months, in a limited area, in 2007, he ended the year as #5 Tibetan Spaniel in the Breed System & #13 in the All Breed System. He qualified for & was invited to the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship shows in 2007 & 2008. Shown only twice in 2009 in April, Teddy was ranked #10 in the All Breed System through April 31, 2009. His next shows were 4 Spring shows in 2011, at age 6 1/2 years. At those shows he won 13 points, 3 Majors & 2 of the 3 required wins defeating another Champion, towards his Grand Championship title. He will be out in the ring in the Spring of 2012 to seek to complete this title. Teddy has a total of Best of Breed wins & 7 Group placements. Teddy is the sire of 5 Champions, with 2 others pointed, out of total of 3 different dams. His offspring are stunning! So are his Grandpups.

CH. ZEN TAO BLUECREAM TEDDY BEAR ROM

Winning his 7th Group placement at 6 1/2 years old

Older? YES! Better? DEFINITELY!

Judge Ralph (Sonny) Ambrosia

Breeder owner handler Marianne

Puppies, young adults & retired adults are occasionally available to approved homes.

 

Zen Tao does not sell litter lots, to brokers, pet shops or to commercial breeders who do. I do require references from prospective owners, who must have a fenced yard or secure play area. Invisible fencing or to tie a Tibbie out is unacceptable. So are any type of shock collars.

 

My sales contract is designed to protect the buyer, myself as the seller, & most importantly - the precious little Tibbie.

 

I try to match the pup to the prospective owner as to that person’s preference as to color, sex, personality traits & physical characteristics. Since I have pups available only occasionally, do have a waiting list. Do accept reservations with a deposit. Usually a wait for one of my pups is necessary. However that helps to insure that pup is going to the right home, with the buyer especially pleased with the quality, personality & health they desire.

 

My dogs may be visited by appointment. No visitors, unknown to the dam, are allowed from birth until 5 days after the pup’s first vaccination. I will not allow a dam to feel insecure by having strangers view her young pups. The dam needs her privacy & security of a stress free nursing area. Friends of the dam, after proper disinfection measures, are allowed to visit & socialize. Pups generally go to their new homes at age 12 - 14 weeks. It depends on several factors as to when the pups may go to their new homes. Some pups take longer to wean than others. A pup needs time with his dam & littermates to learn doggy manners & communication. If the trip to the new home is a car ride or plane ride as carry-on with the new owner & is of short duration, they can leave here younger than if it is a long plane ride or if they are shipped in cargo & not hand carried & tended for by their new owner. This is for the protection of the pup. Going to a new home is stressful & the pup needs to be old enough & mentally prepared to handle the

changes in his life. My pups are constantly handled, groomed, socialized & put into new situations at home to prepare them for the excitement of a new home.

 

Zen Tao breeds all colors, except solid white. As the breeder of Champions in all other colors & combinations & from my start in showing & breeding Cocker Spaniels in 1976, I love all the colors & think having a variety of color makes it more fun.

 

For any pet puppy sold, I do warranty the pup is in good health at time of sale. I will take the pup back if examination by your veterinarian finds any undisclosed medical issues that originated here & refund or replace the pup within 48 hours. I also have an extended warranty, for 5 years, & do guarantee replacement, in writing, in the event of hereditary cataracts or hereditary PRA that causes blindness. Replacement is also guaranteed in the event of hereditary crippling hip dysplasia before age 5 years. This extended warranty is in effect as long as the buyer keeps the pup on daily use of NuVet Plus. Please see my Health page for more information on this amazing product. Pets are sold on AKC limited registration only. They are sold on a contract to be neutered by age 9 months old. Or they may already be neutered at time of purchase.

For pups sold as show prospects I have other warranties, based upon the requirement that the buyer have genetic health screening exams done prior to breeding. I also strongly recommend the addition of NuVet Plus daily. If you are interested in a show prospect & plan to use that dog for breeding when mature & eyes certified free of hereditary cataracts & PRA & OFA certified free of hip dysplasia, please email for more details on my warranties.

 

Price of each pup is based on prediction of that individual’s quality & future development.

All pups have up-to-date vaccinations, are wormed & are on heartworm preventative if it is during mosquito season. They are examined by a licensed veterinarian & come with a vet health certificate. Also provided is the Contract of Sale, pedigree, AKC registration, literature on & samples of Flint River Ranch food & NuVet Plus.

 

Shipping may be available, depending upon time of year & temperatures must conform to Federal regulations concerning the shipping of live animals. However, a pup my be taken as carry-on, in a special carrier, with prior arrangement with the airline when the accompanying traveler’s reservation is made & for an extra fee, determined by each airline. Buyer pays the fee direct to the airline & must make the reservations & bring with them the pet’s carry-on bag. For pups shipped alone & by cargo services, the airline charges, cost of the crate to ship in & any extra costs for special importation permits or paperwork is not included in the price. These items will be charged at actual cost, as will any gas needed if the pet must be shipped from an airport other than the local airport I generally use & ship by Delta. Dogs must be paid for in full prior to shipping. I will accept personal checks for deposits & for payment in full if it is made 4 or more weeks prior to shipping. Any closer than that time, regret that I will only accept a bank wire transfer that must be completed prior to shipping.

 

Please make an informed decision BEFORE you purchase a dog of any breed, from any breeder.

CH. DUD-LEE’S BER-NA’S BLACK PEARL

Steve’s “heart” dog

Judge Joe Tacker

Owner handled by Steven D Peterson