Ocerico Puppies
Our Breeding Philosophy
We believe that the preservation of the Sloughi is dependent on the ancient lines from the countries of origin. For that reason, we heavily emphasize authentic, North African bloodlines in our breeding program. Each of our litters is carefully planned, considering temperament, health, type, conformation and bloodlines/pedigrees.
Happy, permanent homes where our puppies are well loved and well cared for are far more important to us than breed preservation or future show wins. The welfare of our individual puppies is our threshold consideration in evaluating future homes.
We believe in the Code of Ethics of the National Parent Club. We adhere to the American Sloughi Association Code of Ethics and we do not recommend Sloughi breeders who do not follow the Code of Ethics (if they are located in the US) or similar requirements (if they are located outside of the US). We occasionally have puppies out of our well-bred, health tested, best in show and group-winning, champion Sloughis. We typically have a waiting list for puppies before our litters are bred.
We want our Sloughis to be beloved family members. We hope that all Sloughis will be first and foremost treasured family members, owned by people who are as intelligent and sensitive as Sloughis are. Our primary goal is to place each of our puppies in loving, lifelong homes where they will thrive and live their best lives.
We emphasize health and temperament. Our routine health screenings include DNA testing for Sloughi Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), echocardiograms, thyroid testing, annual CAER (eye) examinations, and all requirements of the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) for the Sloughi. We also follow all requirements of the American Sloughi Association Code of Ethics. Our Sloughis are DNA tested free of PRA prior to breeding; all potential parents are OFA CHIC registered and CAER tested within twelve months prior to breeding; every puppy is microchipped, and we have donated DNA on all of our Sloughis to the OFA DNA Repository at the University of California at Davis. Our puppies are lovingly raised under foot and are eligible for registration with the AKC. We are the only AKC Breeder of Merit in the breed. We do not ship puppies and we do not place puppies with people without meeting them in person.
We are very picky about future homes. We ask a lot of questions and we check references. We do not mean to be intrusive with our questions, but finding suitable homes for our puppies is one of our highest priorities. We understand that not every potential puppy owner wishes to undergo this level of scrutiny, and we are not offended if you choose to select a breeder whose screening process is less rigorous.
Future Puppy Plans. If you are interested in seeing if one of our Sloughis would be a good fit for your family, please begin by completing our Sloughi Parent Questionnaire.
Sloughi Parent Questionnaire
If you are interested in having one of our Sloughis join your family, please fill out our Sloughi Parent Questionnaire.