Please feel free to email your comments and letters for posting on this page.     Page started 02/04/08.

Please enjoy the following letters, emails and comments from homes that have joined the D&L Doberman family.  

Letter from the family of Zoey (Josie and Redford's 12/15/07 litter).   Dated 02/4/08.
 
Dear Dwight and Lesa,
 
  As you know I had been a Doberman owner for several years and was taken advantage of as a new buyer.  I found what I thought was a reputable breeder and I wound up with a 6 LB sick puppy which didn't live very long. With all that said...  THIS experience had to be different. So I set out to find a TRULY reputable breeder.  I spent a great deal of time reading and researching hoping to make this new experience a more positive one.  I guess I was looking for the ultimate breeders.
 
  When I found you guys I found someone who practiced planned breeding programs based on sound breeding principles, someone who knows what its like to get down and dirty in the whelping box. You're not obsessed by show results or trying to be somebody on the board of some club even though your dogs are of champion stock. Its the dogs that count with you guys. You care about where your dogs go to live and that they have a life that allows them to fulfill their purpose and potential.
 
   I know that you will always be there with continued support no matter what. I know that you wont disappear if something unforeseen of dastardly befalls "Zoey" even years after she has left your home. WHY? Because you are breeders of character and substance
 
  Thank you so much for your no pressure approach to our purchasing the puppy. Your continual correspondence and frequent website updates have been so exciting and encouraging to Mark and I. We have literally been able to walk with you from the moment of birth through these weeks (that seemed like months) of growth and weaning.  The pleasure of visiting with you in your beautiful home can only be excelled by the joy of knowing that we will be back with you again next week to pick up my new baby  D&L's ZOEY AMORE'.   I simply cannot wait.
 
  Thank you for your devotion to the litter and most of all your continual dedication to the Doberman breed. You are the quintessential Master Breeders.
 
Blessings,
Tessalah

 

Letter from the family of Daisy (Star and Redford's 2/04/08 litter).   Dated 09/18/08.

Hi Lesa – I wanted to check in and say Hi.

As you can see the pretty girl gets more beautiful everyday.

We are having a great time!

Daisy is being spoiled beyond belief and loving every minute of it.

We spend a lot of quality time together and she is always by my side. (or in my lap or under my arm…ha-ha)

Her (spay) surgery went well and she has healed completely.

We have lunch out on the deck together everyday and take walks every night.

She seems very happy.

I will send a couple more pictures tonight as well.

 Take care.

 Dave 

 

Letter from the family of Oberon (Gracey and Raif's 03/06/04 litter) and also Izabella (Star and Redford's 08/27/08 litter).   Dated 09/18/08.

..........."Everyone with whom I come in contact adores him. Regular persons comment on how beautiful/handsome he is.

People in the "dog" business want to know who did his ears. Honestly, Lesa, he's got the best Doberears on the planet."............

Love,
Ginny and Ob Vilcinskas

 

Letter from the family of Redford Jr. (Gracey and Redford's  04/13/06 litter).   Dated 03/14/09.
If you are viewing this Doberman website looking for your first or next Dobie and are also wanting to make sure that you have found a reputable breeder, you can count on this wonderful family.  Jim and I found the Lewis family (Lesa and Dwight and all of their very loved Dobies) during a time when my mom was terminally ill and we had just lost one of our loved Dobbs.  We wanted to get a new Dobie puppy, but wanted to make sure that we found a breeder that really cared about their dogs.  I started searching and one very lucky day came upon D&L Dobermans.  Jim and I feel very fortunate that we found Lesa and Dwight.  When I first talked to Lesa I could just tell that she and Dwight really cared about their Dobbs, breeding and every puppy that they raise.  I knew that this was the breeder I wanted to work with.
 
A few months later we went to pick up our beautiful Red and Rust Dobie puppy (Redford Jr.).  Redford came out of Gracey and Redford's litter in April of 2006.  This was going to be Gracey's last litter.  If you check out the April site you will see that Redford Jr. was the only puppy, lucky for Jim and I Gracey and Redford gave us a wonderful red male which is what we were wanting.  There is more to this story, Redford Jr. was born on my birthday and was an only child just like me.  I was going through such a difficult time the year Redford Jr. was born, with my mom not doing well and we lost her later that same year.  Redford Jr. brought such joy and happiness into our lives and at such a perfect time.
 
During the days prior to Redford Jr's birth Lesa and I kept in close touch. She was so sweet she kept us so informed and the night that Redford Jr. was born she was e-mailing us letting us know that he was going to be born on my birthday.  Redford Jr. was born later than expected, which turned out to be like it was meant to be (fate).  When Gracey only delivered the one puppy, Lesa and Dwight were concerned and had to drive her with little Redford Jr. to the Vet to have her checked out.  During all of this Lesa still kept in touch letting us know how they were doing.  All was fine with Gracey, she just only had one puppy.
 
We drove to Lesa and Dwight's to pick Redford Jr. from Louisville, KY.  Their home and property is beautiful and Lesa and Dwight are  GREAT and CARING people.  They met us at the front door and I had to just hug Lesa for being so kind and thoughtful while we were anxiously waiting for Redford Jr. to be born.  Behind Lesa, stood Dwight with Redford Jr. in his arms, they really care about what they do and all of their animals. Lesa sent us pictures of Redford Jr. from day one of his life and then weekly until we picked him up, not many breeders would care enough to take the time to do that.  
 
Lesa, Dwight, Jim and I have been through some hard times since we picked up our new family member that day in June of 2006.  We have lost some loved Dobies over the last couple of years. I can always call or e-mail Lesa and she is there for me.  Jim and I wished we lived closer to the Lewis family because they are such good people.  We think of them as family and we so love our beautiful Redford Jr.  
 
Thank-you,
Jim and Lisa Kennedy
Louisville, KY
 

 

 HOW TO EVALUATE A BREEDER (From AKC website)

The reputable breeder is like the head of a family.  He feels responsibility toward the breed itself, toward the dogs he breeds, the dogs he hopes to breed, and additionally, to all the people who have dogs of his breeding. He spends astounding amounts of his time and money on matters he thinks are of the best interests of his breed.

It is awareness of responsibility, combined with a sense on continuity, that marks the difference between the true breeder and mere "puppy-raiser". The breeder is an artist, motivated by a drive to create perfection: the puppy-raisers and dog dealers are motivated by the desire to make money. They are truly in the dog business, selling puppies like over-the-counter commodities to anyone who can pay the price.

The breeder is the link between the past and the future. Since he is well aware that the buyers of today may be the breeders of tomorrow, he does his best to educate the people who come to buy his dogs and to instill in them the ideals and values on which he has built his reputation.

Fortunate is the novice buyer who purchases his first dog from a reputable breeder!   Whereas puppy-raisers may sell whole litters to dog dealers, the breeder insists on direct contact with those who buy his dogs, and sells only after the most careful screening of a would-be purchaser in order to ascertain the mutual suitability of dog and buyer.

While often not fully appreciated until AFTER the dog is bought, this screening by the breeder is the greatest protection a dog purchaser can have.

The puppy-raiser and the dog dealers are often high-powered salesmen.   They never ask questions - their only concern is to sell dogs, and to get them off their hands as soon as possible in order to avoid additional expense and work.   Their interest ends when the sale is completed.

The attitude of the reputable breeder is very different. Though the cost of properly caring for his dogs may cause him sleepless nights and untold worries, he will never let a single puppy or older dog leave for a home that is not as good or better than the one he is providing.   Even when the dog is sold, the breeder's help and advice do not end but continue throughout the dog's life, a responsibility cheerfully accepted by him without expectation of compensation.

At D&L Dobermans, we hope your experience with us has exceeded what is known as a "reputable breeder" but is more like being part of the D&L family.     Thank you all for providing wonderful homes for your D&L Doberman!