Mountain Pass
Roanoke Area, Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia
At Mountain Pass, I raise Shih Tzu and Dalmatians on 9 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Roanoke, Virginia.
A small breeding program centered on health and temperament to create the ideal companion always striving to improve the breed through every generation. DNA testing and OFA health certification ensure the healthiest pups possible along with vaccinations and veterinarian check. Guardianship available for locals. I will also consider barter of time or services for a dog. Lifetime return policy and 3 year warranty.
What You Can Expect
Early exposure includes:
- Disposable potty pads, pine pellet litter with alfalfa grass pellets for smell, doggy door, Dal's go outside when older and weather is nice.
- gentle introduction to baths and nail trimming,
- car rides and field trips, and
- different smells, surfaces, and activities that help build balance and confidence.
- exposure to different breeds of dogs and cats.
Health Testing & Veterinary Care
Health testing: Parents are DNA tested to help reduce the risk of puppies being affected by harmful inherited diseases or conditions. They also complete extensive OFA testing, with results recorded in the public database, including evaluations of knees, eyes, and other breed-relevant health areas.
Records and review: CHIC numbers and health records are available on the health and pedigree page.
Puppy veterinary care: Puppies receive a veterinary exam, DHPP vaccinations (parvo and distemper), and regular deworming while in my care.
Go-Home Items
Each puppy goes home with:
• vaccine and veterinary records
• copies of the parents’ OFA test certificates
• a sample of Purina Pro Plan kibble
• a toy or chew
Payment Options
Payment and short-term financing plans are available through Good Dog using:
• credit card,
• digital check, and
• Klarna Credit
If we connected on Doggit or outside Good Dog: payment may also be accepted by check, cash, PayPal, Zelle, Cash App, etc.
Pickup & Delivery Options
Free Pickup: Pickup is available at Roanoke Airport (ROA) or I-81 Exit 156. Monthly group meets at Charlotte NC, Ashburn VA, and Pittsburg PA.
Home visits: All of the following must be completed for everyone visiting in your party: You may come to my home to meet if you have completed an application in full on my website (in addition to the one on gooddog). Sign a waiver releasing liability for injury on the property. Sign a form about cleanliness protocol to prevent disease to young pups. Provided an ID for all visitors and allow a background check. Also, we will meet at police station or fire department first before visiting the house. All forms are on the application and visitor agreement page: Application Form - MOUNTAINPASSBARN.COM
While you have been warned that I could be a 'puppy mill' I have been warned that you could hold me at gunpoint, assault and kill me and my family, or send someone to steal my dogs in the middle of the night or be a fraudster and resell my dogs in big cities that bring a higher price or use them in your own 'puppy mill'. The sweetest people are always the front of the operation, young or old, you aren't swaying me with your cuteness or any sob story, I just suspect you more. Honestly, even if you are sincere I don't trust your boyfriend or cousin to not case the house and come back later, so no plus ones on visitors, If I don't have a driver's license and background check on every visitor over the age of 15 before giving my address out everyone will be turned away. A few bad eggs ruin it for the rest of the bunch.
If all that seems too much then I hope you find a breeder that matches your expectations, good luck. The pet store sells puppy mill dogs for way more than I charge and they didn't do OFA health testing. People choose me because I do health testing beyond just DNA and a standard check-up and have the best refund guarantee that I have seen.
Transport options: Private transport may be available for an additional fee, ground is $2 per mile one way from 24175, flight is $600 to cover pet fees, certificates, daily fees, plus the cost of a roundtrip flight with same day turnaround. Dalmatians are typically ground transport only, depending on age and size we may be able to get individual approval from the airline but they get big quick. My sons or I provide the transportation service.
Guarantees & Returns
Refunds and returns: A full refund within a week of purchase with return of the dog, within 3 years of age if a debilitating congenital condition is confirmed by veterinarians of my choice I will pay the treatment bill up to 90% of the original purchase amount, or upon return of the dog at anytime in the dogs life a portion of the rehoming fee if it was able to be rehomed minus my expenses never to exceed 80% of the original purchase amount providing no abuse or neglect has taken place.
Lifetime return policy: If you are ever unable to care for one of my dogs, I will take the dog back at any time if you need me to, please never surrender to a shelter. I can offer a portion of the rehoming fee minus my expenses never to exceed 80% of the original purchase amount.
Waitlist Deposit and Pricing
Please fill out an application: Application Form - MOUNTAINPASSBARN.COM . A $500 deposit goes towards the total cost.
• Shih Tzu: $2,800 avg.
• Dalmatian: $1,800 avg.
Estimated balance after deposit: $2,300 for a Shih Tzu or $1,300 for a Dalmatian. Final pricing may vary based on pairing, health testing, age, or guardian status.
Guardian Homes
Do you live within 2 hours of Roanoke Virginia? Are you interested in being a guardian home for a reduced price by participating in a rebate program? I pay you a fee for each litter produced when the litter is sold. A guardian home fosters a dog, living with, loving and training them while allowing them to help the program. Once they turn two, they do health testing at Virginia-Maryland Veterinary College at Virginia Tech for one visit, dalmatian get anesthesia for their testing, and multiple specialists coordinating exams. After their 6th birthday, they are spayed or neutered and I sign the AKC limited registration over to you, keeping them in my name on AKC facilitates registration paperwork for the puppies born. I only do one litter per female a year in the warm season so that is only 4 litters at about 2 months each visit plus the health visits. The males may do a few more visits, but I only need them for 1-2 weeks per female plus health visits. If all health tests go well and they provide value to the program they will be used up to their 6th birthday, if they provide less value we may not use them as much. Females are reimbursed $600 per litter estimating use at once per year, males are reimbursed $200 per litter estimating use at three times per year. They are prohibited from participating in any other breeding outside of my program. When they are active in the breeding program, I will provide flea and other meds and food to ensure no birth defects as even some over-the-counter eye, ear, flea, heartworm, herbals can cause birth defects and problems to eggs and sperm even 70 days prior to use. So, in addition to the litter fee, you get free meds and food at a $60-$100 value per month at least a month pre-breeding and during use. I am able to provide the most value when you come by the house monthly for meds administration as I buy in bulk, I will not reimburse items purchased. Breeding does have risk and I will honor my 90% refund of purchase price if the dog dies due to birthing or nursing complications.
Barter
Do you have a service to trade and are you qualified and certified?
Service Dog
I sometimes offer suitable dogs to organizations in need.
*Priority will be given to homes willing to either show, do dog sports, therapy or service dog, or put some titles on the dogs.
Potty training when you get home: (definitely applies to shih tzu - dalmatian catch on quicker)
It is ideal to have them contained to a puppy safe room or pen in the beginning possibly with a pine pellet litter pan (3x3 washing machine tray) sprinkled with grass or alfalfa pellets for a grass association at least for a few months or a doggy door to a fenced area also works. Even at 3 months old they are still babies, be kind and patient, don't expect a baby to be as responsible as a 1 year old dog and remember where the door is, make it easy by making it a visible option at all times. This is why a smaller area is recommended. Even if they are a little older, especially for shih tzu, this helps with the stress of the move and the new location.... you still have to show them how it works in your house and they need time to relax and learn in an all new environment - learning a command in one location isn't the same as learning the same task in a new place, you must teach them the 'new' trick in the new location.
Do you have a fenced yard or smaller fenced area for potty time or do you commit to using a 20 ft leash and allowing 30 minutes each outing of sniff time and the opportunity to potty multiple times once they relax in the environment, going to the same area helps to reduce distractions and new sniff items. You will need to give them multiple sessions in a covered area approximately every 1 hour the first week that they are awake and out of their pen or crate, then 2 hour intervals, then space out to three hours...- you can have your quick 5 min. or less potty breaks when they are older and you have trained them to potty on a shorter leash on command. Shih tzu specifically need to be protected from rain, sun, and birds of prey because they are tiny, hate rain, and melt in sun. Shih tzu like a little privacy and will spin in circles and run 6 ft back and forth on the fence or wall and then stand on wall sometimes to 'go' ...this has nothing to do with having 'trouble going' it's just their thing - don't judge. If anything distracts them they forget what they were doing and the 10-30 minute process begins again, relax and smell the roses, get your vitamin D, enjoy the outdoors .... Or do the pine pellet crumble litter pan that works better than pads.
Personality and Traits: General stereotypes of Shih's and Dal's
Shih Tzu are sweet and fun and excel in wrestling, tug, play, kisses, and receiving belly rubs. They are that joyful character that everyone loves because they love everyone and so the fact that they aren't always quick to catch on or easily distracted is forgiven, ditzy or a little clueless might be a description for most shih tzu. If they were people they might get "dumb blonde" jokes every now and again, but they say blondes have more fun, so it seems like a win-win situation. Ignorance is Bliss is their life motto, and they are pretty enough to get away with it.
Dalmatians are intuitive and smart, always aware of what nuance is happening in the room. They are watching your every move, and you are working that room together like a team who needs no words. They love you like no other and would like to stare into your eyes and steal kisses as much as possible. They tolerate others but get a little jealous and will bullishly push those other chumps out of the way to be first in line for attention and kisses. They can be cordial to others but also will tell others that they aren't that into them, they have a bestie already, thank you very much. They can be a little naughty like a class clown when they are bored and need to release some pent-up energy. They have been bred for centuries as a guardian of person and carriage/domain, not to be a friendly ambassador to all they meet. They are smart and intuitive like a fine-tuned machine, so we forgive our geniuses when they are a bit of an A-hole or troublemaker. If you don't harness and shape their greatness they can turn out like the Bumpus hounds in the movie 'A Christmas Story' stealing the turkey off the table.
Both love to dig holes in the yard
Spay / Neuter and Full Registration Rights
Spay/neuter: I do not require routine spay or neuter for every young dog, as it is not always considered the best standard of care for healthy, developing animals. Sometimes after development it is the right thing to do, there is risk in all choices and many affecting factors. Let your vet help you decide what is right for you. While mammary and testicular cancers are noted as a reason for spay and neuter, also know that lymph and bone cancer among others are more prevalent in spay and neuter dogs. Also, to have something versus to die from something are two different factors to consider when weighing risk. The most important rule that we now know is to wait until 18 months old for larger dogs to allow for proper bone formation especially of the hips, technically dalmatians are only a medium size breed but due to the uric acid possibility this is another reason to wait until 18 months of age for the boys (girls aren't affected due to anatomy).
Full registration rights: (Shih Tzu only) Full registration is reserved for people who are truly committed to bettering the breed with OFA health testing, staying involved, and continuing their education and training...it's a mentorship relationship and an unofficial partnership with me. Limited registration may be upgraded later if you decide to take on that responsibility. Also, for those willing to show this will be an option once you prove your commitment.