Bringing Joy & Advancing the Breed
With an industry expert.
LIFE
Dr. Best has been providing reproduction services for over 20 years. She started providing very basic services such as breeding advice and assistance with artificial insemination. As the practice grew, the demand also grew for additional services such as collecting and freezing semen from valuable stud dogs, providing surgical insemination for frozen semen breedings and collecting and shipping chilled semen for breeding to be done within the continental US and internationally. She has shipped semen to Canada, Europe and Australia. She also has provided advice and consultation on maintaining pregnancies in female dogs that have lost litters in the past, pregnancy diagnosis, fertility of both male and female dogs.
I initially started working with breeders and doing canine reproduction work because there was a need in the community. After helping produce a few beautiful litters and experiencing the joy from my clients I had this feeling of exhilaration! Not only was the process enjoyable for everyone, I love that it further advances the breed. It’s an amazing gift to be able to help people get something they truly desire.
There are many stages and phases of this process and being able to guide clients through them all is very rewarding. From pre-breeding exams and certifications of everything from hips to elbows to knees to discussions of types of breedings (natural vs artificial) and how to time them to improve our chances of success. I love being able to share ultrasound videos and images with clients who may have never seen anything like that before and counting fetuses to know how many to expect. I get to take clients through the stages of labor and delivery and be available for Cesarean sections if necessary and be able to be the first hands on a new life. I get to watch the puppies grow and see them for their first wellness visits and vaccines. It is truly an honor to have helped many clients bring puppies into this world. I would love to be able to help others do the same.
I initially started working with breeders and doing canine reproduction work because there was a need in the community. After helping produce a few beautiful litters and experiencing the joy from my clients I had this feeling of exhilaration! Not only was the process enjoyable for everyone, I love that it further advances the breed. It’s an amazing gift to be able to help people get something they truly desire.
There are many stages and phases of this process and being able to guide clients through them all is very rewarding. From pre-breeding exams and certifications of everything from hips to elbows to knees to discussions of types of breedings (natural vs artificial) and how to time them to improve our chances of success. I love being able to share ultrasound videos and images with clients who may have never seen anything like that before and counting fetuses to know how many to expect. I get to take clients through the stages of labor and delivery and be available for Cesarean sections if necessary and be able to be the first hands on a new life. I get to watch the puppies grow and see them for their first wellness visits and vaccines. It is truly an honor to have helped many clients bring puppies into this world. I would love to be able to help others do the same.
Ready To Bring Joy?
Because this process is very near and dear to my heart, it is honored with a client application process to ensure we will be a good fit and to make the journey joyful. All interested clients must fill out an application for approval. I desire to work with clients whose values and mission aligns with mine and are willing to commit to this process.
We would be a great fit if you are:
- Ready to bring more joy into the world
- Eager to advance the breed
- Willing to commit to the process with excitement
We would not be a great fit if you are:
- Not interested in advancing the breed
- Only doing this for financial gain
- Not willing to respect and participate in the full process
This process includes:
- Do pre-breeding testing to avoid passing along undesirable genetic traits
- Participate in a Pre-plan Breedings consult so you have a knowledge of your female dog’s cycle, have a breeding plan in place, identify what type of breeding you desire, identify a stud dog, make sure you are prepared for puppies at a particular time of year, and have a plan for the puppies after they are born.
- Participate in Semen Collection Prep – we will determine if we are collecting semen from your stud dog for preservation/freezing or shipping, identify when it needs to ship, and ensure you are contacting us with plenty of time to assure we have appropriate supplies on hand.
- Do Ultrasounds & Radiographs – We will do imagining to determine whether your dog is pregnant or how many puppies you are expecting
- Do a Breeding Soundness Exams – This may be necessary to help determine why your dog is not getting pregnant and to investigate for problems.
So, are you ready to bring joy? Click below to apply now.
It is always an absolute pleasure working with Dr. Best! She has a passion for reproduction and her knowledge and guidance has been invaluable from pre-breeding consultations to the birth of a litter. She is always there for me with any questions or concerns and does her absolute best to help me succeed.
I love that I can hopefully have a positive impact in preserving my breed and it’s standard. Dr. Best has gone above and beyond in helping me as a breeder make this happen. She is always positive and willing and has done heroics to get my bitch bred even during a pandemic! I wouldn’t trust anyone anymore than Dr. Best!
I sincerely hope other breeders are also working to preserve their breed standards and absolutely highly recommend Dr. Best and her team to make this happen. From start to whelping they will be there to hold your hand, calm your fears and help you bring healthy puppies into this world!
Dr. Best is the Best! My dog had a tragic accident and passed away and I was devastated. My good friend from California said, “I’m expecting a litter of Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldogs and I’d like to give you one of my pups”. I had never heard of them so I was very hesitant, I got online and did a bunch of research, and I finally agreed. My love of Alapahas began there, and that dog is still my best friend.
I soon realized that because of their rare breed….there are no Alapahas in Montana to breed to and that is how I met Dr. Edie Best. Our first conversation was a game of 100 questions, and has been ever since, and even so she has never failed to answer. The first artificial insemination our kennel experienced was for our first female, a dog out of Texas, and she walked us through the entire process, not to mention the entirety of our girl’s pregnancy. When our puppies were born she was just as excited as we were. We have had pups grow up to be mothers and studs. Dr. Best is truly the Best. We had a pup that grew into a fine stud dog, and when a kennel in Arkansas needed a shipment from him, Dr. Best squeezed us into her already airtight schedule to make that happen. When it says Billings Animal Family Hospital, Dr. Best and her staff really are like family, we appreciate her and everything she does for our critters.