Are your Puppies Purebred Italian Sila Shepards?
Yes. We have imported several Sila Shepherd directly from top breeders in Italy to be able to have diverse genetics and dogs with the traits we love in the Sila.
Are the Puppies Up to Date on their Vaccinations and deworming?
All our puppies have been dewormed, gotten their initial shots including their rabies shot at 3 month old.
Do you have requirements for People looking to adopt?
We ourselves wanted a great guardian who would fit our circumstances. The truth is, the Sila fits. It is the ultimate Livestock Guardian Dog; agile, courageous, vigilant and with a big heart. It fits just as well on a huge farm as it does on a smaller homestead. The Sila is just as happy to be watching poultry (we love how they scan the skies for predators) as it is watching sheep, goats and other livestock. There literally is a Sila to fit anyone. Because the Sila is a working dog, we do prefer to fit our dogs with families that have a job for them. We want you to be willing to work with them in a partnership and train with love and positive reinforcement. They really do want to please you. That said, we have placed dogs in strictly pet families, and are told they are the best ever. We have also placements as therapy dogs, another area they excel in- probably because their high levels of intuition. What we want from you is a commitment to continue to train them, understand the LGD independent thinking streak, continue to seek learning and to love your new dog and do all you an to create an environment where they can be safe and excel!
When Can I bring my Puppy Home?
You can expect to bring home the puppy when it’s 12 – 16weeks old. The recommendation for pups to leave at 8 weeks old is utter nonsense that unfortunately has stuck with people. An 8 week old pup is a baby, and they need to continue to learn from mom and in the case of LGD’s – the pack. We aim to raise stable, well rounded dogs that have the confidence to accept and deal with changes and have the ability to settle in quickly with their new families. We are also much better able to assess traits and personality when they are a bit older.
Can we visit the Puppies in person to pick one out?
Absolutely! We encourage you to come visit and spend time with the pups and pack. Just bear in mind- this is a working farm, so the puppies will be dirty but happy because- mud happens! We can’t promise that we have matched you with a pup from early on if you have special requests, but we will do our best to give you choices depending on your criteria.
Where can I learn more about the Puppies’ Parents and Temperament?
Make sure you check out our “Meet the Parents” page. We share a lot of information about them there
Where can I see more pictures of the Dog’s and your facility?
Knowing that the puppies are being raised in an appropriate way is very important to all of us. Since most LGDs are outside dogs, and need to feel comfortable and confident around livestock we primarily raise our pups in the barn with the sheep and lambs. The mamas whelp inside our home where she and the pups stay for approximately their first 3 weeks before moving to the barn. Check out our SILAUSA Facebook page to see more up to date videos and pictures of our Dog’s Life and home. You can also check out our Website for our sheep and our Valais Blacknose Sheep at Gratitude Acres Facebook page where we post pictures of dogs and sheep as well.
I don’t live close by, can I still adopt a Puppy?
Yes. Depending on where you live we have delivered, or met families to facilitate pick ups. There are also shippers that will do a good job of bringing it to you, but we advise that you research this carefully as not all are what they say they are. If for some reason we do not feel comfortable with the shipper/ the arrangements we will let you know but we will not agree to ship a dog if we do not have complete faith in the shipper.
Pastore della Sila / Sila Shepherds USA 