The Working Breeder Operations Kit

This is what a working breeding program actually runs on. Not contracts, that is a separate kit. The day-to-day systems that keep buyers screened, litters tracked, placements coordinated, and breeding animals on a consistent health protocol.

Most breeders run these systems in their head, in scattered notebooks, in one-off forms downloaded years ago, and in the kind of improvisation that works until the day it does not. The Working Breeder Operations Kit replaces all of that with twelve working documents (plus three orientation documents) that share a consistent design and connect as a single system.

What is included

The kit is organized into five categories. Each category solves a specific operational problem.

Start Here (3 documents) covers the orientation. Welcome to the Operations Kit explains what the kit is and how to start adopting it without burning out. About the Author covers Dusty's breeder and engineering background. How These Documents Fit Together is the integration map showing how the working documents connect across the buyer journey, the litter cycle, and the annual program cycle.

Buyer Pipeline (4 documents) covers the buyer journey from first inquiry through long after placement. Buyer Application surfaces fit and intent before any deposit conversation. Buyer Home Questionnaire goes deeper into the home environment the puppy will live in. Reference Check Form is the structured call script for vetting buyer references. Post-Placement Check-In is the warm follow-up form for 30-day, 6-month, and 1-year touchpoints.

Litter Operations (4 documents) covers the litter from prep through go-home. Whelping Kit Checklist runs 75-plus items across pregnancy week 6 through the day before whelp. Whelping Log is the live spreadsheet for tracking the whelp itself. Puppy Weight Tracker handles 56 days of daily weighing with conditional formatting that flags failure-to-thrive. Litter Vet Visit Record consolidates vaccinations, dewormings, exams, and microchips for every puppy on one sheet.

Placement Operations (3 documents) covers the placement transaction itself. Puppy Go-Home Day Checklist coordinates breeder pre-pickup prep with buyer review at pickup. Health Records Transfer Form is the per-puppy permanent medical record that goes home with the buyer. New Owner Care Guide Template is the customizable care doc you adapt once for your program and print for every placement.

Program Management (1 document) covers the annual cycle. Annual Health Testing Calendar tracks recurring health testing across every breeding animal with conditional formatting for overdue tests, plus a Test Reference sheet with 17 commonly recommended tests for breeding animals.

Why the kit makes sense over individual purchases

At $9.99 each, the 15 documents would total $149.85 at full price. The kit is priced at $79, which saves $70.85 compared to buying every document individually at full price.

The kit also includes the integration map (How These Documents Fit Together) showing how the documents connect as a single system across the three operational cycles a working program runs. Individual purchases give you the documents. The kit gives you the documents organized as a working system.

Format and how it works

Every document includes a Word version (.docx) for editing and a PDF version for printing. The four spreadsheets (Whelping Log, Puppy Weight Tracker, Litter Vet Visit Record, Annual Health Testing Calendar) include an .xlsx file with live formulas plus a printable PDF. The .xlsx files work in Excel, Apple Numbers, and Google Sheets.

The kit is delivered as a single zip download organized into the five category folders. Customize each document to your program before you use it. Save your customized versions with clear filenames so you do not lose track of which version is current.

Pairing with the Contract Kit

The Operations Kit is the workflow layer. Built By Dusty also offers a Contract Kit covering the legal layer (Sales Contract, Deposit Agreement, Stud Service Agreement, Live Arrival Guarantee, Co-Ownership Agreement, Guardian Home Agreement, Breeding Rights Contract, Buyer Application, and Go-Home Package). The two kits are designed to work together. The Buyer Application from the Operations Kit feeds the Sales Contract. The Health Records Transfer Form documents the medical history the Health Guarantee references. The Post-Placement Check-In confirms the buyer is honoring contract terms.

You can use the Operations Kit on its own. The forms reference contracts in places, but each form stands alone and is useful regardless.

Who this is for

For working breeders running serious programs in dogs, reptiles, or any species where consistent paperwork is the difference between professional and improvised. Especially valuable for breeders who place into multiple homes per year and want every placement to have the same quality of screening, documentation, and handoff. Also valuable for newer breeders setting up their first program and wanting a system to grow into instead of forms to grab one at a time.

Built by an active breeder. Adopted by working programs.