Who is Skylit?
Elizabeth Mallory ~ Founder of Skylit Labradors
My name is Elizabeth Mallory and I am the founder of Skylit Labradors. Skylit Labradors originally started as Silver Fern Kennels in 2012 (when I returned to the USA to purchase and raise several Labrador puppies). When I brought the “Magnificent 7” (Laxi, Gaze, Moon, Zodi, Polaris, Sunner & Jupi) back home to New Zealand in 2013, I discovered I was unable to register my USA kennel name (“Silver Fern”) in New Zealand and so “Skylit Labradors” was created.
My first litter was born in 2014. While I haven’t been breeding for 20, 30, 40 years(!) like some breeders out there, I have been 100% immersed in Labradors since I started. My adult children (Whitley & Arrien) play a less active role in Skylit but you will on occasion see them involved — they lend helping hands when they are back home from University or when I need puppy sitters(!). But suffice it to say, this is really MY passion first and foremost and where I devote my time and energy.
Did I start off to be a Breeder? NO! When I traveled back to the USA to purchase my Labradors, I was fully focused on training Labs for Search and Rescue work… having witnessed our country’s unfortunate shortfall in this area during the 2010-2011 Christchurch Earthquakes. However, I quickly learned that not all Labs excel in that type of work (nor handlers!) and in the process, was fortunate to be able to work with my dogs in therapy dog, service dog and scent dog work.
My fascination with the MANY ways in which Labs can help people is at the core of what I do. A dog can have such a profound impact on a person’s life… whether they are assisting them physically or emotionally, or just being a fantastic family member. I wanted more people to experience that and that is what led me to breeding.
Being a researcher and project manager at heart, I wasn’t content with just “winging it” or “following the masses” when I decided to go down this path. I did my own research and put my own spin on how I wanted to breed and support my puppy families. At the forefront was producing healthy puppies with wonderful temperaments who had a great start to life with me. Equally important was then finding well-suited families who would open their hearts wide to these puppies. I also wanted to encourage an ongoing relationship with my puppy families… a community as such that would not only support that puppy/family relationship but from which I could glean feedback so that I could continue to improve in my role.
Breeding is my way of bringing more happiness, community and love into the world.
PASSION
I started breeding because I had been blessed with dogs that had made such an impact on my life, I wanted others to have the opportunity to experience that as well. Labradors in particular had stolen my heart… their unconditional love, their ability to help others — both mentally and physically — as well as their biddability for just about any task you can imagine. To me they are the ultimate family dog and I guess the world agrees with me as they have consistently ranked as the most popular dog breed year after year.
There is no greater joy than seeing one of my dogs or puppies make an impact on another person. I have had dementia patients, locked in their own world, share with me their fondest memories of having dogs. I’ve seen my dogs break through the barriers of depression, autism, anxiety, and a whole host of physical disabilities.
Their capabilities never cease to amaze me.
My role is to showcase that and try to bring as much joy, hope and happiness to others as I can. It’s what drives me to constantly look for ways to improve what I do and always ensure that I’m making the best matches between my labs and hopeful families.
Skylit Labradors is my passion.
It’s not a “job”.
It’s not a “hobby”.
It’s immensely more than that.
Excellence
Breeding dogs is something that most anyone can do. The problem is that most are not committed to excellence. They are instead committed to making some easy cash and expending the least amount of energy or investment needed to achieve that end.
Committing to excellence means you give your all to your dogs and their offspring.
It means constantly looking for ways to improve your program.
It means doing what is right over what may be easy.
It means becoming a self-trained expert on dog nutrition, health and welfare.
It means not just blindly following the masses but often thinking outside the box to discover new and better ways.
It means not only knowing HOW to do something but the WHY behind it as well.
It means long hours that are often physically as well as mentally exhausting.
It means being an advocate for your dogs, their offspring and your program.
It means being available to your puppy families at any time, night or day, for the life of their dog.
It means accepting responsibility for your decisions and actions.
It means giving of yourself for the sole purpose of improving the lives or welfare of dogs that may not have anything to do with your program.
It means making dreams happen and forever changing the lives of others.
COMMITMENT
I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist. I have a strong drive to give 110% to everything I do.
That commitment begins when I select a potential puppy for a future role within Skylit Labradors.
It continues through the raising and training of that puppy, the relationship built with it, the assessment of its suitability based on strengths, weaknesses and health testing, the defining of a clear goal and vision for that dog and its potential offspring, and the selection of the best-suited mate for achieving that goal/vision.
But it doesn’t stop there. It continues through the effort to achieve a healthy pregnancy and whelping, the care of newborn puppies, the preparation of those puppies from a young age for their life ahead, the in-depth review of potential families, and the preparation of those families for their new family members.
One would think that is where my commitment ends but really, it’s only the beginning! It continues through the transition of those puppies to their new families via a gentle and successful process, followed by a lifetime of support given to those families and their Labs to ensure success.
My commitment spans from the very initial thoughts of producing such a puppy to the end of that puppy’s eventual lifespan.