Page 16 of 16 NO CHECKS: CASH ONLY! PRINTABLE DRIVING DIRECTIONS
Did you know? 10 families per week get lost or waste much time when coming to visit here because they didn't read this page and made the mistake of thinking Mapquest or GPS can give better directions that someone who actually lives here.
Please be sure to read all material on this website before calling for an appointment. If you do not care enough about your pet experience that you are willing to read ALL the material on this website, please do not call or plan to visit here. Thanks for not wearing fragrances or smoking when you visit. I am allergic to these things.
This improves the chances that you have clear understanding of issues and sales policies, prices, etc., and that you will be successful in finding a pet here. Please don't be a family that refuses to read and drives a great distance without knowing how much they cost, what's available, or that we don't take checks. I don't want yours to be a family that leaves without a pet and your kids in tears because you did not have a clear understanding of pricing, sales policies, etc., before your visit.
This material will also help in deciding what type of pet you will like best and lessen the chances that you will come out and waste your time and mine in not being able to make a decision. The purpose of this website is to educate you and give you the opportunity to learn about pet issues and try to decide what type of pet you will like better later before you visit.
Please don't make an appointment until you, your spouse. children, etc., are in agreement and reasonably sure of the type of pet you want and are financially prepared and able to purchase or reserve a pet while you are here.
Please do not come and see puppies without bringing all of the family members with you who will be involved in choosing the puppy. I often have people visit who can't make a decision without another family member present. Since we average having approximately 1000 families visit here per year, many of those people are later disappointed that someone else bought the pet they decided they wanted before they could bring another family member out to see it.
Please do not visit here after visiting others to see puppies. A new dog flu for which there is no vaccine has been documented in our area. You may have heard information regarding canine flu on the local news. Our pets are kept in quarantine with no risk of exposure other than from YOU. Although the flu is treatable and resembles the common cold in humans, it can be especially fatal in baby animals and very expensive for pet owners to treat in their pet. Childish buyers who lack the intelligence to be committed to buying our pets before they visit because of better education and care standard should not come here and compromise the ownership experience of others by putting all the pets at risk of exposure.
Do not come without calling for an appointment! Please turn in the main drive beside our sign, park your vehicle near our home, and walk behind our home and down to the kennel facility. Do not come to the front door of our home. We will meet you at the back door of our home or we may already be in the kennel facility. Please do not drive into the lower drive and take your vehicle to the kennel unless you have someone in your group who is handicapped and unable to walk to the kennel. Excess vehicle traffic around the kennel can encourage mothers to accidentally step on and injure newborn pups. Please be considerate enough to call us if you made an appointment and are not coming!
Our address is 3455 White Plains Road, Roaring River, NC 28669. We are located 15 miles east of Wilkesboro, NC, in the edge of the northwest foothills. Travel time from most triad/western N.C. locations is approximately 1 hour or less. To satisfy record keeping requirements of the Animal Welfare Act, we ask that all adults bring a valid driver's license or other photo identification.
Please print these directions. Visitors often get lost after failing to write directions down correctly or using GPS/online directions assistance that is 15 years outdated with road construction changes..
We accept certified check, money order, or cash. Sorry, but we do not accept personal checks.
You should bring payment with you if you plan to buy or to reserve a pet. The nearest ATM is located 8 miles from the kennel. Although some may disagree that pets can get sick from human borne illnesses, I am convinced that some of the respiratory viruses that plague humans can indeed be spread to animals. Please do not come pet our puppies without cleaning your hands if you or any family member has a cold, sinus infection, flu, etc.
From Winston Salem, Greensboro, and all other points EAST! Travel 1-40 by-pass west to Hwy 421 North exit in Winston Salem. Follow Hwy 421 North to exit 276 (Red, White, and Blue Road). See local directions below.
From Statesville, Charlotte, and all other points South! Travel 1-77 north to exit 73-B. Exit and travel Hwy 421 North to exit 276 (Red, White, and Blue Road). See local directions below.
From Mt. Airy (NC), Virginia, and all other points NORTH! Travel 1-77 south to exit 85. Travel Hwy 268 west approximately 10 miles to Roaring River. Turn right on White Plains Road. (White Plains Road is located 1/4 mile before crossing the Roaring River bridge) Our drive is located 3 miles on the left at 3455 White Plains. Our kennel sign is lighted after dark.
From Asheville, Hickory, Morganton, and all other points west- Travel 1-40 east to exit 132 (Taylorsville/Hwy 16 North exit). Travel NC Hwy 16 North through and beyond Taylorsville to Hwy 421 South exit (approximately 45 minutes and near Wilkesboro). Travel Hwy 421 South to exit 276 (Red, White, and Blue Road). See local directions below.
From Boone (NC), NW N.C. Mountains, NE Tennessee- Travel Hwy 421 south to exit 276 (Red, White, and Blue Road). See local directions below.
Local Directions. Take exit 276 and follow the signs across Red, White, and Blue Road toward Highway 268 and Roaring River. After 4.3 miles across Red, White, and Blue Road you will come to a stop sign. Turn right on Hwy 268 and travel approximately 1/4 mile to White Plains Road on the left. Turn left and follow White Plains Road 3.2 miles to our driveway on the left. Our street address is 3455 White Plains Road. We have a large sign that is lighted after dark and easy to see.
Please park in our main drive at this sign and walk across our back yard to the puppy viewing area at the west end (right photo) of the kennel facility. Please do not use the handicapped entrance (right photo) and park near the kennel unless someone in your group really is handicapped and not physically able to walk to the kennel. Your vehicle may excite the moms and cause them to injure newborns.
Please call for an appointment to view the puppies. PUPPIES ARE SHOWN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY! We will always be here to show you the puppies if we know when to expect you. COME WITHOUT AN APPOINTMENT AND YOU RISK THAT WE MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE TO VISIT WITH YOU! Never come to visit without calling us as you leave for your visit here. We often take up to 50 telephone calls per day. This amount of communication can be overwhelming and can make it hard to remember appointments! Please call to make sure that we have had no unexpected emergencies and that we don't forget you! WE WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE PHONE ALMOST ALL THE TIME TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE IF YOU SHOULD BECOME CONFUSED OR GET LOST WHEN TRAVELING TO VISIT OUR KENNEL.
VIEWING THE PUPPIES!! For those of you who read the entire website, I apologize for repeating some of the following information. Unfortunately, it is impossible to get all visitors to read and educate themselves, so I wanted to include some key points on this page for reading in the car. With many visitors and telephone calls, I often lose my voice due to “too much talking”. I have written down some of the thoughts that I share with visitors to help ease this burden. Looking at puppies indoors and in a cage makes all the puppies look much larger than they are in reality. You will be amazed if you see the largest and ugliest puppy from inside the facility in an outdoor environment. Even the largest specimens look small and cute outdoors. Some of the smaller pets inside the kennel are too small to be consistently healthy and not be handicapped by their size later in life. Some of the larger puppies inside the facility are likely to be some of the smaller dogs later in life, since some are older than others. You must pay attention to their ages in determining their size. Dates of birth, breed descriptions, and price ranges are posted above every enclosure. Some of the older puppies are kept in the outdoor petting area during busy times, to enable you to get a more honest perspective of “how big” they really are. You may go out there to see them in an outdoor environment if you wish. Most small breeds reach 80+ % of their adult size by 20 weeks of age. Choosing an older puppy as opposed to an 8 week pup will allow you to skip several expensive vet visits because more vaccines and veterinary care will have already been given. It’s also easier to tell exactly how large the older puppies are going to get, since many are almost mature in size. Pet owners tend to think only of the pleasant part of pet ownership issues, like “I want the smallest one so I can carry him everywhere I go and he’ll feel good in my lap.” Most never think of the inconveniences of having a dog that’s too small to get up and down, so you have to help him all the time, even when you’re busy. I sold a Rat Terrier just yesterday to a pet owner whose Chihuahua splintered his leg beyond repair in jumping down from the sofa. I also average 5 calls per week from callers whose last dog was stolen by a chicken hawk or owl when outside to use the bathroom. My advice to every pet owner, is DON’T CHOOSE PETS THAT ARE TOO SMALL, if you want a long lived and healthy pet. DON’T CHOOSE A LONG COATED DOG IF YOU WANT A CHEAP TO OWN PET. Haircuts and health problems related to long coat issues can cost enough money over the lifespan of a pet to buy a new car. Larger Rat Terriers often live well into their 20’s if owners feed them dry food only, no doggie treats of any kind, and not let them sleep under covers so they get cataracts and go blind. I get many calls from pet owners whose last pet did not live more than 2 or 3 years. Too small pets are more likely to have serious problems early in life. Many people think male pets raise their leg and urinate in the house, so they only want females. 90% of males neutered at 6 months of age, before learning to raise their leg and mark their territory, always squat to urinate like a female. Females are less confident and more likely to have bladder control problems when nervous or excited than the males, so it’s not always true that females train easier. I would estimate that 30% who buy female Chihuahuas or Yorkies never get them house trained for this reason. Some pets are more likely to choose a human of the opposite sex as their favorite person. I get more complaints from women who choose female Chihuahuas than any other pet. “She loves my husband, my dad, or my boyfriend. She doesn’t like me”. This is not really an issue with Rat Terriers, since they almost always do a good job of loving everyone in the family. I hope these thoughts will help you in deciding what pet you will like better later. Please feel free to ask questions if needed. Please don’t pet the puppies if you have a cold or flu. We’ll be glad to get a puppy out of the cage for you to play with. We also have an outdoor petting area where you can play with the puppies.
Please! Serious buyers only! Answers to almost any question you could ask are already posted on this website. PLEASE read the material before asking me to type answers to your questions that are already posted. Please do not ask me to send photos of all puppies for sale. If we have pets that are very different from the photos on this site, we will post them. I do not have time to make and send photos of every puppy that is available at the request of different callers each day. You should call me to ask what pets are available using similar pictures already posted on this website as reference, then make arrangements to visit and reserve or buy.
Please limit email questions to telephone contact requests. Simply send your phone number and a convenient time to be contacted and I will call you as quickly as possible. You should always call me if you want to communicate with me quickly. I answer the phone at your convenience; email at my convenience. It is hard to do a good job in answering even simple questions with email. Please CALL!
(336) 957-3609 email- iblackburn@wilkes.net back to page1