Meet the Parents
Walter and Rosie are not stock. They sleep on our couch, they come back filthy from the same trails your dog will walk, and they are the reason your puppy turns out the way it does. Every health result we have on them is posted below, including the ones we would rather not talk about.
Rosie
Bernese Mountain Dog
Rosie is a tri-colour Bernese Mountain Dog, 84 pounds, five years old. She is a patient mother who lets her puppies climb on her long after most dams would have had enough. She sheds on everything we own.
Temperament
She follows whoever is in the house from room to room and leans on them once she gets there. Good with children, slow to react, quick to forgive. She is not a jogging partner and never has been.
Health Testing
Walter
Standard Poodle
Walter is a cream Standard Poodle, 58 pounds, six years old. He is the dog other dogs calm down around. He learns a new command in about three repetitions, which is useful and occasionally a problem. His puppies tend to inherit the coat and the off-switch.
Temperament
Steady. He will play hard for twenty minutes and then go lie down without being told. He is fine with kids, fine with the cats, and does not startle at the vacuum. He does not much like being fussed over by strangers, and we do not make him.
Health Testing
Why we test before we breed
Hips, elbows, eyes, heart, and a full genetic panel — on both parents, before any breeding decision gets made. If a result comes back wrong, that dog does not get bred. We have retired dogs we loved over a single result, and we would do it again.