Our History & Mission Forward

You know the story, right? The timing is finally right to add a family member. You search and excitedly find an ad for puppies. You fall in love with the photos and drive for a couple hours.

We were told my first dog, a German Shepherd, had ‘papers’ and was purebred. Her price reflected that. However, on go home day the breeder ‘couldn’t find’ her AKC registration. She promised to mail them (but didn’t).

As our girl got older, she started suddenly losing weight despite being ravenously hungry. It turned out to be an inheritable disease. It was treatable, but cost $350 a month for the rest of her life. Left untreated she would pass away. Loving an animal with a genetic disease is heartbreaking, but we made the commitment to her. She continued to live in health (but at great expense) for another 7 years.

Reflecting back on our experience with her, I could see how the demand for German Shepherds led to a breeder like the one we found from a newspaper ad. Likely forged papers, breeding unhealthy dogs purely for profit.

Five years after her passing, I adopted a 5lb puppy. Shelters are filled with wonderful animals, and I’ve supported their cause with both volunteer time and donations. I was told my new pup was half German Shepherd and half lab, estimated to be about 40lbs full grown. Very little was known about his background.

However, my long legged boy kept growing. And growing. Full size he ended up 90lbs, which wasn’t suitable for our lifestyle. When we moved cross country, he was rejected at the airline gate for the being too tall for the largest allowable crate. Due to our need to move (sometimes overseas) for my husband’s work, we had to make the heartbreaking decision to rehome him with another family member.

We decided when we were ready again, we’d get a small breed non-shedding dog. One with a temperament that’s good with small kids. I started volunteering in shelters trying to get first dibs when one came in, but in my 3 years doing this I never saw one. That is, not without health or extreme behavioral issues. Dogs behave so differently in a shelter environment, it’s hard to accurately gauge temperament, or even spend enough time with them to. I came across a couple heart wrenching stories of rescued animals that turned violent in the stressful transition period.

Slowly, I came to the conclusion that ethical breeding has a place, but ethical breeders were few and far between. The environment a puppy is raised in plays a part in temperament of the adult dog. The world needs more than pitbull mixes. So we set about to become the change we want to see in the world.

Our mission is produce the highest quality animals we can. Genetically tested through Embark with health guarantee, 3 generations of lineage through AKC. Small litters sustainably raised in our home with a focus on environment, cleanliness, & enrichment.