OUR STORY

I struggled a lot as a child with bullying and I never could quite connected with other children in school. I had always gravitated towards animals over people when it came down to it.  It is a running joke in my family that I was so excited to meet a new dog in our neighborhood, I could barely get out the words, "Hi my names Carly, can I pet your dog??".  I was of course taught to introduce myself before ever approaching a dog, but I could hardly contain my excitement every.single.time. for every.single.dog and to this day, I still get excited to see dogs out and about.

 

I remember as a child pushing and pushing my parents to consider a family dog and at the ripe age of 7, I won the battle and we purchased a miniature schnauzer named Tess.  Tess was a feisty little bean with so much heart.  She was yappy, and reactive on leash but the light of our lives in every single way.  

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I spent years with Tess, from my first day of grade 1 to my first boyfriend in high school, Tess was there for it all.  When I was 15, Tess's health was quickly declining and after multiple visits to the vet, my family made the devastating but needed call to let Tess pass over the rainbow bridge.

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My dad and I organized to take Tess in and nearly 15 years later, I can still feel everything today that I felt that day.  My dad was inconsolable and I offered to stay in the room with Tess on my own.  I sat with my dog, my girl, my friend. The friend that I needed all those years and I pet her as she took her last breath. 

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I still till this day cherish memories from my childhood and every single one of them includes Tess. 

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Early Adulthood and Dogs

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I met and started dating my husband in January of 2015 and by March 2016 I was begging him to get a dog.  At the time we lived with our good friend, Rich in his townhome.  Those were the most fun years of our lives and when Rich agreed to let me get a dog, I was BEYOND excited.  I knew I wanted to rescue at that time, it was important to me to consider a rescue because well to be frank, I was still in university part time and working as a kennel manager full time, we were tight for cash and knew a $3000 dog was not in the cards.  

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Along came Ruger.  About 4 days after Rich, our friend and landlord had agreed to a dog, I was reviewing every rescue in the GTA and surrounding areas all day long. I wanted a shepherd or shepherd cross as I knew they were sometimes overlooked at shelters.  Within those 4 days, I found a shepherd cross named Rusty at Niagara Falls Humane Society. Oh my gosh, I saw his photo and knew this dog was for us.

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I drove with a friend to Niagara falls on a Wednesday afternoon while my husband was at work in Toronto. I had zero intentions of bringing home a dog that day, we couldn't bring a dog home that day.  Between Mike being at work, and him not having a chance to meet Ruger, I was unsure if they'd hold him for us. I played with Ruger in a big fenced in area and I immediately started crying, I just knew it was meant to be. I called Mike and said you have to come meet him today, you just have to.  So, Mike being the awesome and agreeable husband (boyfriend at the time) asked his boss to leave early, and he agreed. Mike was there within 1.5 hours and I just prayed that Ruger would like him because at this point, I'd have a hard time considering leaving him behind (Mike that is) HA.  Thankfully from the minute Ruger and Mike met, it was love at first sight.

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Ruger was a handful.  He tested me, he tested our relationship, he tested my skills and abilities with dogs and he truly gave us a run for our money.  I'd take Ruger hiking for 2 hours, do brain games, fetch games, and still he'd be mouthing my arms, my wrists, my hair. 

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I remember at one time calling Mike and going, I love this dog but man oh man is he pushing me.  Ruger truly did push me but in doing so, he has made me grow as a person.  He has made me more patient, more considerate, more responsible, more compassionate, more loving.  He was there for me, and continues to be, on days I struggled deeply with my mental health, quietly laying his head on my shoulder.  

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Dogs have the power to heal us.

Dogs have the power to make us whole.

Dogs have the ability to see and appreciate the little things.

Dogs are true to their word.

Dogs are the world's greatest companions.

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So Why Breeding?

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I always knew I wanted to work with dogs, but I'll be honest in saying I struggled to decide if I wanted to work with rescues or to start my own breeding program(s).  I rescued Ruger because it is important to me to support rescues and to do my part to help dogs in need.  However, as someone who has worked with dogs from all walks of life, I truly struggled most with the backyard breeder stories.  The puppies coming into our boarding facility with hip dysplasia signs at 4 months.  Puppies being mixed bred, with zero health testing or dna testing, no temperament testing and no socialization programs.  I saw dogs being sold for $2000-4500 with no health testing and people still buying them.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I went on Kijiji and nervously typed in "Purebred Pomeranian".  Every single breeder I messaged had zero health records other than vaccines to show.  That means no paperwork to look at patellas, cardiac, eyes.  Nothing to show the dog people were paying was coming from healthy, well tempered dogs.  Most don't even have basic DNA test which costs a mere $200 per test on Amazon and goes through countless genetic markers. 

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This is why I chose to breed. 

To show people how it should be done going forward.

To educate families on choosing a reputable and responsible breeder.

We need to end the cycle of backyard breeding while still maintaining and bettering the breeds of our choosing.

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