MY STORY

EARLY YEARS

I was still in my mother's belly when she got her first rough collie and began taking obedience classes. When I was four years old we moved to the countryside and operated a boarding kennel as well as having a "kennel full" of rough and smooth collies. I began showing in conformation at that early age and loved training the puppies. At the age of 7, I saw my first Bernese Mountain Dog, "Pace". I was in love! A love that would be realized thirteen years later. With our collies, it was difficult though coming home to find "my puppy" sold and claiming another puppy to be mine. So at the age of 14 when I began working my first job, I purchased my very first dog, "Jake". He was a beautiful English Cocker Spaniel from Cedarhurst Kennels and just a perfect match for a teenager involved in 4-H and dog shows. As a teenager, I assisted both adults and children in learning how to show their dogs. I also groomed dogs and through 4-H participated in training dogs for hearing impaired individuals. They were all wonderful experiences.

I have always loved showing dogs. You could find me showing other exhibitors' dogs regardless of the breed.

THE BEGINNING OF CAR-RAE

Car-Rae was "born" when I moved from my mother's home and shared a home with a good friend. We began handling dogs for others for the next year, and during that year, in 1988, we purchased "Cassie", my first Bernese Mountain Dog! During these next years where I was showing dogs for others, I had the privilege of handling Derryll Packer's Dachshunds (Miniature). I soon fell in love with the breed and had the "mutt & Jeff" of dog breeds in my home-- the large, hairy Bernese and the small & long, Doxies. That began my love for having multiple breeds in my household. I loved watching them interact with one another and bring different temperaments and mannerisms to the home.

ALONG THE WAY....

I moved from western New York (Niagara Falls area) in 1993 spending the next 18 months in Arizona and then settled in Idaho in May, 1996. My first litter here in Idaho was the "A" litter (avg AOD 7.1 years, 4/6 reported) I kept a brother & sister from the litter, but unfortunately their dam, Liza, died unexpectedly at the age of four, two weeks after refusing her fourth birthday dinner. She had pancreatic carcinoma. I had never lost a companion at such a young, tender age. Her death is the reason I offer a limited health guarantee on my dogs to the age of four.

"Ajax" and "Abby" were the best! Even though I knew I wasn't going to be breeding them due to their mother's early death and some conformation faults (Ajax) and poor hips (Abby), "Ajax" was my first experience with a Berner boy, and oh, he had me hooked! He excelled at everything he did and was not only a BMDCA Working Dog Award titlest, but also High in Trial (Obedience) at the BMDCA National Specialty in Delaware in 1998. I was in love! He was so faithful, that when left in other's care when I traveled, he layed by the door awaiting my return. He was also my first experience with histiocytosis, the dreaded "Bernese cancer". But we had four months together after diagnosis saying our "goodbye". He passed away at 8.4 years of age. His sister, "Abby" was also a tremendous working dog. She helped "Ajax" and others get their brace carting titles and was as sweet as sweet could be! She had many, many fans......

The "B" litter (avg AOD 8.1 years, 3/5 reported) was born in the spring of 2001. The "C" litter (avg AOD 8 years, 2/5 reported) followed that fall and was the "pupsicles" litter, resulting from frozen semen of a stud dog from the kennel (Bernhugel) that my first, beloved berner, "Cassie" came from.

The "D" litter (avg AOD 11.3 years, 6/8 reported) was born on Thanksgiving day, 2002. This litter, repeated for the "E" litter, were fun loving, toy loving, swimming loving pups! My oldest living Bernese, "Dyna", (15 years) came from this litter, with four of the eight littermates living past 10 years of age.

The "E" litter (avg AOD 9.6 years, 6/10 reported), a repeat breeding of the "D" litter was born shortly before I moved from Nampa to Emmett. (Hence, "Emmett's" name) Just like the "D" pups, many of the "E" pups loved water, toys, and fun! "Emmett" was a BMDCA Working Dog titlest and registered therapy dog who listened to children read.

The "F" litter (avg AOD 7.1 years, 4/6 reported) "G" litter (avg AOD 6.1 years, 6/7 reported) "H" litter (avg AOD 8.5 years, 4/5 reported) "I" litter (avg AOD 9.0 years, 3/5 reported approximate) were the final litters coming from Brenna's lineage. As a responsible breeder, I came upon an issue in the line (juvenile cataracts that produced a pup who began to lose sight at 6 months of age) that I did not want to reproduce. Thus, the world-wide search for a new girl to become my next "foundation dam" at Car-Rae began.

NEW BEGINNINGS...The Import....

For weeks, I researched pedigrees from around the world. I was looking for a female who would become my next foundation female for Car-Rae. I was looking for good temperaments, longevity, orthopedics, health, and good reproductive history of the dams. My search landed in Slovenia where Klara Stempihar, Blueoctober, had a litter of 12 puppies. My local friend was also looking for a male puppy so we imported both "Aiysha" and her brother, "Arctic" from Klara. It's difficult judging puppies from video and photos from afar, but Aiysha definitely became a wonderful addition to Car-Rae. Her dark, soulful eyes were the window into her sweet, sweet demeanor. As a mother, she was careful and loving with her litters. But breeding is not easy sometimes and I was soon to learn my hardest lesson in breeding with Aiysha's third litter, the "M" litter. I had never experienced, in over 30 years of breeding experience at that time, the tragedy that unfolded four hours after "Aiysha" gave birth via c-section to the "M" litter. She unexpectedly died from a torn blood vessel. I was devastated.....but had 8 orphan puppies to raise. And raise them we did. It took a village and I was blessed to have my mother in from NY as "granny nanny" and two of the potential puppy buyers coming in to help with feedings, cleanings, etc. for those first three weeks of life. It was tough, it was hard...but ALL 8 pups survived and thrived which I found out the veterinarians did not predict! I had just lost their momma, I couldn't imagine losing one of them as well.

"Emma" the Cardigan Welsh Corgi came to Car-Rae after "Emmett" got sick with cancer. The day he died, "Emma" was born in northern California and it was a "meant to be" feeling. I couldn't fathom another Bernese at the moment as my grief was raw. But I had shown a Cardigan earlier when handling dogs in NY, and grew up with herding dogs, thus I took the plunge and got "Emma". She and Aiysha were BEST buddies!!!

The "K" litter (avg AOD 9.6 years (6), ONE living at 12.3 years, 7/7 reported) was Aiysha's first litter. I kept her daughter Kati, but she became symptomatic of lameness caused by panosteitis at around 6-8 months of age. Since I did not want to reproduce that in future generations, she was spayed and went to live with a family who had had an "E" pup. Making decisions like that to spay your "pick puppy who you hoped would produce the next generation" is difficult, but a must to responsible breeding. NOT every dog is meant to join the gene pool!

The "L" litter, (AOD = 9.2 years, ONE living at 11.2 years, 10/10 reported), took me back to the lineage of the "D" and "E" litters through the sire, "Vinny". His sire, "Trotter" was the sire to the "D" and "E" litters and my boy, "Luca", displayed those similarities of the "D" and "E" litters strongly. He was my first home-bred BMDCA Versatility dog, a swimming fool who enjoyed dock diving and swimming towards the middle of lakes ignoring shouts from the shore to return; and just a fun-loving, excellent working dog. He enjoyed everything we did together whether it was showing, obedience, carting, etc. He just loved being with me.

The M" litter, (AOD 8.4 (4); THREE living at 10.2 years of age, 7/8 reported), my "orphans", the survivors! The photo above is of "Mira", my "miracle". She was seen by three different veterinarians the first week of her life as she was not thriving on the goat-milk homemade supplement recipe. Once we switched her to a commercial formula, she began to thrive. "Mira" is my everything. She is my unofficial therapy dog who senses emotions and comes to comfort you. She joins my online work/school meetings by resting her head (and sometimes body) onto my shoulder (and body). She emulates her dam, "Aiysha" by raising phenomenal litters and taking such good care of them. The sweetness that "Aiysha" had, shines through "Mira" and for each generation after. I am blessed that ten years later, Mira is still at my side, pawing at my arm saying "hey, it's me, pay attention!"

The "N" litter produced two boys. I do not keep many boys, so both were placed into wonderful companion homes.

They are enjoying life at 8.8 years of age.

The "O" litter, (avg AOD = 6.3 years (3); SIX living at 7.3 years was "Mira's" first litter. My girl, "Odie", acts like a puppy even though she is now considered a veteran. She will lay her head on your shoulder and sit there all day long......if given the chance!

We recently lost two of her sisters, one to cancer (unspecified) and one to an unknown condition. It may have been an auto-immune condition similar to her brother who died a year previously, or it may have been cancer. There is no definitive diagnosis unfortunately. "Odie" is my biggest girl and the best puppy sitter. She LOVES puppies and even though she can be boisterous at times, she is very careful with 8-12 week old puppies.

Cardigan's Black & White litter were born shortly after the Bernese "O" litter. From this litter, I kept "Checkers". I placed her in a co-ownership home in California, and in the fall of 2022, I brought her back home and took her east to New York for a series of dog shows where she easily finished her championship and the majority of her points for a grand championship. She never got to finish that grand championship title, as she experienced complications from a c-section and needed to be spayed. (Once spayed, she was no longer eligible to compete in conformation; but obviously, her health came first!) She is retired, living in California.

The eight "P" litter pups (June 8, 2018) are all enjoying life as last reported by owners. Two of the litter (Pippin and Pema) are AKC champions and registered therapy dogs. Pippin is also an AKC Grand Champion, BMDCA Versatility Dog and has many performance event titles. Their sister, "Pazazz" excels in herding and is titled in that venue.

More photos of Pippin and Pema

Sunny, the English Cocker Spaniel is about 2 weeks older than the "P" litter. He joined the Car-Rae family as a future therapy dog for school. Both he and Pema accompanied me on occasion to school since they were four months of age. In 2024 they both became registered therapy dogs and not only volunteer after-school with daycare students, they also visit hospice clients.

"Whisper joined Car-Rae when "Sunny's" breeder, Lynda, called to tell me she had bred his dam again and would I like a girl. How could I say no??? While 1/2 siblings, "Sunny" and "Whisper" are two very different spaniels! "Whisper" loves any activity that involves "using her nose". Tracking, scent work, and hunting rats occupy her time and she is one happy girl when doing those activities!

The Current and Future....

Today, I continue to strive to bring the sweetest, healthiest, soundest Bernese and Cardigans into the world. Genetics and breeding is not for the "feint of heart" and sometimes what looks like a great "match" on paper doesn't end that way. Living as natural as possible, both in diet and environment, and continuing to research pedigrees, talk with other breeders, and engage in breed-related discussions about the health of my breeds are all activities that I take as enjoyment and necessity for bringing to the world the best companions possible. For myself, my dogs are companions first. But I enjoy finding activities that each individual dog enjoys and partaking in it. From therapy to herding sheep, hunting rats, conformation and obedience rings and so forth, engaging in these various activities and watching my companions enjoy them too warms my heart. Not only does it allow great socialization, but it gets them and me active in exercise and brain engagement; allows me to continue to analyze my "breeding stock" (Conformation events) according to the standard for the breed; illustrates the temperaments and working-abilities of the dogs I breed (Performance events); and engages us in activities that are enjoyed by both human and canine, building that bond. We have toured the United States and made acquaintances and friends throughout. I take pride that many families have returned to Car-Rae for their second, third and fourth companion and that children who grew up in families with a Car-Rae dog have returned when they embark into building their adult lives, coming back to Car-Rae for their four-legged family member. I am always here for the families who come to Car-Rae for their forever family member through good times and hard times. If I don't have an answer, I will seek assistance from the various breeder-friends, professional groups, etc. to assist families.