Hello! My name is Lexy, I have Cass, purple collar puppy from Ohkar × Séance. We live in a small town in Southern Massachusetts. When I found the Beauceron breed it was really by happenstance. A breed I “accidentally” rescued after college, and fell in love led me here. However, as rescues go sometimes, she was pretty poorly bred. Issues from temperament to health, she was relatively sheltered and management was the only option for her, due to pain and genetics. I loved her so much, i researched daily trying to help her. In the years of research into her breed, I stumbled upon a (albeit very distant) link to the Beauceron. When I was looking for a breed to have aside my future bulldog program, I knew I would need an excellent temperament, stability and up popped the Beauceron again.
I researched for about a year before I added myself to the Beauceron pages and community. Even then I lurked on pages for awhile before I spoke to des Vents. I was beyond happy to apply and be chosen to be the owner of a puppy from their first litter, Ohkar × Séance. I watched Séance grow from when she was young, sharing in her ups and downs like she was my own dog.
I am a perfect example of trust your breeders’ instincts, I wanted a female, but this boy was exactly what I had asked for and wanted, so I trusted des Vents and I jumped right in! We have already started our show career, received so many compliments from so many wonderful judges, receiving all the single points needed for his championship over his first year as well as going for his TKN and CGC, which we plan to keep moving forward with. Now that he is over a year old, we starting to dabble in anything we can get our hands in, including barnhunt and fastcat. We have plans to check out Rally and we will be checking out so much more while we get ready for herding lessons next year.
When it comes to dogs, I’ve been around them for as long as I can remember. An assortment of mixed breed dogs and backyard bred purebreds growing up. There was always a slight interest in diving deeper, but that didn’t come until later. I began keeping reptiles around the age of 12, eventually starting a breeding program with Northern Blue Tongue Skinks and Western Hognose snakes after moving away from home. While being into reptiles, I was also growing up and finally at an age to work with animals. I began working at a chain pet store, and everything became different. Being surrounded by a bunch of basically dog-enthusiasts, it was inevitable
During this time, my first purebred dog that I ventured out to get was a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and while I loved most qualities about him, something about the breed didn’t stick. Me and my friend Nicole became closer, and she introduced me to the Beauceron breed in 2021 as she had at that point, wanted one for years. Daily we would talk all things dog, plans for sports, conformation, and training activities.
Taking a break from herders, I brought an American Akita into my home. Having had an Akita Inu in the past, they were always a huge interest of mine. While I will always have an Akita in my home (or two), I wanted to get something different that was more handler oriented. I knew what a good fit for my home wouldn’t be, and amongst my research, a Beauceron came back into the picture
I met Robyn in 2025 when she decided to give the veterinary clinic I work at a try for her dogs, and after being part of the process with Shazi (radiographs for puppy count, and c-section for part of her litter), I had to put in an application. To my disbelief, lwas matched with the perfect puppy, Cipher. A puppy who is every bit of chaos that he is precise. Every action has a thought, even if it’s not a good action.
I’m very excited to be part of the BDV family, and to be an extra hand for the betterment of such a special and unique breed.
When planning the litter, we hoped for a perfect girl to continue on in the program. Then we got a perfect boy, too! Cipher resides in Georgia with Zoe and her family, holding court with his akita and corgi siblings and regaling the vet clinic with his woes of crate training during the day.
You can expect to see him in a show ring near you. But, just like all of our dogs, he will find his performance venues where he thrives. His mom already reports that he has “insane engagement” and we’re already scheming on how to get them enrolled in some obedience classes.
Cipher is the dog that, between his bursts of feral energy, will find the table to crawl under so he can watch the world go by like it’s his own personal television. He’s the king of the food bowl, with a quick sit and stare down to demand his quail or kibble. He’s the first to grab a new toy and run around the room with it to play keep away. He enjoys himself a good cuddle, but prefers active pets whenever possible.
This boy has a bright future and we can’t wait to see what him and Zoe do together!
Our Journey
As he’s still just a baby, enjoy some pictures of his growth so far.
This breeding is one that we weren’t sure would ever happen, but have always hoped for. Shazi is our goofy little wild child – more likely to turn circles and trust fall than to retrieve a medicine bottle. One of the only females we own who is even less serious and far more silly than the boys. She’s the main dog we keep health insurance on because she’s incredibly talented at finding the strangest ways to give us a heart attack. Truly a dog whose personality cannot be contained, not even by a privacy fence, if she wants to be on the other side, she will be. She’s full of such character and has stunning structure, but we struggled when it came time to decide who her perfect match would be. We’ve been hunting an unshakable boy who would complement her zest for life with structure to match for nearly three years. When Kayla, with Svajonė Kennels, imported Ramses, we finally had our missing puzzle piece!
Ramses Argente The Best de Sainte Petronille “Ramses”
Multi-Champion Brevet Certificat de Sociabilité et d’Aptitude à l’Utilisation (CSAU) OFA Echocardiogram: Normal OFA Hips: Good OFA Elbows: Normal OFA CERF Eye: Normal OFA Shoulders: Normal OFA Spine: Normal CHIC: 199917
There are dogs across both pedigrees that bring excitement to the pairing, and who we have long admired. Jeremiah has been a formative dog within the breed in the U.S. – exemplifying beauty and stability. His sire, Beowolf, made his mark in the AKC show ring – achieving many firsts when the breed was first recognized. Scattered throughout the pedigree are many other conformation stars.
For Shazi, Shah (Momento Mistika), has always been a great example of the balance of beauty, drive, and stability. He achieved his IGP3 while living happily as a house dog, going to conformation shows, and hanging out with his family that includes other intact males. He’s truly the example of a dog that can do it all, which is what we see in Ramses as well. On her maternal side, there are several Alfa Sagittarius dogs that we have loved from afar – over and over proving they bring the same fluid movement and lovely fronts to their offspring that we hope to see Shazi herself produce.
Overall, the pedigree match is an outcross, but plays into the same fields of versatility, beauty, and drive. We are excited to see what traits they offer to their puppies, and crossing fingers for lovely dogs just as versatile and balanced as they are.
Given this was an outcross, we focused on a strong phenotype pairing in the same way we did with Seance’s litters. Ramses and Shazi especially match well with their balanced angulation and beautiful movement.
The first thing that anyone mentions when seeing Shazi at her best is her movement. She truly is a dog who floats with a balanced topline from nose to tail without an ounce of effort in each and every step, and her trotting speed and efficiency can put some of our other dogs to shame when she really lets go.
Her front assembly is something we hope to see passed onto her offspring, with lovely layback and balanced length of upper arm. She’s had an impressive forechest and width of chest that made us jump up and down since she was a baby puppy, none of us could believe our eyes when seeing her puppy stacks from her breeder.
She has a coat that lays quite flat to the body, but is thick, lush, and oh so satisfying to sink your hands into. The texture is appropriately water and weather proof, and complimentary to the breed purpose as a tending dog.
She has matured into a dog with balanced substance to compliment her athleticism, though we had a heck of a baby deer stage for multiple years. She is a prime example of a “Let them grow” dog, and while her slow maturity has been a test of patience, it has all paid off in the end.
The faults we see in Shazi are the same we have expected since she was a young dog. Her expression, and in particular her rounded eyes, are her biggest weakness for a beauceron. She has quite the baby face and teddy bear-like expression, as well as a more narrow head for the substance she has matured into.
She is also a long dog when evaluated to the standard proportionally, with a high tuck up that we hope to see improve after her litter, as some girls do, so that we have a better idea of what to expect of her offspring.
Ramses is described by his owner as follows:
Ramses is a wonderfully moderate male. He has plenty of length of body, I wouldn’t want to see any more on him. He has nice substance and bone. He is has a glorious correct coat that is rich in color. His feet are nicely shaped and tight. His shoulder is strongly set, though I wouldn’t mind seeing it more laid back just slightly. His upperarm is well angled, but slightly short. He has strong rear angulation with a correct length of hock. His tail is of nice length and correct set. His croup slightly slopes. His head has nice profile planes, but his top skull is slightly rounded. His eyes are of nice color and shape. He does lack cheek fill but has nice chiseling. He is easty westy in the front and lacks width of chest. I would even say he lacks depth of chest a tad as well. His ear set is correct.
Overall, as with any phenotype match like this one, we hope for the best of both and to see their ideal traits combine. Hoping to maintain their balance of angulation and substance. Hopefully seeing Ramses lend his lovely head and expression to the mix. As well as maintaining Shazi’s front assembly and breadth of chest to pull things all together.
Temperament
In terms of temperament…
Shazi is a massive goofball. She brings joy into every interaction with her people – turning circles and demanding attention. She’s a dog that’s always on the go and you better keep up! When she wants something, she’ll sit in front of you with the biggest begging eyes you’ve ever seen! When she doesn’t want to do something, you get the exact same look… She’s more pressure avoidant than we would like in a beauceron, but believe that to be primarily experience-based.
Her drive to please is endless. When working Shazi, the trick is to break things into bite size chunks because, as soon as she can understand them, you can chain behaviors together quickly. She will perform the same trick a dozen times in a row if it will make you happy, but does struggle with focus to build longer trick routines without fully learning the individual pieces.
Where she really shines it out on stock. Life in the Salley family has been constantly on the go the past couple of years, or should would have been out herding C course regularly. With as much as she loves running and spinning in circles – running circles around stock is her absolute favorite combination of activities. She has been shown to be gentle and mindful of stock large and small when exposed, but opportunities to get her out in the world have been limited. The pressure avoidance we may see in other venues is never present if there’s a sheep nearby, and we love to see signs that the instinct and love of working her stock is still there.
Ramses reminds us all so most of Nyko, the Salley family’s first beauceron who is related to him through Jeremiah. He’s goofy in the simplest of ways – bouncing around and finding new and interesting spaces to explore where he was not invited. He settles beautifully in a crate or just hanging out, but has shown that he’s happy to go for as long as his people or his pack are ready to adventure.
He was imported to the U.S. as a mature adult and Erika had the opportunity to meet him when he first arrived. The transition didn’t phase him at all and he was all wagging tails when she offered a “Bon Chien!” to him after a successful “Assis” (sit in French). While he didn’t quite know English, his drive to please was evident and his environmental stability was exceptional. We believe he exemplifies the solid, confident, fun beauceron temperament we know and love and can’t wait to see how his goofiness comes out in his children.
In Summary
As a whole, we expect bouncy, chaotic, loving puppies from this litter. They will bring joy to their family’s lives with their antics, but you will have to be able to keep up with them. Active homes who want a fun, silly, and loving companion will likely adore these puppies. Truly versatile family dogs through and through.
There will be no prospects offered from this pairing for Bitesports or Service work, even as a secondary or tertiary goal.
We are accepting applications for this litter that are open to either sex and color. We only have potential harlequin availability if you have already submitted an application. If you have contacted us before please feel free to reach out again, we don’t want to miss anyone by accident!
We are delighted to announce our co-bred litter with Soleil et Lune Beaucerons: Tarque x Sukuna. Sukuna is from the same pairing as Reaver and Terror, sired by Natchez. When we all discovered we had relatives, we began to share our experiences which turned into this beautiful collaboration. The Mushroom Litter was thoughtfully planned to combine Obedience and performance abilities coupled with breed type. This breeding represents generations of proven Beaucerons.
Rivesaltes des Monts du Lac “Tarque”
AKC Grand Champion (GRCH) UKC Champion (CH) INT Champion (CH). Beginner Novice (BN) Rally Novice (RN) Farm Dog Certified (FDC) FCAT Canine Good Citizen Urban (CGCA & CGCU) Trick Dog Intermediate (TKI) AKC Temperament Test (ATT)
He is the First Beauceron to achieve: Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH) Obedience Trial Champion Level 2 (OTCH2) Utility Dog Excellent Level 11 (UDX11) Obedience Grand Master (OGM) Versatility (VER) UKC Obedience Trial Champion (UOTCH) UKC Rally Obedience Master (UROM)
Advanced Cardio – Normal Elbows – Normal Patella – Normal BAER Hearing – Normal Dentition – Full Eyes – Normal Hips – Good Thyroid – Normal Von Willebrands – Normal/Clear Chic # 174527
UKC Champion (CH) UKC Best in Show (U-BIS) AKC Champion (CH) Rally Novice (RN) BCAT Canine Good Citizen Advanced and Canine Good Citizen Urban (CGCA & CGCU) Trick Dog Intermediate (TKI) Working Service Dog
Hips – Excellent Elbows – DJD1 Eyes – Normal Advanced Cardio – Normal Chic # 196125
The pedigree combination is an interesting one as both sides are familiar and beloved by our team, but it is a diverse pairing, sharing no common dogs between the two within the last 5 generations. That being said…
As we mentioned previously, Sukuna has relatives in the BDV program. Reaver was the first from the pairing to come over. He hit the ground running in the obedience and rally rings – working on his triple Qs for his RACH and training towards his CDX before he was even 2 years old. At the same time, he’s excelled in the show ring. We see so much of the same drive in their younger brother, Terror, wrapped in a sugary sweet package.
Then we have Natchez – the boy who came to the U.S. at almost 6 years old and, with his junior handler, was able to gather Obedience, Rally, and Conformation titles. Dogs like him don’t come around every day! And the pedigree behind him show a great balance of sport, work, and show. His sire was actually a police dog.
Then on Tarque’s side, there are so many dogs as well near and dear to our hearts. His littermate, Emmy, was actually regularly shown by Robyn years ago. His grandsire, Jeremiah, was the sire of Robyn’s first beauceron. The movement, type, and structure coming from Jeremiah, Jaguar, Imposant (Indy), and many of the other dogs behind Tarque explain why he’s such a beautiful, solid dog. However, they also tell a story of show dogs that could work as well. The focus that comes from the des Monts du Lac lines (likely due to the kennel focus on Search and Rescue) makes its mark.
This was primarily a phenotype and diversity pairing. We looked for what Sukuna needed and spent the time to find the exact right choice. The first show we ever took Reaver too, the judge actually recommended that we use him on Tarque’s littermate, so this is just coming full circle!
Sukuna is a well balanced dog with an athletic build to match her tireless energy. Her finely chiseled head and string topline help to make her both striking to look at, and a sound mover. We’d like for her upper arm to be longer, and for her to have a bit more angulation overall. And while her frame is balanced, more bone and substance would also be ideal.
Tarque brings substance and bone in spades, as well as a masculine, typey head. He’s well balanced in angulation with a body that supports his mass and keeps working as many Obedience trials as his owner asks. There is no question that Tarque is a wonderful example of a male beauceron.
We are hoping he brings his balance, bone, and breed type to Sukuna to create the next generation of beautiful, well structured beauceron puppies.
In a perfect world, these puppies will be a blend of their parents with solid, masculine boys and refined, feminine girls, all with moderate bone and substance. Well balanced angulation to make sound movers with a lightness to their step. Overall, we are expecting a less consistent litter, but will be keeping a close eye out for the puppies that show off their parents’ strengths.
Temperament
In terms of temperament, the confidence, focus, and biddability we expect from this litter is one of the main reasons we proceeded with the pairing. Either dog could work all day (and has proven such with Sukuna’s service work and Tarque’s multiple Obedience Championships), and does so happily for their person (and for some nice coconut water for Tarque).
Sukuna is often described as pushy and head strong, but is also the sweetest cuddly dog with her people and most strangers alike. She enjoys engaging with her people and enjoys knowing exactly what you want her to do next. She is biddable and if you know her, wouldn’t be seen without a toy in her mouth, forcing you to play fetch.
She is quite pushy with other dogs, but enjoys the company of submissive females or most male dogs. She has integrated into many packs with adult dogs she was unfamiliar with, but she does create space for herself as needed.
She is truly a confident headstrong dog and takes new environments and situations in stride, and with her temperament has excelled as a working service dog for her person.
Tarque is the perfect example of the country gentleman the breed should be. He’s calm, polite, and unflappable no matter the environment or expectations. When it’s time to work, he’s going to work as hard as he can for his person. When it’s time to relax, he believes in a great weekend on the couch with some fun romps with Queue, his son and packmate. His steady energy is what we really hope to see in these puppies.
In Summary
We expect incredibly attentive and handler engaged puppies from this litter with solid structure to support their busy minds and bodies. We will be prioritizing homes with interest in competing in obedience, rally, or other partnership sports that show of the focus we expect to see.
We are accepting applications for this litter for females only. If you have contacted us before about this litter and didn’t receive a message about the whelp, please feel free to reach out again, we don’t want to miss anyone by accident!
When planning the litter, we hoped for a perfect girl to continue on in the program. We ended up being spoiled for choice and surprised with the perfect match for Rebekah ended up being the sugar patch boy of the herd. He was the most determined puppy – and that included being determined to sleep and eat for many of his first weeks. When the world around him expanded, he quickly learned how much fun it was to find new ways to demands snacks, including using his voice.
Thus far, he’s exploring following in his mother’s footsteps with solid foundations in obedience and partnership. He’s shown promise in nosework, though he likes to check to see if demand barking increases his payment. Overall, he’s growing up as a balanced, happy puppy and we’re excited for his future both within the BDV program and the Soleil et Lune program.
Our Journey
As he’s still just a baby, enjoy some pictures of his growth so far.
Ocho and Seance was a pairing we hoped for from the moment he hit our radar. We wanted to bring that zest for life and work that Canis Mayrau boys always seem to hold, while preserving the herding talent that Seance contributes so heavily. We knew that we would get some pups with more drive and creativity and we were excited to share that pup with Lee.
And Ambush came into this world screaming with personality since the day he was born. He lives with a joy that is hard not to love, and that has been a joy to share. He started with the Salleys, learning the basics of being a good puppy and starting to dabble in the show ring. After knocking out both of his majors on his first weekend out against mature competition, the Menards took him on the road. They manage a stop at the farm for a stellar introduction to stock!
His final destination is home with his sire, Ocho. Lee will be exploring obedience, rally, and maybe finding some more time for him to spend with sheep as he grows into the powerful, kind, naughty dog we expect him to be. (He learned how to open doors at 4 months old, it’s been a fun ride)
Our Journey
While on the road, he snagged some competitive wins including Best Puppy and Best Puppy in Sweeps at the 2026 Regional Specialty. At that same cluster, he won a Puppy Group 2 in the all breed show.
Your first litter is always a special one. Sometimes the road winds exactly as planned, sometimes you just have to trust you’ll end up where you need to be. Séance’s first litter has been in the works for over a year. After a failed AI attempt and difficulties traveling to studs of choice, we realized we needed to pivot. We reviewed some of the recommendations from her breeder and realized we had the perfect match for her first litter much closer to home. Happily, we reached out to Kayla about Ohkar for Séance’s first litter.
Oskar-Neige I du Royaume D’Elsa “Ohkar”
AKC Major Ptd 1 – Confirmé OFA Echocardiogram: Normal OFA Hips: Good OFA Elbows: Normal OFA CERF Eye: Normal OFA Shoulders: Normal OFA Dentition: Normal CHIC: 193575 OFA Spine: Arthritis found in L5-S1 at 5 1/2 Years old.
AKC Major Ptd UKC Champion Pre-Trial Herding Tested (PT) Beginner Novice (BN) Rally Novice (RN) Trick Dog Intermediate (TKI) OFA Echocardiogram: Normal OFA Hips: Good OFA Elbows: Normal OFA CERF Eye: Normal OFA Dentition: Normal CHIC: 183174 OFA Spine: Normal
From a pedigree standpoint, they are a diverse match with many lovely dogs behind them. Diversity is a priority within our program, especially with the expected long term impacts of the importation restrictions.
Of particular note behind Ohkar, we are excited to bring more Aroun and Flash Gordon into our program. They exemplify the balance between beauty and work and have produced wonderfully. Ohkar has passed these traits on in the litters he produced before journeying to the United States. We had the opportunity to meet one of the puppies from his first litter here with Cynefin Beaucerons at the 2024 National Specialty and Journee and we were absolutely smitten.
That same balance is represented throughout Séance’s pedigree, and matches our goals for continuing her lines as well. Homme is an incredible Search and Rescue dog, continuing to work late into his veteran years. Her dam, Lilo, comes from well accomplished bite sport lines. Their mark on Séance is obvious in her zest to work and focus on her stock.
We expect this pedigree combination to bring the balance of rustic French type with the strong focus and work ethic seen throughout their relatives.
From a phenotype standpoint, at a glance you can see how similar they are. Both substantial in build though not overly so for the breed. Their rustic, classic beauceron appearance supports their confident, bold demeanors.
“Ohkar is a substantial male. He has a nice strong topline, though I would like to a little more length of loin. His croup has a sharp slope to it that is undesirable. His tail set and length is nice. He has a nice underline. A correct width and depth of chest. His upper arm is a beautiful length and set. His shoulder is a nice length, but I would love to see just a little more layback; which would help with the appearance of a short neck. He has beautiful tight cat feet. His head is of correct proportions, though he has a slight Roman nose and I’d like to see a tad more underjaw. He has a nice tight flew and a very nice natural ear set. Strong pasterns and correct hocks. The femur is a tad straight and the lower thigh is a tad short. His coat is correct and his markings are desirable.”
Séance brings her beautiful front assembly to the table, along with a full coat, bright markings, and kind expression. She does lack in rear angulation and turn of stifle, causing her topline can be a bit soft in a stack. That weakness disappears as soon as she’s in motion. Carrying herself naturally and comfortably, as she moves like a dream. She has lovely depth and width of chest, complimenting her overall balance of substance and strength, especially considering she is on the smaller size in height for the breed. We love her coat color and texture, it is correctly weatherproof. Drying quickly even after swimming or working in the rain and mud, it protects her appropriately in her daily life as a homestead dog. Above all, we love her kind and gentle expression, focused around her dark soulful brown eyes that suit her so well.
Temperament
In terms of temperament, we were overjoyed as soon as we saw them both together. The match in energy and style was stellar. They get the same look in their eyes when they’re about to cause mischief – making Erika’s job extra fun while she monitored their courting rituals.
While both are willing to alert and move to stand between their bonded people and a potential threat, neither intentionally seeks confrontation from people or dogs, and both are social to new people. Neither is tolerant of rude or pushy behavior from other adult dogs, but with proper introductions do well with appropriate play groups. Both do have some reactivity toward dogs of the same sex, but it is easily managed and both coexist happily with their chosen friends.
They are both goofy and silly in downtime at home. Throwing out an array of clownish behavior when trying to get their way or get away with being a little naughty during training time. Ohkar’s signature move is to flop on his back and roll, Séance prefers to smile and air snap as she play bows. Both enjoy draping themselves across you to cuddle, taking naps at the foot of the bed, and watching you do chores from the couch.
Séance has a unique personality, often described as intelligent, confident, and bossy. A little aloof when first meeting people, but quickly warms up, throwing her butt into knees and muzzle punching people she loves. You know she likes you when you start getting tackled in greeting. She enjoys independence and thinking for herself in various chores at home and the barn, but also has the versatility to thrive in formal obedience and rally. She is a road trip do-it-all dog, unbothered by trips to major cities, beaches, uncountable rest stops and gas stations, and many hotels, houses, and camping situations. Always taking the environment in stride and without a care. Truly our jack of all trades dog, even if she loves to try to throw her own brand of humor into everything.
While Ohkar has mostly been a spoiled visitor during his extended trip to Ohio, he’s gotten a little bit of training time in as well. Showing a willingness and joy to work, truly so happy to be praised and get a little cookie here and there. Unphased by environmental factors, and always dying to meet all the new people he can for a head pat with a smile. He is a social and bubbly boy, complimenting her more serious and thoughtful attitude beautifully. While we have not worked him on stock directly, he has shown a lot of interest and appropriate reaction to beauceron-savvy goats.
In Summary
As a whole, we expect puppies with a similar phenotype to both of their parents – rustic and substantial without being overdone, with a build suitable for most chores, sports, and family activities. There should be no shortage of outgoing and confident personalities, who share the versatility of their parents.
We are not accepting new applicants for this litter. If you have contacted us before for Séance and have not heard from us, please feel free to reach out.
Like many people in the dog world, I grew up as an all-around animal lover. At the ripe age of 3, I decided I wanted to be a veterinarian; my drive and dedication toward achieving this goal became the mainstay of my educational career. Looking back, I think my interest in veterinary medicine fueled my passion for wellbred, purebred dogs. I remember always having an interest in working with breeders because it meant long client relationships. I never really thought those interests would bring me exactly where I am today. I’ve been a licensed veterinarian since 2023, practicing in Colorado as I write this.
As an only child, my family dogs were my primary companions. We always had several dogs in the house. I remember having 5 to 6 at one point in time – the house was full of chaos and dog hair as you would expect. I grew up mostly with Rottweilers and Rottweiler mixes, resulting in my familiarity with large, physical breeds. Along the way, my family had a couple of accidents (in the form of puppies), which happened to give my family the best 4 mixed-breed dogs that we could’ve ever had. I learned a lot about intentional and ethical breeding practices because of these accidental litters in my life. I firmly believe those accidental litters accelerated my interest in ethical breeding practices – even if my family had some great companions come out of those litters. Over time, I’ve come to learn that breeding requires nuance, patience, grace, and a lot of humor.
Despite my experience in Rottweilers growing up, I was compelled to look into other dog breeds while I was in veterinary school. One day, when I was wanting to bring a family dog to Colorado where I was attending vet school, I came across the Beauceron on a list of “banned breeds” by my landlord’s insurance. Having never heard of the breed before, I looked them up and rapidly hyperfixated on them. I loved the uniqueness of the breed and wanted to step away from Rottweilers to experience a different type of dog. Over time, I researched breeders and bounced between what I was looking for. I developed friendships with local Beauceron owners and continued to fall in love with the breed. Like many people new to the breed, I was infatuated with the idea of a cropped harlequin male as my first.
In spring of 2024, I was starting to send out inquiries to breeders when one of my friends told me she knew someone that was going to need guardians for a handful of puppies that were being imported just before the CDC implemented their import guidelines. So, along came Robyn; we quickly had a phone call to discuss my goals and interests to help match me to the best puppy of the ones she had available. Much to my chagrin, and my interest in a cropped harlequin male, I was told I would be receiving a natural black and rust boy, to which I said okay and we continued forward; enter Squish. I went into this agreement expecting a temporary-until-proven-otherwise puppy, not realizing that Robyn, Erika, and Jin have magical powers when it comes to placing the right puppy with the right person (even when they only have 2 options to choose from). Thus began my journey with the Beaucerons des Vents crew.
I see my role in BDV as a small but important piece of a puzzle. My primary job is to be a loving home for one of the Panic Puppies™. My goal is to allow Squish to flourish into the best version of himself. Together, we are collecting titles like stickers on your favorite water bottle, exploring any and all avenues that we want to do together, and building the best life together you could imagine. We are embodying the idea that show dogs can be companions first, conformation and performance dogs second. Together, we are dabbling in anything and everything we want (Conformation, Rally/Obedience, Barn Hunt, Weight Pull, Nosework, being a menace, you name it). I cannot wait to see what we continue to accomplish together and I am endlessly grateful to be doing this alongside such a wonderful group of humans.
Throughout my entire life, I’ve spent more time hanging out with my dogs rather than making friends. The dog obsession started essentially from birth. Once I got old enough to read and write, I would ask for Dog Breed Encyclopedias and Breed specific books so I could research as much information as I could. I loved to draw my favorite breeds and write important breed facts next to them. Once I discovered Animal Planet, I began to dive deeper studying dog behaviors. At the time, I had a female Belgian Tervuren that got to be my test subject (thank you for being a saint to little me, Star). I had her for 17.5 years. After losing her in my 20s, I knew I couldn’t have another Belgian because I would compare it too much to her.
One of my favorite breeds to draw and study was the Beauceron. It was hard finding information about the breed since Google was in its infancy and there wasn’t much information in books.
In 2009 I finally joined Facebook , started joining whatever Beauce groups I could find, and befriended Robyn, whom also had a Tervuren mix and wanted a Beauceron. After Robyn got Nyko, I distinctively remember a post on Facebook asking who would be perfect for the breed that doesn’t own one yet, … Robyn tagged me.
Dog distribution system did what it does and put a few bully mixes into my life before I was able to purchase another purebred. These dogs got me into dog sports, as I was trying to find ways to expend my dogs’ energy. Being in the professional pet industry my entire life, I was offered amazing opportunities to dip my feet into numerous different sports, learn extensively about diets, study dog behaviors, dabble in training, get experience in emergency veterinary services, learn how to handle emergencies and first aid, and become a career professional dog groomer.
Finally, in 2023, mutual acquaintance told me that Robyn had the perfect dog available for me. I resisted for as long as I could. I remembered the post Robyn tagged me in many years ago, and said that if I got a Beauceron, it would be from Robyn. I drove to Ohio to finally meet Erika in person, whom had Seven. I obviously took Seven home. She’s the best girl and is incredibly difficult to not fall in love with. Shortly after, Robyn imported the panic puppies and asked me to give one of the puppies some experiences around my farm. Once Volatile (Tilly) showed up here, I texted Robyn and asked “what if I don’t ever want to give her back”, …. Surprise, Tilly’s never leaving. A few short months later, Vendetta found her way here, where she schmoozes her way into every single person’s heart that meets her.
I’d like to say that I specialize in finding what activity each individual dog needs to thrive, and I help build them in that venue to help them meet their full potentials.
