Category: Family

Melissa Oberle
Located in Cincinnati, Ohio

From the moment I hit the ground animals have been central in my life. In childhood my mom and dad created Norginn lovebirds, in which they raised, bred, and trained birds (lovebirds ,African Greys, an Ecalectus, and a very spoiled Umbrella Cockatoo). I vividly remember falling in love with one specific bird I had named Peek-A-Boo. I had trained him to wait and fly to me from across the room. That was probably my first “training” experience with animals. 

As time progressed my mom decided to get out of the bird industry and we began working with the Mastiff Club of America. According to her, if she couldn’t have a horse, she might as well get horse-sized dogs, right? We had had an English Mastiff while I was growing up that my dad had rescued, Misty, but it wasn’t until I was about 6 that they became heavily involved in the rescue of the breed. After many years of rescuing and after the loss of our dear Misty (who honestly didn’t like me much), my mom adopted Kitty. A strong bond formed between the two, my mother and Kitty made it all the way to second place nationally in obedience, also under the Norginn name. This really sparked my interest in the possibility of showing. Years passed by and we had a litter of our own, and I began showing juniors in confirmation. I had so much fun showing but it was short lived as my father died suddenly in my pre-teen years. 

Fast forward to just a few years ago, ~2018, while enjoying a holiday with some horse friends, another animal species we added to the family in the time since my father passed, we were watching a rerun of the Westminster dog show. I see this black and rust dog and quickly I’m intrigued by it’s fierce beauty, as you could guess, it was a Beauceron. I started research immediately and followed various beaucerons on Instagram. Quietly I followed these dogs, liking, sharing, screenshotting them until I decided I was ready and wanted to meet one! 

Finally in 2020, I reached out on Facebook in various groups, explaining my position, and my interest in the breed. I couldn’t be more thankful that Erika Stephens answered that call and best of all we were only an hour apart.

Shortly after connecting on Facebook, I met Erika, Oath, and a young puppy Reverie and I instantly fell in love. I was asking questions left and right, loving the big goof, Oath who warmed up to me immediately and even fell asleep on my lap as we talked. As well as being blown away by puppy Reverie’s intelligence, focus on Erika, and eagerness to please.

In the year since meeting Erika, I have had many play dates and have stolen Oath for weekends to make sure I’m really prepared for bringing my own beauceron home. We have talked about pedigrees, the breed standard, what goals the breed seems well suited for, and I was one of the first to meet the sweet Miss Séance after her journey to Ohio. With a Zoology degree under my belt, and the eagerness for my next adventure in life, I finally felt it was time for my own Beauceron and Erika offered the option of being part of Des Vents, alongside assistance with finding a puppy in general.

After months of waiting, hoping, and even some heart break when litters just didn’t work out… My boy Sylas is home and our Adventure can finally begin. 

Robyn and Leslie Salley
Located in Austin, TX

We are in the unique position to say our journey into the world of dogs began together as a team. While we both had pets before, we had never owned higher drive purebred dogs. When we purchased a cane corso together, the drive and structure required to have a happy pet in our home drew us into AKC obedience and rally, opening our worlds into a wonderful new hobby.

In deciding that guardian breeds were not an ideal fit for our home, we began to explore other breeds. Beaucerons became a breed of interest, but it was difficult to get enough experience with the breed to determine if they were the correct choice for us. To gain this valuable experience, we began fostering through the American Beauceron Club Rescue. From the first Beauceron that entered our home, we fell in love. After helping three Beaucerons find their forever homes, we were sure we wanted to add one permanently to our home. As expected, you couldn’t just stop at one! Now, in addition to our three seniors pups, we have three Beaucerons – Nyko, Reaver, and Sovereign. To keep the boys tamed, we are active in many sports including rally, obedience, conformation, and herding.

Leslie would say that our primary contribution to the Des Vents family is my enthusiasm, but I’d like to believe it’s my ability to research. Over the past five years, we have thrown ourselves into understanding pedigrees both domestically and internationally. Through that research, we have helped to expand the pack to include many wonderful dogs from incredibly diverse backgrounds. As we continue to learn, we hope to contribute an understanding of genetics and diversity breeding practices.

Breeding Goals

Currently our household is made up exclusively of males. We believe having a diverse selection of males available will be a valuable resource for the program. Dogs in our household will be well proven both within whatever sports they enjoy and as family pets within a large pack household. While we are currently focused on building and proving herding ability within the program, our loftiest goal is to continue to build drive within our lines while not sacrificing the pup’s ability to exist calmly in the home.

Erika Stephens
Located in Akron, Ohio

I was the child obsessed with animals, though as a child reptiles and amphibians had my heart more than anything. I wanted to learn about them, about their behavior, about their instincts, and every crumb of information I could find. Steve Irwin was my hero, his compassion and passion for all creatures was something I connected with. As I’ve grown, that focus has turned to dogs, and grown into an immense passion for the breeds I love dearly, the Beauceron and Siberian Husky. 

I have been a trainer of pet dogs for many years, working on house manners, cute tricks, good behavior in public and so forth. I have worked, handled, and trained hunting dogs, service dogs, therapy dogs, and many many pet dogs in my years as a trainer and as a late in life Service dog handler. My husband Chris has also been a trainer for years now, with a strong focus on Service dogs in particular, so we are a very dog oriented household.

It wasn’t until a few years before I set out to purchase my first Beauceron Oath that I really had higher goals as far as showing, titling, and proving my dogs in a competition setting. Now my household includes my four Beaucerons Gardy, Tamaki, Séance, Reverie, and Niffin. As well as our Siberian Huskies, Zora and Sparrow.

I consider my roles at Des Vents as a researcher, nutrition nerd, and the down and dirty chore person. I will be the face most often seen in the whelping box, caring for our litters at all hours when they are smallest, and the one responsible for their introductions to the world. As an individual with a physical disability and chronic pain, I cannot always dedicate myself to the most physically demanding sports, and sometimes can’t even show all my dogs on a long weekend. Instead my focus is on what I can assist with, the pen and paper, the ongoing education, technology, and record keeping. Not to say I won’t be out all the time with our dogs, because I love showing and adore sporting with them as well.

I have a particularly high passion for working with my dogs as a partner, activities like mushing or bikejoring, herding, and trailing game where we are a team first and my trust has to be in my dog are at the top of my list. As such, you will often see that many of my dogs participate in these activities, even if we are not competing on a national level or in races. To keep the crew busy, we also dabble in many other activities such as obedience, rally, kayaking, hiking, lure coursing, and dock diving.

We currently live in West-Central Ohio, and if anyone would like to connect to meet anywhere in the region I am always happy to do so. Traveling an hour or two, or further for an event meetup is not out of the question! The crew and I love to do meet and greets for the breed and I will talk your ear off for hours if you let me. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you would like to chat or meet in person.

Breeding Goals

My goal as a breeder is to produce a versatile dog – one capable of the jobs the breed was meant for and beyond. My ideal dog is a jack-of-all-trades, even if that means sacrificing being a master of a specific lofty goal. Dogs in my home will often be our most versatile, steadiest of partners. Both within the home as beloved pets, and as dabble dogs for any sports that catch our eye. When breeding, I will aim to choose careful pairings to maintain temperaments and structure while elevating drive as desired for that pairing.