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Welcome Litter "F"
(Theme: Back to the Future) Dam: Swiss Silhouette's Bengta CGC, RN, RA, RE, CD, Sire: BISS CH Tchoum du Haras de la Vergne Born 6/4/09 |
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| All our pups have arrived at their new homes. Each one is special and we are looking forward to watching them grow up through pictures and visits! Please feel free to watch too! | |
  Above: hrs. after birth Below: 1 wk birthday 
 3 Wks: pigment filling in on their noses 
 
howl in progress:)  supper time! (3.5 wks) Below: 4 wks. 
 Play time...toys, siblings, children, other dogs! 
 
  SHOES! Snack is still the most important part of the day. This is probably the best way to visualize their growth by comparing some of the other pictures of nursing times. Zea is so intrigued by these babies. They are not his, but he still thinks it is his job to watch over them. 5.5 wks: 
self appointed mom "Dallas" loves the pups
New way to fit them in. Only 3 at time this way though!
Temps have been climbing, but they know how to find the cool
spots.6 Wks:   Katie napping under the air conditioner...a favorite cool spot for all the pups. 
 puppies having some quality play time    We are only nursing a couple times a day now, but they somehow still manage to get all 6 to the table. Bindi has been such a great mom and is weaning them with superb patience. They are now as eager to see the food bowl arrive as they are to see mom, so I think the transition is successfully under way. 7 Wks: 
 Zea and pups Maggie found the Nerf rocket 
 Marty and Stella Early education on being an attack dog. Zea got him down, but the pups finished him off! 8 Wks:  Left to Right: Marty, Doc, Maggie, Clara,
Katie, Stella
Doc and Katie figure out a way to stay cool in 90 degree
weather!
 Clara thought nobody saw her leave with the sock.... 
we are Berners...we don't play in flowers...you just THINK we
do. We also are not responsible for the shallow holes in the
lawn, the strewn toys everywhere, the mini piercings on
toes...and well...why keep it up...we are just GREAT!
Can't wait to explore our new homes and see what we can find
there:) |
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   8wks11/15/09: Hi Shelly - Just thought we would send you some new pics. Cindell is now a full member of the family. She and Devin are training with a private trainer and bonding strongly. Here are some pictures of our girl, she is 54 lbs now and a bit gawky. She is a love and super smart. Atreau and Cindell are now friends and he is not shy to make sure she does not trample him. Overall a happy family! Hope you and yours are well. Hugs!       Here are a few new pics of our/Devin's baby, our 54 lb Puppy. She is 6mos old and so sweet! 6/4/10 Update: Happy Birthday! Shelly - I have included below several paragraphs (in blue) borrowed from the North Star Foundation Website. While we are not currently working with them; in many ways it describes what we are doing and what our goals are with Cindell. I did speak directly with their director and she helped me research and plan out just how we wanted to approach raising a dog as a companion animal for our Autistic son. Currently, she is getting one on one training in basic obedience and temperament/socialization with Devin (our 6 yr old Autistic child) as an integral part of her training and every aspect of her life. She is doing well and although her temperament is exuberant and barely controlled chaos - she is still beginning to engage and is learning her training skills reliably. Sit, down, release ("okay"), come, not stepping off the curb until released not jumping in the car or out and not going out the door or in without the release word of okay. She knows "no bark" and "off" as well. She gets lots of playtime and wrestle time with Devin and he cares for her in every way. She is HIS dog - he sleeps with her, bathes her, picks up after her, cleans up any messes, feeds her, brushes her and trains with her. By making him the responsible party in her life they have bonded intensely and she is truly HIS dog and they both know it. There is no one in this world with higher value to her than Devin. This is a great thing for us and is already helping tremendously with the more esoteric and hard to handle aspects of Autism behavior. Devin is diagnosed with Asperger's and Sensory Integration disorder, therefore he is benefiting from their bond. She naturally keeps a watch on him at all times and is aware of where he is, she is always with him when she can be. His special needs fall strongly in the areas in interpersonal behavior and social cues as well as being aware of how his actions effect others. He also tends to wander off and she is helpful in that regard. He is a very high function child with some impulse control but very verbal, intelligent and loving. A dog was the perfect choice for his particular challenges. She is currently one year old and 70.4 lbs when we weighed her yesterday. Going forward we plan to get Cindell certified/licensed as a Service Dog for Devin. I hope the below information gives you an idea of what we are working on now. I will send the current pictures soon from my husbands computer so you can attach them. You may not want to use all of this but feel free to use what is helpful. Thank you Shelly for providing us with such a wonderful dog and companion for our son and family. She is well loved and cared for and although we are finding owning & training a large companion dog to be costly; she is worth every penny! We are including everything you sent us...this is an incredible service that Cindell is involved with and we are excited to share this with others. obviously, when this puppy was chosen, we as breeders did our best to make the right selection, but honestly, we had no idea if it would really work. The fact that child and dog are so deeply bonded at this point is very exciting to us and we are absolutely thrilled to be a small part of this team The below paragraphs are taken directly from the North Star Foundation Website: In traditional service animal programs, dogs are placed with human partners when the dogs are approximately two years of age, and they arrive fully trained. New owners learn handling skills within the space of two or three weeks. At North Star, we create placements when the dog is still a puppy, in order to facilitate the strongest bond possible, and to insure the dog's training matches the child's needs. When the North Star Foundation places a dog with a child with autism, our primary emphasis is on appropriate early socialization. This means the puppy is subjected to experiences that simulate the experience he/she will have with the child. Our strongest commitment is to finding the optimal fit between child and dog. We put considerable energy into teaching the child to interact with the dog in ways that enhance bonding. Because the quality of the relationship matters more than any other variable. Supervision is essential to creating a placement that is safe and effective. The early pairing of puppy and child has risks. What if the temperament of the puppy does not unfold in the way we envisioned? What if the child does not "take to" the dog? The same difficulties with communication that children with autism experience with people can exist with dogs. Dogs take their cues from humans regarding how relationships are structured; training is just a concentrated form of communication about what behaviors we want to encourage or discourage. If a child with autism does not make it clear to his/her puppy that playful nips hurt, then the puppy will naturally nip more. It is important for the caretakers of any child to understand that their role is to ensure that the relationship between child and puppy is consistently gentle and mutually enjoyable. The larger issue, from the perspective of a family with an autistic child, is that delayed placement has the potential to influence success of bonding between the child and the dog. By the age of two years, a dog's temperament and abilities are well established. What if the dog has not had exposure during the early months to the child in question, or the specific challenges they present? With no experience in how to interpret autistic behaviors, the dog may react unpredictably. Children with autism or other developmental disabilities often display unusual behavior-sometimes they throw loud tantrums or fail to grant the appropriate body space that we unconsciously and consistently grant each other. Dogs depend greatly on nonverbal communication, and are apt to be uncomfortable with violation of "personal space." Careful breeding and educated puppy selection go a long way toward reducing training time and increasing safety, as does establishing optimal behavioral patterns right from the start. Interestingly, there are desired qualities in a North Star dog that cannot be trained; they instead are recognized, carefully nurtured, and supported. It is the interplay between nature and nurture that matters the most and this is not a static process. A North Star dog's job description is created and refined in the many interactions between dog and child and family. One of the first puppies we placed at North Star (named, appropriately enough, Star) went to two brothers on the autism spectrum. The younger brother, David, was a wanderer. This was alarming, as this family lived on the edge of dozens of acres of woods. In creating this placement we incorporated games such as hide and seek into this puppy's training in preparation for the day that Star's search and rescue skills might need to be tapped. So far, this has not happened, but twice Star has alerted the family to David's wanderings by barking frantically and circling him. We did not train this dog to do this; I believe by growing up with David and his family, Star learned the importance of keeping David within sight. Surprising benefits accrue and dovetail when a service dog grows up in his or her permanent home, with access to the particular child's needs. I have witnessed ways that service dogs have a therapeutic effect that occur without training. These effects are heightened in a child with autism because of the powerful nature of communication between the dog and the child. The nonverbal avenue of interacting with a dog is an important advantage here, as sometimes spoken language can get in the way of successfully communicating with an autistic child. For a child with autism who has had an exhausting day struggling to communicate in a manner that is foreign to him, spending time with his dog is a nice way to structure critical down time, which can greatly reduce the frequencies of meltdowns. The concept of "time out" with a service dog reliably holding a down-stay to provide comfort and support can be seen as a positive way that a child can have the rough edges of his or her day smoothed over. A service dog can also act as a bridge between the activities of a therapy session and a child's home program, providing familiar cues and structure to pragmatic language. This helps to generalize language learned in a speech therapy session, and to translate it into conversation spoken in the larger world beyond the walls of the therapy room. Children with autism often have great difficulty in generalizing learned speech to new situations and people. This is due to their overly selective attention and tendency to respond to only a limited number of cues. Using a service dog as a tool for teaching pragmatic language at home and in the community can be as simple as rehearsing stock responses to the fairly predictable questions people are likely to ask when they see a well-trained dog wearing a saddle with a patch that reads "Please Ask to Pet Me." I recently flew to Ohio with a puppy with such a saddle, and I was stopped over and over again during the course of my travels to answer the same few questions. As children with autism tend to be dependent on verbal cues provided by others, this positive and predictable social response is a valuable tool to help with speech within natural settings in the home as well as the outside community. People who may have shied away from the responsibility of starting a conversation with your child, as well as keeping it in motion, often relax and rise to the challenge when a dog is available to help structure the questions and comments. North Star dogs pay attention to the subtle cues every member of the family gives out, and they behave as if it is their job to try to help their family out in any way they can to be healthy and happy. The ability of dogs to read human social cues is capitalized upon in North Star's program. Parental involvement is crucial in a three-way placement of a child and a young dog or puppy, and although time-consuming, this job is not unpleasant. On the contrary, combining a well-bred and well-trained puppy or dog makes time spent working on a child's social, emotional, and educational goals more focused and fun. Attention paid when the child and the pup are together must be consistent and educated, but the parents I have come to know pay this type of attention to their children already. These parents also come to crave the emotional support their North Star dog gives them so freely. It is part of the joy of my job to watch these parents begin to understand that they get to love this dog as much as their children, and to reap the benefits of having a service dog in the family. The right dog can be a valuable companion in the life of any child, regardless of the challenges he or she must face. The wise parent asks for assistance in selecting the most appropriate puppy, learning positive training methods, and facilitating the bond that develops between companion dogs and children.  I think she looks a lot like her mother these days. She has recovered for he spay surgery and is doing great. Such a love and Devin thinks she is the best dog ever!. |
Maggie has moved to Northern CA. Her new name is
Cindell (meaning to have a bright personality).
Cindell will be a trained therapy dog whose main purpose is to
help an autistic child bridge the gap and be his very best
friend. We, the breeders, are honored that one of our pups
has been chosen for such a special job! Pink Girl 1lb. 1oz. (Maggie) 1 Wk: 2 lb. 1 oz 2 Wks: 3 lbs. 4 oz 3Wks: 5 lbs. 2 oz. 4 Wks: 7 lbs. 14 oz. 5.5 Wks: 11 lbs. 10 oz 6 Wks: 12 lbs. 4 oz. 7 Wks: 15 lbs. 4 oz 8 Wks: 18 lbs. 2 oz |
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Swiss Silhouette's Back to the Future "Bennigan" 
 
  
8 Wks We have had a phone conversation with Bennigan's owners and hear he is doing well. How glad we are to hear it! He sounds like he has turned into a very loving boy, and is BIG. We are hoping for some pictures soon:)! |
Doc has left for the lush country in Washington. We hope
to see him stay active in the show ring and working classes! Red boy 1 lb. 2oz (Doc) 1 Wk: 2 lbs. 6 oz 2 Wks: 3 lbs. 14 oz 3 Wks: 6 lbs. 6 oz. 4 Wks: 8 lbs. 10 oz 5.5 Wks: 14.0 lbs. 6 Wks: 15 lbs 7 Wks: 19 lbs. 4 oz. 8 Wks: 22 lbs. |
 
 
  
8 WksShelly, She is wonderful and we are just loving having her around! She is excellent in the car, she is very very good around people and loud noise (the tournament we played at is the largest amateur beach volleyball tournament in the world so there were thousands of people there- and needless to say, she was very popular) She seemed to enjoy the water, she LOVED playing in the sand and she slept a ton! She met her new brother this morning and she is VERY interested in him, but he thinks he has better things to do at the moment.. He will come around:) She has already figured out to follow him to the back yard to go potty and then she follows him right back in! We named her Koa Langle Anderson. Koa means "Brave" in Hawaiian (we figured it was fitting to give her a Hawaiian name since she is our wedding gift to each other and we are getting married there and she was so brave being the first to leave her original home). Langle is just a goofy volleyball term:) She seems to like her name and comes when called... most of the time! By day 2 at the beach she sort of had the leash thing figured out, but when she gets tired she just sits and stares and waits for us to go pick her up. She does great in the kennel in the car and seems to be getting used to it at night in the house. Last night she made is almost 6 hours without making a peep, but then she needed to poop! Luckily Oosik needed to as well so he showed her where to go and they had a nice morning BM together... 
I will download pictures from our long weekend at the beach and email them to you! She was soooooo cute playing in the sand! Thanks! 
 
3 mo. 33 lbsHi Shelly, Koa is amazing! We just cant remember life without her!!! My father has fallen in love with her and is now considering making a Bernese part of his family too!    Hey Shelly, Koa is doing awesome! She starts her obedience classes next week and we are excited to see her interact with all the other dogs. She is such a lover and gets along with everyone/thing! Thanks again for making such an excellent breeding choice! Here are some pictures:) Hope all is well on your end!      Hi Shelly, Congrats on the 3 new litters! I know you are probably so busy right now, but just wanted to update you. Koa was fixed early Februar. We moved to Seattle mid-February and she is adjusting to apartment life. However, her brother Oosik passed away February 7 (he was very old and had a wonderful life) so she has been pretty lonely. We try to keep her busy with lots of walks and hiking and she seems to be enjoying that. Here are some current pictures of her, beautiful and healthy! When we get a bigger place we hope to be contacting you guys to bring in another pup to the family! Take care.    9/12/11:   Koa is such a sweet girl! We (the breeders) are looking forward to being able to place a little "brother" in her home in December 2011! We have been told that the pattern will go like this: BMD, human baby, BMD, human baby...any guess how many are coming? |
Koa Green Girl 1lb. 1oz. (Clara) 1 Wk: 1 lb. 15 oz. 2 Wks: 3 lbs. 2 oz 3 Wks: 5 lbs 4 Wks: 7 lbs 3oz 5.5 Wks: 12 lbs. 8 oz 6 Wks: 13.2 lbs 7 Wks: 16 lbs 8 Wks: 18. 2 lbs |
 
 
  
8 Wks
12 WksHi Shelly, Here is a picture of my spoiled rotten little girl. She is so sweet and has quite a personality. She loves to play ball with my son and his dog Ferrari - the tail never stops wagging! We are all having a great time with her. 
 
6 mo. And loving her! 1 year Birthday!: Hi Shelly, I can't believe Katie is one year old today. She is such a sweet dog - everyone just loves her. She is a "LAP DOG" at 96 pounds. She got a bath and was weighed yesterday. She is very jealous of Ferrari, our sheltie and everyone else. She follows me around wherever I go. Katie is such a loyal companion...I love her so much! Happy birthday to all the other pups! 
 
 Hi Shelly, Katie is doing just fine, I guess. I'm not speaking to her right now because she ate a live baby bunny yesterday. I thought she was supposed to be a protector - but she's not. She is a hunter! I can't believe my baby girl would do such a thing. My husband thinks it's funny.  |
Katie has moved to Kansas and we miss her terribly. She
stayed with us a little longer than usual, and she managed to
take a part of our hearts with her. We look forward to
watching her continue to grow through pictures and stories
though:) Purple Girl 1 lb. 3 oz. (Katie) 1 Wk: 2 lbs. 7 oz 2 Wks: 4 lbs 1 oz. 3 Wks: 6 lbs. 6 oz. 4 Wks. 8 lbs 5 oz 5.5 Wks: 13 lbs. 6 Wks: 14 lbs. 7 Wks: 17 lb 8 Wks: 19 lbs 4 oz. |
 
 
  
8 Wks Hi Shelly, He couldn't have been any better. I wish the kids were half as good in the car. He slept most of the way in the backseat under the boys' feet. We didn't need the crate at all. No accidents either. Looks like we're off to a good start.    Hi Shelly, We've been doing pretty well, just very busy. Pilot has grown like crazy, but is still very cute. Here's a couple of pictures, one from when we first brought him home, the others more recent. Nathaniel, our six-year-old adores him and insists that he is the best and cutest puppy in the world. Oliver, our little one, enjoys petting him as long as someone is there to protect him from being trampled. Our middle son, Jeremiah, gets a little overwhelmed by all the puppy energy. We're enjoying Pilot, especially in his calmer, more affectionate moments. My husband loves that we finally have a big, cuddly dog. Training a puppy is certainly challenging with the kids around and things do get crazy around here. I am looking forward to his growing up some, but we're hanging in there. October 2010 Pilot has moved to a new family due to changing circumstances. There has been some unfortunate experiences, but we are not sharing to honor the privacy of the first family. Pilot was not rehomed due to genetic issues, so we do not feel that it is necessary to post the reasons. We appreciate his new family updating us on his well being and keeping in contact with us. He is a joy. He is learning chickens & Miniature goats are not for him to chase :o) He has bonded with our other Bernese, Mozie, and seems happy. He is anxious to please and is learning his manners and our older dog helps with this. Overall we are very happy with him. We are working with him about not digging after the moles and gophers, but that is minor compared to what he could be doing! ;o) He is now able to wander the house at night and behave himself. He has found his spot. He likes to lay by the back door at the top of the stairs to the basement where he can be aware of the comings and goings of the kids. Now and then he comes and sleeps outside our room, but that is generally Mozie's spot. .        We had a great time over Thanksgiving. We all went snowshoeing and the dogs thought it was great fun! Pilot would blaze the trail for us even though it was up to his chest. He would chase the snow balls we'd throw and then be confused where it went when it mixed back into the snow. He was in his element and loving every minute of it. He never seemed to get tired, but when we got back to the cabin both dogs fell down on their blanket side by side and went to sleep! Back at home, I learned another lesson. Always be careful what command you give your dog...I was sitting on my bed that had a beautiful white bed spread. Pilot had come into the room then turned around and went out. I called him back wondering what he wanted. He came to the door and just stood there. I crooked my finger at him like you do with a child and said "Come here Pilot". He took it to mean COME HERE! He immediately ran and jumped up on my bed with his muddy feet (he'd just come inside) and curled up on the bed like FINALLY I get to be where I want to be! I laughed out loud I was so surprised and then told him no and pushed him back off the bed, giving him loves, but not letting him think my bed was where he was meant to be! Next time I will be a little more careful with my words and actions. :) Hugs, 1/19/12: It is hard to get a picture of Pilot alone as he never is. He is always moving and playing and full of life. My camera broke this last summer and I have few pictures from this time. I am attaching a picture from camping at Fort Stevens and then our Christmas gathering with all of our family and dogs J It was hilarious trying to get the shot with 4 dogs and 7 people. The dogs thought it must be time to play and there was much laughter and rolling around. (Pilot is the one with my husband Nick with the Santa hat.)You are welcome to post these. We planted a garden this year, but learned quickly if we wanted it to survive it had to have a fence around it. Pilot thought that it was his own personal play ground. We had made raised beds, which only meant to Pilot that he was supposed to jump up in them and run around. I would come out and find nice deep foot prints in my seedlings and dug up pole bean plants, ( he was actively pursuing moles). We were diligent about keeping the gate closed after that and so had no more problems until this fall. The garden was put to rest and only had some winter plants. So we were lax about closing the gate…Who would’ve figured that a dog would EAT broccoli plants? Yep! Pilot. I caught him one day pulling out the broccoli plant and shaking off the dirt and then eating the plant!! He got 8 of the 10 plants before I caught on. Now that I know he is a broccoli lover, I give him the broccoli stems when I have broccoli, as I only like the crowns. But then again, Pilot doesn’t believe in just eating vegetables, he loves fruit too. Pilot is a strawberry connesuere. He eats them off the vine, but only when they are just ready for picking. I would be waiting for my strawberries to ripen and then all of a sudden they’d be gone. I was puzzled who was eating my strawberries before I had a chance to get them. I was outside one day and saw Pilot walking alongside the strawberry bed. He would walk along the beds sniffing each berry and only eat the ripe ones! I had found my strawberry thief! The strawberries and raspberries are separate from the garden, so he enjoyed those all summer. Pilot and I get along fine, as long as I keep the garden gate closed and share my strawberry patch with him. I think this next year I am going to have to put in another strawberry bed just to keep up with his snitching! Pilot has two friends he plays with all the time. Mozie our other Bernese and Rokki (a Mastiff/St Bernard) our son’s dog. One of Pilot’s favorite games is to get a BIG stick and for one of the other dogs to grab ahold of it and play tug of war. They race thru the yard tugging and pulling. I have lost a few branches of my big azalea to this game. Guess that’s one way to keep it trimmed J Rokki and Pilot love to chase and run and play together. On Christmas this year we had 4 dogs and 9 people over. Our daughter had just got a new Boxer puppy, “Trigger” and then our son came over with his dog, Rokki. It was a full house! Pilot was in heaven seeing Rokki, but didn’t know what to make of that little thing that kept goosing him. It was funny. Pilot likes to tease our Mozie and provoke him until he barks at him and gives chase. Pilot got a little of his own medicine in the form of that boxer puppy. “Trigger” he was very interested in Pilot. Pilot kept jumping back and looking at “Trigger” like what are you? You aren’t a cat and how could you be a dog, you are way too little! But most of all, why do you keep goosing me? We all got a good laugh. Pilot shows just what a puppy he still is.   |
Blue Boy 1 lb. 1 oz. (Marty) 1 Wk: 2 lbs. 1 oz 2 Wks: 3 lbs. 9 oz 3 Wks: 5 lbs. 14 oz 4 Wks: 8 lbs 5.5 Wks: 13 lbs. 2 oz 6 Wks: 13lbs. 10 oz 7 Wks: 17 lbs 8 Wks: 20 lbs |
 
 
 
8 Wks |
Freja (Swedish for "Noble Lady") Freja will be staying with our kennel at our home. Click here to follow her on her own page Yellow Girl 1 lb. 3 oz. (Stella) 1 Wk: 2 lbs. 5 oz. 2 Wks: 4 lbs. 3 Wks: 6 lbs 4 Wks: 8 lbs 5.5 Wks: 13 lbs. 8 oz. 6 Wks: 14 lbs 7 Wks: 18. lbs 8 Wks: 20 lbs |