BEDFORD Reg’d

My husband and I owned our first Boston together in 2001. My husband had his first Boston when he was born. My father and aunt were raised with a Boxer (my grandfather's favourite breed) and my great aunt had a Boston. My husband and I got "Bongo" as a pet and had no intention of breeding. We fell in love with Bongo and became "obsessed" with Boston Terriers however, so our quest to preserve and improve the breed began. We got our foundation brood bitch, "Becky" and our foundation show bitch "Zoey" in 2003. These three dogs are of extraordinary producing bloodlines (large litters, free-whelping, etc.) and is the foundation of our Boston breeding program...

Up until owning our Bostons, my husband and I have always owned big dogs. Throughout our lives, we have collectively owned German Shepherds, Labradors, Beagles, American Staffordshire Terriers, Bulldogs and other large breed mixes.We are very proud to have gotten off to such a fantastic start with our Boxers! We have been wanting high quality European Boxers for most of our lives. Hank and India came to us from our friend Eva from Ewabo Kennels in Europe and are of very prestigious bloodlines. Hank's father is the 2008 World Winner!

While breeding is my passion (my family would say obsession) and not my livlihood, we are professionals at what we do. One couldn't say that dogs are our "hobby" as second to our children, they are our life. Educated and certified as a Teacher, I am currently a stay at home mom to our three children and of course, our dogs. Please see below for more information about my experience and education. We are members in good-standing with the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) and we show our dogs when our schedule allows.

 In addition to my University education I have my:

 Veterinary Assistant/Animal Sciences Diploma

 Pet Grooming Diploma

 Obedience Trainer/Instructor Diploma - IN PROGRESS

It is our priority to breed for health, temperament and companionship with the hopes of hopes of producing dogs/pups for show. It is our intention to produce world class dogs. We breed to improve the breed(s). Period. The only good reason to breed is to improve the breed (s). We do not "cut corners" and our dogs get the best in health and medical care. We feel that nutrition is of the utmost importance and feed our dogs holistic dog food (and fresh fruit, vegetables and cooked meat in moderation). We feed our puppies and adults a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of Taste of the Wild grain free, lifestages Wetlands formula and Taste of the Wild grain free, lifestages Pacific Stream formula. We feel that premium dog food, regular exercise and early socialization increases general health (body and mind), longevity and natural births.

While we prefer a larger Boston to a smaller one* (see below), we are aiming for a square middleweight (15-20lbs) Boston of good bone and substance. A well-bred Boston should have the endurance, strength and confirmation to be able to participate with his/her owner in activities such as Agility, Obedience, Frisbee, jogging and playing ball and should not require surgery as a result of, or in order to be able to do these activities. We prefer a European/English type Boxer to the Canadian/American type and are hoping to produce Boxers with correct heads, bone and substance. We hope to produce Boxers that are both elegant AND able to do the job for which they were bred. We also hope to contribute to the betterment of the breed in terms of health on this continent, with regards to hips, heart, etc.

By not breeding closely related (they are all related eventually - the breed was made on inbreeding) dogs, we hope to decrease the probability of congenital and genetic defects in our pups. A good Vet once told me that a breeder must consider (for their breeding program) what the world has to offer and not just what's in the locale. We took this to heart and go to great lengths and expense to increase the genetic variability in our breeding program. However, we do recognize that there are "bad" out-crosses (breeding unrelated dogs) and that sometimes a "loose" linebreeding (distantly related) is better than a "bad"outcross, as certain outcross breedings can also have the potential to bring out the bad traits in the sire and dam's bloodlines. A good breeder knows their bloodlines!

We do not do "test" breedings (inbreeding to see/perpetuate the faults/health problems one has in their bloodlines) and we do not "cull" puppies! ALL breeders of purebred dogs has/have had problems at some point and to some degree! If a breeder tells you they've never had a problem, they are not being truthful. It's how one deals with those problems that sets good breeders apart.

*A bigger size not only decreases the likelihood of caesarian section, but also decreases the chances of joint/ligament, and soft tissue problems. Indeed, all breeds considered, dogs under 20 pounds are twelve times more likely to have luxating patellas than medium, large or giant breeds (CanineTerminology, Spira, Dog Owners Home Veterinary Handbook, Carlson D.V.M and Giffin M.D, Your Dog; as cited by Boston Terrier Health, 2007).