Exhausted little Barbet dog

Here is Nessa all tired out from her visit to the Puppy Playground in Holland. The pups were all able to enjoy this special outing before they begin departing for their new homes. I am lucky that Anne takes such beautiful pictures of the puppies. Only two more weeks until Nessa travels to America!

Solene Swims!

This week Solene learned to swim at the lake. She easily took to the water and retrieved many toys. She even jumped in from the dock to get her favorite turtle toy. It was fun watching her natural water instincts take over.

Old Horses Are The Best: Maximum Lark

Maximum Lark

In the late '80's, this beautiful gelding was born at Bo-Bett Farm in Ocala, Florida (our lucky mares spent the winter in sunny Florida while we stayed home freezing in Pennsylvania).  Maximum Lark was our 5th colt sired by Rugged Lark, and he always had the sweetest, most willing disposition imaginable. Carol Harris and the Bo-Bett staff always took great care of our mares, and we were thrilled with the newborn pictures that Carol sent us of this particular colt. Big and stout, he grew into a truly beautiful horse with a sweet little jog and a wonderful, smooth and fluid lope. We won a big Non-Pro Western Pleasure futurity when he was a two year old, and I also showed him a bit in the three year old futurities, and he always placed well. David and I started our own family, and Max wasn't shown again until he was 15. At that time, our son Sam started riding him, and we learned that Sam was a natural on a horse. They won a lot together, then later our daughter Isabel showed Max in the walk-trot classes. They made it look easy, and Max always took great care of Isabel. Now 23, gentle Max spends his days with his older full brother, Lark Seven. I am incredibly lucky to have these two special horses, who are among my favorite of the many horses I've bred and owned.

Barbet Puppies at the Park

Nessa with her family in Holland

Netherlands Barbet breeder Anne Plomp loaded up Alba and the pups and took them to a local dog park to experience new sensations. The puppies did great with their first car ride and they enjoyed their outing in new surroundings.  All of these early experiences are very important to young puppies, and will help make Nessa's transition to America easier for her.

Happy Birthday, Barbet Claire!

Today we are celebrating Claire's 3rd birthday! She and her 11 brothers and sisters have accomplished wonderful things and brought a lot of enjoyment to their lucky owners! Claire has changed a lot of things in our lives, and she continues to bring happiness to us every day with her wonderful, devoted personality.

In her first 3 years, Claire has earned show championships in 3 different registries (CKC, UKC and IABCA) and earned the first and only Best In Show awarded to a Barbet in the UKC. She won the breed from the classes at the Purina National, and finished 2011 as a Top 5 bitch in Canada in extremely limited showing. She was a wonderful mother to her special puppies, bred via frozen semen from Switzerland. Because of Claire, we have new friends all over Europe and North America who share our love of the breed.

Happy day, Clairissa!!

Our New Barbet Puppy

Nessa

This is Nessa, Nuphar's Gift Wrapped, coming to us all the way from Amersfoort, Holland. She is only 6 weeks old, and in a few weeks she will be making the big journey across the Atlantic to become a special addition to the American and Canadian Barbet show scene. Her mother is the beautiful Alba (Quaciendas Alba Aqua-Aura), and her father is Ooli (Novaforesta Dudley). We are very grateful to our friend Anne Plomp for sharing this very special gift with us.

Dogs: Our Barbet Puppy Solene at 6 Months

It amazes me that Solene is already 6 months old. The time has flown by, and she gets prettier every day. Claire and Bango really are a nice combination of bloodlines, and I look forward to seeing another litter from these two in the future. Happy birthday to sister Hanna in Canada!

A Barbet Breeder's Dream

I am so lucky to have gotten Claire as my foundation bitch. She is the smartest, sweetest, and happiest dog I've ever had. OK, everyone probably thinks this about their own dog, but in this case, it's true. Everyone who spends time with her just loves her. She is truly an ambassador for the Barbet breed.