Flynn Wins in Orlando

I was honored for Flynn to win Best of Breed in an entry of 12 Barbet and then win the Miscellaneous group in Orlando at the Barbet Club of America Open Show. We are pictured with judge Jamie Hubbard and BCA Show Chair Lynn Byfield. This was such a thrill at the first event ever hosted by the Barbet Club. With this win, Flynn also finished her Certificate of Merit to become

Hickory Tavern Wish Upon A Star CM

Flynn is the seventh CM winner that we have bred!

We are also happy for Hickory Tavern Secret Liaison CM and Leslie Woodward for winning Best of Opposite

6 Weeks!

Barbet Puppies at 6 Weeks

It's almost time for the 6 week birthday of Marlee's puppies! This time has flown by, partially because I was in Orlando for the AKC National Championship and partially because these puppies have felt so much older the entire time. This litter has been quick to do everything. They are so bright and engaged; a true pleasure to have in our home. In the next few weeks, we will make our final decisions on which pup will stay with us and who will be placed in homes around the country. I couldn't be more satisfied with the progress of these pups so far.

Sweet Sleepers

The puppies are doing great! Their eyes are now open and they can toddle around their box. They have also learned to bark! However, their still spend most of their time sleeping.

Barbet Puppy Pictures

The puppies are now one week and two days old. Everyone is doing so well. I am thrilled with the consistency I see throughout the litter and am really looking forward to seeing them grow. 

Pedigree of the Puppies

Blue Girl

Green Boy

Orange Girl

Pink Girl

Purple Girl

Red Girl

White Girl

Yellow Boy

Hickory Tavern Over and Out

From too much sun to too cold! The top photo is our Bruce, now called Sunny, leaving for his new home with long time Whippet owners Ed & Pat. Sunny is bringing some excitement to the older dogs in the house! Sunny is such a sweet boy who is being totally spoiled by Ed & Pat.

Below is our little Tina, leaving with David for her new life. Tina has been super special to us for a lot of reasons, and she was really a tough one to let go. We're fortunate that all three pups live very close to us so that we can all get together. David & Tina will be great pals!

Hickory Tavern Tina Vallerina

New Barbet Puppies!

Our sweet Marlee had an effortless labor and delivery and is the proud new mom of 8 gorgeous pups. For us this litter is really special as it is the first time we've been able to combine the two bloodlines that we've been working with in our breeding program. So far they look beautiful!

For a breeder, there is nothing so satisfying as an easy, problem-free whelping that delivers consistent, attractive puppies with beautiful breed type. Marlee was solid and knew just what to do with her babies. Every one of them are vigorous and strong. There were no stillborn puppies, and the delivery was not prolonged. Today Marlee and her family are the picture of contentment. 

ShowSight Magazine November 2017

Incredible Roger Wins 3 Best Puppy in Show!!

We have had an unbelievable weekend with little Roger. On Friday he won Best in Show at the Upper Potomac Valley KC in Cumberland, MD under judge Faye Zahorchak, then on Saturday he won Best in Show in a huge puppy show in Wilmington, Ohio under judge Wendy Willhauck! In his first 3 shows, he won 3 Best Puppy in Show awards! He also won his Certificate of Merit from the 4-6 month classes. What a thrill! Roger's baby puppy career is now over and we will be training for his debut in the 6-9 puppy classes in Florida. 

Heronsway Run for the Roses at Hickory Tavern CM

GCHS CH Nchanted Concerto x Ch Heronsway Younger Than Springtime

New Homes for Puppies!

Hickory Tavern Full Throttle

Our wonderful and lively Margot has gone to live just 20 minutes from us with her new family, Steve and Maggie. Now called Josie, we have a special fondness for this clever and bold girl. We are really looking forward to seeing what her future brings.

Barbet Family Successes

In the past 8 years, we've made so much progress with our Barbet. Breeding Claire (Neigenuveaux's Ermagarde) to Bango du Pre de Redy gave us the wonderful Solene (Hickory Tavern Intl Intrigue CM), who became the first female AKC CM winning Barbet. Her son Micah (HT Secret Liaison CM) was the first American bred Barbet to win a CM, Marlee (HT Secret Entourage CM3) the first to go beyond a CM with her CM3, and today Meg (HT Secret Garden CM) finished her CM with 3 Best in Open Show awards. To have Mama Solene and 3 of her kids in the first 10 Barbet recognized by the AKC for their Certificates of Merit has me feeling very grateful for the wonderful people I've shared this breed with. Thanks to Anne Plomp, Renate Zuber Morgenthaler, and Margrit Zbinden for getting us started with Bango, and to Lynn Vogt-Kinsey and Leslie Woodward for always presenting Meg and Micah so beautifully. This litter was sired by Bosch (Neigenuveaux's Gambit), and his contribution is invaluable. We only wish that Francois Menard was here to see this, as we know he would have been so proud. Here's to the future of the Barbet in America!

Super Special Week

This was an extremely special week for us. After waiting for YEARS for a puppy from Anne Bowes, we finally picked up our new puppy this week at her lovely bayside home near Cape Cod. This little guy is Roger, otherwise known as Heronsway Run For The Roses At Hickory Tavern. He was my favorite when we visited the litter in July, and as time went on, Anne felt that he was the pick male for us.

Roger saying goodbye to breeder extraordinaire Anne Bowes

Less than 48 hours after arriving at his new home in Hickory, Roger went to his first dog show where he thrilled us by winning Best Beginner Puppy in Show at the Butler Kennel Club under judge Gay Kuehnel-Hisatake! Roger is sired by GCh Nchanted Concerto and out of Ch Heronsway Younger Than Springtime and we cannot wait to see what this little guys' future holds.

Roger wins the big rosette!

Momma Love

This is Calla with her boy Bruce. She loves playing with her puppies!

Congratulations to new CM Winner Alainn!

This beautiful dog is UKC Ch Hickory Tavern Finally Friday CM. "Alainn" is one of the Claire kids from her litter sired by Quaciendas Thunus Georgii. Alainn earned her Certificate of Merit this past weekend, becoming the 9th Barbet and the 4th Hickory Tavern Barbet to earn the CM title! Alainn is owned by Lynn Vogt-Kinsey and Leslie Woodward and is shown by Leslie. They have done a beautiful job raising Alainn into a wonderful show dog and super fun pet!

Congratulations to New Canadian Champion Beau!!

Can Ch Hickory Tavern Fool For Brookberry

'Beau' is co-owned with Donna and Stephanie Forte and is handled by Stephanie

We are so excited about this young dog. He will be shown in the US while he works on his Certificate of Merit. He will also be siring his first litters this year. Beau is OFA Good Hips, Normal Elbows, Normal Thyroid, Normal Cardiac, and Normal Eyes. He also has a super fun and goofy personality. Beau is a beautiful moving dog with an outstanding front assembly. He reminds me so much of his Dutch mother, Nessa. Donna and Stephanie are doing a fabulous job with their first Barbet!

Pupdate!

The Calla & Tanner puppies are doing great at 3.5 weeks. They have started to eat solid food and play together. All of them are so beautiful! Calla is a really good mom although she is starting to spend less time with the pups. Soon we will start taking them outside for short play periods. Bruce and Margot now weigh over 4 lbs. Bruce is next and little Tina is the smallest. She is growing faster with the addition of solid food and we are really pleased with the entire group

Russell

Margot

Tina and Bruce

The puppies are one week old today!

We are treasuring our time with them.

Calla's Puppies Are Here

Just after midnight on July 29th, Calla went into labor. Her contractions were consistent, but sadly her first puppy girl presented breech, out of the sac, and stillborn. Calla then delivered a girl and two boys in quick succession, took an hour break, and delivered girl #2. Immediately her instincts kicked in and she began to care to each of her perfect little puppies. After her huge appearance, we expected a large litter and were very surprised that Calla's size was only from 5 good-sized puppies. We had a quick vet trip for an xray to make sure that no other puppies remained, and Calla has now spent the day attending to the new crew. We are so excited to see these pups grow and feel blessed that Calla has successfully delivered these beautiful new babies.

Calla immediately loves her babies

Boy #1

Girl #1

Girl #2

Boy #2

Whippet Puppies on the Way

Our other big news is that Calla is confirmed pregnant!! We are really looking forward to our Whippet puppies, who will be here in no time at all. While Calla is getting fatter and fatter, here is a picture of athletic daddy Tanner racing in the Pacific Northwest.

Day 51 of 63. How much bigger will she get??

Tanner

Catching Up

This summer has been packed with activities and I am behind in updating the blog! One of the highlights was our annual trip to the UKC Premier show in Kalamazoo, MI. This show is always a fun time spent with friends and enjoying our dogs. We were thrilled when Solene, Ch Hickory Tavern Intl Intrigue CM, won Best in  Show at the United Barbet Club Specialty. Then Meg, Ch Hickory Tavern Secret Garden won 4th place in the Top Ten competition, defeating almost 500 dogs in the process! Congratulations to Meg's owners, Lynn Vogt-Kinsey and Leslie Woodward of Anam Chara Barbet. The other big winner of the week for us was Hickory Tavern Finally Friday, Alainn, who placed in the Gun Dog group at two huge shows!

Best in Show Solene with judge Sue Phillips and me

Solene and me after the Specialty :)

Leslie and Meg with their Top Ten winnings

Isabel Descutner, Leslie Woodward, Barb Gresham, Lyne Trudel, Carole Bouthillette, Lynn Vogt-Kinsey