ABOUT US

PICTURE THIS:  Early 1990s, Denver Dog Show.  I had gone with a friend to watch her handler show my friend’s Samoyed.  While waiting for the class to begin, being a hopeless dog lover, I walked around watching other classes of beautiful dogs being shown, all breeds, shapes and sizes.  And that is when I first saw the MAGNIFICENT BERNESE.  I didn’t even know this breed existed.  I watched in AWE and totally lost my heart within an instant as I watched these phenomenal dogs being shown; their expressions on their faces as they listened to their handlers, their proud gait and stance, their stout bodies with beautiful heads, awesome coloring – each yet a little different in their markings.  At that moment I vowed one day I would own a Bernese Mountain Dog.

As time went on we wanted to add to our Bernese family and began searching in earnest for a lovely girl.  I couldn’t find what I could “see” if that makes sense. I realized how fortunate we were to have found our Jessie and Junketer as in searching for similar qualities, the choices were not so abundant.  

History states that the Bernese Mountain Dog arrived in the United States in 1926.  I associate the event with as much importance as Christopher Columbus!!  It was not until 1937 that two more Bernese were imported from Switzerland.  These dogs then became the first to be registered by AKC.  In the following years, their popularity grew but the U.S. had limited number dogs for breeding.  The original European Bernese had life spans of 10+ years.  Because of the limited gene pool within the U.S., research shows very close line breeding and in some cases inbreeding.  And then as the Bernese popularity continued to grow, folks got $$ in their eyes and just bred for the sake of breeding, not taking the time to research the strong traits or weaker traits of the dogs they purchased.

That being said, that is the reason in a nutshell that many of the Bernese have lost their original strong structures, blockier heads, thick bones – legs like almost “tree trunks”.  Early breeders originally thought close line breeding would enhance the strong traits of the Bernese but what has happened and can happen as with any dog breed or animal, is that the weaknesses are also compounded.  And generations later, we see firsthand what can happen with thoughtless breeding practices; too many of the Bernese that the goodness and quality has been bred OUT of them.  

My friends ask, “How can you tell them apart, they all look alike!”  I laugh and ask them, “How do you tell your children apart?”  Each Berner has their own individual personalities, yes similar but yet unique markings, body structures….... and are ENCHANTING !  Our Berners are all potty trained and take turns sleeping in our bedroom each and every night. Our About Us Page….is about us, as we are ABOUT THE BERNESE!  LOL

We WELCOME you to enjoy the next few pages.  And if you would have any questions, please feel free to give me a call or send an e-mail.

© Copyright 2009 Genesis Bernese Mountain Dogs - All Rights Reserved

The Bernese are a working group, strong yet elegant, family oriented and faithful.
They were used in Europe to assist farmers with their herds and hauling carts with milk or goods to the market.          

Thank God for the few unrivaled Bernese Mountain Dog Breeders within the U.S. that are conscientious of the bloodlines, selectively breeding only to Compliment, Enhance, and Intensify the Excellent Qualities of the Bernese!  

When we moved back to my home state, Missouri, built our log home on a few acres, I knew the timing was right to begin the process of making my long-awaited dream come true.  I began searching for a Bernese Mountain Dog.  We found and we bought our beloved Jessie as a small pupster.  Being so enamored with Jessie in every possible way i.e. her gentle but playful personality, beautiful boxier head, shorter and deeper muzzle, beautiful body structure, and  glamorous full coat that looked like it had a light body wave...... that a few months later came our Jakester.  And then a couple of years later, Jessie and Jakester had a litter of beautiful pupsters and we kept one of boys; we named him Frances.

Our Jakester has 6 International Championship lines – old and proven lines, without line breeding.  And one of these Int. Champs lived to a ripe ol’ age of 13.  Researching the history and pedigrees does give one the information required with which to base a sound mission.  We prefer the strong European lines and have incorporated (and will continue to do so) these lines to enhance the Bernese Mountain Dogs within the U.S.  

The name of our family Bernese home is Genesis Bernese Mountain Dogs.  The word Genesis is the first book of the Bible, the beginning.  Also you might notice a blue star above the “I” in Genesis.  That is for the star of David.  We also own Genesis Log Homes and Construction, Inc.  You might note the same name Genesis/beginning and I with the blue star.  Our endeavors are guided by God, foremost, in serving not only His children but also caring for His creations and for us in particular, the Bernese Mountain Dog breed.  What an absolute blessing and delight to have our Berners! 

They are faithful and loyal family members so for goodness sake, don’t make them a “backyard dog”.  They love to be with their “people pack”.  While it is still rare to see a Bernese Mountain Dog on the streets of U.S. cities and suburbs and still yet relatively rare to see them in a show ring, the breed is obviously becoming more popular.

Some breeders utilize the winning dogs in the show ring for breeding hoping to produce their next Champion.  However, a dog’s life in the show ring is relatively short versus the entire life of the dog.  So, with that being the case, choose breeders who give you the rationale of their breeding being that of longevity and health.  Too many breeders want a Champion and may sacrifice on soundness to achieve this.  Fortunately, you can find those that are reputable who are interested in Champions AND equally interested in breeding the healthiest of dogs from bloodlines that have an excellent health history.  While my husband and I have begun showing Tucker, Bravo and Charms, I highly respect a few of the seasoned veteran show folks that show for the right reasons and will greatly improve the expectations of the “standards” for the Bernese.  Their Bernese are also their beloved family.  Ask me who they are and I’ll sure tell you.

In the same respect, there are excellent Bernese breeders that do not show but instead focus on the quality of the bloodlines researching years back before purchasing a pupster ensuring their history of health and longevity.  You WANT a dog what was bred for health and longevity and you DESERVE that whether you ever want to show or you want a companion dog.  The show ring is important to maintain the standards of the breed and so you will want to check the pedigree to see a number of champions in it.  If you see this, this may be an indication that the breeder was being careful and not merely doing random breedings to produce puppies for profit.

I have had folks tell me that Bernese are a little spendy.  That goes with the breed if you WANT a quality Bernese that doesn’t have the GOODNESS bred out of them.  The cost of bringing in new bloodlines whether from a U.S. quality Bernese advocate or one that imports European bloodlines is pretty much astounding.  And one must take into consideration the cost of testing the Bernese before they are bred to ensure they are breeding quality Bernese without any genetic physical ailments.  And WHY do we do this - for the Love of the Bernese Mountain Dog to ensure their Enchanting Beauty, Temperaments, Health and Longevity for generations to come.

I decided my best course of action was to draw upon my past experience with my father.  Dad was a professional American Saddlebred horseman his entire life.  He bred, raised, trained, and showed to championships, his American Saddlebred horses.  He was selective in complimenting bloodlines to produce awesomely gorgeous American Saddlebred horses without ever line breeding.  Having spent my childhood assisting him with the horses, I knew that is where I must begin.  Taking those experiences and transferring that knowledge to the Bernese Mountain Dogs.  I was fortunate to meet a wonderful person that had years of experience with Bernese.  You might say she was my mentor and we spent hours and hours and that turned into months of earnestly researching the Bernese Mountain Dog breed, studying their pedigrees, associating bloodlines with body stature and characteristics of the bloodlines.  This is an ongoing practice; one that never stops when considering bringing in a new Bernese into our family.  When folks call and ask if I have any pupsters ready to go to new homes, if I don’t, I always encourage them to ask to see the pedigrees, to ensure there is no close repetition in the bloodlines.