About Us
I started my life with dogs young. Growing up in Washington with Great Pyrenees dogs, and a Kerry Blue Terrier, I've never really lived without a dog.
After moving to Montana we'd acquired more dogs. Another Kerry Blue Terrier, another Great Pyr, and the mutt we'd rescued from Washington that had also moved with us. On top of those dogs, we also had a Pomeranian until we sent him to live with an elderly woman back in Washington, where he lived his life with her until her passing, then was loved by a young boy until, what we can assume 20 years later, his passing of old age.
When I turned ten was when I got my first dog. A Shetland Sheepdog by the name of Zoe.
Zoe was awesome. She put up with me for eleven short years. All of my amateur trainer mistakes, first time dog owner mistakes... She may have been a Christmas present, but she was a companion that I will never be able to replace.
After moving to Montana we'd acquired more dogs. Another Kerry Blue Terrier, another Great Pyr, and the mutt we'd rescued from Washington that had also moved with us. On top of those dogs, we also had a Pomeranian until we sent him to live with an elderly woman back in Washington, where he lived his life with her until her passing, then was loved by a young boy until, what we can assume 20 years later, his passing of old age.
When I turned ten was when I got my first dog. A Shetland Sheepdog by the name of Zoe.
Zoe was awesome. She put up with me for eleven short years. All of my amateur trainer mistakes, first time dog owner mistakes... She may have been a Christmas present, but she was a companion that I will never be able to replace.
With Zoe I started in the Lewis and Clark County 4-H program with the dog project there, and It was here that I started learning more about dogs. Grooming, training, handling, for things such as Obedience, Agility and showmanship, as well as the fundamentals of Herding.
In 4-H I gained quite a few awards. A few Champion trophies, some reserve champion ribbons, some purples, but even a few whites (last). And while Zoe wasn't my only dog I used in 4-H, she was my main girl. |
From 4-H I moved on to compete in AKC Agility with Zoe. While this was fun, it was also a bit of a bust. Zoe had more interest in running around the ring trying to visit people than focusing on the task at hand, but it was here I also learned that things don't always go your way, or as planned, and you just gotta smile and laugh.
Me and Zoe also went on to compete once in AKC Junior Showmanship, which, to be fair, was a one show deal since there weren't any Juniors my age to compete against to move forward, anyways, and then not too long after that I got my first Brittany, Troubadour, at the age of fourteen, and walked into the show ring when he was a year and a half old. I'm now 24 and I've yet to look back, even though we never got more than three points as a team.
Me and Zoe also went on to compete once in AKC Junior Showmanship, which, to be fair, was a one show deal since there weren't any Juniors my age to compete against to move forward, anyways, and then not too long after that I got my first Brittany, Troubadour, at the age of fourteen, and walked into the show ring when he was a year and a half old. I'm now 24 and I've yet to look back, even though we never got more than three points as a team.
With Troubadour I also learned something. Good things will come when you're patient and work for it. He was three years old when he got his first point, and I was getting SO frustrated, but I kept at it... You're not always going to win, but you're not always going to lose, either. There is NO instant gratification with dog showing.
|
It's time-consuming, its expensive, it's a lot of blood sweat and tears, and yet, it's SO addicting, and the people who you meet are great people you'll call your friends for life. They become family, and over the last few years I've seen that family come forward in times of hardship on multiple levels.
Another thing I got into with Zoe was Rally. After flunking in Obedience time and time again, I decided we needed something new and exciting. So Rally it was. I walked into that ring for my first walk through, and then went into it blind. There was no "I'll try this first" or "I'll take a class first". I jumped both feet in and again, I never looked back.
So Rally is another thing I try to title in, but with the Britts it takes a little more time than it did with Zoe. It's hard getting those titles because I ALWAYS have time conflicts between breed rings and rally rings. So I have to go out of my way to title dogs in Rally.
Zoe titled all the way up to Rally Excellent before I retired her, as she hated traveling. She loved the people, but she always got so stressed traveling she wouldn't eat right and it became a worry to me the older she got.
Another thing I got into with Zoe was Rally. After flunking in Obedience time and time again, I decided we needed something new and exciting. So Rally it was. I walked into that ring for my first walk through, and then went into it blind. There was no "I'll try this first" or "I'll take a class first". I jumped both feet in and again, I never looked back.
So Rally is another thing I try to title in, but with the Britts it takes a little more time than it did with Zoe. It's hard getting those titles because I ALWAYS have time conflicts between breed rings and rally rings. So I have to go out of my way to title dogs in Rally.
Zoe titled all the way up to Rally Excellent before I retired her, as she hated traveling. She loved the people, but she always got so stressed traveling she wouldn't eat right and it became a worry to me the older she got.
Hunting wise I didn't hit up my first season until 2017, and sadly never hunted behind Troubadour, though we trained in the field and he showed himself to be a natural hunter, and it was watching him in the field that got me so addicted to these dogs.
There is literally nothing I love more than watching a dog doing what it was bred to do, especially when it's a dog that YOU bred. I STILL get chills and excited when I see my dogs go on point. |
As for breeding I've studied it for years, and I'm still studying today. I've done a lot of work with the Spay Neuter clinics in the state, and that was my first introduction to the reproductive organs of the canine species.
But I've also read a lot of books, read every article that gets sent my way or that I find, and I strive to breed healthy Brittanys by health testing in everything I should based off of the American Brittany Clubs Breeders Code of Ethics.
All dogs that I breed, or breed to, have a MINIMUM of hips and eyes done, and I've started doing Elbow's with my first generation of Britts, though I do not require hips be completed before I'll consider a stud dog.
The line I'm breeding is actually an acquired line from a breeder out of Michigan. June Cuthbertson, who I got Troubadour from in 2009, gave me one of her breeding females to continue her line with. That female is my 11 year old, Tipsy. This was back in May of 2015. To this day I still talk to her constantly about the joys and frustrations of raising a litter, and I seriously would not be here today without her. Nor would I be still showing without Todd Breitenfeldt, his wife and daughter. All three have been a huge help to me in finding good studs, helping me in the show world by offering to take me to shows with them, spending nights outside their camper chatting it up about Brittanys and even helping me groom my dogs when I wasn't quite sure how.
I seriously owe it to them to do my best, and I hope I can continue to do that, as I'm the future of the Brittany's, and if we can't keep this breed healthy and what it should be, a dual dog, than we've lost the dog we love so much, and I hope to continue to learn from them as well as other breeders around me.
So thank you guys, for all that you have done for me. I cannot express enough how much it means to me.
So anyways. That's my life with my dogs. Some of my experiences and my thoughts on them and how I've grown mentally into the sport of dogs.
I tried not to make it about me, but what I've accomplished with the dogs and how I got into breeding.
So have a look around, and enjoy. If you have any questions or concerns, please, email me.
Tommie Dahl
But I've also read a lot of books, read every article that gets sent my way or that I find, and I strive to breed healthy Brittanys by health testing in everything I should based off of the American Brittany Clubs Breeders Code of Ethics.
All dogs that I breed, or breed to, have a MINIMUM of hips and eyes done, and I've started doing Elbow's with my first generation of Britts, though I do not require hips be completed before I'll consider a stud dog.
The line I'm breeding is actually an acquired line from a breeder out of Michigan. June Cuthbertson, who I got Troubadour from in 2009, gave me one of her breeding females to continue her line with. That female is my 11 year old, Tipsy. This was back in May of 2015. To this day I still talk to her constantly about the joys and frustrations of raising a litter, and I seriously would not be here today without her. Nor would I be still showing without Todd Breitenfeldt, his wife and daughter. All three have been a huge help to me in finding good studs, helping me in the show world by offering to take me to shows with them, spending nights outside their camper chatting it up about Brittanys and even helping me groom my dogs when I wasn't quite sure how.
I seriously owe it to them to do my best, and I hope I can continue to do that, as I'm the future of the Brittany's, and if we can't keep this breed healthy and what it should be, a dual dog, than we've lost the dog we love so much, and I hope to continue to learn from them as well as other breeders around me.
So thank you guys, for all that you have done for me. I cannot express enough how much it means to me.
So anyways. That's my life with my dogs. Some of my experiences and my thoughts on them and how I've grown mentally into the sport of dogs.
I tried not to make it about me, but what I've accomplished with the dogs and how I got into breeding.
So have a look around, and enjoy. If you have any questions or concerns, please, email me.
Tommie Dahl