I have been breeding and preserving purebred dogs for many years.. It all began with my service dog, Sienna, a standard poodle. Due to my allergies she was a natural choice. for my needs. I fell in love with this intelligent breed and soon was breeding, raising and training for many non for profit service dog groups. I am very proud of the work I have done with poodles and the hundreds of lives that have been enhanced by the dogs I bred. I am now at the stage that it is time to pass my legacy on to a younger generation, with the same passion for poodles and service dogs. Knowing this time was coming and still wanting to be involved in the dog world I began to search for a smaller non allergic breed with the potential to do service work as well.
One day I received a call from a woman in need of a standard poodle for mobility work. We chatted for a long time and I learned she bred Bolognese. In my years of breeding I had not heard of this breed; curiosity had me begin searching for information and asking Susan (who bought a poodle from me) more on this intriguing breed. Since that time, Susan and I have formed a close friendship and she has become a mentor for me.
It is important to me that I learn as much as I can about a breed before I delve in and show, do performance and breed any dog. I devour books, scan the internet and have talked to breeders in Europe as well. After doing my research I decided to invest in this rare breed. I liked their size, intelligence, calm nature and happy attitude. I purchased my first Bolo from Susan! Harmony will be my foundation for Aria Bolognese. My plans include; showing in conformation, doing performance events and working with non for profits who are looking for smaller dogs that could be trained for hearing and medical alert.
A large part of my breeding beliefs is to health test any breeding prospect. I use Embark for DNA testing. This gives me testing for 287 genetic factors. I also do Paetella’s and CAER eye testing. Once cleared I then will breed using both science and pedigrees as a guiding tool. My goal is to enhance this marvelous breed and giving individuals and families a healthy, intentionally reared puppy as a valued part of the family unit.
Puppies are reared in my home and begin their adventure into life with ENS training from day 3-16. From there we use puppy culture and puppy start right throughout their time here with us. We introduce puppies to cats, rabbits, chickens, pheasants, other dogs and miniature horses. Puppies go through several fear stages and it is important that they experience these as a family unit; therefore puppies do not leave our home to yours until 12 weeks of age. During their stay here with us they are: crate trained, house training has begun, microchipped, AKC registration is paid by us and socialized.
Aria Bolognese does have a process for new families. This includes and application for adoption, a phone interview, vet or groomer reference check and homework for the family :). Yes, homework….I feel that a puppy is lifetime commitment and family member. To set everyone up for success, I ask you read the book, “Puppy Start Right” by Kenneth and Debbie Martin. This will let you know what we are working on with your puppy and you can than continue this training when puppy arrives at your home.
We do not ship puppies!! This is very important for you to know. If you can pick up your puppy here, we love that and you can see our prairie homestead and meet the family. If that isn’t possible I do have trusted flight nannies or ground transport for a safe and secure puppy arrival.
Thank you for visiting our site and maybe one day you too will want a “small white’ dog with an irresistible face, characterized by “three black buttons” for eyes and a nose.
Karen Winters
