Our Story
I (Cassidy) have been "animal crazy" for as long as I can remember and I have had dogs, cats and small animals since I was born. Before University, I used to work as a Veterinary Technician, Veterinary Assistant and a (Veterinary) Receptionist. I also used to manage an animal shelter (a "no kill" shelter). Much to my families' dismay, I often played "match maker" and tried to get them to adopt animals in need of a home.
I was also an Obedience Instructor for ten years and I started showing my own dogs in conformation (dog shows) in 2002. I have since shown and handled other's dogs as well. My husband and I have four children (two girls and two boys!) and I am educated as a teacher in the he Primary/Junior division. Raising dogs is a family hobby and passion and our children have followed in our footsteps. They play an integral role in our breeding program!
My husband and I owned our first Boston together in 2001. My husband had his first Boston when he was born and my great Aunt owned a Boston as well. My husband and I got "Bongo" (Razors Edge Bongo) as a pet in 2001 and we had no intention of breeding. We fell in love with Bongo and became "obsessed" with Boston Terriers. So, our quest to preserve and improve the breed began. We imported our first male "Bruce" (Tangy Ewabo), from Europe in 2005 and a female, "Wendy" (Doo-Shay's I.B. Brindee Jabo) from the U.S, who's lines go back to some of the top bloodlines in the United States. These dogs (in addition to our three Canadian/American bred dogs) were the foundation for most of the bloodlines in our breeding program today.
We adopted our first two Boxers, "Hank" and "India" from our friend Eva (Ewabo Kennel - where we got Bruce from) in 2008. Hank and India were of top European/German show and working bloodlines (Hank was son of the 2008 World Winner - Twinkle V.Eurozone). We attempted showing in CKC Conformation events, but unfortunately their type (larger heads, shorted muzzles, larger boned, etc.) wasn't well received in the show ring at that time. We successfully bred and raised two litters of puppies under the Bedford prefix and then subsequently decided to put future breeding plans and our program on hold, to raise our family and enjoy our two Boxers as family members. Sadly, India crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2019 and Hank crossed in 2020.
While we're certainly not "over" their loss (one never is), in 2022 we felt ready to open our hearts and home to Boxers once again. In 2022, we were blessed to adopt Tess Di Janaksa Box and Figo V. Zaxhaus ("Fig") from Dragoslav Stakic in Europe and Prima Pantera Od Djevija from Nikola Dragonic, also from Europe. Tess, Fig and Prima are of very high quality, health tested, German working and show lines. We're so fortunate to welcome these wonderful dogs into the Bedford family and to have them as our foundation for our future generations! We're also very blessed and honored to call Dragoslav and Nikola friends and look forward to many more years working together!
Philosophy
It's our priority to breed for health, temperament and companionship, with the hopes of producing dogs/pups for show. It's our intention to produce the healthiest, world class dogs. Thus, we breed to improve the breed and feel that the only "good" reason to breed, is to improve the breed. We breed to the breed standard, not trends (colour, etc.) and feel that "quality never goes out of style". We do not "cut corners" and our dogs get the best in health, food and medical care.
We feel that nutrition is of the utmost importance and we feed our dogs TLC holistic puppy/dog food, supplemented with NuVet Plus, fresh fruit, vegetables, cooked meat, eggs, cheese, yogurt, sardines, etc. in moderation (on a semi-regular basis). We feel that premium dog food, regular exercise and early socialization increases general health (body and mind) and longevity.
We're aiming to produce square middleweight (15-20 lbs) and "low end" heavyweight (20-22lbs) Boston Terriers of good bone and substance and only 100% German/European Boxers. The Boxer breed originated in Germany and in our opinion, this is the correct type of Boxer and how a Boxer should be (with regards to conformation, health, temperament and intelligence). We plan to continue breeding and raising puppies in the German tradition. That is, we will not be docking tails or cropping ears and we will be carrying out the health testing they typically do in Europe. We will be showing Boxers in CKC conformation events in the future and it is our hope, that with the possible docking and cropping ban, our Boxers will excel, given their correct conformation, headpieces. proper ear carriage and size.
By not breeding closely related (they are all related at some point back in their pedigrees, as the breed was made by inbreeding) dogs, we hope to decrease the probability of congenital and genetic defects in our pups. A good Vet once told me that a breeder must consider (for their breeding program) what the world has to offer and not just what's in the locale. We took this to heart and go to great lengths and expense to increase the genetic variability in our breeding program.
We do recognize that there are "bad" out-crosses (breeding unrelated dogs) however and that sometimes a "loose" line-breeding (distantly related) is better than a "bad" outcross, as certain outcross breedings can also have the potential to bring out the bad traits in the sire and dam's bloodlines. A good breeder knows their bloodlines! all breeders of purebred dogs has/have had problems at some point and to some degree! If a breeder tells you they've never had a problem, they are not being truthful. It's how one deals with those problems that sets good breeders apart.
Education
I have my
- Veterinary Assistant/Animal Sciences Diploma
- Pet Grooming Diploma
- Obedience Trainer/Instructor Diploma
- Canine Specialist Certification (C.C.S.)
- Acute Canine Herbalism Specialist - IN PROGRESS
- Honours Bachelor of Science Degree (Psychology)
- Bachelor of Education Degree
Memberships
What to Expect
- No inbreeding. Our pups are not inbred or heavily linebred.
- Extensively Health tested parents! Our breeding stock is extensively health tested (indeed we have some of the most health tested dogs in Canada and the world over!) and we provide you with proof of these clearances. Our Bostons are DNA certified clear non-carriers of Juvenile Hereditary Cataracts!
- Home-raised pups. Our puppies are whelped raised in our home, under foot and are well socialized with adults, children, cats, other dogs and are quite accustomed to household noises. Dogs raised in a home environment are a lot different than puppies raised in a kennel!
- Stringent sanitary and disease prevention policies. We do not allow visitors when we have un-vaccinated puppies, pregnant mothers and during planned breedings (and avoid dog sporting events when we have puppies whenever possible!). Thus, we do not allow people outside of our family coming in and handling your pups and potentially exposing them to disease.
- The best start in life. Our puppies get the best "start" in life. They're fed holistic TLC puppy food, NuVet supplements, de-wormed (at least three times prior to adoption), given a preventative for heartworm and external parasites and much more.
- Healthy, well-tempered puppies. We breed for the "total dog" with an emphasis on health and temperament.
- Money Back Guarantee. We offer a money back guarantee for the first year of life and not just a "blanket" puppy replacement.
- Lifetime support.
- A Positive experience. We provide puppy parents the opportunity to be involved/witness the growth of their puppy, through regular weekly communication, updates, photos/videos and we provide puppy care information, full disclosure and advice.
- We're legit. We have a registered "business"/HST number and pay taxes. We have a registered kennel with the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC), are members of the CKC and the Boston Terrier Club of Canada and are in good standing.