Note From the Author
John 6:35 King James Version (KJV) 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
I would like to share a little bit about “Our Family”! My name is Lacey Perry, I am married to Justin Perry and we have two sons and one daughter; Lane (8), Isla (4), and Auburn (8 weeks). Our children love spending time grooming/riding the horses, helping me with my dog chores, and they also play a very important role in helping to socialize our puppies. The daily interactions our puppies receive from being held and played with by our children, help our puppies transition into their new homes smoothly.
I was raised on a cattle ranch in Northwestern Minnesota, where my grandparents owned 2,000 acres of farm land. We raised both cows and horses. I was very blessed with an amazing childhood, my parents taught all of us children a good work ethic and the importance of the family unit working together. We learned how to drive tractors during planting season and hay season, we learned to train and ride our own horses, work cows, cut firewood and store enough feed for the long winters, we were involved in 4-H, and music was an essential part of our daily living. My mom also taught us girls to sew, cook and bake bread. My parents didn’t have a lot of money, but they gave us all a great foundation and the ‘know how’ to do anything we put our minds to. I only pray I can give my children the same opportunities my parents gave me.
- Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. – Psalms 127:5
We also had huge gardens and did a ton of canning and hunting, so we always had fresh vegetables and meat in the freezer. Farm life wasn’t viewed so much as “chores,” but rather just a way of life; we relied on the resources God gave us and worked together as a family! Hard work, dedication and faith in Jesus are just a few qualities my parents tried hard to instill in all of us children from a very young age. I believe these qualities play an essential role in the foundation and success of my dog business today.
My husband and I both have a background experience in raising, breeding, and training animals. For a supplemental income my husband constructs homes and does excavating work in the surrounding areas part time, which also has helped our business tremendously! He loves to do all the up-keep on our barns, fences and land.
Having a medical background has also helped me to be able to do progesterone testing in order to artificially inseminate my dogs, so I can now raise a smaller size Bernedoodle than most other breeders. We focus our breeding program on quality rather than quantity; my dogs have all been tested for breed specific hereditary disorders including: hip dysplasia (using both PennHip or OFA tests to check for the presence of osteoarthritis), von Willebrand’s Disease Type I, PRA-prcd, and DM among other genetic testing. I provide all of my customers with a two year health warranty if their puppy should come up with a genetic problem. I believe one of the most important tests for Bernedoodle Breeders should be the PennHip or OFA, due to the high prevalence of osteoarthritis in registered AKC Bernese Mountain Dogs.
Why We Chose this Beautiful Breed
When I first started doing research on the Bernedoodle, I loved the fact that they are so loving and friendly. The Bernedoodle is easy to train, they have an exuberant, joyful personality and they don’t mind the cooler weather! The Bernedoodle also has a longer life expectancy than the registered Bernese Mountain Dog; approximately 10-12 years. But, one of the best advantages of this hybrid breed is the fact that you will not see nearly as many genetic disorders which are common to the BMD. Not to mention the Bernedoodle is classified as “low-shedding”; good for MOST people with allergies. If you have a severe allergy I would highly encourage you to adapt an F1b Bernedoodle rather than an F1 Bernedoodle, which is a second generation poodle (25% BMD and 75% Poodle). We are planning to have F1b Micro Size Bernedoodles in the summer-fall of 2019!
The Bernese Mountain Dog
- My husband, Justin, and his best friend “Shelah” the Bernese Mountain Dog
The Beautiful Bernese Mountain Dogs stand anywhere from 70-115 lbs, they were originally imported from the Alpines of Switzerland and are known as a very versatile working farm dog. Berners have an amazingly calm personality, they love to please and they are also very intelligent animals! I cannot say enough about this breed of dog… Some of the selling points for me was the fact that the Bernese Mountain Dog actually prefers the colder weather and they are very territorial over farmsteads. Berners are loyal animals that were bred for herding cattle and pulling carts. They have a very muscular build, which makes them not only look majestic, but aids in their athletic abilities. We do a lot of outdoor activities on our farm and my girls are always right by my side. I love training my Berners and plan on teaching them to pull possibly for competitions. Please check back for pictures of our journey with these dogs our family has grown to love so dearly.
The Poodle
When it comes to the Poodle, they have always been one of the family favorite breeds across America! Mostly for their loyalty, elegance and extreme intelligence. The Poodle comes in several different sizes, which is why there is so much variation in the sizes of Bernedoodles; Standard, Moyen, Miniature and Tiny. I cannot explain in words the wonderful temperament, personality and love the Poodle portrays toward their owners. In my humble opinion the Poodle breed is one of the best, which makes the Bernedoodle even more attractive!
The Bernedoodle
Like I mentioned earlier, the Bernedoodle is considered a hybrid or designer breed and was first developed from crossing the Beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog with the Intelligent Poodle. One reason the tricolor Bernedoodle continues to be a rare find and more expensive than some breeds, is because it is quite difficult to find a Poodle with the tricolor pattern yet still maintaining great confirmation. Over the years the AKC qualifying shows have considered the phantom or tricolor Poodle as having a fault in confirmation, thus people across the country have bred these colors out of the Poodle breed. We have done a lot of research on genetics over the years, constantly trying to improve our breeding program. As a breeder, it is my goal not only to breed for a certain color pattern, but also to raise family friendly companions that portray wonderful temperaments, good confirmation and intelligence.
Another reason I believe the Bernedoodle will continue to be in high demand in the years to come, is because the Bernese Mountain Dog is known to be a poor mother. They often lie on their young, or abandon their puppies at four weeks of age. It doesn’t take very much weight to collapse a lung on a newborn puppy (we are talking about the wage of a tail)! Especially, with the F1 Miniature Bernedoodle puppy born to the large breed Bernese Mountain Dog. It is not very natural for a 90# Berner to raise a little miniature puppy, this is where the ‘hybrid’ term comes in to play. We strive to keep all our puppies alive and healthy; my husband and I often take shifts sleeping next to the newborn puppies, ensuring the mother is always aware of where her puppies are 24/7. Usually, once puppies eyes open around 2 weeks of age we can start to relax.
A lot of hard work goes into raising these dogs, so we ask that if you are not serious about investing in one of our puppies to please consider buying from another breeder or your local shelter. We have rescued several dogs in the past and you can find wonderful companions at your local Humane Society.
With the genetic problems common to BMD’s due to the high COI (coefficient of inbreeding), a lot of breeders have chosen to stay clear away from breeding purebred Berners. Which, really does not help the problem, we need more breeders to be diligent at breeding ONLY health tested Bernese Mountain Dogs to make hip dysplasia among other genetic problems disappear.
“Shelah” pictured above with Justin was diagnosed with osteoarthritis, positive hip dysplasia. Our veterinarian recommended us not to use her for breeding. Although, she will never have puppies for us we are okay with keeping her around until we can find the perfect home for her! She is a great companion and protector of our animals.
Update: contragulations to Danika and Terry Kent for adopting our girl, Shelah! Thank you for giving her such a wonderful home where she will continue to enjoy the farm life.
Our Mission Statement at Country Lace Bernedoodles
It is our goal to improve the breed by raising dogs that portray wonderful temperaments, good confirmation, health and intelligence. We strive to bring families happiness that we trust will be responsible pet owners and continue to give our dogs the love they deserve!