There are Dobermans and then there are other dogs. I have had Dobermans in my life since 1983 and they have been a significant part of it since then. You see, I always had a fascination for horses. I loved them. I read every Walter Farley book written and ate, slept and dreamed horses. I took my books with me everywhere and I do mean everywhere. When missing, I could either be found somewhere in the house or on the porch or in a tree, book in hand, deeply engrossed in the story of a horse pounding across the sand or turf carrying the hero or heroine to their great destiny.
Well, horses aren’t really suited for the suburbs so my dad would take me to the stable at South Park and we’d go for trail rides on Sundays. Of course, I would dream that we were actually on the Great Plains and on our way to the homestead on our trusty steeds, outrunning the bad guys. When dad hurt his back the trail rides stopped, but my dreams of owning a horse didn’t. I never gave up hope.
Then grade school became high school and boys took the spotlight for a while. Then off to college and my love for horses, though never forgotten, was put on the back burner. I fully intended to graduate, get a great job and buy a horse one day. Then it was marriage, babies and a plethora of moves across the country in U-hauls as my husband went from job to job. Once we moved three times in nine months! Enough already! We finally settled in Ohio and put down some roots.
By that time we had two kids, a girl and a boy. I was teaching full time and running the “mom-go-round” taking care of my three kids, my two and my mother-in-law’s son. One day my son, who was about three, came home with a fuzzy thing that he “found” at the neighbor’s. It was a beagle-poodle-schnauzer he convinced me we had to keep so he wouldn’t “be lonely.” The look on his face melted my heart and having his sister standing there saying, “Yeah Mom. We really need to take care of this puppy. It needs a home so it doesn’t die.” Well, there’s no arguing with two kids intent on being heroes. So McDuff joined the ranks.
One day I was at the vet with Duffy and I saw a wondrous thing. Someone was walking dogs through the hall. They were sleek and shiny and reminded me of my true love, HORSES! That was the start of it, my life with Dobermans. I got my first Dobe in 1983 from a local kennel, started obedience training and conformation training and began going to dog shows. I fell in love with the competition. Watching the dogs being stacked in the show ring took me back to those days when Dad and I went to the park for trail rides and the horses were all standing at attention, ready for the ride.
I have been showing and breeding pure bred Dobermans since 1983. It’s been a joy and an incredible responsibility over the years. The commitment to improving the breed is demanding and leads to a never ending learning experience. I’ll introduce you to some of my dogs as we go along and answer any questions you might have about the breed to the best of my ability.
On the following pages are a few of the kiddos that are available. If you have an interest in joining the ranks of conformation, obedience, agility or rally competition, or you just want a loving pet as a member of your family, contact me about owning one of these excellent puppies.
