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While we have only been producing litters since 2001, we have taken
great pride in placing some wonderful puppies in select homes all
over North America. We would love to send some of this fine blood
back to Europe since they are now complaining of the lack of working
dogs available! However it is an unlikely prospect due to their
docking and cropping laws. We feel that this control measure is
causing the shrinkage of the gene pool there as well as the decline
in breed interest in the working venues. It is very unfortunate. While it's impossible to please everyone, and in any business you have to deal with dissatisfied customers, we are extremely pleased that our diligent screening process has made most matches happy ones! We strive for the best possible life long homes for our puppies first and foremost. Our goal is not to sell "you" a puppy, but to give a puppy the best home. We do respect the privacy of our puppy buyers, so when people ask for references we usually approach our buyers for their permission to contact. We decided a simpler way to handle this would be a testimonials page, so we sent out a brief questionnaire to all of our puppy owners (some were kicked back due to old email addresses!) and we are adding the replies as they come in. Below are excerpts of some of those testimonials. Thank you to all who took the time to share their thoughts - Tammy. |
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Argus
von Leidenschaft: Owned and Loved by Hayes and Linda in Spanaway, Washington! Hayes was close enough to our kennel (at the time in Victoria BC) that he could drive up to meet us, and pick up his pup when Argus was 8 weeks old. I remember it very clearly, Hayes had driven up on September 9th, spent the night with us and returned home on the 10th, just before the 9/11 disaster closed the borders. Argus and the "A-team" will be three years old in July, here are some words from Hayes' testimonial: "Our experience with Leidenschaft kennels has been nothing less then perfect! They took the time to qualify us, educate us, and prepare us for what to expect from this new addition into our home. They have even kept in touch over the years. You can really see the passion Ron and Tammy have for what they do. On top of that they welcomed us into their home on numerous occasions for weekend training sessions. The whole experience has risen above and beyond my expectations of what a breeder needs to be." Many people do not understand the difference in drive level between show and working stock dogs. It's one thing for us to tell you that the working lines require more expert handling and another thing for you to experience and understand. I think this next quote from Hayes may put it into perspective! :-) "We are in no way expert handlers. And Argus is a handful. When they told us about what it meant to be a working breed we thought that was exactly what we wanted. And in many ways it was. The prey drive in Argus can be scary at times if we don't stay on our toes. If it moves faster then him, and he doesn't have a stay command, the chase is on. However, he is very affectionate, good with kids, and amazingly obedient. He is also a great protector as he has displayed numerous occasions, two in particular We wouldn't trade him for a million bucks (Canadian*wink*wink*)." Hayes may laugh at our money, but he likes our beer!! ;-)) We were really pleased that so many of the A-litter was close by on the West Coast. Before we made our journey East, we were able to gather 5 of the 8 in the litter for one last workout in Protection together! Hayes got in the bite suit and Linda took lots of photos! It was a great weekend ending with a big feed at our house! The genetics of our dogs come through in their working abilities even when a busy life gets in the way of consistent training! "We are members to a Schutzhund club in Tacoma, WA, however we continuously start and stop training due to my frequent deployments to Iraq and Kuwait. He takes to it naturally and with the right handlers, and enough time he would be titled in no time. He doesn't flinch from the crack of a whip, doesn't blink, full mouth bites on his first attempt every time, vigorous prey shakes, the list goes on. His obedience is great as well, unless there's a ball or a person on a bike near." It's not an easy job screening applicants, we've turned away MANY more than we've accepted, we've held on to pups to the age of 6-10 months old, looking for the home that is perfect for the particular drive level, or temperament of the pup. With some people we do a lot of digging to satisfy ourselves that it is the right place, some we just know immediately! Those are the easy ones! Hayes, I knew from your first email that you were going to own a Leidenschaft Dobermann! Your honesty and enthusiasm were so apparent, as well your willingness to travel to meet us. We are happy that Argus is a part of your family, and would place another one of our pups in a blink! Perhaps a niece or nephew??? ;-)) |
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Arrow
von der Leidenschaft: Arrow was born in the midst of disaster 3 years ago on March 18th. Arrow's dam Liebchen died giving birth to her litter of 13, Arrow was the only one to survive. Arrow was hand raised by us with the help of many friends. Arrow's first 4 weeks are documented on video as we went through this amazing experience together. We tried to raise Arrow up as close as we could to his "dog life" but it was impossible not to spoil him some! He was supposed to be the new stud for Leidenschaft Kennels' Giant Schnauzer breeding program, however a hip rating of "mild dysplasia" squashed that dream as well. It seemed extremely unfair given the huge loss we had already suffered... however "they" say everything happens for a reason, and I guess that reason must have been: Ingrid Augustin of Coles Island, New Brunswick. SHE is owned and loved by Arrow! :-) "When my last Giant Schnauzer had passed away in 2002, I first did not want any other dog, but happened to come across Leidenschaft Kennels. I found out that there was indeed a black Giant for sale. My impression was very good, there were professionals at work and despite my age, we signed the contract." Ingrid, I notice the little jab at "my age"!! :-)) I guess I won't live that one down for a long time! It all comes back to placing our puppies and occasional adult dogs or older pups (Arrow was 15 months when he went to live with Ingrid) into homes for THEIR lifetime. When I'm dealing with older people, one of my concerns is their health, and ability to handle these large dogs. Also, a concern is who will take the dog, if there is debilitating illness, or even death...?? It's a touchy subject, and one of the reasons I ask for an age range on our questionnaire. I danced around the issue with Ingrid trying to find a polite way to ask what her plans would be should she die... Ingrid who is an extremely fit 60+ year old "farm girl", who had spent over 20 years with Giants found the situation very amusing! The thought had not occurred to her that she might die! :-)) With Ingrid relatively close to us, we were able to see her and Arrow form a bond. Ingrid has trained Arrow with us in our Level 1 Obedience and is one of the founding members of our Schutzhund organization, The Sirius Working Dog Association. "We did obedience, protection, Schutzhund, tracking still to come. For what little time I put in, the results are not bad. I am not necessarily working for titles. For Arrow and his temperament it is important to constantly do some work and keep him busy, but we are doing it mostly just for fun." Ingrid, we are pleased that you are part of the Leidenschaft Family, your life experience ;0 and enthusiasm are a great asset to us and the Schutzhund club! |
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Amber
von Leidenschaft:
Owned and Loved by Marc, Reanna and family in Campbell River, British Columbia! In recent emails Reanna describes Amber and her reaction to the recent addition of TWINS to the household! April 2003 "Amber is doing great by the way. She is a real sweet heart, loves children, and people in general. We take her for long walks everyday, and she gets to socialize with many other dogs and people along the way. She loves running with me on the bike, but hates skate boarders..... I guess it's the noise the wheels make on the pavement????" My guess would be Amber's abundant prey drive kicking in! :-) March 2004 "We just had new additions to our family. I gave birth to a boy and a girl this past February. Amber had no problem adjusting, and seems quite taken with the little ones. It's so cute, when they cry for something, Amber either cries too/ tries to console them, or runs downstairs to get away from their crying. My parents are living with us now, and my dad just loves Amber to pieces. They go for 2-4 hour walks every day in the wooded trails. When she's not upstairs with us, Amber is downstairs sitting on my dads lap!" Sounds like Dad may need a pup of his own?? ;-) It's great to hear that Amber has accepted ALL the new pack members in her life and is still feeling involved in the home. |
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Bonny
von der Leidenschaft: |
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Britta
von Leidenschaft: |
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Carbon
von der Leidenschaft ~ Deuce
von der Leidenschaft ~ Durk
von der Leidenschaft
ALL Owned and Loved by Laura and Kirk Brewer in Douglas, New Brunswick! Kirk and Laura were my perfect example of not letting first impressions determine my mind set! ;-)) Walking in to the store in October 2003, looking like they had just left the set of Easy Rider, this pair asked to see my Giants! My first thought was "Oh yeah???" however an hour later I knew that they would own one of our puppies! Little did I realize that they would own three AND a litter mate to our German import Ghira! Not only are Kirk and Laura puppy owners and constant training companions, but they have become great friends as well! One of the best parts of having pups is the great relationships we build from our contacts through them. As Laura writes in her testimonial, it would appear that the feeling is mutual! I am very thankful for the new extended family I have met through Leidenschaft Kennels and The Sirius Working Dog Association. I enjoy my dogs and I am very glad to be training them with such great people. Laura is busy getting Carbon ready for her BH in September, training in puppy class with Ghira's brother Gauner, and continuing bite training with Deuce and Durk. Kirk is in the early stages of Helper training and expresses interest in becoming a certified Helper. |
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Bojak
von Leidenschaft: |
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Brier
von der Leidenschaft ~ Cross
von der Leidenschaft |
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more
testimonials coming soon!
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you can see here, our breeding program isn't just about selling
puppies, it's about creating a life, striving to better the breed
in that life, and placing it in the best possible home to influence
other people's lives! We raise our puppies up in an exciting environment
that is also safe and loving. That is our goal for each and every
one of them in their new homes, a safe and loving environment full
of adventure and challenges. Our puppies are our legacy and they
are for our lifetime too. They are not forgotten about when they
leave the nest, even though some choose not to include us in their
pup's life, they are always in our thoughts. If you have something that you would like added to our testimonials page, please email us at ourpassion@leidenschaftkennels.ca! |