Welcome to Enchant Bernese Mountain Dogs. How did I get here? I ask myself that a lot! It's a long story but I will share…..
I got started in dogs a little later than most people do. Growing up we always had a family dog, but I didn't experience my first dog show until I was 20. I went with some friends, as spectators, to the Cobo hall shows in Detroit, Michigan. The trip was more of a fluke than anything else, but the bug bit me! I started showing up at shows where I knew some local groomers/handlers would be. I watched and tried to learn what it seemed to come naturally to everyone else. I learned how to say bitch in public and not blush, I learned the show process, and I learned how to load and unload a van quickly and efficiently! When I showed up at a show in Wisconsin, I was in!! The girls of Bubbles and Bows figured I was serious and invited me to travel with them! Soon I was trying to find the breed for me…it took a while!Dana Frady gave me my first show dog, it was a 1 year old Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier named Lariat, Glengay's Giddy Up. We got her finished, and then I had my first special. She was a great learning dog and somehow along the way we picked up some great Best of Opposite wins. She was the BOO queen! Lariat was also my first breeding animal, again another learning experience!
While I loved Lariat, I knew terriers were not for me! I saw my first Berner at the Cleveland Christmas shows and I was lost. As I researched the breed I began to lose hope. The life span and health problems scared me. I spent the next six months looking for another breed that would suit me and live longer. At each show I would pick a couple of breeds, watch the grooming process, watch the ring and talk to breeders. I kept coming back to the Berners. I finally made peace with the fact that they would break my heart and began searching for a breeder.
I found Fara Bushnell and began what I thought to be the longest wait ever! All told I think it was a year and a half. During that time I was on the fringes of the show scene. I wheedled a trip to Westminster with my vet's tech. It was a great trip and I had fun. Somehow though my offer to help socialize a litter of Basenji puppies turned into my next show dog, Lily, CH Epic's Lily of Da Nile. I have learned a lot in the 5 years I have had her. Patience for instance! Showing Lily has really improved my handling skills.
The following October, my puppy was born. I was a terrible nescience, I was in Lexington every weekend from the time those puppies were 4 weeks until I brought my baby home! In January of 2002, Ayehli's Witchy Woman, Pyper, joined the family! The rest is history!