Dragonslair Leonbergers had its start in 1992 when my late husband and I got our first Leonberger. We had met Ann Rogers' first Leo, Kiersche, while taking a class with our young Shepherd; Virgil fell in love with Kiersche and I not only loved the breed but was impressed by the Leonberger Club of America and its goal of keeping the breed in the US healthy.

The first Dragonslair litter was born in 1996; to date there have been thirteen litters with a total of 74 puppies. There are currently Dragonslair "puppies" living across the country, from Vermont and Connecticut to Arizona and California.

As an LCA-Member kennel, all of my breeding dogs have had the required health tests done and have been assigned CHIC numbers (see http://www.caninehealthinfo.org for more information). As required by the LCA, all Dragonslair Leos and any Leos they are bred to have OFA normal hips and have had elbows, eyes and thyroid tested.

Although this is an LCA-member "kennel", there is actually no "kennel" facility. Although there is about a half-acre fenced in plus a large kennel run, my dogs spend much of their time in the house. Puppies are born in a whelping room right around the corner from the kitchen, which doubles as the laundry room. The adjoining room, which is technically the dining room, has been turned into a puppy play area. In addition there is an enclosed patio that will be able to be used as an additional play area in the future and in good weather the puppies can be outside in an enclosed area in the back yard.

My goal is to produce Leonbergers who will be good representatives of the breed. With each litter, I aim to improve some aspect of my line. Health and temperament are just as important as appearance, and I plan breedings with all of these things in mind.

My puppies are raised in the house; the whelping room is close to the kitchen and when the puppies start to climb out of the whelping box the box is removed to give them more room. I make sure the puppies have good footing so they can move around easily, starting at birth. When their eyes open I provide them with a variety of toys to play with; this includes soft, stuffed toys, balls, toys that make various sounds, and empty milk jugs. (Human) baby toys make good puppy toys, and once they are walking steadily they are introduced to some of these (the hands-down favorite is the plastic slide!). Because we live in a noisy world, they are introduced to various sounds via a great CD that has everything from crying babies to train whistles.

I have cats and one, Smudge, is great with puppies, so they are introduced to her at somewhere between three and four weeks. They start meeting "new" people (that's in addition to the close friends and "dog people" who visit from birth on) at around five weeks; I try to introduce them to as many people as possible, including some well-behaved children. Weather permitting, starting at six weeks they spend time outside every day. I sometimes set up an exercise pen in the front yard so they can "meet" traffic.

Since I select the puppy for each home, it is very important for prospective buyers to give me as much information as possible regarding their lifestyle, family activities, and any activities they plan on pursuing with their Leo. Buyers are welcome to visit; it's great to see the interactions among the puppies as well as between the puppies and their mother.

Once a litter has arrived, my ultimate goal is to ensure that each puppy goes to the best possible home, where they will be valued and loved friends and companions for the rest of their lives. To that end, I am always available to answer questions and help solve any problems that may arise, for the lifetime of each dog. If necessary I make referrals to professionals in various areas. My contract calls for anyone who has to consider giving up their Leo for any reason during its lifetime to notify me and to give me first right of refusal to either take the dog back or to help rehome him/her.