About Us
First, I would like to thank you for visiting our website. Please allow me to introduce my family. My name is Heather and I am married to my amazing husband, Eric. We have three amazing children, Alexis, Brandyn and Tyler. Our daughter is an adult now and married! Our oldest son is off at college on a football scholarship and home from time to time and our youngest son is still at home. We live in Radcliffe, Iowa, which is a very small town located off of I-35, 45 minutes north of Des Moines.
We raise berners and bernedoodles for the love of the breed and to share them with others so that they can have the same joy that we do!
Below is my whole story, you can also hear and see me tell my story on our youtube channel here:
Let me tell you how this all began! When I was 12 years old, my love (obsession) for the bernese mountain dog started with a toy. I had received a “littlest pet shop” toy set (parents – you know what these are) and in the toy set was the prettiest dog that I had ever seen, the bernese mountain dog. Before that moment, I had never even heard of the breed, but after seeing that toy, I knew that I wanted one to call my own and that I would want puppies all around me. So I, of course, tried to talk my parents into getting one but besides the cost, there were never any available in our area.
When I was 24, I finally got my way and I have been living my dream ever since. I drove down to Oklahoma and back in one day to pick up Baylee, the very first four legged love of my life and that was also the first time that I had ever seen a berner in real life! Hard to imagine since I had been in love for 12 years! And although she wasn’t what some would call “perfectly marked” she was the most beautiful thing (besides my children) that I had ever seen in my life! And to this day she is still one dog that can never be replaced in my heart. She was the biggest mama’s girl you have ever seen and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
From the moment that I knew that I would have a berner, I knew that there would be puppies to follow. But I was running into this brick wall when it came to finding a male for her to breed with. When Baylee was 2-1/2 years old, I came across an ad in the paper for puppies. So, I called and although this family had never used their male dogs to stud a female other than their own, they were willing to give it a try. So, first I went down to meet them and see where my Baylee would be staying before I just dropped her off. Everything was to my standard and a couple weeks later when she went into heat, I dropped her off. Let me tell you, it was like a mother leaving her child at daycare/school for the first time. We were both scared because Baylee had never been anywhere but home and she had never been away from me for more than 2 days. Anyhow, I called them every day for the entire time she was there and I am sure that they thought that I was nuts for doing so but I was worried about my baby! But she did great and she did get pregnant, however the excitement was short lived when there was only two puppies and only one survivor, Bear (who was our second female).
After raising berners for about 11 years and being asked for about 5 years to raise bernedoodles, my vet finally convinced us that we would love them and oh my gosh, was he right! First, our poodles are awesome. Temperament of the poodle is key to raising the perfect bernedoodle and we have the best boys! They are sweet and smart and so extremely affectionate which is passed right on to the babies. But from our very first litter of bernedoodles, I could not believe how fun they were! They have big personalities right away. They start wagging their tails at 3 weeks old and they never stop! They are just happy from the beginning, outgoing, bubbly little babies. I wish I would have had them sooner! Our bernedoodles that we personally own are some of our most outgoing dogs. The berners are so laid back and our chilled go with the flow dogs, our poodles are our smart dogs who never have to even be asked what to do, they learn the routine and just know what to do and our bernedoodles just light up at the sight of you and the one thing that they have in common – they all are extremely affectionate, loyal and happy.
Our dogs truly make my world go round. I love my job!
We strive to make the puppy you get from us, the best puppy you have ever had and that he/she is happy and healthy! We want to make sure that your puppy is everything you hoped for and more! We want to share the berner and the bernedoodle with you so that they can give you the same joy that ours have given to us! My dogs are my babies and with these babies, even if you don’t like dogs, they make you love them, you just don’t have a choice in the matter!
Over the years since I got my Baylee girl, we have added several more berners and bernedoodles to the family and I cannot believe that I get to do this every day! These dogs make my world complete and they make me so happy. All day long, being dirty from dog kisses and hugs, is my icing on the cake! My family enjoys our dogs, they are like children and treated as such! I cannot imagine our lives without our dogs, how boring life would be! My entire family works together to care for the puppies and dogs to make sure that they have everything they need, especially love and attention! We also an employee, so they are never alone. They truly are a priority, all day every day!
I am a firm believer after seeing it myself several times, that once you have one, you want another, that is how amazing they are. My grandparents, for example, went from having no dogs but because they loved mine so much, gave a retired female a loving retirement home and loved her so much, they now have 3. It is amazing to hear all of the people’s stories about why they want a berner and then why they want a second or a third. Well, as you can tell, I could go on and on, but I will stop for now.
Well that is just a very small introduction to us and our four legged babies. Where you see us, you see a dog and if one of our dogs isn’t with us….then I am probably talking about them! Thanks once again for visiting our site and if you would like to know more….please feel free to contact me, I will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have! You are also more than welcome to come and visit with us, just please call ahead to make sure we will be available!
Since I started raising berners, I have lost both Baylee and Bear. It was a completely devastating loss. I still cry over them and it took me 1.5 years to move Baylee’s bed and allow the other dogs to use it. (I know – I am pathetic, it’s just a bed, but it was hers) I had tears in my eyes when I picked it up – but I knew if I didn’t do it, I never would. Baylee was 11 when I lost her and Bear was 10. I am forever grateful to my girls and what they started in my life and to what they added to the lives of others through their babies. I will forever have their bloodlines here and I have granddaughters and great granddaughters that live on that remind me of them every day. I cannot describe to you the love that I remain to have these two girls and how I will forever be grateful for the love, complete devotion and loyalty that they gave me every day of their lives! I owe Berner Babies to them! And I miss them every day!
Thank you for taking the time to learn a little bit about my family and considering getting your new family member from us! Feel free to check out our available puppies on this website or on our facebook page, Berner Babies. Or you can reach out to us using our contact page. You can learn more about adopting a puppy from us through the Berner Information tab, Pricing and Adoption
I look forward to hearing from you!