Gretchen
Gretchen is one of the sweetest dogs of a very sweet breed! For me, it was love at first sight when I met her, and she returned the favor by coming right over with tail wagging to lick my hand. After that, there was no way I was leaving without her.
She was 10 months old at the time, and oddly enough, she had been passed over by prospective owners because she was the smallest of the litter, and supposedly a bit funny-looking. Well, as you can tell from her photos, if Gretchen was once an ugly duckling, she matured into a lovely swan. She has great features, a nice, square build, and a small head with a short muzzle. For a Berner, she’s on the petite side, but stocky and well put together.
On top of her good looks, Gretchen has a winning personality. She can bring the shyest dog out of its shell or win over the most dominant. She loves people as well, and is the first dog to greet me and ask for a hug. I was impressed by how quickly she adapted to life at SwissRidge as it can be hard on mature Berners to change homes and owners. It’s proof of her good nature that she is very happy with us. In fact, from the first week she arrived, I’ve been able to take her for hikes off leash. She bonded to me quickly and sticks to my side. Gretchen is a great girl, who is going to produce wonderful Bernedoodle pups for some lucky people.
Gretchen came to me from a colleague and good friend, Pat, who has been breeding Bernese for nearly 20 years. Pat takes great pride in her work, and strives to produce that perfect family dog with a long line of genetically cleared and tested parents. She has tremendous integrity as a breeder, and her dogs are so appealing that I couldn’t stop at just one. In addition to Gretchen, I own her sisters, Rogue and Coraline, and they are all healthy and good-natured Berners.
When breeding dogs, it’s important to look at both the vertical and horizontal pedigrees. The horizontal view can be challenging to track, as the siblings of most breeding dogs go to pet homes. Thanks to Pat’s talent, however, this litter produced three exceptional girls that are worthy of breeding. This gives me an opportunity to compare health and personality in both the vertical and horizontal pedigrees.
The mother of these girls is Patchouli, who has been cleared by the OVC for hip or elbow dysplasia. Further, Patchouli’s hips were evaluated by PennHIP, one of the best hip testing devices on the market today, which tests the laxity of the hip. Patchouli’s laxity profile ranking is in the 99th percentile, which means she has better hips than over 99 per cent of the Bernese that have been tested. I have never seen a Bernese with hips this good, and it bodes well for her daughters. Patchouli is a sweet, gentle, loving and healthy dog.
Gretchen’s father is Cosmo, who is on the smaller side for a male, but stocky, well-built, handsome and healthy. He has OFA “good” hips and elbows. The PennHIP testing put him in the 90th percentile for hips, so his hips are better than 90 per cent of Bernese tested. Cosmo comes from a long line of genetically health-tested dogs with solid hips and elbows. Both his parents where imported from Poland, and their ancestors have sound hips as well.
Patchouli and Cosmo have given me three great girls with solid pedigrees that are going to add so much to the SwissRidge breeding program. I’m pleased that these dogs are little smaller than some Berners, because smaller dogs typically have a longer lifespan, regardless of breed. I believe these girls are quite a find, with their beautiful conformation, great personalities, and solid health and well-researched ancestry. You can't get much better than that!
Stat's
Weight 75lbs
Height 26"
Clearances
