A Letter From the Meins Family

Hello,

So you want to know more about us and Bernese Boutique? 

Well here's our chance to share a little more about us, the why and some of our breeding philosophy. A more casually written letter as opposed to "website content."

Curt uses the word "ethical" with regards to our breeding program, it is a word that describes who we are: Ethical breeders of Bernese Mountain Dogs. The word "dog breeder" can be a 4-letter word in some circles thanks to unethical breeders. And we are as opposite of that as possible. 

We don't want to do what's best for each dog in our program and every puppy we breed: We DO what's best for each dog in our program and every puppy we breed. 

We understand there are dogs in shelters that don't have homes and it breaks our heart. We've had rescue dogs our entire marriage and currently have a rescue Great Dane, River, that is Curt's most favorite dog ever. In fact, Curt wasn't much of a dog person before rescuing River. River is the dog that turned Curt into a "dog person." Without River who knows where we'd be? But we digress: Rescues are not for everybody. Sometimes people want or need a very specific puppy. For those people they can rest assured they've found a responsible breeder to work with in Bernese Boutique. One of the biggest compliments we've ever received was from a dog rescue: "If you must work with a breeder we highly recommend Bernese Boutique." If you understand how deep the rescue vs. breeder debate can go, you know how huge of a compliment that is. We are grateful for dog rescues and donate to many. We are equally as grateful for every breeder with high-standards ensuring one of their puppies never ends up in a rescue. If for some reason, and real reasons happen, one of our customers has to surrender their dog, the dog must be surrendered to us and ideally we work together on the re-homing. Until a new forever home is found the dog lives with us as part of our pack.   

You can learn more about our program here.

Breeding is a lifestyle for us. The first floor of our house and fenced yard is dog country. We designed and built a puppy playroom in our home. Our dogs are our cherished pets first and fore-most. Puppies are delivered in our living room and spend the first 4 weeks of their life there before moving to the puppy room for the next 4 weeks. Our life revolves around breeding schedules and the needs of our dogs and puppies. I suppose it's more than a lifestyle: It's our life.

We want to make sure our puppies are going to good homes: For the puppy's sake but also the family's sake.

Too many times we've seen friends give up on dogs because they weren't prepared to accept a new puppy into their home. We do everything we can to help you be prepared and succesful. One of our greatest joys is turning "non-dog people" into "dog people." We do our part by providing a well-rounded, well-adjusted healthy puppy that has started potty-training and crate-training. For the first 8 weeks of the puppy's life we provide you with Facetime calls, pictures, videos, updates, advice, tips, product recommendations, reminders and training information. Should any questions arise or a second-opinion is needed on something, Becky is always a phone call away ongoing. 

Maybe we don't have a litter planned to match your desires in a Bernese Mountain Dog and you can't wait or you're looking for a different breed? Becky keeps a close network of like-minded breeders that she'd be happy to refer you to. We believe a rising tide raises all ships. And good breeders are good for people and dogs everywhere.

We do have hobbies to keep our sanity, although Becky's main hobby is dog breeding... Over Summer we enjoy the moto-country lifestyle with dirtbikes, ATV's, and bonfires while hanging out in the barn or at the beach. Over Winter we enjoy snowboarding as a family.

We're serious though, Becky's main hobby is dog breeding. But she also makes sourdough and all kinds of healthy soups, stews, and meals from scratch using meat chickens we raised. She's a gardening, homesteading, country girl with a grateful spirit and sincere love for God, family and animals. Which reminds me she also procured 2 gorgeous purebred Siberian cats so the dogs have a "socialization" animal, or so she says that's why... Right now the cats are a hobby.

Curt's hobby is spending time with his family no matter what they're doing. If something fun isn't going on you better believe Curt will find something fun to do with the help of his boys. He enjoys snowboarding, surfing, clay shooting, and hanging out in the barn with family and friends. Curt also enjoys furthering a dream of Montessori education for all. He serves on the board of trustees for a non-profit private Montessori school that offers tuition reimbursement for students in the local school district.

Peyton's main hobby is his car: a 1999 C5 Corvette that he saved up for and bought 2 days after his 16th birthday. Because 339 hp isn't enough, Peyton (with help from Curt and a few friends) has been making improvements to the car since the day he bought it and this will continue forever. He also enjoys snowboarding, surfing, dirtbiking, ATVing and hanging out with his family and friends.

Bowen is curious about many things and dives deep into hobbies. If you ever need anything 3d printed, Bowen is your man. He taught himself how to speak German and coding in C++. Bowen is also in love with aviation and is planning on becoming a commercial airline pilot. He also enjoys traveling, snowboarding, surfing, dirtbiking, ATVing, airsofting and hanging out with his family and friends. 

Nolan is a man of solitude with a deep love for family and animals. He has Becky's gift for animals and he enjoys learning how to train from Becky. He's a little video-game obsessed but also spends 1/2 his day in the woods over summer. Nolan's favorite hobby is snowboarding and if you ever get the chance to see him do it you would understand. He's been snowboarding since he was 3 and the thrill for him has only increased with age. He also enjoys surfing, dirtbiking, ATVing; and one of his most favorite things is hanging out with his family.

When I think about "why" we wanted to write this letter I think about how we wanted to tell people a bit about us and our program in a more conversational way, because I think you can't truly appreciate our breeding program for all that it is until you know a little bit about us and where we're coming from. We're very proud of what we do. We didn't take the easy route. We invested, and continue to invest, obscene amounts of time, energy, and resources to make this possible. We aren't the best breeder that exists, but we try to be and are continuously working towards it. We can fall asleep easy with a grateful heart knowing we worked hard today to provide families with an excellent puppy and experience. We couldn't do it without each other and we wouldn't want to do it any other way.  

Our joy is breeding yours,

The Meins Family