About Us
I have had dogs in my life since I was 4 years old. We had 2 border collies when Chris and I first married. They moved with us when we moved to our present house in 1988. Upper Marshes is rather isolated and Chris worked away from home so our first German Shepherd, Gemma, a rescue, duly arrived. Though she was wonderful Gemma only lived for 7 years. She had severe hip dysplasia, which was very distressing for her and us. Cedar, our next Shepherd, was a failed explosives sniffer dog, from the armed forces. She had a long healthy life but had a small temperament issue, she hated other dogs! We have not been without a GSD since then. The dogs share our home with horses, a donkey, cats, chickens and ducks, mostly in complete harmony.
Our dogs are first and foremost pets who live with us in the house. My aim is to breed happy ,healthy, biddable dogs, who adjust well to being members of the family .
Because I do not breed many litters it enables me to have the mum and babies in the house. Our lounge has a split level, the bottom 1/2 becomes the maternity wing for the duration. When the pups are old enough they meet the rest of the family, our other dogs, chickens, ducks, cats etc. This means the pups leave here totally used to a home environment and all the associated noises (vacuum, T.V, visitors etc.). They are also well on their way to being house trained. All the babies are microchipped, have food parcel to start them off, insurance and a contract of sale plus written advice on vaccination, worming, feeding and socialising. I breed my puppies because I am proud of the job I do and confident they leave me happy, confident and capable of becoming happy, balanced family members.
The Kennel club introduced an Assured Breeder Scheme to ensure good breeding practices, giving prospective owners the best opportunity to bring home a healthy well adjusted puppy. This sets a standard which I am delighted to be a part of.
Jo and her cob Johnson. We have had Johnson since 2007. He turns a hoof to anything asked of him, goes jumping with his dad (Chris) and has done well showing and dressage with Jo.
Chris and Pepper. Pepper was bought in 2009 straight out of a field as a 3 year old. We backed him in the Autumn and in 2010 he continued his education with Chris, scoring over 70% in his first dressage competition and completing several hunter trials successfully as a 4 yr old.
Our 2 rescue cats Milly and Silvie in Chris’s office at home
Patrick our longest resident.
He has been with us since 1988. A real character who loves a cup of tea, introduced to him by our farrier!
We keep a few free range poultry and ducks for eggs and enjoy growing our own fruit and veg. We love to take our dogs on long walks with a picnic for us and the dogs.
Last Updated: November 16, 2010