Lauren has been 'raising' puppies since she was a little girl. While other girls were pushing around baby strollers, she was busy organizing all of her 'pets' into their neatly arranged pens set up all over her bedroom- each pet always had a name and a special place in her heart. Lauren has always had dogs in the family (including Darby the Dalmatian, Missy the Spaniel mix, Daisy the Shih Tzu, and Bailey the Labrador Retriever), and she was involved with walking, training, and providing care in addition to reading anything she could about her pups. Lauren is a Registered Nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from McMaster University. Lauren has achieved her Dog Trainer Comprehensive and Puppy Start Right certifications through Karen Pryor Academy. Brad is a dedicated 3rd generation Canadian dairy farmer, and he is always ready with a helping hand or an encouraging word. He has been taking care of living creatures since he was old enough to walk! Brad has received an education in animal husbandry and agriculture at Guelph University's Ridgetown Campus. Brad is an able bovine midwife (or 'midhoof'!), and his goal is to conscientiously improve our registered Holstein herd in its production values and classification scores. He has also spent time working in the field of animal nutrition. Brad has always had dogs in his life which included several Golden Retrievers (Jake, Sadie, Jake II, Scoopy, & Boy), Max the German Shepherd, KC the Shih Tzu, Spike the Labrador cross, and Sheba the Rottweiler mix. Together, Lauren & Brad have raised and trained many puppies and adult dogs. All the dogs in our care receive lots of love and attention and are included in every aspect of our daily life- they are part of our family. We are lifelong learners and believe strongly that our care of our dogs should be evidence-based and in line with best practice veterinary guidelines. We have completed Puppy Culture's programme and all of the Avidog Breeder courses and actively apply these programmes when raising puppies. We are also a Good Dog Reputable Breeding Program. We still have a lot to learn and experience to gain (we always will!), but we are excited to keep growing! Why puppies? First of all, we absolutely love having puppies around! Our puppies live with us in our home where we can enjoy watching them grow. Secondly, we are committed to raising quality puppies with excellent health and temperament. We love training puppies, providing early socialization experiences, creating an enriching environment, and imprinting basic life skills. Finally, we want to help families find a great canine companion. Our goal is to ensure that each puppy and family receives our dedicated time, love, and attention. We take pride in our relationship with the families of our puppies: we send lots of pictures and updates as the puppies grow, we provide education, and we are available throughout their dog's life to answer questions and provide support. We understand how much joy and love a dog can add to a family, and we want the addition of new puppy to be a lasting success. |
Why 'Hillmeadow'? Hillmeadow is the name of the family dairy farm where we live and work! |