Frequently Asked Questions

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We explain pieces of this on our main page - about how we were led to Lowchen in the first place, after the passing of Dare - our first dog, a Bichon. Then why the next step, why breed? That question, though simple, has an incredibly complex answer. Both of us, Katherine and Dan, come from a deep experience with rescue. We have fostered many, many dogs. Some of these dogs simply needed a new home, a fresh start, in these cases, their owners lost their home or were no longer able to care for their dog, or the owner wasn't prepared for that breed - or their owner passed away, and while ethical breeders will always take their dogs back (or help the owner find an alternative home), sadly, not every breeder is ethical. In those cases, the rescue helped the original owners safely and responsibly rehome their dog. In other cases, the original owner abandoned their dog (or puppies) - or sometimes the original owner had a male and a female dog, and wasn't educated on what can happen if the the dogs were still "intact" (not spayed or neutered) - and those owners end up with an "accidental litter" and how has a litter of puppies that they don't know what to do with. So very many reasons that dogs can end up needing homes or new homes. And without being carefully, intentionally bred, many of these dogs end up having health or behavioral issues or quirks. 

Through the rescue we also witnessed the difference between how litters happen (and how different these puppies are). Some happen unintentionally, with owners who just don't know better. Others happen when a person wants to put two dogs together so they can "keep a puppy and sell the rest" regardless of the health of the dogs - without real concern for what the parents might be passing down to the puppies both health and temperament wise. 

Then there's the intentional litters - the times where the people putting the dogs together know both the health of the dog (because the dogs have gone through the recommended health testing for the breed) and the temperament and structure of the dogs. The puppies are wanted, not for the breeder to sell and make money, but for the dogs to be a part of contributing to the next generation of the breed. If we want dog breeds to continue - and we do - healthy, temperamentally and structurally sound dogs need to be intentionally bred.

Responsible rescue is important, and it was our main focus for over a decade, to this day we work with the rescue we joined in 2013. For the continuation of dogs, and the breeds we love, responsible breeding is important as well. We started our breeding journey because want to be a part of helping a rare breed continue to exist (and grow) and through experience we've seen what a positive impact ethical breeding can do for the breeds. 

We advocate whatever anyone does - adopt or shop - to do it responsibly #adoptorshopresponsibly

From before they are born, our puppies receive top notch care. By the time the puppies are born, mama has had several vet visits, not simply to confirm pregnancy, but also to ensure she and puppies are staying healthy. We even switch her diet up and add supplements if she needs encouragement to continue to eat a balanced diet.

Though we are new to breeding, we have been involved with dogs (and puppies) for many years and we have trusted mentors across multiple time zones (which works in our favor when the puppies decide to come at 3AM). We also have a reproduction veterinary on speed dial, for any "just in case" scenarios. The puppies are born in a warm, safe whelping box and as each puppy arrives we help mama rub the puppies vigorously, ensuring their little airways are cleared and puppies are warm and able to feed. From the very first days and weeks of the puppies' lives, they are gently handled to weigh, and they each go through intentional early neurological stimulation, using programs you may be familiar with, like Puppy Culture, and Avidog. 

As the puppies mature, we expand their activities. They start experiencing new things (like car rides) in a safe controlled manner. When they are six weeks old they will visit the vet for their first puppy exam.

These experiences with us continue until the puppies transition to their new homes - and we encourage our puppy homes to maintain new, safe, intentional experiences for their puppy. 

Pattern is CH Adamant Roman Reign Two Scoops Vanilla Bean Magick. Pattern was born February 26th, 2024, and she is health tested beyond the recommended tests for her breed, and the results (she passed) are recorded through Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA).

From the moment we met Pattern, we knew she was a spicy little girl - she is the boss of #theBenjaminCrew, which consists of Mystery (our black cat), Zinnia (female Dobeman), Knight (male Standard Poodle), Scarecrow (male Belgian Malinois), and Arrow (our male Lowchen). She was born in Northern California, traveled easily to her new home in Arizona, road tripped to her first ever show in Orlando before she was even a year old, was on a flight just before she turned a year old, and has had adventures all over the Northwest. Then, when she was about a year and a half old, picked up and moved across the country to Ohio.This little girl is the an incredibly stable, bomb proof Lowchen who has done everything we've asked of her - including running with the big dogs, or passing out on the couch with her people like a good little companion dog.