Hi, my name is Kathy and I love this breed!
How I came to find this wonderful breed is that Toby, who was not a Bernese Mountain Dog, died at the age of five of cancer. Toby (picture below) was a just a pound puppy - but the sweetest puppy on earth. I searched and searched dog breed books, looking for the qualities that Toby had in him. And the only breed that I could find these in was the Bernese Mountain Dog - which I had never heard of!

By luck or providence, the following Sunday there was an advertisement in the Boston Globe (Massachusetts) for Bernese Mountain Dog puppies in Maine. I went just to find out information about the breed and came home with a bouncing baby girl - Lady Heidi of Lexington - My first in the never ending puppies in my brood. When Heidi was 11 months old, she was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia. The vet said to get another dog to keep her active. Hence, came Maine's Hans T. Bear. The biggest of the brood - weighing in at 150 pounds - just a wee bit over weight!

Then came my favorite pet, my husband, John.  Who put the dogs before me in the bed!  Many nights I slept on the couch.  We (the babes and I) only had the pleasure of having John for 18 months - he passed away in January 1995 of brain cancer.  But before he died he bought me a cute little present, as you will hear about in the following paragraph.

The next one to enter the ring, was Missy. Who is a Berner/Doberman mix. Hans thought that she was his daughter. Then came Isadora. I received a call one night from Han's breeder - asking for my help in the possible rescue of a Berner she had placed. The owner felt that they could no longer care for Isadora. She also just happened to be in very close proximity to me. Again, on a Sunday, I took a trip and came home with number 4 of the brood!

That completes the Berner group, so far - hopefully a puppy will soon be added to this little brood

I realize that some of you, by now, think I'm crazy! All these dogs in one house. I have many acres of land and the dogs are fenced in with about 2 acres or more  to themselves and they are extremely happy! Trust me, all the Berners sleep in my room!  And the cat too!

They also have two new cousins in the group KatieAngel and Ryan's Rebel, both German Shepherds.

And a new addition a little terror of a kitten, named Pepper.  And he has no fear whatsoever - attacked the biggest one of the dogs, Hans, like he was a mouse!  He was born on October 15, 1998.

We all, including my brother and his wife, live in a beautiful home on the top of a lovely mountain. The hills of Tennessee have done the best for all of us!

And, for the reason they are Tazmanian Berners.....is:

I have always loved the Tazmanian Devil!!

Some "Taz" History!

According to some people, Taz is the most exciting little guy at Warner Bros.  He is mindless and ferocious.  A name from him would be ridiculous!!  He is a Tasmanian Devil - enough said!  At the beginning of his career (Devil May Hare in 1954) the director, forbade him from coming back.  But when a high level executive started to miss the little guy and asked after him - well - enough said!  Mel Blanc developed the voice of the Taz.  He asked in the beginning what a taz devil would sound like and nobody knew, so.......he created a kind of guttural, gravelly gargle!  Taz-ease!!!

Individual Pictures of my
Tazmanian Berners

	HANS He was approximately 8 weeks old. And even then, was a big boy! Birthday: 5/14/1990 You will notice the first "wagging" Berner is an Angel. Hans recently went to the Rainbow Bridge.
	MISSY Birthday: 12/31/1994 Not a true Berner in blood, but a true Berner at heart! Not sure if you noticed it or not, but the three wagging Berners, the last one is not the same coloring!   This is Missy - since she isn't a full Berner.  These colors match her coloring perfectly!
	ISADORA I don't have any baby pictures of Isadora.  But these pictures are shots of her at a local dog show. Birthday: June 21, 1993 ISADORA Is featured at: In the Bernese section

Page Updated:  January 25, 2000

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