My goals for this page are simple: a) to profile the accomplishments of SwissRidge owners with their dogs, and b) to entertain!
SwissRidge Dogs at Work
If you’ve worked hard with your dog to achieve these designations or any number of challenging feats let’s celebrate them! Please forward your news, and ideally a photo, and we’ll give you the SwissRidge press you deserve.
Many SwissRidge owners work with their dogs to achieve therapy designation. This makes me extremely happy, as it proves how well these clever, calm companions adapt to any situation. Trained therapy dogs often visit hospitals, schools, or senior’s residences, for example, to spread some doodle cheer.
Other doodles have proven their sound temperament and trainability by meeting the requirements of the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizenship award.
Here are some of our current high achievers:
Marnie is owned by Meadow Muska. She earned her ACE professional dog training certificate as a service dog and has already completed 130 hours of service dog training in her first year of life!Braidie, a tiny Goldendoodle, is owned by Mari Ann Spoelstra. Above her head is her Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dog certificate. On the left-hand side are her AKC Canine Good Citizen and Advanced Canine Good Citizen Awards and framed certificate. Amazing work, Braidie, for all your accomplishments!Alice is a standard Bernedoodle. Here she is pictured with her St John Ambulance Therapy Dog kerchief, her CKC and her CGN certificates. Congrats to Alice and her owner Lilac Christie for these amazing achievements!Cleo is a standard Bernedoodle owned by Ginny Rhodes. She earned her Canine Good Citizen certificate.Fenway is a tiny Bernedoodle owned by the Paquette family. She works as a therapy dog as part of the Burlington Humane Society pet therapy program. She has also been approved by St. John’s Ambulance to be part of their therapy dog team.Rusty on the left (22 months) and Snickers on the right (7 months) earned their Canine Good Citizen awards on October 29, 2016.Ewok is a Service dog trained by SwissRidge and working with Sebastian Sharp.Bernie is a standard Bernedoodle owned by Marc Steigerwald. Bernie passed the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. Way to go, Bernie!Motley, a mini Bernedoodle owned by Jamie Amell, was certified as a Canine Good Neighbor. He puts smiles on residents’ faces at his local nursing home.Marlee, owned by Carolyn Karle, was certified as a therapy dog by St. John’s Ambulance. A standard English Goldendoodle, Marlee has been well socialized in Carolyn’s hair salon and is now putting her skills to work in the community visiting seniors and generating support for food drives.Ellie, a Goldendoodle owned by Kat Hamel, has been a registered therapy dog with Therapy Dogs International for several years. Ellie is also a part of Canine Inspired Change, which is a therapy dog non-profit in Saint Paul, MN. Ellie and Kat visit the chemical dependency unit at St. Joe’s hospital every week, as well as an elementary school to work with at-risk kids. They also visit with people who are recovering from traumatic brain injuries, and autistic young adults.Monroe, a standard Bernedoodle, and Rosalee, a mini Goldendoodle, are owned by the Barbick family. Both dogs are CGC, CGCA and CGCU certified!Rachel with her SwissRidge Trained Service dog Asha.Cohen with his SwissRidge Trained Service dog Rosie.Emi with his SwissRidge Trained Service dog Lula.Daniel with his SwissRidge Trained Service dog Duke.Julio with his SwissRidge Trained Service dog Polo.
SwissRidge Dogs Living Large
On a lighter note, I often hear about my dogs mixing and mingling with people who are in the public eye. Some are even owned by public figures. I thought it would be fun to share some of the photos I’ve received of SwissRidge dogs with movers and shakers. If you have more, please share them with all of us in the virtual Hall of Fame.
Actress and Actors: Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher with Ricki (Australian Bernedoodle) and Bernie (Mini Bernedoodle).Actress: Candice Bergen and her Standard Bernedoodle, Moose.NHL player: Connor McDavid and Lauren Kyle with their Mini Bernedoodle, Lenard.Former UFC Owner: Lorenzo Fertitta and his Mini Bernedoodle, Kodak.Former NHL player: Wayne Gretzky and his Australian Goldendoodle, Ace.Former NHL player: Martin Lapointe and his family with their Standard Bernedoodle, Kuda.Motley and Vedder, owned by Jamie Amell, working the Hollywood angle. Jamie’s brother, Robbie Amell, starred in the movie The DUFF, and is also on the TV show The Flash. His wife, Italia Ricci, stars in Chasing Life. When Robbie and Italia visited recently, they graciously posed with their furry “nephews.”MLB player: R.A. Dicky visiting with Blizzard, a Standard Bernedoodle.Actor: Reed Diamond and his Mini Bernedoodle, Harry.Here are Motley and Vedder with hockey legend Bobby Orr, and well-known hockey commentator and dog enthusiast, Don Cherry.Lady Antebellum invited our SwissRidge team and puppies to her concert, where our pups were treated like VIPs. They spent time in her dressing room and hanging out with her both before and after the show.NHL player: Troy Bodie and his Goldendoodle, Molson.Some of our pups are stars themselves, appearing in various TV shows and publications. Here, Cooper is featured in a Bed & Bath catalog.
