Testimonials – Multiple Dogs

Raglan, Sula, Gibbs and Abbie
Owners: The Murphys
Salem, MA

“Being the proud pack leader of three bernedoodles I can honestly say that I am not sure if I will ever adopt another family member from anyone but Sherry Rupke and her team at SwissRidge Kennels.

We sent in our first adoption form in 2010 when I fell in LOVE with a tri-color puppy on the SwissRidge website. I had my heart set on a puppy just like the one I saw in the picture. I stalked the SwissRidge website day after day. I will never forget the day Sherry called me out of the blue. Sherry said, ‘I have a puppy, but he’s not tri-color.’ She sent me a picture and the whole family fell in love with him. We didn’t need a tri-color pup. We needed this black standard bernedoodle with a white cross on his chest, and a tan swirl over his eyes!

From that day on, we knew this pup we named Raglan was going to be a wonderful addition to our growing family. He was an adorable pup, full of energy, dedication, and spunk. We loved him so much that we knew we had room for another. Our youngest daughter wanted a doodle she could bond with, something smaller, so the following Christmas Santa left a dog crate filled with toys with a note saying we were on the list for a mini bernedoodle. Sula was born the next month and our pack was growing! Sula added a new energy to our pack. She was a playful pup who tested any and all limits she was given. With the help of a local trainer, and a quick education in being the leader of my pack, Raglan and Sula were a dream come true.

Now that we had a mini and a standard bernedoodle, my love for SwissRidge doodles continued to grow, I hinted around that one more pup would complete our pack. A tiny bernedoodle would make our family complete. I never considered myself to be a small dog person, but there was something about these tiny pups that turned me around. My husband must be as crazy as I am because he contacted Sherry on his own and wanted to surprise me with my third bernedoodle for my birthday!

Raglan was from the litter of Chantelle, an Apricot standard poodle, and Dominique, a handsome Bernese mountain dog. Raglan is a wonderful pup but he did take some time and effort to get him that way. I’d say that was our fault though. Even though I read the books and studied the puppy handbook, I still made some mistakes. Luckily, with the support of a great trainer, I realized what I was doing wrong. Raglan is a wonderful companion and family member. He walks down the street like he is a Clydesdale horse and if one of his pack members breaks away from the pack he does not stand down until they return. He is loyal, loving, and with his long legged stature and winning personality, he is the best of all worlds. Raglan will be four in June 2014.

Sula is a mini doodle from Juno, a Bernese mountain dog, and Eddie, a poodle, born January 2, 2012. She is a total love and attention hound. Throughout my day I always have the feeling that sometimes I am being watched. As I take a glance around, Sula’s eyes are directly focused on me. If I leave the house she will assume her position in the front bay window and wait for my return. Sula loves everything and everyone. She always wants to know what is going on. Whether you are driving a car, sitting on the couch, or yes, even sitting at the kitchen counter, Sula is right by your side. She is very vocal and opinionated and will express her opinion any chance she gets! We only wish we knew what she was trying to say.

Gibbs is a tiny bernedoodle from the litter of Kia and Pickle, born May 24, 2013. He is as smart as he is adorable. When I brought Gibbs in for his first vet appointment, the first thing the vet said is, ‘He is stink’in cute.’ Gibbs can keep up with the big dogs, but can also be a sweet cuddly lap dog at the drop of a dime. Never having a small dog before (Gibbs weighs 15 pounds at 11 months), we decided to fly from Boston to California with Gibbs in a carry-on bag not knowing what to expect. With a five hour flight ahead of us, we were prepared for anything and everything! Let’s just say we were over-prepared. Gibbs was unbelievable! He cuddled up in a ball in his special travel bag and didn’t bark or whimper during the entire flight! I was truly amazed at how well he adjusted to this new adventure.

You may ask, ‘Why am I telling you all this?’ Well, the reason is because there is something so special about the puppies that Sherry and her SwissRidge Team create. We knew Sherry was special the first time we emailed her. We knew she and her pups were worth every penny we would spend on them. Once you make the commitment to Sherry and her pups you will never look back, or wonder if you made the right choice. And then, when you hold your precious treasure in your arms for the very first time, you will not be able to control that warm and fuzzy feeling that will run through your entire body. The testing, the care, the follow-through, and most importantly her love for her job are just some of the reasons why Sherry Rupke is the very best Breeder of the Pack.” ~M. Murphy

Since writing this, the Murphy family has added a fourth SwissRidge pup to their family, a SwissRidge doodle named Abbie!

Ela and Emma
Owners: The Wapplers
South Freeport, ME

Eala and Emma are best friends, they are their own love story and I could not be happier with the bond they have and the relationship we have as a pack. I would not change a thing and encourage anyone considering adding a puppy to say yes, prepare and relish in the gift of two. This is our story.

Eala is our first Swissridge Kennels pup she was born from Berlin and Hendrix in May of 2015. Eala was the most beautiful standard english goldendoodle puppy I had ever seen; she was a sweet, floppsy, confident, pup. A few days after leaving her litter Eala seemed sad and lonely. Every time we introduced Eala to other dogs she lit up and our puppy was at her happiest. Eala loved playing with other dogs and it was this connection that brought her the most joy. It was clear to us that another dog was going to join the family and could not come fast enough for Eala.

My husband and I devoted many moments adding up to hours each day training Eala; this commitment to Eala’s training was the most important thing for our happiness with our dog. We intended to raise a pup with the experience to handle any situation with grace.

My husband and I were ready for our next puppy when Eala turned 6 months of age. Eala was consistently following her commands and her pack; we had a solid foundation in place and were ready to raise another pup. I hoped Eala to help me raise the new puppy by her own example; this is exactly what happened, it was and still is, a dream come true.

We had shared Eala’s pick up day with the first litter of Swissridge Doodles. As excited, as I was to meet my golden girl, Eala, I was completely taken by the new breed Sherry had created. Our experience that day leads my husband and I to add our names to the list for a Swissridge Doodle.

I knew I wanted to have 2 dogs for the obvious reasons: keeping each other company and easing my guilt when leaving one dog home alone. The gifts that were given to us with these 2 pups way exceeded my simple expectations. I was hesitant to have 2 dogs at the same time, I had no experience with training or living with 2 dogs; I grew up with one family dog at a time. My husband had past experiences of 2 dogs and assured me this was going to be easy and the bond our dogs would have would bring such joy to our life. Our commitment to raise Eala and train her well before bringing in our next pup was the best decision we ever made, it made everything we did as we brought puppy number two into the family seem almost effortless.

Eala was and still is a strong confident dog that is a natural born leader, our next pup needed to come into our family with ease and be able to follow Eala in her position as top dog. We had received the coveted email that there was a puppy for us in Willow and Levi’s third litter of Swissridge Doodles born in May, 2016. In our application we had asked Sherry for an easygoing confident puppy, these were the most important characteristics for us at the time. Listening to Sherry’s guidance after her personal puppy assessments she lead us to the perfect pup, Chanel, now called Emma had the temperament we were looking for.

Eala joined us for the long drive to Canada to pick up her new sister Emma. Sherry invited us to bring Eala into the kennel to meet her new sister. I was nervous about Eala’s reaction and she seemed unsettled by the little puppy I was holding in my arms. Bending down to introduce Emma to Eala, Eala backed up into Sherry’s lap unsure of what to do.  An hour down the road Eala began to show some curiously for this puppy I was snuggling, it was also time for a car break and we pulled over to let the dogs out in an open field. It was here where the magic happened, Eala lit up with a huge smile on her face jumping and bounding in play a few feet from her new baby sister. I began to tear up, Eala bowed down to her tiny puppy and Emma responded by lifted her paw up to play. This is what I dreamed of and Eala was thrilled to have a playmate of her very own. This was the start of their love story.

In the hours and days that followed Eala and Emma’s bond grew. Eala was the most gentle and patient big sister, she responded to her little sister with such care. Eala showed Emma just what to do in every situation. I would give Eala the command to sit, Eala would sit and then look by her side at Emma then I would give Emma the same command to sit and Emma would sit. I promise you this is a true story it was just this easy. It was like magic and we were constantly in awe. This ease continued for months as Emma mastered the basics following Eala’s lead.

At about four or five months old Emma reached a new stage and began to think for herself challenging us as pack leaders. The basics of training were already in place we only needed to raise our game and follow through and we moved through this rebellious stage with a more confident young pup.

Another gift Eala gave us was exercising Emma and wearing her out effortlessly during free play several times a day. This playtime helped Emma fall asleep in her crate when it was time for rest.

Eala learned Emma’s name right away within a few weeks I could say, “Where’s Emma?” and off Eala would go to fetch her. Emma was Eala’s shadow for the first few months Eala loved it until she had enough and wanted to be left alone. Eala would bark or growl at Emma asking for space. I was the one who had to get used to this expression, at times I would jump out of skin as Eala barked at Emma and my instinct as a human was to correct Eala. I had to stop my own reaction and need to humanize my dogs. Eala always knew best and I respected her teaching Emma how to behave.

When Eala was old enough we trained her how to use the dog door to go outside in our fenced yard on her own. It was a weeklong process to get her comfortable with the bi-parting doors. Once she got it, going in and out was easy and she enjoyed the privilege to go in and out during the day. As Emma grew and her world within the house grew I had the dog door closed most of the time, worried I could loose a puppy out the door when I was not looking. At about 6 months of age when Emma was fully trained and consistently responsive to commands I opened the dog door for Eala. Eala was thrilled to have the freedom back and Emma wondered where her sister went? I let curiosity teach Emma how to use the dog door, it was not 2 days before Emma asked to follow here big sister outside. I told Emma it was okay to go outside and with 2 pushes of the doors with her head she was out the door. I was astounded I did not need to do a thing; she watched Eala and did just what she did. Emma came back threw the door just as easily as she had gone out. I was so excited I had to give her a treat and a cuddle she had mastered the dog door and earned the privilege. Emma respectfully still asks to go out the door, she will catch my eye and stand at the ready and when I say okay, out she goes.

Our two dogs have a strong bond together as a unit but they are still their own dog with their own likes and dislikes, each of them will play alone contently as well as interact with other dogs independent of each other. Every Monday they are picked up for an off leash pack walk with 8-12 dogs, the report each week from our dog walker is of joyful independent play making doggy friends of their own. I could not be more blessed by the balance they bring to each other and our family; their relationship has only expanded their social skills and furthered their confidence in social situations.

I don’t know were the magic came from. Was it Sherry’s masterful breeding program? Was it our preparation and training with Eala? Or was it this bright easy little puppy we call Emma? Every factor came together to create the ease we have experienced and this amazing outcome. I could not be more grateful for this experience with Sherry and Swissridge Kennels. If you are considering adding another puppy to your family I would encourage you say yes, the gift for everyone involved is everlasting. ~ Andrea Wappler

Luna (Willow x Levi) and Bisou (Coco x Colbert)
Owners: The Nobles
New Hope, PA

“We were blown away by the beautiful, tricolored Bernedoodles on the SwissRidge website – we just had to have one as our first family dog!  After months of emails, we were overjoyed to join the waitlist.  In the meantime, we joined the incredible SwissRidge Facebook group and the anticipation killed us!!!  We couldn’t wait a year for our standard tricolored Bernedoodle, so Mellonie recommended we join the SwissRidge Doodle and Golden Mountain Doodle waitlists, which were shorter.  A couple of months later, we were matched with our Luna, a butterscotch colored pup from the second litter of SwissRidge Doodles. She was so adorable, and her personality seemed to really fit our lifestyle. We realize now that Luna is the total package – she is affectionate, full of life, very sociable, sweet, and loves to snuggle.  She adapts well to new situations and has been easy to train. We were really happy that we decided to enroll her in two months of imprinting before we picked her up; we felt that it gave her a great head start when it came to crate training, sleeping through the night, and obeying commands. She recently passed her Canine Good Citizens test, and we look forward to advancing to therapy dog classes soon!

Less than a year later, we got that wonderful email from Mellonie- a litter of Standard Bernedoodles had been born and one of them was going to join our family! It took some time to convince Zack that we “needed” another dog… but this was the bernedoodle that we had been waiting for! We were ecstatic and knew that bringing home a puppy would only enhance Luna’s life. Without hesitation, we enrolled our Bisou in one month of imprinting; since she is a bigger dog, we didn’t want to miss the early puppy stage and we felt more prepared this time around.

Like with Luna, we picked up Bisou from SwissRidge Kennels and drove back to PA.  She was a joy to have as a passenger in the car and still is today… inquisitive, yet calm.  We were excited for Luna and Bisou to meet and the introduction went better than we could have imagined.  The two are inseparable! Luna’s tail has not stopped wagging since we brought Bisou home. Luna has learned how to share and set a good example around the house.  With help from Luna, Bisou quickly learned our routine.  Luna sleeps next to Bisou’s crate at night, they share their toys- and parents- without question, and chase each other around all day.  It was certainly an adjustment at first, but having two SwissRidge dogs has been a pleasure.

Besides the fact that she is strikingly beautiful, Bisou is silly, easy-going, loving, obedient, and kissy. We love that the girls have different personalities, but they definitely bring out the best in each other. They are truly members of our family.

We have nothing but positive things to say about our experience with SwissRidge Kennels, specifically Sherry and Mellonie. They answered any and all of our questions, followed up once we were home, and shared updates during imprinting, which are the best! We are constantly amazed at how well- behaved, intelligent, and adorable our SwissRidge girls are… everything you could want in a dog! Thank you so much for matching us with our perfect doodles- we absolutely love them.” ~ Amanda and Zack Noble

Willie Wonka and Buster
Owners: The Spivaks
Scarsdale, NY

“After a year of searching for the perfect dog, I found the perfect breeder in Sherry Rupke and SwissRidge Kennels. In 2013, I contacted Sherry and told her that I was looking to fill a void left by my beloved Golden Retriever. I wanted to have another lovable, sweet, intelligent dog that could keep me company. Both of my previous dogs died from cancer at a young age, and I wanted to do everything I could to have a healthy dog, first and foremost. Sherry and her staff were informative, helpful and very easy to work with. In June of 2013, Sherry picked out the perfect dog for me and my family – a Standard Bernedoodle, that we named Willie Wonka. He was the perfect dog. Willie is 65 pounds of love, affection and intelligence –everything I asked for and more (he doesn’t shed!). So just like potato chips, I couldn’t have just one. A year later, I contacted Sherry and told her I wanted another one of her doodles as a playmate for Willie, but maybe a smaller one this time. Once again, Sherry listened to my wishes, invited me up to Canada and showed me around her new kennel – the culmination of all of her hopes, dreams and hard work. Sherry’s commitment to the dogs she breeds, their health and temperament along with her honesty and integrity is testament to who she is and the type of dogs she breeds.

She introduced me to the cutest puppy that she chose to be Willie’s little brother and so began our life with Buster. Buster is a 30-pound Golden Mountain Doodle. He was the perfect combination of Willie, my Standard Bernedoodle, and my beloved Golden Retriever that passed away. Buster stayed in Canada for imprint training and I brought him home eight weeks later.

What Buster lacks in stature, he makes up in personality. I am constantly stopped in the street with questions about my two dogs, and I am always happy to talk about Sherry Rupke and SwissRidge.” ~Melanie Spivak

Pax, Stella and Fergie
Owners: The Hughes
Key West, FL

“Maura and I wanted to take a moment to share a photo of our ‘SwissRidge Family,’ and thank you for bringing such joy to our lives. We have 3 Goldendoodles from SwissRidge Kennels: ‘Pax’ is 14 years old, ‘Stella’ is 8 years old, and ‘Fergie’ is 6 months old.

Why three dogs from the same kennel over the course of almost fourteen years? Simply put, our experience with Pax when we got her in November of 2002 was such that it did not take long for us to know that we would get our future puppies from SwissRidge. Maura and I have seven children between us; we are avid sailors and travelers, and our children (like any) have different interests and personalities. We needed a puppy that would fit our life and lifestyle, and Pax was perfect. When it was time for Stella, your temperament testing indicated that a more outgoing puppy would be the best fit. Stella was the perfect fit, and complimented Pax’s laid-back demeanor. With Pax getting older, Stella needed a playmate, but not a puppy who would try to dominate her. You thought a ‘middle-of-the-road’ personality would work best, and Fergie spends her days playing the dual role of nuzzling with Pax and rough-housing with Stella. Not only do Maura and I love our Doodles, but the three of them are inseparable.

There are many advantages in bringing a puppy into a home with an older dog. The new puppy gets house-trained and picks up the routines of living with a family quicker. Also, a puppy engages with the older dog, and makes the older dog more active. We have found that there are additional advantages with a SwissRidge puppy: The temperament testing adds a behavioral advantage when integrating a dog into a family, and it is clear that our dogs are extremely well-bred.

Maura and I could go on gushing about Pax, Stella, and Fergie. It is clear we love our dogs, and they have added joy to our days and years to our lives. For that, we sincerely thank you, and hope you enjoy success breeding the best puppies that bring happiness to many families for years to come.” ~Danny Hughes

Josie and Brie
Owner: Janet Rolfs
Belgrade, MT

“Josie is hands down the best dog I have ever had. And I have had a lot. She is smart and makes me roar with laughter at her antics. She trains easily and is willing to try anything I ask of her. You can see her mind working as she makes up games to play. She loves everyone and will make a great therapy dog one day soon.” ~Janet Rolfs
Janet loved Josie so much that she purchased Brie.

Luna and Maggie
Owners: The McConneys
California, USA

“Where to start…. Luna is amazing!!!!!!! I have her sweet face kissed off! I have always had dogs and loved each of them but have never loved a dog the way I love Luna. The nice part is she loves me back. LOL, she is so much fun and really makes me laugh hard. She loves playing ball with me and chasing me around the yard. We go for two 20 minute walks each day rain or shine. She has just completed her first week of training and has one more week to go. I honestly cannot believe how smart she is. Jocelyn (the trainer) has been training puppies for the last 22 years and told me she has ever only trained 2 other dogs that have been as smart as Luna. She was explaining to me that most dogs can’t ‘generalize’ for a long period of time and Luna ‘got it’ the second day. She seemed very shocked and surprised at how quickly Luna learns. She asked me all about you and your kennel after she asked me where in the world I found a puppy like this. Luna now knows ‘want to go for a ride,’ ‘sit,’ ‘down’ and ‘stay’ with nothing more than a hand signal! She also knows ‘in’ to go in her kennel, ‘bed’ to play in her bed in the kitchen while we eat our meal. I can drop food on the floor right beside her and she will not touch it once I have commanded her to stay. She will not come out of her bed with her toys until I release her with the word ‘Okay.'”

Beverly has many more stories about Luna and how great she is! This is only the start of it, lol! Beverly was so happy with Luna that she also purchased Maggie from me. This is what she has to say about Maggie: “Miss Maggie Muggins!!! She is such a cuddly and loving dog and so very smart. When I signed her up for training classes, the instructor decided to move her to level two as she already knew all the commands from level one. She is learning to play soccer right now…Luna is her teacher!!! She plays hard with Luna and then flops down and falls asleep. She recently discovered how much fun the water can be and is splashing around in the lake like a pony but not quite brave enough yet to swim. I expect that will happen within a week as she is watching Luna and I can see she wants to go in. She is 45 pounds right now at five months and, based on the size of her paws, I expect will be a big girl. She is losing her puppy coat and starting to wave up really nicely and David and I expect she will look very much like Luna. She is a really social dog (show me a doodle that isn’t) and people want to cuddle her and play with her whenever they see her. A little girl and boy in our neighborhood come to the door every few days to ask if they can play in the backyard with Maggie and Luna. Once again, Sherry, you have matched us with the perfect puppy. I’m so glad I found you because there are too many unethical breeders out there. Keep producing the best dogs in the world!!!” ~Beverly McConney

Reuben and Cluny
Owners: The Stevensons
Kingston, ON

“Just wanted to give you an update on our boy, Reuben. He has developed into a very handsome goldendoodle with a decidedly quirky but endearing personality. He has inherited the energy and independent spirit of his mother as well as the intelligence to know what he wants and how to get it from his father. Reuben loves his daily walks and excursions to the park. He has a ‘play group’ of dogs that he loves to socialize with at the park. He has a great ability to adapt to the level of play with each of the dogs and has never shown any aggressiveness with any dog that he meets. The other dog owners often comment on his good looks and friendly personality.

Reuben is great in the house, too. He ‘woofs’ once when someone comes to the door but takes our lead when visitors arrive and greets them calmly without intruding into their space. This is especially appreciated with a dog of his size!! When our 1-year-old grandson was visiting at Christmas, Reuben was gentle and patient with him, too. His groomer says that he has the best looks (great coat) and nicest temperament of any goldendoodle on which she has worked. He has also been praised for easy handling ability by the ‘groomers in training’ in the local community college program.

We are really enjoying sharing our life with our goldendoodle and are grateful to have serendipitously found your kennel. We have directed several folks to your website that have expressed an interest in Reuben and the breed in general. We both appreciate the dedication that you have to breeding sound and healthy pups.” ~Sandra Stevenson

The Stevenson family loved Reuben so much that they purchased another dog from me, Cluny, two years later in 2009.

Tivo and Teddy
Owners: The Treismans
Norwalk, CT

“We all LOVE Tivo. He is adorable, affectionate, rambunctious and charming. He loves to play and can be a rascal at times yet he is totally sweet and cuddly. He seems to be doing well with his training. Our daughters are crazy about him and he is quite good with both of them. He’s also made a good impression on friends and neighbors.” ~Margie Treisman

The Treismans loved Tivo so much that they purchased Teddy, who is a Tiny Goldendoodle.