The Story of
My name is Heather and I live in Crawfordville, Florida with a large pack of Miniature Schnauzers. As a child, my family raised miniature smooth and long-haired dachshunds, which were a lot of fun, but once my younger brothers were older and got into hunting with my father, we switched to Brittany Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, and Labradors--big dogs with gentle souls. I also rode horses and worked at an Arabian breeding farm, so giant animals became a "big" part of me. I had larger dogs in my early adult life (a Dalmatian, Labradors, and Golden Retrievers) and I never saw myself as ever going back with a small dog until my white Lab, Libby, passed away at 10-years old, breaking our hearts. We also recently lost Papa Murphy, our beloved Golden Retriever and the dk pack misses him dearly.
After losing Libby in 2015, and wanting to make the right decision for my family, I researched and ruminated over what type of dog we would like next. Adding a new member to our evolving family was a carefully weighed decision and we did not want to be impulsive.
While Golden's and Labs are amazing family dogs, they shed, have allergies, and can have horrible dander. I was looking for a non-shedding, hypo-allergenic breed that was small enough to easily travel with. Enter the Miniature Schnauzer! At first, I thought they were funny little things with their long beards, old man eyebrows, and distinctive expressions, but the longer I looked, the more I wanted one. One random Saturday, I was at the hairdresser browsing online, and there he was. It hit me like a lightning bolt . . . the perfect face, the “Schnauzer Stare”, the fluffy parti coat. The cutest little thing just begging for squeezes, scritches, and a place in our home.
My first Schnauzer love- Deutschland's Klaus "DUTCH"! This is how dk began.
Once Dutch became a part of the family, I was hooked on the breed. There is something about Schnauzers that steal your heart . . . and pocket book. My husband, Mike, was jealous of the attention Dutch received because he was with me constantly and went everywhere I did. Humans who are owned by Schnauzers understand. They imprint on one member of the family whether you like or not. They decide who their person is. Shortly after, Mike started making comments that he wanted one of his own; a white female like his beloved Libby. So, within a short two months we decided to add Khloe to the mix. Luckily, Dutch and Khloe made a great match and the two of them returned canine joy to our home. Dutch's full name already had the initials “d” and “k”, but to honor our first female, Dutch and Khloe created the dk Schnauzer's name. The pair had several beautiful litters of Salt & Peppers and Salt & Pepper Parti's, owing to Dutch’s strong pedigree of Parti's. We ended up keeping an adorable Dutch "mini-me" named Claire and the addiction took off from there. The dk Schnauzer family has evolved over the last seven years--some have retired and are now living with us or with their furever families. Regardless, they will always be dk babies.
What I ultimately wanted was to start a breeding program of very spoiled family-raised fur babies. My mother is a retired Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and has experience saving preemies and breeding dogs and I am extremely lucky to have that kind of experience working with me. We have a Puppy Warmer incubator and oxygenater, along with many other vet supplies. Puppies are a part of our home and are NEVER kenneled in the backyard. They have their own puppy room, hear music, airplanes, laughter, loud screams, doorbells, alarms, television, vacuum cleaners, drills, saws, grooming clippers, and other neighborhood dogs barking. They start their training with light commands, walks with harness/leash around the fenced-in backyard, piddle pad and some outside potty training, and are socialized from day one. We take them for scenic rides in the car, to the vet, and various errands to get them used to being in a car. Some do get motion sickness, and unfortunately there is no crystal ball to see which puppies this will affect, but I have found they typically outgrow it the more they are introduced to car rides. My pups are extremely humanized by 6-8 weeks, but new fur parents should continue their training once they get home. Do not expect a young puppy to be push-button. They are only successful when you put in the time.
There are hundreds of amazing Schnauzer breeders out there, several that I rely on for their experiences, tips of the trade, and friendship. Some of the AKC show-level breeders do not prefer the different color and coat variations that have become very popular with the Miniature Schnauzer. I was an outsider and knowing nothing about the breed, chose a gorgeous silky coated Merle line Salt & Pepper Parti as my first, and a solid white as my second. Since then, I have added a variety of standard and non-standard coats and colors of the Miniature Schnauzer. According to the Miniature Schnauzer Club of America, only Salt & Pepper, Black, and Black & Silver can be shown for conformation and as far as the show-level Miniature Schnauzer hardliners are concerned, these are the only 100% pure Miniature Schnauzers. However, that does not mean all of the other amazing color combinations, coat lengths, or textures make them any less Schnauzer, since these color combinations have been around since the origination of the Miniature Schnauzer in the late 1800-early 1900's. AKC and a majority of other Schnauzer registries recognizes the three main colors, as well as all Parti coloring, liver & tan, liver pepper, white, and wheaten. If you are not a show breeder and want the love of a furry family member, I say:
Choose what you like.
Do your homework before you decide. Ask lots of questions. The internet has a lot of varying information depending on what you are looking for. Whether or not you choose show-standard or awesomely unique, fall in love with what you personally like knowing the beautiful little fur baby will love you forever. Also know I will love them forever as well since dk Schnauzers are not just a product. I raise them each as my own and I get very attached, only wanting the best possible match. They are part of my life for 8-12 weeks, but you will have them for their entire life.
All of my dams and sires have been genetically tested through “Embark Dog DNA” breed testing for over 210 genetic health issues and the results are available on the puppies’ individual pages. We offer a 3-year Health Guarantee for genetic defects with every puppy purchased. For the safety of my puppies, I am extremely conscientious when approving a pending home. If there is any reason you cannot keep one of the puppies you purchased from me, please contact me first. I will find them a perfect home or will take them back, no questions asked.