July 2023 Updates

Happy August, friends! I hope your July was wonderful! Warm weather, puppies, trips to the lake, outside playtime–these were some of the good things that filled our month. Pictured above is Brookie, who LOVES to be outside and especially loves playing ball.

Bulochka and Brookie came with us to the lake a few times last month. They both went paddleboarding, and Brookie’s been enjoying some swimming!

We love hearing from our puppies’ families, and recently got a couple of updates about Brookie’s littermates.

We enjoyed this picture of Rosie (formerly Fiona).

And we got this from Nala (formerly Fjord)’s person:

“Hello… in January my mom bought a puppy from you. I believe Nala’s name was Fjord and I just wanted to give you an update on how she is doing. She is such a wonderful dog and she listens very well. Thank you again for allowing my mom to purchase Fjord!”

And a picture of her:

Nala (formerly Fjord). Isn’t she darling?

Our current litter, Bryhska and Bourne’s puppies, are also doing great. Huckleberry, Hadrian, Hans, Henry, Hudson, Helina, Haven, and Hazel are seven weeks old already! They love people, and love playing with each other and their mom and dad.

Fun fact about Berners: if you go inside and leave them outside or vice versa, they WILL find you. Mama and Sam were inside talking one day and looked out the window to see this:

Bourne, looking in the window for his person.

And now a little story…

A couple of years ago, we saw a picture of the most beautiful dog we had ever seen. She was in Ukraine, and her name was Bulochka, Bulka for short. We contacted the breeder who told us she had “so many people interested in Bulochka.” It was looking like we weren’t going to be able to get her, but we still held onto a tiny little hope that just maybe Bulka could be part of our family.

A bit later, we were camping on the Oregon coast, when I (Savannah) and my sister Sadie woke up one morning to hear our parents talking on the phone, making arrangements to buy a dog from Ukraine.

Bulochka!!!

The next week, we were in San Francisco. After navigating all the technicalities of Customs at the airport, a dog crate was finally brought out to us with a big, fluffy, beautiful seven-month-old Bernese puppy in it. Poor Bulka had been quite traumatized by the journey over, but it didn’t take long for her to adopt us all as her new family and Mama as her special person. Now, we can’t imagine life without her! She follows Mama literally everywhere, wants to please, and loves to go on walks in the woods.

Here’s a picture of Bulochka and her daughter Brookie on the 4th of July. We can say Bulka’s very happy to be living in America now!

And now, some exciting news…

Bulochka is having puppies due on August 25th!

Eli, an AKC Grand Champion and import from the Van’t Stokerybos kennel in Belgium, is the father of this litter. Here are a couple of pictures of Bulochka and Eli together:

And some pictures of Eli:

Thanks to Sparrow’s Nest Bernese for their partnership in this breeding!

You’ve already seen a few pictures of Bulochka’s puppy Brookie and a couple of her littermates in this post, but here are more pictures of some of Bulochka’s puppies:

Brookie
Brookie

And a few of Eli’s past puppies:

We already have several puppies reserved from Bulochka and Eli’s upcoming litter, so if you want a puppy, don’t hesitate to contact us! And head over to our PUPPIES page for more information.

Well, until next time!

June 2023 Updates

   Hi friends! I hope you’ve had a lovely start to your summer! As a Bernese Mountain Dog breeder in Montana, summer is a busy time for us, but we take time to enjoy the little things that make life so beautiful. 

   The end of May, we took Bourne and Bulochka along on a hike to a lookout tower at the top of a mountain. It was a five mile round trip hike, so too much for Bryshka who was expecting a litter of puppies and Brookie who is still a puppy herself. Bourne and Bulochka loved it, though. We encountered a brief storm on the way up, but when we reached the top, the rain had stopped and the clouds parted, revealing a magnificent rainbow, a beautiful reminder to us that God always keeps His promises. 

   We got Brookie a life jacket and took her to a mountain lake with us. She had a grand time playing in the water and riding in the kayak. 

   Bryshka’s puppies were born June 20th! Her litter of five boys and three girls are doing great. This is our “H” litter, and we had lots of fun choosing names. The boys’ names are Huckleberry, Hadrian, Hans, Henry, and Hudson. The girls’ names are Helina, Haven, and Hazel. They all look like miniature versions of Bourne and Bryshka, which we think is great, because Bourne and Bryshka are beautiful dogs! 

   Five of the puppies are already reserved and will be going to new homes in Texas, Idaho, Ohio, Washington, and here in Montana in mid-August. As of July 17th, we have three puppies still available, two boys and a girl. Head over to our PUPPIES page for more information. 

   We also took Bulochka on a trip to Logan, Utah, in June. Bulochka’s happiest out in the country away from city noises and all the hustle and bustle, so she was glad when we took a picnic lunch out to a peaceful area by the Logan river. 

   On the way home, we stopped in Soda Springs, Idaho, and visited a historic site that wagon trains on the Oregon/California Trail traveled through. 

   Once back home, we took some time to do one of our favorite Montana summer activities–picking wild huckleberries! Bulochka and Brookie both love huckleberry picking and have learned how to pick berries off the bush themselves! See a couple of videos of them picking huckleberries below! 

Bulochka picking huckleberries.
Brookie picking huckleberries.

  By the way, Brookie is wearing her “Huckleberry” harness which we purchased from Wilderdog. If you create an account and purchase from Wilderdog using our referral link, you’ll get a free $10 to spend, and we’ll get a benefit, too! Click here to shop Wilderdog using our referral link.

   Well, until next time!

Dog Spotlight: Bryshka

Bryshka is our beautiful girl we imported from Russia. She’s sweet, a little sassy, and super affectionate.

A couple of years ago, we decided it was time to add another girl to our Bernese Mountain Dog family. We looked at LOTS of dogs online. Probably hundreds. We researched some of the top breeders in Europe and looked at pedigrees, noting health records and longevity. Finally, we found the puppy we wanted: Millennium Star Sha-Mia in Russia. 

At about six months old, she’d already done excellent in the show ring in Europe. 

So we made the necessary arrangements, took a trip to the Pacific coast, and headed down to Los Angeles to pick up Sha-Mia from the airport. As soon as we opened the crate, she immediately accepted us as her new family. She bounded out, tail wagging, giving hugs and kisses. Before long, we decided on a new name for her: Bryshka, our own variation on the Russian name “Mishka.”

On our way back home, we stopped at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. 

We couldn’t imagine life without Bryshka now! She loves everybody in our family, but Sadie is her favorite person. 

Bryshka loves to just hang out in the house close to Sadie or another one of her people, go on walks, come along on trips to town, and go to the lake or on a hike. She’s always up for an adventure, and if we ever go somewhere without her, she is SO excited to see us when we come home. 

She’s also a great mama who loves taking care of and playing with her puppies.

Her last litter is doing great, and we love it when their new families send us pictures! 

We still have a few spots left on our waitlist for Bryshka and Bourne’s litter due June 21st, 2023. If you’re interested, call/text (406) 506-8957, send us a message through GoodDog or Instagram, or email us at back40berners@gmail.com. 

April/May Updates

    Hi friends! I hope you’ve had a lovely start to your spring! 

   It seems we’ve had a lot happen in the past couple of months! All of the puppies from Bulochka and Brandi’s litters have gone to their new homes. 

   Here are a couple of pictures of the puppies before they left: 

 
   Freya, Bulochka’s puppy, (about 14 weeks old in this picture) is doing well at her new home in Texas now. 

 

   Garnet, Brandi’s puppy, went to Alaska and is also doing great. She’s eight weeks old in this picture. I (Savannah) chose the names Freya and Garnet and was quite pleased when their new owners chose to keep their names the same. 😊

   When I said all the puppies went to their new homes, that doesn’t include Brookie, of course. Brookie is Bulochka’s puppy we’re keeping. Here’s a recent picture of her: 

   She’s growing great and looking more and more like her mother. Here’s a picture of the two of them together: 

 

 
   Brookie absolutely loves everyone in our family. If you come in after having been away for an hour, Brookie overflows with excitement, giving kisses, tail wagging, acting as though you’ve been reunited after being apart for weeks! 
 
Brookie goes almost everywhere with us–any store that allows dogs, she comes in! 
 
 
 
 

 

 
  Brookie even joined us at the Rendezvous Days, a local event where we had a booth selling our family’s books and other products (by the way, you can learn more about mine and my family’s books on our website here.) So many people stopped by the booth just to admire Brookie! 
 

 

 
***
   Bulochka follows Mama (Debbie) everywhere she goes… even jumping right up on the bed. 😊
 
 
   Bulochka also came to the lake with us one day. She sat on the shoreline next to me and Mama and watched the kids fish. 
 

 

 

 

   We’re now catching up on things while we have a little break from puppy care, not too long of a break, though… we are expecting a litter from Bryshka and Bourne June 21st! Bryshka is our beautiful Russian import and Bourne is our champion from Hungary. 

 
   Bryshka’s a fun dog, very affectionate, and quite the princess. 
 
 
   And Bourne… well, Bourne is just a big teddy bear. He’s a big boy, but very gentle and sweet. 
 
 

 

   We’re looking forward to seeing their beautiful babies! If you’re interested in a puppy, call/text (406) 506-8947 for more information or check out our GoodDog and Instagram pages. 
 
  Well, that’s all for now. Feel free to leave a comment below, and have a lovely day!
 
 
Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
Psalm 36:5-6

Continue reading “April/May Updates”

February/March 2023 Updates

Hi friends! Hope you’ve had a lovely winter! Here’s just a few of the latest Back 40 Berners happenings. Bulochka’s puppies are nine weeks old now; some of them just went to their new homes, and some of them we’re keeping a little bit longer. And, we have an exciting announcement…

We are keeping one of the puppies! We knew we wanted to keep one of the girls from this litter, and we decided which one! I am pleased to introduce the newest member of the Back 40 Berners family, Brookie!

   Isn’t she darling?
   She’s just getting cuter and cuter as she grows! And she looks so much like her mother, Bulochka! Here’s a picture of Bulochka as a puppy:
And here’s Brookie when she was a bit younger:
   We’re planning to use Aurora Borealis in her registered name, and speaking of the Aurora, we saw the Northern Lights one night recently! Bulochka joined us outside to watch the beautiful display of the lights dancing in pale green waves in the sky.
The heavens declare the glory of God… Psalm 19:1
   Bulochka also joined us for a cross-country ski outing.
   She loves the snow!

And Bulochka came along for an afternoon of ice fishing. We had a great time out in God’s glorious creation, enjoyed one another’s company and cups of tea and hot chocolate, and we caught a few fish!

   Our puppies are very well-loved and socialized before leaving our home. In addition to lots of cuddles and playtime at home, they also join us for trips to town and get to come in the hardware and building supply stores. They always attract lots of attention!
   Flossie (now named Bella) enjoyed her trip to town before leaving to go to her new home in Georgia.
   Fisher (now named Chief) also enjoyed his trip to town, before he, too, went to Georgia. We also had puppies from this litter go to Texas, Washington, and Idaho and stay in Montana.
   And here’s Brookie again! She got to ride in the shopping cart for a while. 🙂
   Enjoy the rest of your winter and have a wonderful spring!

Available Puppy Spotlight: Fjord

 

UPDATE (3/9/2023): Fjord went home to her forever family! Call or text (406) 506-8947 for information about upcoming litters. 

   Fjord is one of our puppies from Bulochka and Bourne’s litter. This adorable little girl was born on January 9th, 2023, and will be ready to go home to her forever family on March 6th, 2023. 

   Fjord is a bundle of sweetness, with just a little spunk, too. She’s outgoing and loves people; she’s always very excited to see you and hurries over for some cuddles. She reminds us of her mama, Bulochka, whom we imported from Ukraine and we’re convinced is the best dog ever. 

   Here are a couple of pictures of Bulochka playing with Fjord and one of the other puppies: 

And some more pictures of Fjord: 

 

And a little video of her: 

Available Puppy Spotlight: Fiona

 

UPDATE (3/9/2023): Fiona is now RESERVED. Call or text (406) 506-8947 for information about upcoming litters. 

   Fiona is one of the girls from Bulochka and Bourne’s Litter F. This little cutie was born on January 9th, 2023, and will be ready to go to her new home at eight weeks on March 6th, 2023. 

   Fiona is a little sweetheart. She loves people and is great with children. We have a couple of little girls in our family who love to carry her around and play with her and she’s super good-natured for all of it. 
   Here’s a video of her:  

Available Puppy Spotlight: Freya

UPDATE (2/15/2023): Freya is now RESERVED. Call or text (406) 506-8947 for information about upcoming litters. 

Freya is one of our puppies from Bulochka and Bourne (Litter F). This little sweetheart was born on January 9th, 2023, and will be ready to go to her new home at 8 weeks on March 6th, 2023. 

“Sweet” is definitely the first word that comes to mind to describe Freya. She loves people and relishes human attention. At mealtimes, she often wants to come and cuddle before she eats or leaves her food to come and climb on someone’s lap. She does like to eat, though, and is growing great! 

 

Look at that fluff! 

And here’s a video of Freya enjoying some cuddles! 

January 2023 Updates: New Litter of Puppies!

    Bulochka had her puppies on January 9th. She had ten healthy babies–three boys and seven girls! The delivery and following few days were both exciting and stressful, beautiful and messy, fun and exhausting. 

   Bulki is loving taking care of her puppies, but she also appreciates our help with them. That is a lot of babies after all! We’ve been feeding Bulki a high-quality puppy chow with lots of yummy extras–ground turkey, salmon, pumpkin, rice, etc. She’s also been getting a calcium supplement and multivitamins.

   While the puppies are this little, someone is close by 24/7. A couple of us are taking turns sleeping in the room with Bulki and the puppies and making sure they get their nightly feedings, while someone else gets up early to take over, and other family members help during the day. Everyone helps in some way. 

Look at the unique markings on this guy!

Here he is again.

There are also some with more traditional white markings on their faces.

Isn’t that sweet?

Look at that box full of puppies!

   

The Thankful Post (November 2022 Updates)

It’s Thanksgiving season, and this November, we’re thankful for family, friends, a warm home, a beautiful place to live, good food… and we’re thankful for our Berners! Thankful for…

Faithful companions on a walk in the snow… 

Playing and exploring…

While we look in wonder at pine trees, their boughs laden with snow, glistening in the sun…

And the clear blue-gray sky…

And the snow-dusted mountains… 

And tamaracks arrayed in golden-yellow…

A snuggle buddy…

A new litter of puppies…

Four boys and one girl, all growing great…

How the mama dog knows just what to do to care for her little ones…

Marveling at the perfect markings and cute little paws…

Thankful for these moments at home doing what we love…

And most importantly, thankful for the sure and steadfast hope of Jesus. 

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…”
Hebrews 6:19