| Since I was a young boy, animals have been a large part of
my life. Fish, ducks, birds,
reptiles, cats and of course dogs have all been residents at one time or
another. Up to this point, of
all the wonderful creatures I have had the pleasure of sharing my life
with, the Canis familiaris is my personal favorite.
Well….., it has been labeled man’s best friend and who am I to
argue? |
Kent (My Brother), Dana & our Ducks
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Buck, Fairfax, Ashley, Nutmeg & Doozie
Dana, Brenda (My Mother), Janet & 1994 Litter
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Going
back to the disco days sometime in the mid 70’s I remember growing up
with Labrador Retrievers in the house.
Moving into the 80’s my family started
breeding their Labs and so started my interest and involvement with
reproduction.
Animal reproduction to be specific, as the human kind is a whole
different story and not intended as a topic for this biography….. In
1994 we (and Ashley) birthed our last litter of Labradors. |
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We kept the creamy white
yellow boy, Fairfax (meaning fair haired one) and he was with us until
earlier this summer (2006). I
don’t know if I ever will get over his loss.
He was truly a great “Man’s Best Friend” and will be deeply
missed. Moving back, but
forward from 1994, I took a couple years off from breeding, moved to a
farm and by 1996 my wife Janet & I started a whole new adventure.
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Ashley & Janet with Labrador Litter
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Janet Swimming with Labs
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Two
alpacas, a male and a female, were brought to our farm in Pennsylvania from
Oregon in the summer of 1996.
The male was called Blizzard and hence formed the basis for our
farm name.
The alpacas changed our lives dramatically as we were now involved
with a true livestock farming business.
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| Raising, breeding and birthing
alpacas has taught us quite a bit more about genetics, evaluating stock
and animal husbandry. One must
learn that to be truly effective and successful with any animal breeding
program….. Oh, let me stop
at this point for a second. I
would like to emphasize animal
breeding program. Why?
Because whether you are breeding alpacas, birds, fish or dogs, most
of the principles are the same. Of
course there are some breed specific issues but overall breeding is
breeding. And to be
successful, one must have at minimum a basic understanding of genetics, an
eye for evaluation purposes and general animal husbandry skills.
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Blizzard
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Liberty Birthing a Cria
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Cria Getting First Drink
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Crimpson with Blue Ribbon
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We have also learned that one
must set goals and have a plan as to what they would like to accomplish.
How does that saying go? “Does
one plan to fail or fail to plan"?
Overall, one of the most important things we have learned over the
years is that one never stops learning.
One always needs to search for the answer, ask questions and admit
when they are not sure or wrong.
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| In
2004 we acquired our first female Bergamasco, Alpines Alcina Dell’
Albera or “Alcee” for short.
She came from Mark and Charlene Schlager of Alpine Sheepdogs in New Jersey; a wonderful family with a deep love for the breed.
Our next Berg, Tempeluddens Eccellente, “Excie” came from
Sweden out of the Tempeludden Kennel.
In 2006, we made a critical decision to bring in some much needed
new bloodlines to North America so we planned a trip to Bergamo, Italy.
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Alpacas at Blizzard Peak Farm
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Excie, Mione & Alcee
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With the company of Jutta and
Robert Ammann of Luna di Lana Bergamascos in Germany, we visited some Italian Bergamasco breeders including Del Piervez and
Valle Scrivia. After the
gracious hospitality of everyone we met, wonderful herding demonstrations
by Luigi Cavalchini, and much learning, we brought back Hermione Del
Piervez, “Mione”. In 2007
we completed 2 additional trips throughout Italy and Switzerland to learn more about
the origins of the Bergamasco. We attended a show and brought back a
beautiful male for our breeding program.
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Currently at Blizzard
Peak Farm, we have 5 Bergamascos, 2 cats we call our own (visitors always
welcome), a saltwater reef aquarium (keeps my blood pressure down) and 8
to 15 alpacas depending on when one would visit.
Our farm also is home to a variety of wildlife including whitetail
deer, turkey, pheasant, ducks, geese, fish & frogs and all of the
usual rodent fare on a farm.
That pretty much brings
us up to date regarding our animal world.
I am a full time insurance broker running a family business and
Janet is an optical lens representative for an international company.
We welcome visitors but it is always best to call first to plan a
visit. Sometimes things can
get a little hectic…… Ciao
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Friends and Bergs in Seriate, Italy
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