Teversal Bernese Mountain Dog

On a quiet Autumn evening in 1988 I was thumbing through an English dog magazine called Dog World when I saw the most beautiful dog I had ever seen. He was a Bernese Mountain Dog and this self assured and handsome boy really turned my head. We tried to get a Bernese in South Africa but the only breeder at the time was not able to help and encouraged us to import a male and a female from Switzerland. As my husband Philip and I were going to Rottweil to attend the Rottweiler Klubsiegerschau it needed little rearranging to take in Switzerland and visit some litters there. From these litters we chose a male and a female. We also made sure we visited the beautiful boy in the magazine in England.

Fürst von der Scheidegg and Dolli vom Schwyzerhof duly arrived in South Africa in 1988. Their first show was in January 1989 at the Roodepoort Open Show where we nearly stopped the show. Everyone wanted to know what these gorgeous little 5 month old puppies were and where they were from. So began a love affair with this breed which has seen us import fifteen Bernese from Switzerland, England, Netherlands, Australia and recently two from Germany. My aim when importing is to first of all make sure that the gene pool is enhanced and to ensure that the correct type is maintained. Since 1988 we have bred 31 litters and produced numerous champions and more importantly have made many families happy to have a Bernese puppy from Teversal.

I have always enjoyed learning about a breed and as a Rottweiler breeder I studied under many of the German breeder/judges who came to South Africa and as a result I became one of the first four local judges to become a Specialist Judge for Rottweilers. My experience working with dog clubs on a number of committees gave me a good understanding and grounding from where I could learn more about the Bernese and I visited Switzerland twice to attend Seminars and shows and also shows in England and Germany. I have made many friends around the world through the Bernese and enhanced my knowledge through these connections. My aims and ambitions remain the same and that is to stay true to the type as outlined in the Standard, endeavour to educate local judges in what to look for in a correct Bernese and to try and help the families who own Bernese.