Happy in Sonoma County – 2014
4 February 2019
Thank you for wanting to know more about who we are and from where Kensington’s foundation Tibetan Terriers came!
My personal background includes a college education (A.B. MHC 1980) with double majors in neurology and art history – coursework toward my graduate degree in architecture at the Boston Architectual Center and Harvard’s Graduate School of Design – and 35 years of business experience, mostly in the sporting goods manufacturing, real estate and wine industries. Not much to do with dogs, until you think about the science of breeding and the subjective evaluation of movement, body/mind and spirit. I think my educational training and God-given talents provided me with EXACTLY what I needed, to become the best breeder I can be. It is a blend of scientific and artistic training, and I use both skillsets every day. I LOVE WHAT I DO!
Springtime in Vermont at the farm, 2012
When you visit us, you’ll find no more than three or four adult dogs in residence at any one time, unless we have a ‘bred by’ boarder or a litter, too. It is necessary that I have plenty of time to give each of my adult doggie kids the attention and stimulation they need to thrive and be happy, and so, three or four adult dogs in the house is the limit. My breeding program, however, involves additional animals who live elsewhere in New England and Canada with other forever families. That way, I can keep some diversity in the gene pool, without having multiple males vying for first position with the female in season and EVERYONE living in my house together. Whoa, nelly, that would be intense!
The new Yo Eddy! 27.5er – Introduced in 2015
I came to the breed in 1992, after raising Boxers, German Shepherds and Lhasa Apsos as family pets. After weeks spent pouring over an atlas of dog breeds, the Tibetan Terrier stood out as a wonderful family companion, known for his tolerance of children and love of travel. At the time, my husband and I had no idea whether children would ever be in our future but we knew that we’d continue working with our 47 employees & traveling the world – and that, we did. Chris Chance and I traveled with and without our Team Fat Chance riders all over the country and internationally, sometimes renting houses and other times, tenting with our Tibetans. Regardless of where we stayed, our first two TTs spent many happy weekends traveling with us across state lines and were always happy to jump into the car or out, to inspect a mountain biking course or a beach. They’d run, run, run! And that is where we learned how nimble, energetic and athletically versatile they truly were.
Izzie and James, May 2009 on the porch
In 2006, I acquired my foundation pair of Tibetan Terriers from Nina Wagner of Shalimar. Ten years later, Nina passed away in October 2016, having somehow developed mesothelioma. I inherited her three brood bitches and kept my pick: the lovely Kodi (CH Shalimar Coshan’s Kodi). Kodi gifted me with our beautiful Koko-loko (CH Kensington’s Nouvelle Mlle. Koko) in January 2017. Kodi has since been re-homed with a wonderful older couple who split their time between the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Boston area and we hear from them often.
Nina specifically set me up with flawed Tibetans. I was shocked, when she told me. Her reply? ‘Why would I share my best with anyone?’ I felt a little hurt but now? I totally get it. You want to see proof that your protegee knows what she’s doing. And the only way to see that is to test the protogee. In my case? With flawed animals! She also told me that she was very happy that I’d bred my way out of those flaws and that I’d accomplished in 5 years, what took her 35. One of her last pieces of advice to me? ‘Keep a bitch out of Ziva.’ She loved Ziva and thought she was my best bred-by to date (in 2015).
My foundation pair of Tibetan Terriers, James and Izzie, were finished in 2007 as AKC Conformation Champions under the capable and talented hands of Mark and Pam Desrosiers. Izzie and James had their first litter in March 2009 and eight healthy happy pups were produced. Alice Smith was present at that whelping and instrumental in ensuring that each pup in that litter made its way into the world safely. We gratefully thank and remember both of these women, Nina Wagner of Shalimar and Alice Smith of Prin-Su, for all of their guidance and support over the years. Izzie had litters in 2010 and 2011 and then, my pick female from her 2010 litter took over. That was Coppi, who whelped four litters and retired in 2014 to the beach in Marblehead with a wonderful forever family.
After Coppi retired, Georgie Girl became our next resident brood bitch. She is an AKC Champion bred by Jean Allen of Coshan Tibetan Terriers and is related to Kodi, through Georgie’s mother and Kodi’s father: Brady (CH Polygor Shalimar’s Brady). Georgie Girl whelped three litters and retired in summer 2016. She’s now a snowbird and splits her time between Concord, Massachusetts and Naples, Florida. Her claim to fame? Having produced Kensington’s Sweet Baby James, out of Whittaker x Georgie Girl.
Georgie Girl, one of our seven AKC Champion, Grand of Bronze Grand Champion brood bitches
When you visit, you will meet our AKC Bronze Grand Champion Billie Jean, an intelligent, precocious and athletic TT who whelped her fourth litter in February 2018. She is our fourth brood bitch. And you will meet Ziva, a 2015 AKC Grand Champion with fantastic temperament and profuse coat. We also have two more adult girls in residence with us, CH Koko (Oskar x Kodi 2017) and GRCH Piccolo (Yogi x Ziva 2017). While I only accept four deposits per litter, we usually have six or more puppies. This allows me some flexibility, while studying which puppy will thrive in which forever family’s lifestyle. And while I reserve the right to select the best puppy(ies) for you, IMHO – if you wish to participate in puppy selection, I require that you visit the litter at least twice, between the 6th and 8th weeks of life. During these visits, we can study the puppies together and share thoughts.
Lupines and daisies – Vermont in Summer!
Kensington was originally established in Vermont in 2006, where it is beautiful and the air is clean. However, from 2010 to April 2016, we split our time between Stowe, Vermont and Princeton, Massachusetts. We’ve since been back in Stowe full time and enjoying staying put. Our Vermont vets are particularly good with very young puppies and so, we have always timed whelping for here in Stowe. Dew claws get removed on Day Two/Three, both front and rear. We use Broadview Animal Hospital in Rochester, NH; Dr. William Truesdale in Seekonk, Massachusetts and LVVS in Hyde Park, VT for reproductive veterinary medicine.
Coppi, showing off her strong chest, 2010
It is very important that you find the right breed & breeder for your family, as much as it is for me to find the right forever homes for the wonderful puppies I bring into the world.
Tibetan Terriers are not the breed for everyone! By meeting the pack and talking about your wishes and wants, we can make that decision together. Should you like to begin a dialogue about a possible puppy for your home and family, please email me at wendyll.behrend@gmail.com.
Thank you for your interest in our breed and in my breeding program.
