I'm Suzy W., the breeder behind Birdsong Bernese Mountain Dogs located in State College, PA. I should say I'm not a breeder per se, but active in conformation and performance with a few dogs. I may occasionally produce litters in keeping with building and improving my line. Puppies not continuing in AKC conformation are sold strictly on limited registration.
Q. & A. with Suzy
Why did you start breeding?
I am relatively new in the breed. I love dogs, I am enjoying my somewhat new foray into the world of AKC dog shows, and as opportunity affords, I will intentionally make decisions to facilitate growing and establishing a small program of show proven Bernese Mountain Dogs.
What makes your program special?
I hope for the sake of Bernese Mountain Dogs that I am neither unique nor special. Ethical breeders should be members of national clubs and utilizing available breed databases. All of my dogs are on Berner-Garde, and as health tests are completed, they will be displayed there. Currently, you can find Selah (CH Covenant's Prayer of the Heart RN) at BernerGarde #207829
Where do your breeding dogs live?
They live in my home.
Matched dogs
These dogs are already reserved or have gone home.
Sookie
Went home
Female
Jess
Went home
Male
Rory
Went home
Female
Kirk
Went home
Male
Lorelei
Went home
Female
Paris
Went home
Female
Luke
Went home
Male
Getting a puppy from Suzy
Suzy has been certified by Good Dog’s screening team for responsible and trusted breeding practices. When you’re ready to reach out, feel free to ask any questions about the breed, their program, or specific puppies.
Together, you’ll choose the puppy that’s right for you, stay in touch with regular updates, and plan how to bring your new puppy home.
Price
Puppy prices include a $3,500 final payment, before taxes & fees.
“Puppies will be vet checked, dewormed, microchipped, and AKC registered by breeder. Puppy owners are to enter puppies in BernerGarde database within the first two weeks. All puppies are same price, regardless of show home or companion home destination.”
Contract & health guarantee
Suzy may provide a written contract or
health guarantee when you purchase a puppy. This helps
protect both you and your breeder, ensuring that you
both have a clear understanding of the terms of your
puppy purchase. If Suzy offers a contract
or guarantee, the details will be personalized by them.
If you have any questions or want to know more,
don’t hesitate to reach out to Suzy directly.
Birdsong Bernese Mountain Dogs meets or exceeds our community standards in these areas:
Responsible breeding practices
Health of breeding dogs and puppies
Puppy environment and enrichment
Buyer education and policies
Parent dogs
Selah, mom
Bernese Mountain Dog
About Selah
Selah was nicknamed "the prom queen" in her litter before she hit even eight weeks of age. She remains confident and beautiful... and a little bit entitled! This has served her well in the show ring where she finished her Championship with three major wins and all at 16 months, before she left the "puppy classes". Selah's mom and dad are both Grand Champions (dad is Grand Champion Gold) and have 40 AKC titles between the two of them. You may recognize dad from his role as Meatball in the movie "Instant Family". Mom and dad are both designated Top Producers of Champions.
Uploaded health tests
OFA/CHIC DNA Repository, OFA Auscultation, Cardiologist, +5 more.
Parent health testing
Breeder-Reported Testing
Great level
Birdsong Bernese Mountain Dogs reports to performing the health tests below on their breeding dogs. Ask your breeder about the tests performed on the parents of your litter. Learn more about health testing for Bernese Mountain Dogs.
Hip Dysplasia (Preliminary), Hip Dysplasia
Hip testing reduces the chance of passing down hip dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause hip pain and the eventual loss of the function of the hip joint.
Elbow testing reduces the chance of passing down elbow dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause arthritis in the elbow joint and front leg lameness.
Eye Certification (CAER, registered with OFA)
Eye testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide range of hereditary eye illnesses including retinal dysplasia, lens luxation, and glaucoma, which can cause impared vision or blindness.
Cardiac Evaluation (registered with OFA)
Heart testing reduces the chance of passing down congenital heart disease, which can cause a range of symptoms ranging from trouble exercising to heart failure.
Histiocytic Sarcoma Pre-Test DNA (from Antagene)
A breeder may perform additional tests on their dogs that do not fall into these general categories. These tests may be more uncommon or very specific to a particular breed.
Degenerative Myelopathy (DM; SOD1B), Bernese Mountain Dog Type, Degenerative Myelopathy (DM; SOD1A), von Willebrand Disease I (vWD I)
Genetic testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide variety of hereditary diseases of differing prevalence and severity such as Progressive Retinal Atrophy (an eye disease) and Von Willebrand's Disease (a blood disease).
Health testing is one key piece of responsible breeding and is performed on breeding dogs to prevent the presence of heritable conditions in their puppies.