I'm Brianna J., the breeder behind HeartSpot Lagotti located in Canton, GA. Brianna Johnson’s love affair with this amazing breed began in 2012 when she was asked to assist in training a beautiful 2-year-old lagotto named Bella. Bella was brilliant. Brianna trained her for over a month and was hooked. So began a long journey of loving this breed and a strong desire to work with it more. In 2015 she acquired her first lagotto, Luna, who was/is a doll and is always up for a snuggle. At that time, the breed had not even been recognized in the US and for Brianna. Fast forward 11 years and after a short stint working with Doberman Pinschers, Brianna kept going back to this amazing and versatile breed. Through careful selection of good bloodlines, and while also mentoring with some of the top kennels in the country Brianna is striving to breed structurally sound, mentally stable, and highly intelligent family dogs that can do it all! She named her kennel HeartStop in memory of her childhood dog “Spot” who unfortunately passed away at a young age due to genetic abnormalities that could have been avoided with careful breeding. She does this, as a reminder of the goals and purpose of raising Lagotto Romagnolo’s ethically. Her focus is to raise pups in a nurturing environment that will give these amazing animals the best start possible.
Q. & A. with Brianna
Why did you start breeding?
Grew up on a farm and began working with and training dogs from the age of 11. My parents breed and show Border Collies.
What makes your program special?
We have three categories for our dogs before we even think about breeding them.
1. Health/Structure (We do as much health testing as is available via OFA, CERF, DNA, PennHip, CHIC etc.) Our goal is healthy pups.
2. Temperament (We do temperament testing methods to pair the right pup with the right family)
3. We are small so we raise our pups in our home and begin training at 5 weeks of age.
What are the different breed coat colors in your program?
Our puppies include sable, brown, orange, orange roan, and brown roan. Colors will vary depending on the parent dogs.
Where do your breeding dogs live?
They live in my home.
Getting a puppy from Brianna
Brianna 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 $500 non-refundable deposit and between $3,500 - $5,500 final payment, before taxes & fees.
“Our process for purchasing a puppy begins with a questionnaire. We want to get to know you better not only to see if we are a good fit for you, but we want you to be comfortable with us!
. Once you go through the process of being approved and a live puppy is available. A $500 deposit is required to hold your placement for a puppy. The deposit is deducted from the purchase price.”
Contract & health guarantee
Brianna 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 Brianna 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 Brianna directly.
HeartSpot Lagotti 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 health testing
Breeder-Reported Testing
Excellent level
HeartSpot Lagotti 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 Lagotti Romagnoli.
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.
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 (rDVM, not 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.
Patellar Luxation
Knee testing reduces the chance of passing down Patellar Luxation, which results in the kneecap becoming displaced or dislocated and can cause mild to severe joint pain.
Vet Wellness Exam
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.
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).