At Ridgewater Kennels our aim is to preserve and improve the Temperament, Health and Beauty of Bernese in Ireland. The foundation bloodlines were sourced in Europe.For Character ,Health, and Longevity,we selected Dutch Heidi from the Barking Bunch ( 0/0 elbows & 2/5 hips ) and Mooie Bertus from the Barking Bunch ( 0/0 E. & 1/3 H. )We also retained a daughter of Heidi, Ridgewater Jade ( 0/0 E & 2/3 H. ) we now have a third generation Ridgewater Great Affair. by Mooie Bertus. Our second foundation is also of European bloodlines being a daughter of Pia via Nesselacker from Switzerland a Crufts winner abd U.K. champion and Heiko vom Scheimatthof. This female Glanzberg Flame of Hope is (0/0 E.&2/3 H.)All our Bernese have their Hips and Elbows x-rayed to ensure they are clear. We select and never compromise on their natural beauty, their intelligence, friendly character,longevity and health. For these reasons the Barking Bunch in Holland was the source of our first two bernese, where not only did we inspect the parents of our Bernese but up to 3 generations of our dogs Heidi and Bertus. The average life expectancy of Bernese is 8 years but at the Barking Bunch Kennel many Bernese live from 10 to 13 yearsof age and are still fit and healthy. This was a very important factor in our selection process .Recently we aquired some Bernese from the World famous Stokerybos Kennel in Belgium. We are confident that these new additions will greatly enhance our breeding programme.
Our dogs in Ridgewater live as a group with plenty of variety and freedom. They are primarily companions who share their lives with us but occasionaly we attend shows both in Ireland and the U.K.