The Entlebucher was originally used as a watchdog, after being introduced to the Roman nobility by Alexander the Great. They were eventually brought into Switzerland and used primarily by Alpine herdsman to drive cattle. Overall these rare, beautiful dogs are wonderful pets for the right type of active family with his extraordinary intelligence and quick and receptive learning abilities.
When my older Entlebucher, Brueger, died last april, he passed with the same grace and dignity he carried in his soul throughout his life...he simply laid down beside my bed one evening (I knew his end was near as he kept crawling into the puppy crates), and quietly went to sleep forever, resting his head gently upon his paws. When he stopped breathing at 6 am, I instantly woke up and knew God had taken him to doggy heaven! (yes there is one). I was so grateful that Brueger had almost 2 years to spend with my 2 new puppies and he ingrained in them the love and respect for the human being and the other animals on the farm. He also taught and shared with them about love, loyalty, trust and obedience and he although he brought these attributes to the grave, he made sure the puppies were imprinted with a solid foundation on a daily basis. Let that be a lesson to the human race as we rush through our lives and our children’s lives, unaware of of the repercussions our actions may have on our future reality.
Back to Bronco and Bluto (call names) and their short history. Both puppies were imported from Balihara Ranch in Slovakia and selectively bred by Jana Stefancova, the owner, who was a delight to speak with and very knowledgeable in her assessment and description of these 2 male Entle’s she recommended me to choose from all the other puppies in the litter. They arrived in Atlanta on August 28th, 2013 and after jumping through hoops, red tape and additional monies, I was able to release these wee pups from U.S. customs. When I initially presented my paperwork to the the US Customs agent, she accused me of operating a suspected puppy mill and I had to hire and pay an animal immigration facilitator $300 extra plus 2 additional hours of paperwork while the puppies sat in the US Customs cargo area. I was so upset ,as I just wanted get them out of their crate, give them water and bring them home (a 5 hr drive) to The Asheville area of NC to start their new lives in America. Eventually, after more US Customs paperwork, additional money paid and time, II was able to get them released from quarantine and released from their crate, which they had been contained for almost 36 hrs,. They were so happy to be around human contact, they wriggled, licked and played with boundless puppy affection and energy. I soon loaded them into my car for the 5 hr drive back to Marion, NC. Bronco an Bluto quickly settled into the home environment, meeting all the other cast of characters, my other dogs, the cat, and the horses and only side effect from the shipping was a mild case of runny stools but they were excited to explore the ins and out of their new life on Andy’s farm in NC.
