About J&A's
Brittanys have been a part of our life since 1986. It all started when John brought home a bouncy, happy, liver and white 6 year old female named P&L's Cuddly Cricket out of Pride & Joy's Buschman. What an incredible hunting dog she was! In time, we searched for and found a suitable male to breed her to. Matthews Freckle from Apple Valley lines and Cricket produced a beautiful, healthy litter of 5 Brittanys. We kept a male from this litter and named him "Crickets Hunter." He is the little puppy in our 1990 pictures on the home page. Hunter was a hunting dog and pet extraordinaire who lived to be 13. He died all too soon in 2003.
We knew we could not live our lives without a Brittany and began searching for our next Brittany. Soon KJ's Ramblin' Molly Rose (from Renegade lines) came into our life and things have never been the same! Molly, intentionally, was the complete opposite of Hunter - orange and white, and a female! And she certainly helped us through a difficult time in our life - simply by being herself. As anyone who has ever known and loved Brittanys - no two are ever exactly the same.
Married for nearly 35 years, we are proud of our 2 adult children who are also each happily married. They have given us a total of 7 wonderful grandchildren (3 grandsons and 4 granddaughters)! Our children have always hunted and will most likely pass this time honored tradition onto their children as well. Our daughter and family also own a Brittany, "Boomer", who is a loving family pet.
With God first - the only thing we enjoy more than our Brittanys are the special times when our family is gathered around. Even so, we have to thank them for understanding our commitment and for the many times they help us out. Grandchildren and Brittanys absolutely go hand in hand!
We have discovered how very little can compare to spending a beautiful fall day together walking through colorful Maine woodlands and fields with Brittanys hunting nearby. It is an unexplainable sense of joy to watch our dogs hard at work, doing what they were born and created to do. And it is then that they too, are the happiest. Ann will confess that her favorite part of bird hunting is handling and photographing the dogs, guiding, and trying out new recipes for gamebird cookery. While John has always enjoyed hunting with Brits and otherwise, it is his "JackDog" who best fulfills his gundog dreams!
We enjoy entering an occasional dog show, hunt test, and/or field trial. Our dogs do well in these competitive events. We now have a Class C motor home (the Brittanymobile) which makes it a lot of fun to just pack up the dogs and go! Speaking of shows, dogs, and dreams; I have a dream to one day finish our very first AKC show champion.
Even with a lot of emphasis on hunting and competing, for John and I, the love of the dog both given and received IS our primary focus and goal for them. That means, our dogs are an important part of our daily life with the majority of our time spent with them. Each Brittany in our life is respected for the unique animal it is. As any multi-dog owner knows, no two dogs are alike. We enjoy spending quality one on one time with each of our Brittanys every day. The rest of the time they all get along well with each other.
Someone once told me that it was important to get away from the dogs, to do something for myself. Indeed I am but doing something for myself doesn't mean getting away from these animals I love so much. Peace, contentment, relaxation, laughter, therapeutic - are words that come to my mind when I think of being with our canine crew. Sometimes, they are the very reason to get up in the morning.
Even the necessary chores and care provided by all responsible dog owners on a daily basis bring a sense of purpose and reason to each day with All Things Brittany. And once taken care of there is plenty of time left to enjoy them fully.
While we breed sometimes, we take it very seriously. (Ann is no stranger to the world of dog breeding as her parents raised Boston Terriers.) We fully embrace the concept of the dual dog. J&A's Brittanys is forever dedicated to breeding for a close working Brittany gun dog for huntingfamilies with the disposition that endears all humans to this breed. We also strive for conformation as it pertains to type and function in the field. As long as there are upland game hunters who desire that type of family hunting companion we will be happy to help them. We are proud to have a reputation of producing outstanding close working gundogs and are always happy to show ours off!
Copyrite @ 2009 J & A's Brittanys
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust dstroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19 - 21"