ISLAMORADA

In the beginning..........
Bruce was my very first St Bernard purchased from the Birkenbush kennel in 1997. He was sired by one of the most prolific winning dogs of the decade, CH Whaplode Be Our William. That didn't matter to Bruce though, he hated showing and refused to behave and I was too inexperienced to make him. We soon retired from the ring but by that time the show bug had bitten so 18 months later I bought another puppy.
Brogan was also from the Birkenbush kennel and was sired by CH Flashy Jack by Brenidge. This time I was determined that my puppy and I would learn the art of showing and my dog running off with the ring fencing in his mouth would be a distant memory.
All went well for a few months and Brogan qualified for Crufts at her 1st show. Then disaster struck, a nasty case of dog doing the splits on a polished wooden floor and she refused to set one single paw in a hall ever again.

After both Bruce and Brogan taking a very early retirement from the ring , I probably should have given up my ambitions to exhibit. However, by this time I adored the breed and loved having a hobby that I could enjoy with my dogs so in 2002, I applied to the KC for my own affix and Islamorada kennel was born.
Sadly, Bruce recently crossed to Rainbow Bridge at the age of seven but he is forever in my heart and I will always be grateful for what he started. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be sharing my life with any of the other wonderful dogs featured on these pages.

Islamorada is a small kennel situated in the heart of rural Aberdeenshire. We are dedicated to breeding for soundness and temperament. Patrick, Molly, Chip, Dana, George, Primrose and Kenzie have all joined Bruce and Brogan at Islamorada since we began in 2002 and can be seen on their own pages from the links below. We have enjoyed some success in the show ring at both Open and Championship level. However, all of our dogs are much loved pets first & foremost and their health & happiness is much more important to us than winning a red rosette.

I also help with re-homing of unwanted St Bernards on behalf of the Scottish St Bernard Trust. Knowing the plight of some of these dogs first hand can be heart-breaking and has made me even more cautious about finding the right homes for Islamorada babies. So, prospective puppy owners, don't be offended by the Gestapo style interrogation technique used to establish whether a St Bernard is going to be suitable for your home environment !

Update - May 2006
After producing a lovely litter of pups in January 2005, Dana is now enjoying a well deserved retirement from the show ring having gained 6 CC's, 11 RCC's and numerous BOB and Group awards throughout her career. However she has agreed to make a very occasional appearance in Veteran if there are enough sausages on offer !!
Chip had a great 2005 gaining his Show Certificate of Merit award as well as a number of notable Group placings at Scottish shows during the year. Chip loves being bathed & groomed and travelling to shows in "his" van so will still be exhibited occasionally but I am now campaigning two youngsters from Dana's last litter.
Jasper and Bronwyn have both made promising starts to their show careers with Jasper being awarded Best Puppy in Show at the St Bernard Club of Scotland 2005 and gaining a 3rd place in Special Puppy at Crufts 2006.

Thank you for visting my web page and getting to know the Islamorada family.
Please drop me an e-mail if you require any help or advice. Also, if you see us out and about at any shows, please come up and say hello but don't forget to bring a sausage for Dana. I am authorised to take sausages home for her if she isn't there to collect them in person !