About Us
At Pleasant Meadows we strive to raise quality animals for the purpose of enriching our lives as well as yours! We live on a small hobby farm, and our animals health and happiness is of the utmost importance to us and we expect each of our prospective purchasers to feel the same way! Each of our animals, both big and small, domestic and livestock alike, are treated with dignity and respect and they are loved and valued members of our family. Our family has lived on a farm all of our lives and we enjoy all of God's wonderful creatures! Out of our love for animals has grown the desire to share the joy and goodness that animals can bring to the lives of everyone.
We are a family who loves dogs and we enjoy sharing that love of dogs with others! We have been educated in Animal Sciences and genetics, and we continue to study hard to learn all that we can about our breed of dogs and dogs in general, and we make it our daily aim to raise quality puppies that can, in turn, bring families and individuals many years of enjoyment and companionship.
In the fall of 2016 we moved back to our Ontario roots after calling Alberta our home for 22 years, where we enjoyed raising horses, sheep, goats, pheasants, ducks, chickens, and our beloved dogs, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Miniature Poodle, and the Cavapoo. On our farm here in Ontario, we currently have a few chickens, quail, and a miniature horse, and our dogs are able to enjoy the refreshing calm of having a woodland border their expansive yard space and meadows to oversee!
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Raising Dogs: We specialized in the Cavapoo hybrid since 2010, and raised the occasional Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Miniature Poodle litter. We were the first to start raising the Cavapoo in Canada and also to raise Multigenerational Cavapoos. We are currently in the midst of transitioning over to the Brittanydoodle and the Springerdoodle for two very specific reasons that will affect everyone who loves the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and is seeking a Cavapoo for their family. We are at a crossroads because we firmly believe that the health of the *purebred* Cavalier King Charles Spaniel lines that exist today are simply no longer healthy enough to ethically breed, thus making it nearly impossible to find new healthy *purebred* Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. We only have a few of our trusted and healthy lines of Cavapoos left to breed, and for the past 5 years we have been unsuccessful in locating a new line of Cavaliers healthy enough to continue to raise the beloved Cavapoo that we started this journey with and had every hope of continuing to raise. When we started raising the Cavapoo, it was our intent to raise this jovial spaniel mix indefinitely, however, we have found that the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is no longer a healthy breed in itself, and we have been completely unable to source a new line of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels that are healthy enough for us to consider breeding. Our commitment is to raising healthy puppies, and so now instead of raising the beloved Cavapoo, we are now the whistle blowers who are trying to spread the word that the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is no longer healthy to breed pure anymore, and the Kennel Clubs and other breeders are starting to recognize and acknowledge the demise of the *purebred* Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Breeding of the *purebred* Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has been banned in Norway (considered unethical and illegal) and Finland's Kennel Club has started a cross-breeding program to breed in similar spaniels in hopes of improving the health of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Hybrid mixtures in themselves are healthier, and it is our plan and commitment to only raise healthy Cavapoos. We have found and firmly believe that the Multigenerational Cavapoo bred from healthy lines is trustworthy and reliable in their health, and our Cavapoos have proven to be among the healthiest in Canada with our puppies living into their teens! The biggest resounding issue with the *purebred* Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is the immense popularity of the breed resulting in horrific inbreeding from a significant number of breeders over the past 10+years breeding for mass quantity with a disregard for proper health screening. As we move forward in our commitment to only raise healthy puppies at Pleasant Meadows, we will only be breeding the Multigen Cavapoo from the last remaining Cavapoos in our lines that are trusted to be healthy from health tested lines with up to 4 generations of health cleared dogs behind them! We have been raising healthy Cavapoos, with proper health screening and *zero* inbreeding for the past 13 years, and we can confidently offer a 3 year health guarantee for our puppies (when other breeders only offer 1 year) because we know the health history behind our dogs having raised 4 generations of Cavapoos at Pleasant Meadows. We will continue to raise our healthy line of Multigen Cavapoos for as long as it is possible, and we are in the midst of making the leap to raise a healthier hybrid mix with the Springerdoodle and the Brittanydoodle that are similar to the Cavapoo for their temperament, energy level, and loving and devoted nature. And we will also have the occasional purebred Springer and Poodle litters as it is important to not disregard the purebred.
It has been amazing to be able to share our Cavapoo puppies with so many families and the past 13 years have been nothing short of an adventure! We are excited about our future with the Brittanydoodles and the Springerdoodles, as we firmly believe that they will be a healthier mix going forward and that's very important to us as ethical breeders to raise healthy family dogs that you will be able to enjoy for many years to come!
As of the fall of 2019, we were finally ready to announce that we would be adding the Brittany and the English Springer Spaniel to our lines to create the "Brittanydoodle" and the "Springerdoodle". We have been actively researching the Brittany and the Springer Spaniel and both of those breeds crossed with the Poodle as a hybrid mix. We believe that they will create a very similar dog to the Cavapoo and we have already added the Brittany and Springer to our home and have a young generation growing up to be future stars here at Pleasant Meadows. We have found them and their temperament to be a very happy-go-lucky, loyal, and pet friendly breed. We love their curiosity and gentle nature, as well as their playfulness and desire to cuddle. This transition to the Brittanydoodle and the Springerdoodle will be a gradual one, and we want to make it clear that we still love the Cavapoo and will continue raising them for as long as we can make it work with our lines by keeping back healthy puppies where we can, but also staying true to our commitment to avoid inbreeding! Although, to be honest, we love where this new adventure is taking us and we feel that after 13 years of raising the Cavapoo to improve the health of the breed while providing a dog that is allergy friendly for those with allergies towards dogs -- really, the Brittanydoodle and Springerdoodle are right up our alley and it just makes sense! We know that you will fall in love with them just as we have!
Our dogs are raised in our home and enjoy a genuine family setting with us and they also spend time with our extended family at various times throughout the year when they are not being bred. We are not a kennel, as our dogs are able to enjoy a family setting while living with us and our extended family members. We feel this is important for the complete socialization of our puppies, and so that all of our dogs receive devoted and undivided love, care, and attention. It is our priority to make sure that all of our dogs' needs are met, and that our dogs live the life of a pampered family pet. Our family life revolves around our dogs, and we enjoy lots of activities with them such as agility, flyball, walking trails, and then, of course, one of the best times includes a good snuggle on the sofa! Some of our breeding dogs may be staying with our extended family at various times throughout the year if they are not being bred, but the parents of any current litter(s) will, of course, always be onsite.
How did we get started?: We have always been "dog people" and have owned dogs all of our lives! We truly would feel incomplete without dogs in our lives -- they are a huge part of our family! Growing up, we always had Border Collie mixes and so the concept of a hybrid is not new to us. We saw how a mixed breed could take the best of two breeds and combine them into a wonderful "super dog". We started to raise a few litters, but even though we loved the Border Collie mixes we knew that we eventually wanted to raise a breed of dog that would be suitable for all family types, and all ages. The Border Collie is a working breed, and although we still own (and love!) a Border Collie mix today to help us on the farm, the breed does not fit that criteria of being suitable for most family types. So, we researched extensively for about a year to find a breed that would be suitable and fell in love with the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel for it's wonderful temperament, spunky nature, and willingness to please. Our first Cavalier, Dulcie, sealed the deal! At the time of Dulcie's arrival as a doll-eyed 8 week old puppy, our Grandparents were living with us, and we were able to watch how this spunky breed of Spaniel could bring such smiles and laughter to them, and we could clearly see how the Cavalier could fit into a multitude of homes and family types. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a breed that is good with children all the way up to seniors!
Alongside our research for the Cavalier we also knew we wanted to create a mix that would be "hypoallergenic" for allergy sufferers since the Cavalier by itself is not allergy friendly. So we researched the Cavapoo hybrid and purchased our first Miniature Poodle, Tobi, who was our main stud muffin for 8 years before retiring in 2018! We have found the Cavapoo to bring the best of both breed qualities to the forefront, allowing the Cavapoo to soar into everybody's hearts with it's undeniable charm! The Cavapoo is a recognized hybrid cross between the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Toy or Miniature Poodle, but at Pleasant Meadows we only have Miniature Poodle studs as the Miniature is known for being far healthier than the Toy! You can visit our Cavapoos 101 page for details on Cavapoo genetics. Poodles are a non-shedding breed and are considered allergy friendly for most people with reactions towards dogs. We chose to breed and mix the Poodle with the Cavalier to create the Cavapoo for it's remarkable intelligence, laid back personality, and their playful, devoted, and loving nature. All 3 breeds are excellent family dogs, and we love being able to share them with you depending on your preference or needs (ie. allergies, or just an incredible friend)! You can also learn more about the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Miniature Poodle, and the Cavapoo on our Breed HISTORY page.
When we started raising the Cavapoo 13 years ago, we were the first breeders in Canada to purposely mix the two breeds together. This has given us an innate and extensive knowledge of the Cavapoo hybrid from raising them and needing to go about everything without an already laid out "blue print" of what the breed should be! The Cavapoo has been around since the 1950's starting out in Australia and filtering over to the UK and then the US over time, but both those countries have approached the Cavapoo differently by adding in multiple breeds like the Cocker Spaniel to make Cockalierpoos (Cocker x Cavalier x Poodle) or the Bichon Frise to make Cavapoochons (Cavapoo x Bichon), and more! Adding in multiple breeds has also been done in the Goldendoodle and Labradoodle -- it is a little known fact that the multi-generational Labradoodle is a mixture of both the English and American Cocker Spaniel X Poodle crosses (i.e. Cockapoos) and two Irish Water Spaniels and Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers were used in some Australian Labradoodle lines -- thus making a complete "dog soup" and still calling the hybrid by it's original name which SHOULD imply a mixture of ONLY TWO breeds. We're not judging how other hybrid breeds are created, but here at Pleasant Meadows, we feel that your puppy's lineage shouldn't be disguised or kept a secret! We raise Cavapoos how we feel they should be -- full disclosure of the breeds in the mix! An example would be that in our transition from the Cavapoo to the Springerdoodle specifically, we do have two Springalier females (Springer Spaniel X Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) and that fact is not hidden -- in fact we are pointing it out as a key highlight because the Springer Spaniel adds genetic diversity and better health to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
Goals and future plans: As responsible breeders, we are always researching and looking for ways to improve. We are proud of the fact that our dogs come from lines that have proven to be exceptionally healthy, and to date, we have not had any life-threatening genetic faults reported in any of our puppies. Specifically in our Cavalier line, we can attribute this to our line originating from a breeder who was raising the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel for over 30 years, conscientiously ensuring that her dogs were never in-bred which has allowed for the gene pool to be as open as possible and to breed away from health issues rather than sealing in problems by breeding related dogs together. This breeder has since retired in 2018 from raising the Cavalier and we have the last of her Cavalier line, which we believe to be among the healthiest in Canada. It remains our goal to breed healthy puppies for the enrichment of your home as a loyal family companion.
We have also taken time in the past few years (2015 to current) researching the possibility of adding a new hybrid mix so we can continue to produce healthy family dogs. Our solution has been to introduce a new hybrid to Canada that has been developed in the UK by a breeder who has mixed the Brittany Spaniel with the Cavalier for improved health. We have been following this hybrid's progress over the last several years to learn as much as we can about it, and we have decided to do the same with the Springer Spaniel mixed with the Cavalier for health and diversity. And we will also mix the Brittany and the Springer with the Poodle for those with allergy sensitivities.
The future is exciting as we plan our next hybrid dogs and it remains our goal to breed healthy puppies for the enrichment of your home as a loyal family companion.
ENSURING REST: Our waiting lists are designed so that each one of our females completely skips over one whole heat cycle to allow rest. Taking into account each female's natural fluctuations of their heat cycles, our females will only be bred ONCE per year or will typically have a minimum of 10-12 months between litters after skipping one cycle.
Our females are not bred past their 6th year, and many retire much earlier, each female is different and needs to be treated accordingly. All breeding is done under veterinarian advice, there are NO exceptions on this matter! We will skip a cycle between litters to allow 10-12 months rest for the well-being of each of our females! It is very important to us that our girls are able to rest and rejuvenate between litters and to simply have time to "be a dog"! And we reserve the right to not breed a particular female even if a litter is planned if we don't feel that a female has COMPLETELY recovered from her previous pregnancy in weight and overall health.
For those who cannot visit Pleasant Meadows, or for anyone simply wanting to see where our puppies are raised -- you can watch our Pleasant Meadows Puppy Room Tour Video which is updated yearly! And there are tons of videos that you can see of our puppies in our home on the Puppy Update Videos page! We also now offer Skype Video Calls for families choosing their puppies at 5-6 weeks of age!
Our Mini horse: Over the years we have had many horses, as it comes with the territory when you live on a farm! We currently have one miniature horse named Iceman -- he is a cheeky little fellow with icy blue eyes!
"A righteous man regards the life of his animal ..."
~ Proverbs 12:10 ~
We believe that God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them -- as told in Genesis. Animals are valued by God Himself and He left the responsibility to man, to rule over all of His creation. Let us be good stewards of that trust, and be kind to all His creatures great and small.
Where did the name
"Pleasant Meadows"
come from?
Our Grandparents were a huge part of our lives and during our founding years in 2009 and beyond to 2016 they immensely enjoyed the puppies we raised while they lived with us on our farm so that we could care for them as they aged and still enable them to have some independence. My Grandfather (who was English through and through) had a dream that our farm was called "Pleasant Meadows" just like the farms and cottages are named over in England in the home of his childhood. He took great pride in tending gardens and making our property the scene of perfection and beauty. It was his complete joy to stay active and take care of our property that bore the name "Pleasant Meadows" as he had dreamed. Our name honours him and the immense influence that our Grandparents had in our lives as they supported our dreams and helped us achieve them! Our Border Collie mix "Meadow" was thus named by my Grandfather to match our name, and he often referred to her endearingly in his later days as "Meadows" like our name. Meadow and our rescue shepherd, Sebastian, were much loved by our grandparents. Below is a photo of Meadow and her companion Sebastian who are now both senior citizens around here -- we cherish every day we have with them. Both still take their "job" seriously as guardians for our horses, although they spend most of their days in our air conditioned/heated garage due to their age. Some day, their torch will be passed on, but for now, our name and their lives are a reminder of our beloved Grandparents.
Summer 2018 Update: Sebastian and Meadow have aged significantly in the last year and are now both unable to protect our horses and our other dogs from dangerous predators! They both have a strong work ethic and loved to "work" well into their old age, and by "work" we mean bark at anything suspicious on our property like a coyote or bear! Sebastian is the eldest, and because he was a rescue, we don't know his exact age but he is well over 10 years old and he now spends most of his time lounging around! Both he and Meadow have earned that right and they are considered retired and "off duty" but you'll still likely hear their thundering barks when you roll up to our home! We hope and pray that we still have some more time left with them in our lives, but we can see that age is catching up to them faster than our hearts can handle!
Winter 2019 Update: Sebastian passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 1st -- we originally had rescued Sebastian 11 years earlier in December, and so the fact that he also left us in December brought back many bittersweet memories of when he was first came into our home! We will always love and dearly miss Sebastian as he was such a huge part of our founding years as Pleasant Meadows! Sebastian is likely walking through beautiful flowered gardens in Heaven with my Grandfather who adored Sebastian for his beauty and bravery!
Winter 2023 Update: Meadow has enjoyed the life of a pampered house pet for the past 5 years, but her guard dog spirit is still very strong and she is often seen watching over our younger generations when they are outside. Meadow is perhaps the heart and soul of Pleasant Meadows being our namesake and we are enjoying every day that we have with Meadow who truly is a guardian angel.