I did months of research across the country looking for the perfect breeder for where my mom’s new German Shepard puppy would come from. My mom had just lost her longtime German Shepard companion, Riker, and it was just too tough for her to jump into the search immediately, as it can be a bit overwhelming. I knew I had my work cut out for me because she was previously the director of an animal shelter for 20 years. She knows her stuff to say the least and I wanted to give her some good options to choose from. I know from experience that the most important thing you can do in choosing your next dog is choosing the right breeder. I was very pleasantly surprised when all my research, calls, questions, and recommendations led me to Happy Valley Kennel, which is local to us! Trust me, I was prepared to drive to CA if necessary. If I lived in CA, I would’ve driven here in a heartbeat for the amazing puppy we ended up with.
Krista was extremely helpful and honest in answering all of our questions. She is full of knowledge and it’s very obvious she loves what she does and takes pride in her work. Her passion and professionalism was very impressive. Just the person we were looking for! I got to meet her and her family personally. We couldn’t have dreamed of a better environment for our puppy to be raised in during those super important first few weeks of life.
I’m not a “review writer” but from the experience we had with Krista and Happy Valley, I was inspired to share our experience with everyone! If you’re reading this and trying to decide which breeder to go with, let me save you months of research and time - the answer is Happy Valley Kennel! Take my advice and you will be the next one writing this review!
We live in Wisconsin, about a year ago; we started looking for a reputable German shepherd breeder around us. We were not satisfied with the ones we came across, so we decided to expand our search. We finally came across Happy Valley Kennel at Bell Buckle, Tennessee. After perusing their website, reviews, we decided to call. We spoke with the owner, Krista Wade. We were wowed by her professionalism, knowledge and passion for what she does. We were on the phone for at least 45 minutes discussing/questioning what we expect from the Shepherd- companion, protection, service dog, etc. The information was very educational for us as she will use this information to determine the best puppy to meet our needs. We were so interested that we decided to take 1,540 miles round trip to Bell Buckle Tennessee to see her operation. When we arrived there, we were sold just by the conditions of the environment- cute puppies playing (being socialized) and also adult dogs having great time. We were very impressed especially when Krista Wade, the owner called the adult dogs by their names and they responded without hesitation – good training quality. I can keep going on and on, but I’ll make it short but to the points. We loved the operation, so we decided to get on her waiting list.
From the time we met with Krista, we kept in touch through texts, etc. We trusted her so much that we did not even offer her a deposit as required; we wrote a check for the full amount- that how much we trusted her and her operation.
She kept us posted from conception to the delivery of the puppies with daily pictures- priceless. During our waiting period, she kept us updated with their progress – growth, etc.
She prepared “Starter Kit” with everything needed to start new life with the puppy. Finally, the day came to go and pick up our puppy, when we arrived there; she had everything ready and waiting for us. She spent several hours educating us – crate training, feeding schedule, health care and any related puppy education. We could tell the puppy (7 weeks old) was adequately socialized, because, the puppy was not afraid of any of us, he actually ran after us and when we picked him up, he started licking my face- another Kodak moment.
