Miraval PWDs

Involved in PWDs since 1994

Sara (on the left) was born in 1994 and Aramis was born in 1995. This picture is at a dog show in Riverside CA in late 1995.

I saw my first PWD in 1994

I saw my first PWD in an obedience class I was taking with my then partner’s Basset Hound. She seemed to communicate telepathically with her owner, and I was smitten.

At the time there was a two-year wait to get a PWD, but with the help of a friend I found out about a litter with puppies available and it was just a few months later that I drove from Palm Springs to Washington to pick up Sara (Baerbach Sierra Crest, CD)

In 1995 I got Aramis (CH Roseknoll A Crest of Sunrider, AX, AXJ competed in obedience, agility, water work and showed in the conformation ring.

I got involved in the Portuguese Water Dog Club of Southern California, and the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America.

In 1995 I attended a PWDCA water trial in Northern California. This was one of the earliest trials. The water committee had developed an equipment list but getting everything was like going on a scavenger hunt. That led to the founding of 4myDogs to provide equipment for performance dogs and their friends.

A few years later 4myPWDs was spun off to concentrate on not only water equipment but grooming tools, training gear and gifts. In 2009 Annie Herberholz took over 4myPWDs and has become everyone’s favorite PWD resource.

Since getting my first PWD about 30 years ago I have been very involved in the PWD Community. During those years some of the high points have been…

1995 I got Aramis,(the sire of the 2014 litter) and started showing him in the conformation ring. In 1996 at the age of 14 months, I handled him to his Championship, and he became CH Roseknoll A Crest of Sunrider.
1996 I founded 4myDogs, which has since become 4myPWDs.com. It was the first online store to sell equipment and gifts for PWDs.
In 1997 Aramis won High-in-Trial Agility at the PWDCA Specialty.
In 1998 I got Dora, Ch Mariner Faladora do Miraval and in 2002 I bred my first litter.
That litter produced Pixel, CH Miraval’s Picture Perfect who won Winners Bitch (by beating nearly 200 other bitches) and an Award of Merit at the 2005 PWDCA National Specialty.
In 2005 I was elected to the Board of Directors of the PWDCA and served as Treasurer for a year. Over the years I have also been a member and served on the BOD of the SCPWDC (Southern California Portuguese Water Dog Club) and the USSPWDC (United Sunshine States Portuguese Water Dog Club.)

Since 2007 I have been working with my dogs and been busy with my “real” business (helping small businesses develop an online presence.) Despite having bred relatively few litters, I’m proud that Miraval has qualified for the PWDCA (Portuguese Water Dog Club of America) Breeder of the Year awards in 2007, 2009, and 2016. This award recognizes Kennels that are producing outstanding dogs and demonstrating the versatility that PWDs are known for.