Flanders Kennels began as an experiment in 2016. I have owned and handled northern Spitz breeds since the late 1990s, and I finally got what I felt was a really good stud dog in 2012 and wanted to pass on his genetics to further enhance the Alaskan Malamute breed. A breed I was very passionate about, since I adopted my first dog from a nearby animal shelter in 1999. After thorough health testing, I decided he was ready to stud out, and I tried with a couple of females within a couple of hours driving distance away, but did not have much luck. I decided if I wanted this to happen, I was going to have to find my own quality female, and that’s what I did in 2015, and she produced three beautiful litters with my boy.
My breeding pair of Alaskan Malamutes are now retired from breeding and living the good life. Overall, I would say my first trial at professional breeding was a success. A little bit of hardship and a little bit of heartache, but definitely worth the while, and the pups my pair threw are a wonderful example of how the breed should be. After I retired them, I thought about maybe ending the adventure there, but a year later and I got puppy fever all over again…to the point where I decided this may be something I want to continue doing for a long time. I feel if you can do something the right way and be pretty decent at it, why not share your passion with others? The one thing that changed for me though in the past half decade or so is the breeds I am passionate about.
I got my first Mastiff in late 2012, shortly after my first dog (the Alaskan Malamute mix) passed away. At first, I did not know if this was the breed for me. Mastiffs are so clumsy and goofy, gassy, drooly, snorey…just a whole different personality from what I had been used to handling: Alaskan Malamutes, Siberian Huskies, Akita Inus, and so forth. Time forged on though, and I began to realize that the Mastiff was exactly the type of dog I needed in my life, and one my lifestyle was well-suited to handle. Mastiffs are so loyal and loving; clingy velcro dogs that want nothing more than to give you endless slobbery kisses and cuddle with you at night. A dog that sheds much less, sleeps way more (thus gets into less trouble), and is intelligent, but trainable intelligent. A contrast to the Alaskan Malamute, which sometimes has its own agenda when its mind is focused on something. My first Mastiff, Orion, was a 10 month old pup when I adopted him; not a well-bred dog at all, but he was perfect for me, and he made me completely fall in love with the breed.
A couple of years into my relationship with Orion, I began to wonder which other Molosser breeds might be a good fit for me, so I began to research the wide variety of dogs in this family worldwide. After probably a good year of research, I decided the Boerboel was probably a good fit for me, and so, in 2017, I acquired my first Boerboel; an awesome boy that goes by the call name, Onyx. It wasn’t long after taking on this new challenge that I came to the conclusion, this breed also fits my tastes and lifestyle well, and it was very apparent as Onyx aged that he too would be a quality stud, just like my Alaskan Malamute boy, and I decided when I had the proper means, I would look to get him a suitable female companion or stud him out. I ultimately chose the former option and acquired my first female Boerboel, from Magni Boerboels, in 2019.
Sadly, Orion passed away before he reached his 7th birthday (complications from congestive heart failure). It took several months, but I did decide to start looking for another male Mastiff, but one of better breeding stock, so in 2019, I acquired my boy Draco, and I believe he will make a fine stud. About a month later, I found a wonderful female counterpart for him, that already had all of her pre-breeding work done and champion bloodlines. I named her Carina, and she was a wonderful addition to my pack and just an absolute sweetheart. Heartbreakingly, she developed bloat overnight, in early March 2020, while pregnant with her first litter. I got her to the vet immediately, but they were unable to save her life, as her stomach had already flipped and twisted. This was a crushing blow to me, personally, and to my breeding program. It took a couple of months to find a new girl that I felt would complement Draco well, after losing Carina, but I finally brought her home in late May 2020. I named her Halley and she just had her first litter of pups in May 2022; two gorgeous boys that are named Stanley and Martok.
I am a breeder who firmly believes that only quality dogs should be bred: a male and female that complement each other’s flaws well, are of sound health, structure, and possess human-friendly temperaments with a desire to do work. It is not my goal to produce pups to be used for protection purposes solely, but they should be watchful of their family unit and livestock. My dogs are quite literally my life, and I want them to enrich the lives of others the way they have enriched my life. I select dogs who have good dispositions not only with family members, but also strangers, and that have a temperament geared towards farmstead work. My foundation dogs may not be the best out there, but they are certainly upper tier, and I have a strong commitment to continuous improvement over generations.
Flanders Kennels’ goal is to operate as a zero profit breeder, putting all proceeds made from breeding back into the dogs that are bred, the rescue, foster, and retired dogs I take care of, and donating any surplus back to local animal shelters and animal welfare groups. Price to adopt puppies is very modest in comparison to other breeders who operate as a supplemental income source. When you adopt a pup from me, know that you are supporting good breeding practices and an individual who has dedicated a large amount of his free time towards helping the giant breeds of dogs that he loves! Since 2012, directly or in conjunction with my work partners, I have made two $1,000 cash donations and thousands of dollars in food donations to Berrien County Humane Society, Animal Rescue Project of Kalamazoo, The Humane Society of St. Joseph County, IN, and continue to support the Cass County Animal Control (and hope to do so in a much bigger way in the future). In the past five years, I have spent over $50,000 on the dogs I currently own and have made back about $5,000 through the sale of puppies. I do this because I love dogs and I want to make a difference in their lives, not because I am out to make a bunch of money. Dogs enrich my life in ways people never can. Thank you for supporting me, my canine companions, and the countless other dogs out there that I love!