Flanders Kennels has been finding amazing families for our pups since 2016. 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. I am not a perfect breeder. I am limited in what I can do with my dogs, due to physical limitations that I’ve had since birth, and which greatly worsened after 2020. I am also limited monetarily, but I do the best I can do by my dogs and for my rescue, foster, and breeding program, within my means. I am very open, honest, transparent, and committed to every puppy or dog I find a home for and every person I sell to, for the life of that dog (and beyond), and am willing to help anyone who is searching for right Mastiff or Boerboel to fit their needs, even if that means buying a pup from another breeder.
I believe it is my responsibility to maintain and promote the original vision for the two breeds I dearly love: the Mastiff and the Boerboel. My pairing process strives to achieve a smaller, healthier working Mastiff (dogs near 30″ in height at the withers and 130-160lbs), like the type that could commonly be seen in the AKC in the first half of the 1900s and that can be scarcely seen today. The type of Mastiff I breed is one that should be both alert and protective, but also gentle and accepting of the lifestyle their family unit has and the people they wish to include in it. They should be tolerant of other animals, balanced in temperament, healthy, and active, when appropriate. My Boerboel project focuses on the 1980s original SABT size ideals for the breed: dogs around 26″ in height at the withers and 120-140lbs, when kept at a healthy weight. They should have high tolerance for other animals, especially livestock, with the potential of working livestock. My dogs should have appropriate suspicion and confidence, a deep love for their family unit, be biddable, intelligent, trainable, and calm. I also am working hard to help reduce the risk for genetic heart defects, hip and elbow dysplasia; conditions which currently plague this breed.
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 purchase 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 three $1,000 cash donations (the most recent in 2024) and/or thousands of dollars in food donations to Cass County Animal Control, Berrien County Humane Society, Animal Rescue Project of Kalamazoo, and The Humane Society of St. Joseph County, IN. 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!