RidgeBacks of the highland Rim

Our Approach 

The back story is that I was meant to live my life among dogs. My father’s family had been breeding, raising, exhibiting and judging “Bird Dogs” (American Pointers and English Setters) in Tennessee since the mid 1800’s. My mother’s family in Virginia were equally avid dog lovers and hunters. One of the most common subjects at our family table was always “the dogs”. 

Finally, when my life allowed me the time to devote to what I knew would be an all-consuming endeavor, I began the search in earnest for the bitches I hoped would be worthy of being the foundation of a kennel line. In 2009-2011, I selected three bitches  from kennels who I admired and whose lines boasted multiple Register of Merit Dams. Many of the dams and their pedigrees, I had been following for years.  I spent the next five years proving our girls in the conformation ring and on the field.

The next part of the equation was to locate and select sires who would complement and enhance the attributes of our foundation bitches. I was also taught not to simply “pick parts” but to “picture the whole dog” and to look for matches that would strengthen weaknesses without losing the essential and best elements that the bitch already possesses…a tall order where genetics are involved. Enter my husband, Dr. Albert Reynolds, a Cancer Cell Biologist and Geneticist who is a great sounding board. As always, the most important charge was to find sires who, like our dams, met the highest standard in health clearances. We were fortunate to find like-minded breeders and we made wonderful friends along the way. We are honored to have made matches for our dams with six outstanding sires whose genes are rewarding us with amazing results and far sooner that we could have imagined.

We are grateful to each of the conscientious breeders who produced our Brood Bitches and to the generous and thoughtful breeders and owners whose Stud Dogs have contributed so much to the successes that our dams and their puppies are experiencing…we will be forever in your debt.

We wish to thank all our Puppy Owners and  our Handlers, both Owner Handlers and Professional Handlers, whose training and dedication made it possible for our puppies  to realize their individual potential.

I owe the greatest debt to my father and grandfather and to each of the Huntsmen who taught me how to work dogs in open country, how to train scent hounds, how to build a breeding program and  how to care for our hounds. Our kennel, The Ridgebacks of the Highland Rim, the realization of my dream, is their legacy!