Our Story
It all started with a Chihuahua named Scrappy.
Scrappy was our family dog when I was growing up in the early 1960s. We were kids together, really.
Dogs were treated differently then. They were loved, certainly, but they weren’t always included in family life the way so many of us include them today. My parents were no different. Even as a child, though, I remember feeling uncomfortable when Scrappy was left out of family activities or sleeping spaces.
I think I knew even then that animals belonged with us.
Years later, my husband, Larry, introduced me to Boxers. Our first was Katie, and she became the love of my life. After Katie, our home became something of a revolving door of Boxers, each deeply loved and each, it seemed, gone far too soon.
And then came Luna.
The little dog who changed everything
When I needed a comfort companion, my doctor suggested that I consider a Havanese.
I found Luna, and there went my heart.
That was ten years ago. Luna has been my constant companion ever since. She’s funny, intuitive, affectionate, occasionally opinionated, and rarely very far from my side.
More recently, Stella joined our family. She’s a Havanese too, and Luna couldn’t be happier to have a partner in crime. The two of them keep us laughing and very much on our toes.
Our family also includes Pookie and Boo, our black brother-and-sister cats, who would undoubtedly object to being referred to as anything less than full members of the household.
We all make our home in Baker City, Oregon, where animals aren’t an addition to our family.
They’re family.
Why Love, by Breed™
I’ve always found animals easier to understand than people. They communicate differently, but there is an honesty to them I’ve loved for as long as I can remember.
And I’ve also learned that people don’t simply love dogs. We fall hopelessly in love with our breeds.
Boxer people understand Boxer people. Havanese people recognize that Havanese look from across the room. Labrador people can tell you exactly why life is better with a Lab.
Every breed has its quirks, its personality, its people, and its stories.
Love, by Breed™ was created to celebrate all of that.
I’ve been a business owner and serial entrepreneur for more than 15 years, but this business brings together things I especially love: animals, creativity, humor, storytelling, and the joy of making something other animal lovers immediately recognize as theirs.
Designed from a real love of animals
The ideas behind our designs begin with me.
Sometimes they start with photographs of real animals. Sometimes they begin with something one of my own animals does that makes me laugh. And sometimes an idea simply appears in my imagination and refuses to leave until I’ve turned it into something tangible.
Whatever the inspiration, I conceptualize each design with one goal:
To capture a little bit of what makes loving that particular animal so special.
Because whether your heart belongs to a Labrador, a Havanese, a Boxer, a Dachshund, a cat, a chicken, or something else entirely, I believe the animals we share our lives with leave their mark on us.
And that’s something worth celebrating.
Welcome to Love, by Breed™.
Made for the animals we love, and the people who understand why. 🐾