After losing our much-loved Great Dane "Maggie" we began the quest for another dog that would fit into our lifestyle. We knew that we wanted either a sporting or working dog and researched breeds that met our criteria. We were looking for a loyal, even tempered, unique, kid friendly, cold weather tolerant, athletic, short coated, non-slobbering dog!

One day while watching Animal Planets “Breed All About It” the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog was profiled. After seeing that segment we read everything we could find on Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs and realized that we wanted a “Swissie” in our home.

In 1998 when we began looking for a puppy, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog puppies were hard to find, ironically we located Joan and Herb Gloor breeders in our small mountain community of Mariposa, California. We acquired our first Greater Swiss Mountain Dog "Greta" from the Gloors. Greta was sold as a “pet quality” puppy as we had no intentions of showing dogs.

Greta and I began taking obedience classes with our local dog-training club and we quickly realized what a talented and versatile dog she was. Before long we were traveling around the country competing together and earning points in weight pulling and titles in carting and herding competitions.

Greta ultimately earned her AKC Championship Title and although she is a very talented and athletic dog, she has a few conformation faults so we chose not to breed her. With an AKC Versatility title as our goal, we are currently training for our Companion Dog Title.

Greta has exceeded every expatiation that we had when we began searching for a new dog and will always be the leader of the pack.

Because of her we began the journey that has taken us to where we are today. Whispering Pine Kennels honors the standards of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Club of America and is dedicated to preserving the integrity of this great breed.

We hope that you enjoy your visit, come back often and see where this journey takes us.

Toni & Lyle Killpatrick

More about Toni >>