When Star Kennels first began, 30 years ago, we were Rough Collie Breeders. They were a wonderful, elegant breed that had captured our hearts and seemed to suit our personalities quite well.

In 1994 we found ourselves suddenly dogless after 26 years. It was our intention to remain that way for awhile – until we happened upon the Portuguese Water Dog, and our soon to be new mentor - Lew Grello - an icon in the PWD community.

Portuguese Water Dogs had been brought back from the brink of extinction only in the last few decades. (In fact, until the 1970s, with the introduction of PWDs to America, there was only one true PWD breeder in the world.)

Portuguese Water Dogs are highly intelligent, active, hard-working, and full of energy & life. They are truly special dogs.

Our journey toward becoming Portuguese Water Dog breeders began when we were “approved” by Lew Grello’s Ch. Penrico’s Partial Eclipse “Morgan”. Sadly, Lew has since passed on, but is fondly remembered by all who knew him, both as a great teacher, and a true dog man. Our first female PWD, Katie, went on to become an American champion with 4 major titles, and gave us three beautiful girls, Polly, Krumpet, and Shaina.

In true PWD owner/breeder tradition, our dogs are not so much sold as they are “gifted” to families. While we do charge a fee for adoption, each new guardian/owner must first be approved, by Socko, as we had been approved by Morgan. Additionally, each new guardian must sign a contract guaranteeing they will feed their dogs by our RAW Diet Guidelines, and train their new puppies at a Positive Reinforcement Dog Training School.

Our mission is to ensure that our dogs are properly cared for and have a long and healthy life – which means that our responsibility does not stop when a puppy goes to a new home. We take a careful interest in their entire life. And to that end we have been involved in Rescue & Relocation for the past few years, helping to ensure that all PWDs (not just our own) have a healthy & happy life.

When you are entrusted with this incredible responsibility, you must be truly careful with every aspect of their care and upbringing.

Last year, we took on a new responsibility and expanded our mission of helping ancient breeds, with the addition of another noble breed – the Lagotto Romagnolo. Lagottos (or Lagotti) are thought to be the ancestor of all water retrievers and have existed as a distinct type since 7th century B.C. (Etruscan times).