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Northwest Lagotto · Lynden, Washington
Meet the Breeder
A passion for the breed, a commitment to the families we serve, and a standard we refuse to compromise.
Northwest Lagotto · Lynden, Washington
A passion for the breed, a commitment to the families we serve, and a standard we refuse to compromise.
The Person Behind the Program
Dogs have been part of my life since I was young. I bred them before I started a family, and through twenty years of raising four kids on 10 acres outside Lynden, Washington, that pull never really went away. I always knew that when the time was right, the dogs would come back.
What drew me to the Lagotto Romagnolo specifically wasn't a single thing — it was an accumulation. Their quiet confidence. The easy, casual way they accept the world around them. Their loyalty that doesn't feel needy, and their love of play that never seems to fade. And then there was the truffle connection. I've had a long personal interest in truffles, and the Pacific Northwest — with its native truffle forests practically in our backyard — felt like exactly the right place to raise a breed whose greatest gift is its nose.
Home
Mocha, home from Italy. The dog that started everything — on the property where it all happens.
I didn't rush into breeding. I spent two years reading, researching, watching show rings, studying pedigrees and bloodlines, and speaking with established Lagotto breeders across Europe, Australia, and North America before I ever planned a litter. I wanted to understand not just what the breed looked like, but what it was — what made a Lagotto truly exceptional from the inside out. That process shaped everything about how I approach this work today.
We are located in Lynden, Washington — a short drive from the Canadian border, less than two hours north of Seattle, and surrounded by the farmland and natural beauty that our Lagotto love as much as we do.
How We Work
We don't breed speculatively. Every litter we plan already has families waiting. That means our entire focus during those first eight weeks is on the puppies — not on finding homes for them. The families benefit. The puppies benefit. Everyone benefits.
All breeding adults are CHIC certified and carry current OFA, CERF, and DNA results — publicly listed on ofa.org. We select pairings that strengthen genetics, temperament, and conformation — even when that means travelling far to find the right match. There are no shortcuts.
We place puppies with families we've taken the time to know. We ask real questions because we want real answers. We've turned down deposits and we'd do it again — because the right placement matters more than a quick transaction.
When you bring home a Northwest Lagotto puppy, you get my phone number. Families call and text with questions for years after pickup — and I wouldn't have it any other way. That continuity is part of what we offer, and it's not negotiable.
We entrust our exceptional companions only to families who share our commitment to OFA-certified hips, CERF-clear eyes, and LSD/BFJE-clear genetics — publicly listed at ofa.org.
Our foundation imports come from FCI-titled kennels in Bastia Umbra, Italy — verified by international judges, the same bloodlines that rebuilt this breed from near-extinction in the 1980s.
With only a handful of exceptional companions entrusted each year, every placement is a personal decision. We have turned down deposits — and we would do it again.
From Birth
We follow the Puppy Culture protocol — not as a marketing point, but because we've seen what it produces. The difference is visible at the vet's office, on the first car ride, in the first week in a new home.
Beginning on day three of life, each puppy receives Early Neurological Stimulation — a structured series of gentle exercises that build stress tolerance, resilience, and adaptability. This is not optional and it is not delegated.
Each developmental window is tracked and used. Sounds, surfaces, people, experiences — introduced systematically and positively. By the time a puppy leaves us, the world is not alarming to them. It is interesting. Learn more about our Puppy Culture protocol.
Our puppies are not raised in a kennel or a barn. They are raised in the house — in the noise and rhythm of a real family. They learn what a dishwasher sounds like, what a toddler smells like, what a normal day feels like. That preparation is irreplaceable.
Every breeding program has a foundation. Ours is Mocha.
IGDM Yelina Salas came to us directly from the kennel of Monica Benelli — Il Granaio Dei Malatesta — one of the most decorated Lagotto kennels in the world. She arrived after a debut on the European show circuit that, in five months of competition, produced one of the most complete records any Lagotto from the Pacific Northwest has ever compiled.
She opened her campaign in October 2018 at the Italian Specialty in Bastia Umbra — the most competitive domestic Lagotto event in the world. On day one she placed 5th from a field of 56 Lagotto, winning CAC and CACIB. She came back the following day and won Best of Sex from 34 of the finest Lagotto in Italy.
Two weeks later she crossed into Slovenia and won Best of Breed on two consecutive days — November 10th and 11th. Then, on November 16th, still early in her debut season, at an all-breed FCI international show in Italy broadcast on national television, she won Best of Breed and then went into the Group ring and placed Third in Group — beating the champions of every working breed at that show on that day.
In January 2019 she competed at the Lugo di Romagna Specialty — the breed's own heartland, the most historically significant show a Lagotto can enter. Under three different judges over three consecutive days, she placed 3rd from 37 Lagotto, then 2nd from 17, then 2nd again. Handled throughout by Artur Bullari, with Monica Benelli and Marco Damiani present, it was a performance that confirmed what the earlier results had already suggested.
She closed her European campaign in February 2019 at two international shows in Arezzo, Italy — winning 1 ECC, CAC, CACIB, and Best of Breed on both days, out of fields of 12 and 19. Then she came home.
Mocha is retired and lives with us still. She is the reason this program exists, and the standard by which everything we do is measured.
Cannella came to us from Il Granaio Dei Malatesta in early 2020, already a proven dam. Her Italian litters had produced puppies who went on to become Italian Champions. She was being actively shown in Italy by handler Artur Bullari — the same handler who guided Mocha — winning Best of Breed, Best of Sex, CAC and CACIB titles as she debuted on the circuit. She qualified for the World Dog Show. She went on to finish her Italian Championship.
She had been invited to both Crufts and the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The timing of her season led us to prioritize her first Northwest Lagotto litter instead — a decision that was validated almost immediately.
That result told us exactly what we had built.
Calm, patient, and deeply affectionate. Ginger's steady temperament comes through clearly in the litters she produces, and her combination with Mousse has been one of the most consistent pairings in our program. She has recently whelped another litter — four girls and two boys, all thriving.
White with brown spots, confident, and gentle with everyone he meets. Mousse is the sire behind several of our most recent litters. His conformation and temperament are consistently impressive and we believe he has what it takes to perform at the breed level — a debut in the show ring is something we are actively considering.
Imported in 2020 from Anna Peterson’s Regun Kennel in Sweden, Kiko is Mousse’s mother and the newest addition to our active breeding program. Petite at 26 pounds with a gorgeous brown coat of extremely tight curls, excellent movement, and a temperament that is easy going, friendly, adaptive, and intelligent. She has completed her health testing and officially entered our breeding program. Read her full profile →
If what you've read here resonates with you — if you're looking for a breeder who takes all of this as seriously as you do — we'd love to hear from you.
With only a handful of exceptional companions placed each year, the next step is simple: tell us a little about your family and what you're hoping for, and we'll take it from there.