Rocky Mountain Leos

04/18/2026

Puppy update:

Unfortunately, our spring litter did not happen this year. We will not be expecting puppies this summer. I am sorry for any disappointment that causes, but the timing just didn’t work out in the best interest of our whole pack.

We will be breeding Aurora for the second and final time this fall/winter depending on when she comes into season.

Thankfully this gives us time to work on more suffix titles with her and enjoy the summer in sports with her and Denver.

Just for a disclaimer, we don’t breed for fun or unethically at Rocky Mountain Leos so we don’t have puppies available often. Our dam, Aurora, is fully health tested and cleared through the OFA and has been proven in structure through a Grand Championship by the American Kennel Club. All of our puppies are raised with ENS and puppy culture protocol.

I’m happy to answer any questions about this!

Thank you for your patience and understanding in our breeding delay.

04/05/2026

For a show that we didn’t think we were going to be able to make it to, I am blown away!

4/4/2026: under the most fabulous judge, Mrs Wendy G Willhauck, Denver received her first points in conformation by achieving a Winners Bitch win!!! Not only that, Aurora advanced to the Owner Handled group AND Aurora and Denver took a Breed Brace win and advanced to Group Brace!

At Groups Aurora and Denver took Group 1 placement for working dog Brace under judge Dr Terill S Udenberg. Today was the first time we have ever advanced to Best of Show and it was incredible! (Even if I did have a slight meltdown at one point. I was beyond overwhelmed, but it was such a great day)

I am so proud of my girls! The most incredible puppies in the world in my completely bias opinion!

*please forgive the lackluster photography!

04/04/2026

I am so in love with this dog! I am also so proud of her that it is hard to handle! My soul dog 2.0.

Aurora Dee aka GCH CH LLONDEL DUN DUNN DUNNN CGCA

My first show dog. My first sport dog (titles still evade us there 😝). My first intentional mama. My first ethically bred dog and ethical breeding dog! She is everything an Olympian dog should be. My best friend in the whole world.

I have felt like I hit the jackpot with her from day one. Now, nearly 5 years later that jackpot is definite. She is everything!

**as an update on our second and last litter from Aurora. It has been postponed until her fall/winter season due to Aspen’s emergency and my failure to pick a perfect stud in time. I do have a couple boys in mind, but I need to talk to their parents more, make sure the match is perfect and solidify things. I’m sorry to disappoint anyone looking forward to a spring/summer litter. We have to make sure we are prepared and we were not prepared for her spring heat cycle. Sometimes ethical breeding has disappointments, but the best interest of all of our dogs is always considered. Thank you for your patience!

03/23/2026

Our Aspen had the scariest of the emergencies yesterday. Her stomach bloated and twisted. She went from her normal happy self to shock within an hour.

It took some time to stabilize her enough for surgery, but she is a legend and sailed through like the stubborn princess she has always been! 🥹

She was still in the ICU as of her morning update but she was doing pretty well overall. If we are all lucky we will be able to bring her home tonight!

Unfortunately this emergency happened at the same time as Aurora’s spring heat, so we are putting off breeding again until this fall to focus on Aspen’s healing.

03/05/2026

Heartbreak foster.

This little one was also born in rescue. Her human foster mom was not equipped or confident in tube feeding so she came to me.

She fought like hell, but she ultimately failed to thrive and passed at 7 days old. We called her Bree. Now we honor her every year at Christmas. She has a permanent and precious place as our forever loved fosters.

03/03/2026

I would like to do a foster series for you all.

Rocky Mountain Leos got their start in animal rescue, specifically with pregnant and medically fragile animals.

With that said, whelping in a foster setting is unethical to its core. I didn’t know then, but by the time we opened our own rescue, spay abort was the path for pregnant animals, aside from one dog that was too sick to spay.

This series will go over some of our hardest, most heartbreaking and biggest triumph cases.

I am starting with Triumph!

Meet Crom, the kitten that was born to us with his legs on backwards.

We did an ortho consult on him immediately after birth, and it was recommended to euthanize him.

He was not in pain though, so I researched instead and found that physiotherapy had helped neonates just like him. Puppies and kittens are mostly cartilage at birth so I started massaging and wrapping his little legs. By 3 weeks old, his legs were holding steady in a straight position and by 8 weeks old you would have never known his life started in such a traumatic fashion.

My brother fell in love with him and his story and was all go on adopting him when he was old enough, no matter his potential needs. Thankfully he is a happy, fiesty cat now with no lingering issues.

My brother passed unexpectedly last year, but Crom has become a precious source of comfort to all of us.

I’m so thankful for this little, tailless kitty.

02/24/2026

Colorado State University reached out to us about an exciting new limb sparing surgery they are pioneering for treatment of Osteosarcoma in giant breed dogs.

Osteosarcoma is always a risk in large and giant breed dogs, but this seems like a wonderful advancement for the integrity of our giants lives.

Here is the information directly from CSU if you may be interested.

This Limb Spare Surgery for Dogs clinical trial evaluates the use of a personalized 3D-printed implant in dogs with osteosarcoma.

01/30/2026

RML Here Comes the Sun, call name Denver.

Our first bred-by and she is wonderful. For the pairing for Denver’s liter we wanted to add more bone and coat to our line, with good temperament and longevity being the cornerstone of our program. I am thankful the hope with this litter came to be. All babies are beautiful and so sweet!

We are so proud of this little big one!

01/18/2026

You can hear the culprits in the background.

This coming week’s theme will be Chaos!

01/17/2026

Denver and Mamba, our 2 girl puppies, have been spending some time together this week. They are having a blast.

I am posting this for another reason though. Littermates may seem cute to raise up together, but it is actually chaos. The only way it isn’t chaos is to raise them separately, and that is no fun for anyone that wants to bond tightly to their puppy.

In extreme cases with littermates you can see aggression and fear and that is a recipe for disaster.

It’s just better to love and raise one at a time.

01/13/2026

Political statements haven’t really been my thing here at Rocky Mountain Leos, but this is on my heart and I am this businesses owner so here we go.

I do not tolerate violence, hate or intimidation. I never have.

I have a precious charge in my care for your animals. One that requires love, compassion, attention and understanding. That flows into all aspects of my life.

With that said I will not be serving any pet parents that strive to hurt and/or oppress others. My puppies will not be placed in your homes either.

I’m sure you can find other establishments and breeders that will better fit your needs.

Thank you for your time in this matter,
Michelle, owner and CEO of Rocky Mountain Leos