Lewis & Clark Therapy Service Dogs

08/02/2026

Service dogs rock!

07/28/2026

Who in your breeding program is qualified to read this x-ray? What are you personally doing with nonprofits and the organizations that study this dog breed? … these are two additional questions as an animal behaviorist that I would add.

Crown & Collar Institute
Lewis & Clark Service Dog Organization
Ruff Ruff Ranch & Spa
Bunny Loving Tree Hugger
Gemstone Bulldogges of the Midwest
Linda Athena Charity Knowles

🔥 UNCENSORED OPINION TIME.

If you’re looking for a puppy, there are questions you SHOULD be asking your breeder… and for some reason, they’re usually the questions people forget to ask.

Everyone remembers:

“What colors do you have?”
“How much are they?”
“Male or female?”
“When can they come home?”

But what about the questions that actually tell you who you’re buying a puppy from?

Ask me:

Can I see the actual health testing results on BOTH parents?
Not “they’re health tested.” Show me the results.

Why did you choose these two dogs to breed together?
What does each dog bring to the pairing? What are you trying to preserve, improve or correct?

What health problems exist in your bloodlines?
Because there is no such thing as a perfect bloodline. I have a lot more respect for a breeder who knows their weaknesses than one who pretends they don't exist.

What happens if my puppy develops a serious genetic condition?
What does your health guarantee actually say—and will you still answer the phone?

How are these puppies being raised?
And I don't just mean, “Are they raised in your house?”

What are you actually DOING with them?

How are you preparing them for crates, potty training, handling, grooming, different surfaces, sounds, frustration, separation, problem solving and the real world?

Do you temperament test your puppies?
And even more importantly—do those results actually matter when deciding which puppy goes to which family?

Why do your puppies go home at the age they do?
There should be more thought behind that decision than “because they're old enough.”

What happens after I take my puppy home?

Can I text you when my puppy won't sleep?

When they're biting my kids?

When they're six months old and suddenly acting like they've forgotten everything they learned?

What about when they're 5 years old and something happens and I need help?

And here's one I REALLY wish more people would ask:

What happens to your breeding dogs when they're done making puppies?

Where do they go?

What does retirement look like?

Were they loved as family members before they were breeding dogs—and will they still be loved when they can no longer produce anything for the program?

And maybe my favorite question of all:

Would you still breed this dog if nobody cared what color it was?

Because THAT will tell you a whole lot.

Pretty puppies are easy to sell.

Producing dogs with health, temperament and structure, intentionally raising them during some of the most important developmental weeks of their lives, making difficult breeding decisions, and then standing behind what you produced for the rest of that dog's life...

That's the stuff you should be interviewing your breeder about.

Don't be afraid to ask hard questions.

A good breeder shouldn't be offended that you're asking.
They should be excited that you care enough to ask. 💎

Now I want to hear it—

BREEDERS: What's the question you wish puppy buyers would ask you more often?

PUPPY OWNERS: What's something you wish you'd known to ask before buying your first puppy?

Pictured here are Gemstones' Luna's hips x-ray. These are her PennHip X-rays and score.

07/27/2026

💎 Wear the Mission. Change a Life.
I'm so excited to officially share the Gemstone Bulldogges Merchandise Collection! 🐾
This isn't just apparel.
Every shirt, hoodie, hat, and Little Gem™ kids item helps support something much bigger than clothing.
100% of the proceeds go toward helping fund our local nonprofit, Lewis & Clark Service Dogs, whose mission is to develop and place highly trained service dogs that change lives.
When you wear Gemstone, you're helping us:
🐶 Support future service dogs.
❤️ Invest in healthier dogs and stronger families.
🌎 Build a community that believes dogs can truly make the world a better place.
From our Founder Collection to our new Little Gem™ infant and toddler line, every purchase helps move that mission forward.
Thank you for believing in what we're building. Every order, every share, and every conversation helps us get one step closer.
🛍️ Shop the collection here⤵️🔗
https://the-ranch-store-shop.fourthwall.com/
If you grab something, post a picture in the comments! I'd love to see our Gemstone family representing the mission from all over the country. 💎🐾❤️
* More designs will be uploaded for the collections so keep coming back!
🐾 We have something extra special for our Gemstone families ❤️

Lewis & Clark Service Dog Organization
Lewis & Clark Therapy Service Dogs
Dogs NU

07/27/2026

This is how a Service Dog interaction should go. Awesome job Disneyland! Please forward this because...the more you know…

07/27/2026

Look at this baby! how could you not just love, love, love then love some more.

🐾 5️⃣ WEEKS OLD TODAY!

And Week 5️⃣ is going to be a FUN one. 🤎

The puppies are officially entering the stage where their curiosity is really starting to take over. Their little brains are soaking up EVERYTHING, so this week we're adding new experiences while still keeping everything short, positive and puppy-led.

This week's adventures include:

👃 Scent trails + new animal scents — including rabbit ears
🧠 Their first puppy puzzles and simple problem-solving activities
💦 More water sensory work and different wet/dry surfaces
🐾 Movement, balance & coordination with wheels, ramps and obstacles
🌿 New smells, textures and things to investigate

🧘‍♀️ PUPPY YOGA this weekend! New people, sounds, smells, handling and LOTS of socialization
😴 And just as importantly... plenty of recovery, cuddles and sleep.

At 5️⃣ weeks, we're not looking for perfection. We're watching them explore, make choices, problem solve, recover and build confidence.

Every day this week we're introducing something different—and I'll be sharing it as we go so you can see WHY we do it and what we're watching for in the puppies.

Follow along each day because Week 5️⃣ starts NOW. 🐾🤎

Tiny puppies. Big little brains. A whole lot of learning ahead. 🥹

Ruff Ruff Ranch & Spa
Linda Athena Charity Knowles
Lewis & Clark Therapy Service Dogs

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06/26/2026

Yankton friends — would you love to do yoga with puppies or help socialize future service and therapy dogs?

We are getting ready to begin Puppy Yoga and fun puppy social outings in the Yankton area.

Right now, these classes and activities will feature Shih Tzu puppies and Olde English Bulldogge puppies.

Activities may include:

Puppy Yoga
Puppy playtime at the local park
Supervised social outings, such as Tractor Supply and other community-friendly places

This is a fun opportunity to spend time with adorable puppies while also helping them build confidence, social skills, and positive real-world experiences.

These puppies are part of our service, therapy, facility, and companion-development pathways through Gemstone Bulldogges, Ruff Ruff Ranch, and Lewis & Clark Therapy/Service Dogs.

This is not a puppy sales post.
The puppies are already being raised for specific purposes and homes. This opportunity is about puppy yoga, socialization, training exposure, and nonprofit volunteer participation.

People who help with approved puppy outings may be able to receive nonprofit volunteer credit for their time.

If you are interested in attending puppy yoga, helping with puppy social outings, or volunteering during puppy play-and-train activities, please message me directly.

South Dakota & Iowa
Gemstone Bulldogges • Ruff Ruff Ranch • Lewis & Clark Therapy/Service Dogs

, , , Crown & Collar Institute, Lewis & Clark Service Dog Organization Lewis and Clark Canine Wellness
Bunny Loving Tree Hugger
Ruff Ruff Ranch & Spa
Gemstone Bulldogges of the Midwest
Linda Athena Charity Knowles
Lewis & Clark Therapy Service Dogs

06/23/2026

https://crowncollar.lovable.app

Hi ya’ll! I wanted to let you guys know that Crown & Collar Institute™ is now available for elite breeders who would like to create their own recognition listings and backlinks. The nice thing about this set up is that good breeders will be able to constantly set up and reset up back links through an ongoing basis assuming they meet any award parameters. When you look at the link, you’ll see that not only are their ways to qualify through your breeding and kennel program but through your family , children, personal philanthropy, your local police department, your church, etc… One of the things that we wanted to make sure we did as a group was to reward people that are doing this the right way. (You can also opt to receive a physical award at a ceremony or just an AI created award. It’s your choice. The first award ceremony will be happening in July and continue to happen several times a year going forward. Right now based on my recommendation, they are letting this group in to the program for free.) It’s pretty exciting.

This is something you as breeders can set up yourselves, and you’ll be able to see exactly where each backlink will be located. Every dog, breeding pair, award category, breeder recognition, and program category can create a separate listing/backlink, which helps build a stronger online presence connected to your dogs, your program, and your achievements. Additionally, you can apply to write on the blog and have back links from that as well in the learning library.

Anyone can begin building their Crown & Collar presence, but the highest-value listings are especially helpful for breeders who want their dogs, pairings, health testing, recognition, and program standards organized in one professional place.

Crown & Collar Institute™ is designed to help serious breeders show the quality, care, testing, and development behind their programs while creating clear public-facing links they can share from their website, page, puppy pages, or breeder profiles.

P.S. Just a Side note: For those of you who are interested in being connected with a university or college for service dog, therapy dog, facility dog, or breed specific health advancement opportunities, you will need to apply through the nonprofit pathway first.

There is an approval process before any nonprofit partner program details, or university-related information can be shared. Until a breeder, program, or participant is officially approved and paired with a specific university, college or nonprofit pathway, it is not possible for me to provide those specific details about which 501(c)(3) you will fall under. The program is just too big and there’s way too many nonprofits involved in it to give out those information items before you’re paired.

Please also understand that applying does not guarantee approval, placement, partnership space, or participation. Space may be limited, and all opportunities must go through the appropriate review process first. This is not something I specifically oversee. This is through many different boards of directors some of which I’m not part of that make these decisions.

Educational recognition pathways for breeder transparency, individual dog documentation, breeding pair review, puppy development, temperament awareness, and ethical breeding education.