Carlo & Anita Schneller are the breeders behind the Sommer Wald Appenzellers. Read about the kennel’s beginnings, the champions, the puppies.
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Carlo & Anita Schneller
1. We live in Moravia, New York, and Mansfield, Pennsylvania. Prior to owning our Appenzellers, while raising our family, we owned a purebred Norwegian Elkhound. Several years later we rescued a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix from our local animal shelter. As we started to think of retirement and how we might spend our spare time, we chose the Appenzeller with the idea that they would keep us active, since they love the outdoors and love to be busy. We purchased our first Appenzeller in July of 2012. We traveled to Switzerland to import our beautiful girl Bickli. We had thought of the possibility of breeding, but we also knew that finding a mate would be difficult. In March of 2017, we traveled once again to Switzerland to pick up another Appenzeller female, Mela.
In November of 2017, after five years of searching in both the US and Canada, we found the perfect match in Canada for Bickli and our first litter was conceived via AI. With this litter, Sommer Wald Appenzeller came to be. Bickli went on to have another litter conceived via AI, also from another wonderful Canadian male, and then she retired. Mela has had two litters sired by our own male, Anzel, from Bickli’s first litter, and now she has retired. We have been raising Appenzellers for the last seven years. We have a total of six Appenzellers: Bickli (Switzerland), born in 2012; Mela (Switzerland), born in 2017; Anzel, our own puppy from our first litter in 2017; Carly, our own puppy born in 2021; Danka, our own puppy born in 2022; and Slavoy, imported from Prague in May 2024.
2. Appenzellers are in good overall condition. As part of being a member of AMDCA and AKC Foundation Stock Service, we do health testing for our breeding dogs. We test for hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, patella luxation, and eyes. We also have co-efficient standards to control inbreeding. No dog can be bred before the age of two and all tests have been passed.
3. I myself do not show my dogs. The availability of shows in my area and the distance of travel to shows is a determining factor. I did reach out to other Appenzeller owners who show who also have concerns with availability and travel.
4. To show as an AKC FSS or Miscellaneous breed does have its challenges. The number of shows is one of the challenges encountered along the road to AKC recognition. It is hard to encourage new buyers to get into showing when there is a limited number of shows and the possibility of long travel times to the available shows. As a result, with small breed representation, it extends the path to full recognition. Also, it is harder for judges to get experience with the FSS breeds. It would be great to increase the number of FSS shows or allow some specialty shows.
5. I do think social media, in general, can highlight the good, but it can also bring out the worst in things.
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