Hello Mittelwest,

We have had little Romeo home now for a week and he is settled in into our family very nicely! We’ve had all week to observe him and I can honestly say having had shepherds for over ten years that he is EXACTLY what we wanted in a puppy and we have no doubt he will grow into being a German Shepherd that has all the characteristics the ideal GSD should possess.

He is smart as a whip (understood sit, come and down) within a day, he is very confident with a sound and stable temperament, he loves being with us, learns quickly, is not phased in the slightest at any noises, movements and different things in the outside environment like bikes, joggers, scooters, trains, ambulances, different surfaces, kids playing etc

We get tons of compliments and people asking where we got him from. We are scheduled to meet with our trainer tomorrow to develop a training program and he is scheduled to meet with our usual vet on Saturday.

Smith-Perschbacher Family

Good morning Julie,

We wanted to update you on Samson, registered name Yukon com Mittelwest. Escada, Momo brown collar, born 8/12/23.

He is such a beautiful boy. We cannot get over how wonderful he has been since day one. He has been the easiest dog to train and so smart. He is easily the smartest shepherd we’ve had so he keeps us on our toes.
His breeding quality is evident in his build, his temperament and his beauty. We are in love with his beautiful long coat and we often get stopped by people commenting on his beauty.

We would not hesitate to recommend Mittelwest as a breeder and are ever grateful for this beautiful addition to our family.

All the best,
Karen and David Freet

Hi! I hope you are well. I wanted to update you on bear. He’s absolutely amazing. He fits in perfectly with both of our shepherds and him and our other male play non-stop. He needs to know where his people are and is absolutely so loving my kids. Every morning after we take him out he runs inside and jumps in their beds to get them all up❤️. He’s so smart and finished the first part of his in boarding training. Our trainer loves him and I often get stopped by people because he is so handsome. Here are some pics.

Best,
Dani

Hello Julie!

We just wanted to take a moment during this holiday season to tell you again how grateful we are to you for this gorgeous dog! Rocky is 2 1/2 now. He has been such a blessing to our family. Not only is he stunning, but he is a sweet boy. His eyes are so warm and expressive. Rocky has brought joy back into our home after we lost my dad and my brother. We can never thank you enough. And we still talk about how great it was to meet Hanny and Figo. They were so beautiful and such good dogs! No wonder Rocky is so awesome! Merry Christmas to you, and thank you again for the impact you have made on our lives with your beautiful dogs!

Sincerely,
Carla Aiello and family

Hello Julie,

We are loving Blue. He’s the perfect addition to our family and he’s such a good boy. Thank you for all your help and the help of your employees.

-The Lomaglios

Simba, a four year old Belgian Malinois, welcomed an 8 week old Mittlewest German Shepherd puppy, Finley, in May 2022. The two of them had an instant bond. Finley would always try to steal Simba’s food and toys. Simba adored Finley and would tolerate all of his puppy behavior.

As Finley grew he tried his hardest to run as fast as Simba, but he was still too little. A year later, Finley is right beside Simba running around the yard, playing keep away or tug of war with their toys.

Unfortunately this past week Simba had an obstruction and needed to have surgery. Finley was so gentle with Simba and knew that something was wrong. Finley would lay down facing Simba, sticking his nose in the recovery cone, reassuring him that he was there.

Finley has the sweetest temperament and loves everyone. He’s extremely smart and obedient. I would highly recommend Mittlewest and their high quality German Shepherds.

Thank you Julie and Grant for my amazing boy Finley!

Kristen Chipman

Hello Mittelwest,

Thank you so much for this info! Sylas (we’re calling him Benji) is doing amazing. Such a smart, confident little pup. He is honestly the best puppy I’ve had and I am completely in love with him. He is learning new things daily. Potty training is going so well, as is basic obedience. He is also becoming good friends with our kitty and loves taking naps on the couch when we’re sitting on it. His favorite toy is currently a soccer ball :). He just realized he can carry his dog dishes around the house and he thinks this is a pretty amazing thing to do. I couldn’t have asked for a better dog. Thank you so much for the amazing work that you do. Here’s a pic from today. His ears are up most of the time for the last few days. It’s pretty darn cute.

Best,
Julie Burroughs D.V.M.

Hi Julie!

Hope you’re all well! I just wanted to share Rafa with you! She’s such a beautiful dog! Everywhere we go, people fawn over her! She is also super smart, loyal, and incredibly affectionate. She lives to swim, fetch, and play search and find. She has learned when the kids come home from school and watches for them from her favorite spot – like clockwork! She is the BEST cuddler, and her favorite thing to do in the morning is to get into bed with us.

I’ve never had such an affectionate dog! Wondering if this is typical of the long coats? Our last shepherd was not affectionate at all. In fact, she was all business. Curious if Jolie or Bruce are that way?

All that aside, I hope you enjoy the pictures! Rafa says hello :).

Lydia

Julie & Grant,

I just wanted to say, thank-you for the best dog-ever! Misha is now 8/12 months old, and I couldn’t love him more if I tried. He’s so amazing with kids, with strangers— his temperament is superb. In fact the mailman & him are even best buddies: he jumps-up in his mail car!

I thought for sure, when you advertised that Bruce was a “gentle giant,” it was all for show, but it most certainly was not. Misha is the most soft & gentle, & loving dog you’ll ever meet. He loves people, loves to play with other dogs, never bites, nor does he chew things that are not his. He never messes in the house, he is patient, never demands things, growls or barks at his humans.

He does of course loudly protect the borders of our property, which we love. Our only wish, is that we had taken another one from the same litter for company.

Thank you again for a wonderful, wonderful heart of a dog.

My best,
Garrett

Hi Mittelwest!

Just wanted to say “Thank You” yet again, for breeding such a beautiful boy! This is Riggs, our 4 month old, long coat Male we purchased from you to be our newest addition to our growing Mittelwest family of dogs! He is our 3^rd Mittelwest puppy we have purchased from you in 12 years and we still have all 3 and all 3 are thriving and beautiful! Everywhere we go, we get compliments on the temperament and beauty of our dogs. We would NEVER purchase a GSD from anywhere else. We recommend you to everyone who compliments and believe me, it is all the time! Our dogs are so smart, playful, beautiful and healthy. They are everything you could ask for in a GSD. We cant say enough about how happy we are with our 3 kiddos!!! Thanks again Mittelwest!

The Nagl Family

Good morning Julie,

Just wanted to let you know we just got back from competing in agility at the German Shepherd Nationals in Missouri. Lucy and her daughter Mercy did outstanding!! Lucy competed in Master Standard and Master Jumpers with weaves and received 3 second place ribbons and one forth place. She also had some qualifying runs as well. Mercy competed in Novice Standard and Novice Jumpers with Weaves and received 8 first place ribbons and both titles. I cannot be more proud of them. This is the first time I have competed at the national and Lucy sure gave a good running for the Agility Victrix title! Can’t wait until next year!!

Linda
Rock Solid German Shepherds

Hello Julie,

I am reaching out to let you know that we purchased our GSD from your kennel, and we are proud to share that Sherman just turned 14! He has been an amazing companion these past 14 years, and we have had no major health concerns. We call him our “old man” and he is all love–so sweet and loves to give kisses. Our 3 children adore him, and he has had several canine siblings that have also helped to keep him young.

All the best,
Erica Cifrino

P.S. As we were searching way back through old e-mails to find your contact info, we came across the original communication you had sent us. We are so fortunate that our 10-12 year relationship has lasted 14 years so far and still more to come!!

Hi Mittelwest-

Wanted to let you know that today is our beloved Diezel’s 11th birthday! It seems like just yesterday we picked him out (green collar Titan/Dezi pup)! That was the best decision we ever made! And here we are 11 years and numerous Sieger show awards later and we couldn’t be prouder parents of our boy! He still has the mind of a 2 year old, not to mention the blood work up of a 2 year old! We just wanted to say “Thank You” for blessing us with our best buddy ever!

Gregg and Erin Nagl

Good Morning Julie,

I hope you are doing well during these crazy times.

I am very excited to inform you that yesterday Lucy obtained her Novice Scentwork title after receiving two first place awards for Novice Interior at a Scentwork trial in Staten Island NY. This gives her the Performance Award of Merit title from the German Shepherd Dog Club of America. I am so proud of Lucy! She is really an exceptional dog!

I am looking forward to obtaining her Master’s titles in agility- should be soon as she only needs one more Q in Standard and 4 in JWWs. After that we will be working on her MACH. She also was awarded the 9th fastest 20″ agility GSD for all of 2020 by Bad Dog Agility Power Breed Score.

Lucy qualified for the Rally National Championship in July and I am planning on entering her. It is a Random draw- so I don’t know if we will actually be able to compete but we will try. I am also planning on competing with her at the GSDCA Nationals in October.

I am having so much fun with Lucy! Thanks again for this wonderful dog!

Linda

Hi Julie,

We are the owners of Sochi’s pink baby from her September litter – I wanted to share with you a story about our Rexie puppy ….. on Sunday morning my husband collapsed in the back of our house – unbeknownst to me as I was up front – Rexie went crazy running between Bob and I until I followed her and found Bob on the floor unable to get up – Bob had had a stroke and I was able to call for help timely and he is now in recovery – if it had not been for Rexie our story would have had a very different ending. Thank you so much for breeding such intelligent and loving dogs. All of this and she is only 5 months old!!!!

We will always be grateful to you

Bob and Kathy Metcalf

Hi Julie,

I wanted to touch base with you and say thanks again for all that you did during the puppy selecting/purchase process. In case you don’t remember my wife and I purchased Maggie’s pup (Heidi) and one from Kimba (Greta). We have had Heidi and Greta for about five weeks now and it has been a blessing. I wanted to let you know that not only have the girls checked out healthy with the vet, he said they are without a doubt the best looking German Shepherds he has seen in his career.

Training is going really well. The girls have all the basic obedience commands down well. We are doing a lot of training and drills to keep them focused on us, too. We have visited a local Schutzhund club that seems like a good fit for us. We hope to introduce the girls there soon. Their drive, temperament, etc., is more than we could have hoped. We are careful to not let the girls out too much together at this stage, but when they are out together they play SO well (and hard) together. Heidi is substantially larger than Greta, but she still lets her little sister get on top and play. I’m attaching a couple pictures and a video we took while the girls were out downstairs.

Again, thanks for working with me for so long. I think from the time I sent my first e-mail to you until we picked up the girls was almost 7 months. I’ll continue to recommend Mittelwest to everyone.

Finally, if you ever want to check in on the girls we have an Instagram page “Bickerton_Haus” that they share. It is kind of boring inside stuff right now, but we hope to get more working pictures as they get older (and the weather cooperates).

Very Respectfully,

Brandon

Hans turned 1 year yesterday. Hans is doing GREAT! He is still Rox’s favorite dog ever. We had a large party on the 4th of July (over 50 people) and Hans and Schatzi mingled with the guests the entire day. People were amazed at how friendly and fun both of them were and several people wanted to take Hans home with them. A couple of them have decided that they want a German Shepherd now.

Both dogs ran free during our party with no direct control of them. The majority of the 50 people were strangers that just entered our yard through the gate and Hans and Schatzi just greeted them. Our 4 grandchildren (ages 5-9) were running around the party as well. Both dogs were awesome.

You know that I have had many German Shepherds over the years and, of course, all have been socialized and are expected to behave around people but the Mittelwest Shepherds have been exceptional. Rox even commented after the party that, while she trusted all of our dogs, she is just amazed at these two. I know some of this is how they are raised but a huge part is due to your breeding. I can’t stress enough how beautiful and wonderful your dogs are.

Thank you so much.

Dan, Rox, Schatzi & Hans

My daughter had been asking for a German Shepherd pup (non-stop mind you) for the past 3 yrs. As a Veterinarian, I was hesitant… knowing there are a number of German Shepherds that need homes. (I have had several dogs in my lifetime and they have always been rescues). I also know that GSD’s bond quickly to their primary care taker and make the most incredible, loyal companions, something my daughter needed, so, a puppy was the ideal choice. They also had to be good with other dogs and cats, but, it was difficult to find one with all that we required. My daughter has had a lot of loss in her young life – her father, her favorite kitty and her best friend – Mickey (a mixed breed – passed away 4 yrs ago). That dog was never far from her side. As she is now 15 yrs old, I knew she could handle the responsibility of a young pup. After doing a lot (and I mean a LOT) of research on breeders, I came across Mittelwest German Shepherds. They have an incredible line of the solid, thick boned, true bred GSD. These dogs are gorgeous. Their website is informative and show you beautiful photos of the pups and their Parents. They offer multiple services from grooming to personal dog training. Julie and Grant were easy to talk to and responded to my emails without delay. When it finally came time to get our puppy there were no flights available due to COVID. We would have had to wait another week to get our lil pup – which to a kid is F O R E V E R! (and for me too!). They knew how excited we were to get our pup and that waiting was torture… so, that afternoon, Grant graciously drove 11 hrs to deliver our handsome boy. Talk about customer service! He was so kind and even called us later to make sure all was good. My daughter was beyond happy and my heart was full knowing she had a well cared for, well bred, adorable and intelligent pup to have as her best friend. He has fit right into the family – full of confidence and learning “the ropes” quickly! Knowing GSDs and the multiple anxiety issues they can possess, it is a testament to Mittelwest that their pups show this level of calm, non-aggressive type of confidence at such a young age. Thank you so much Julie and Grant and all those that help them put in the hard work breeding and caring for all Mittelwest GSD. But, I thank you most of all for making my girl (and our family) so happy!

– Dr. Sylvie Scrivner, Veterinarian

Hello friends! It’s Freddy on Cape Cod. Maverick is one years young today ! He is such a wonderful German Shepherd! Very obedient and warm. He’s great with people and other dogs and loves our Yorkies, Maine Coons, and chickens

Hope you guys are doing well!!
Freddy

Hey Julie just wanted to send you a picture of Jez, she is 2 yrs old and so adorable.
Couldn’t ask for a better pup!

Thank you,
David Cutter

Hi Julie,

Just wanted to give you an update on Lucy. She is doing fabulous!! In just 3 months of very limited showing she has earned her Novice and Open Agility titles – this with placement ribbons in all but one qualifying run. Lucy loves agility and gives it her all in the ring! I get so many compliments not only on her work ethic but her stunning beauty as well. People tell me it is nice to finally see a good working shepherd doing agility- and she is beautiful too!! She is quite young to accomplish this- she will be turning two this Sept. I am looking forward to an exciting career and have many plans for her.

Thank you again for this magnificent girl. I will keep you posted.

-Linda

Hi Julie and Grant,

I wanted to give you an update on Frankfurt Khal Doggo, formally known as Melania pup. He’s doing great and growing fast. His temperament is amazing, he’s so calm and layed back, people really notice that. He not aggressive at all. We are still working on potty training and chewing but that will come in time as he’s still a young pup.

We have him enrolled at Dog Star Ranch and will be starting puppy training soon and he loves the doggie day care they provide. He is socializing with other dogs and has made many friends. All the ladies that work there love him. He gets so many compliments from everyone. They take pictures everyday and I see how much fun he has. It’s quite enjoyable to see.
I’m really pleased that we chose Mittelwest for our puppy. You raise beautiful dogs and great puppies. I couldn’t be more happy. Thank you very much!

-Mike Olson

Hi Julie,

I was curious if you could give me a stack of your business cards to keep with me. I have kept the one that grant gave me when I purchased zayne with me since we picked him up, and today I took zayne to a cute, old, little city with a waterfall, and quite the fun adventure we had.

He did wonderful with all of the motorcycles, all the pple, crutches, wheelchairs, bikers, dogs of all kinds and sizes. He was perfect, he laid at my feet and watched everyone. So many people ask to pet him, their were several people with shepherds that had to come talk to me and ask how old he was and to tell me how well behaved he is for his age and how good I do with him. (and these are from people I’ve never met before)!! Everyone loves his gorgeous coloring, his temperament, his ears, his personality. My friend I met a few weeks back with zayne was with me today, we spent the day together, got a coffee, walked everywhere with him, lots of talking lots of pictures lots of laughs.

Even with strangers wanting to know about him and who the breeder was. We sat and talked with a South African couple for probably 2 hours about him and they were gushing over him, the husband especially. They were impressed with him so much they asked for your information. I gave them my only business card of yours I had. Could u please send me some ❤ or anything to promote for you guys other than Mr popular? I would greatly appreciate anything.

Their were alot of shepherds there and all of the puppies were pulling their owners everywhere and he was just laying at my feet looking around. Even people with adult shepherds had to come over and ask about him and say how well behaved he is. One guy sat on the park bench just behind us, with his shepherd laying on the ground next to him, as I was talking with my friend, he was still laying there watching everything, kids came up wanting to pet him, their was a baby crying and he did his head tilt with concern. I told the mom he could see zayne. Zayne kissed the crying boys face all over until he started laughing. After they left the guy that was on the bench came over and was like I was watching you with him, and asked me how old he was. He couldn’t believe zayne was only 5 months and congratulated me on how wonderfully behaved he was, and told me how beautiful he was. Everyone wanted to know about his breeder. So if you can spare some business cards or anything promotional I would love to be a spokesperson for you guys via my wonderful zayne!

-Shannon

Hey Julie!

Check out Romeo!! He is everything I could have hoped for and more!

My best friend!

We are over the moon and back with Romeo. He is the “O” litter Figo-Mardi Gras. He has 2 beds indoors, an outdoor lounger for visits and his “big” brother is a 3 pound Yorkie that he looks up to! Strong Yorkie by the name of Boo Radley. We get compliments daily for his handsome looks but mofe importantly for me his incredibly solid disposition. He has passed Puppy 1, basic, intermediate and training for his CGC before advanced off leash obedience. He is a family member so my goals are excellent manners, health and longevity. Thank you so much for making this possible for my family.

Kirk, Ella Kate, Kelly, and Thomas Hardy

Hi Julie,

Wanted to share a recent picture of our beautiful Tawny, who turns 7 years old today. I have also attached a picture of her at 7 weeks old. My, how she has grown into a beautiful, long coat shepherd! She is the sweetest!! Full of kisses for everyone. Such a happy girl. She has the perfect temperment. Not to mention, she just had her routine, yearly blood work up done and the doctor says she has the results of a puppy, they are so perfect!!

Thank you, Mittelwestm for breeding such a perfect girl. She has brought such joy to so many who are associated with her on a routine basis. In fact, the receptionist at our vets office told me the other day that Tawny is the reason she is able to trust german shepherds again after having a bad experience with one. That spoke volumes to me and also speaks volumes for Mittelwest. I encourage anyone looking for the most wonderful companion in a german shepherd to consider Mittelwest.

They are the best without a doubt!!!
Gregg and Erin Nagl

Hi,

I’m the one who adopted the gold collared long haired shepherd from the Nami/Kondor litter born on 6/3/18.

I decided to name her Luna. I have to say she is perfect for me. She’s beautiful and has the best temperament as well as intelligent, she learned her name the night I got her! She gets so many compliments and so much love.

Thank you for working with me on finding the perfect shepherd. I have been referring you to my friends, family, and passerby’s who are interested in German Shepherds. In the future when the time comes, I will come to Mittelwest to adopt another pup

Regards,
Darcy Schober

Hi Julie;

Hi Julie! Here’s some pictures I can’t help but update you every so often. I can’t possibly think that there’s a more gorgeous shepherd out there. He gets more attention than any dog I’ve ever seen! This weekend we went upstate and he tried the boat for the first time and loved it! In lake George I think about 100 people stopped us to compliment and let him <3

Thank you for sending us the sweetest boy in the world.
Lauren

Hi Julie;

Thought I share a few pics of Maggie in her 13th week and say thank you for such an amazing spirit. (Utah and Kondor March 2, 2018 litter)
She is so calm and friendly and learning so quickly it’s amazing.
Marita and I are very happy and can’t say enough about how happy we are.

Thank you,
Christopher and Marita Cool

Hi Julie;

Wanted to let you know that Diezel just had his yearly blood work up and urinalysis done, and at 8 years old, 78 pounds, ALL of his numbers are in NORMAL range!!! He is in PERFECT health. The Dr. even said most dogs his age don’t even have the great muscle tone that he has. Thank you, thank you, thank you for breeding such a beautiful dog. Not only is he beautiful on the outside, but, apparently on the inside too! He’s such a joy to be with everyday. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. We will only own Mittelwest German Shepherds! We tell everyone who compliments him(and believe me, it’s all the time) to go to Mittelwest! We look fwd to many more Mittelwest Shepherds to own in the future!

Thank you again,
Gregg and Erin Nagl

Hi Julie;

Quick update: Nik is four and a half. A trim 115.
Walking with Nik in Durango this morning and a tourist looked at us and said, ‘Mittelwest?’
This is at least the tenth time this has happened in the last 4 years.
It’s really a testament to what you guys have done so I thought I’d share.
Smartest companion I’ve ever had; he knows at least 50 people by name, and when the 5 grandkids come we get in a big circle and Nikko goes to whoever’s name I call.
In return, I’m trying to give him the best life I can; we swim in mountain streams, paddle board, etc.
He loves chasing the bears, deer and elk away…and watches the kids carefully when they’re outside.
I know you must get thousands of these emails, but I try to update you every year or so to say Thank You!
Honestly, part of it is living in a tourist town, but we never, ever walk a full block without being stopped; he’s that handsome!
Or, like the guy today, someone knowing the breeder.
That amazes me every time.

Hope you are well.
All the best;
Tara Wright

Hey Julie !

They are doing so well, and I want that to continue. I know I’ve already said this, but I absolutely love these two monsters..they are everything I imagined they would be.and more. I couldn’t be happier. I’ll send you some updated pictures as time passes, and as Bixie grows up. They had their initial vet check yesterday, and they made a huge hit at the clinic. One of the vets there, who is the vet I specifically see when I go in, used to have a working German Shepherd kennel years ago when he was younger, and he was completely enamored with them when he saw them. From across the room, his first response to seeing them was, “Tara, I didn’t know you went to Germany over the weekend”…saying their quality was undeniably obvious even from a distance. Every doctor came in to admire them, and they didn’t disappoint. But you already knew this…they are near perfection

Anyway, thanks again…and I’ll be in touch. Take care
Tara Wright

Hey Julie !

Hope all is well! Just checking in. We got a pup from your Nashville /Idol litter in January 2017 (Jackson). He is doing awesome ! Great with kids and excelling at training . On his way there becoming a Canine Good Citizen! The vet told me he is the most confident and friendly shepherd he has seen and thinks I should do therapy work with him.

Thank you !
Shannon Kamieneski

Hi Julie,

Tony and I just wanted to thank you for your excellence in breeding German Shepherds. We could not be more pleased with Ranger, who will be 2 years, next month. Wherever we take him, it is rare that we do not hear, “Wow, gorgeous dog,” or “He’s beautiful!” His conformation, natural show prance and stance, always seems to lead people to ask who bred him. We never fail to tell them about Mittelwest. Thank you for such an amazing dog. I am so glad we were able to obtain a male from Yoshi’s first litter.

Best always,
Mary, Tony and Ranger