Keepsake Kennels started in the early 80’s with Collies which my sister was famous for. After I got married, I bought a Bouvier Des Flandres for my husband. My Collies never had the will to thrive as newborns, but our first litter of Bouviers showed me how nature was supposed to work. The Bouvier puppies from birth would push everything out of their way to nurse. It didn’t take long to realize that I preferred puppies to want to live.
I had always loved the look of Wheatens, and I had the opportunity to show one for someone else. It took no time to realize that this was MY breed. My first Wheaten Ch. Holweit’s Tart’s Desire, called Brigette, was a good start in the breed. She had a wonderful personality and was a great show girl. Unfortunately, Brigette never really produced better than herself. My second Wheaten came to me after I was showing a wheaten female for my friend Hilda Arnold of Shanli Wheatens. Hilda bred Sophie.
Harmony (Ch. Shanli Keepsake Pussi Galore) is the pick female from that breeding. Pretty much every success that I have had in Wheatens can be traced back to Harmony. I have generations of National Specialty winners, Specialty winners, Top representatives in this breed in both Canada and the USA, and just as importantly loving family companions that can all easily be traced back to Harmony.
I have had some great show dogs over the years, but I am reserving only the current dogs to be showcased on this website. That is not to say that I am not proud and thrilled to have these dogs in our past, but lets face it, there were some bad hair days in the early 90’s!
So, Keepsake Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers of today are a mixture of my past, with some European bloodlines mixed in. We have both North American coat types and European Coat types, but they all behave just the same. As you travel through this site, I hope you see the pride we have in our dogs. Our dogs are part of my family. My two daughters are very hands on with my breeding program. They are both there when the puppies are born, right straight through to when they leave our home for their new adventure with 
with their new owners. Our puppies get socialized with young children, handled a lot,
sometimes dressed up, and by the time they leave here, they are social, well adjusted, happy babies who are ready to take on the world. Our Wheaten mothers whelp naturally, and the puppies have just a little contact for the first little while, so that Mom can have her time with her babies. Right after our Wheaten puppies are born, they are crawling straight to Mom. I try to encourage a natural way and minimize science where it is sensible to do so. With over 25 years involved with purebred dogs, and 15 of those years with Wheatens, I look forward to where this breed is leading me.
Keepsake Wheatens are internationally known for their style, conformation, and consistency. They are known by many families as a best friend and companion. They are all known by me, as my family.
