# Brittany's Gentle Giants? Goldendale WA



## sargiesmom (Jun 17, 2010)

Anyone know anything about this breeder?

http://www.brittanysanimalkingdom.com/


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## Whitedog404 (Mar 25, 2010)

Their rotties look like bulls and the shepherds look awkward. And I don't believe anyone who says they have German shepherds that don't shed profusely.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

shoot, I'm trying to figure out how they bred one that doesn't shed, doesn't bark a lot (even without training), and again the idea that Shepherds used to be "HUGE" from the founding, the GSD has been a medium-sized dog. 

not to mention that you will never need a trainer? 

145 lbs at 18 months old for a rottie?

This statement makes it sound like the dogs don't need exercise, at least that's how Joe Public would probably take it. - _*The biggest secret about our dogs is that they don't want room to run-- they want YOU to be with them. If you provide your dog with quality time which means having him with you as much as you can, whether he is laying at your feet when you are on the computer, watching TV, or just exploring nature close to home, he will be in heaven just being able to enjoy your company. We breed our dogs with this type of temperament at the forefront. Your dog will not need to be amused with a lot of activity, ball playing, or food rewards. His ultimate aim will be to be in your good graces, be assured he is loved and enjoyed by you just for being himself. This is the same thing we in the human family want.*_


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

"We do not believe in "fixing" or "training" a dog so that he can fit into your family situation. The trait we refer to as "Compliance" is genetic and we diligently breed for this. Right from the start your puppy will behave according to your wishes and be easy to live with and enjoy. And you will never need to see a trainer, use choke chains, pinch collars, clickers, food rewards, or any other gimmicks."


. . . . uh, yeah sure. Dogs that are obedient and biddable from the womb. I'd stay far far away from this breeder. If you're looking for oversized, I'd go for a King Shepherd or Shiloh Shepherd breeder rather than a German Shepherd breeder who is deliberately breeding over-standard dogs.


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## sargiesmom (Jun 17, 2010)

Oh good, I just wanted to make sure others had the same impressions from their website propaganda.

Emore - you responded to my other post, too. What are you calling a "King Shepherd" and a "Shiloh Shepherd"? Where should I look for more info on these?


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## ChristenHolden (Jan 16, 2010)

Dang all those dogs look fat and like there on steroids that's not how there supposed to look


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## Relayer (Apr 29, 2010)

I don't know why people want to super size everything. Dogs that are bred too large tend to die younger, have more joint problems and have greater incidence of heart problems. I don't like they way most of those dogs look either.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I've seen ad's in dog fancy maybe dog world, for _years._ the oversize isn't my thing)


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

They spelled "Shepherd" correctly so thats one good thing i can find going for them. Pretty much ends there.

I wonder why all of the photos are so grainy? Possibly some photoshopping being done.


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

I like big dogs, but if I want a large dog I will get a Great Dane. 

Stay away from this breeder and I mean FAR AWAY!


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

sargiesmom said:


> Emore - you responded to my other post, too. What are you calling a "King Shepherd" and a "Shiloh Shepherd"? Where should I look for more info on these?


They're separate breeds that look a lot like German Shepherds but are bred to be larger and have more laid-back, less "drivey" temperaments. They're also bred to have the 'straight backs'. They're sometimes touted as being "what a German Shepherd used to be" even though the GSD breed standard has ALWAYS called for a medium sized dog. Kings and Shilohs have a lot of GSDs in their foundation lines but also include other breeds in order to achieve the bigger size. 

Around this forum we're pretty passionate about what the German Shepherd is _meant_ to be-- a medium-sized dog with a temperament suitable for different types of work, which isn't always "laid back," "low engergy," "low maintenance," or "easy-going." They should NOT be bred specifically for large size. If you're looking for a large or giant dog you're really better off going with a large or giant breed than with some backyard breeder producing out-of-standard dogs to make a buck. 

I will say there's a lot of drama going on in the world of Shiloh Shepherds right now. A bunch of Shiloh breeders split off from the founder and there seems to be pretty bad blood between them. Other than that I don't know much about either breed as I'm not a big fan. (Nothing against them, I'm just not a fancier. I prefer the working-type GSDs.)


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## angelas (Aug 23, 2003)

Lucy Dog said:


> I wonder why all of the photos are so grainy? Possibly some photoshopping being done.


I've been seeing their ads in Dog Fancy and Dog World since I got my first issue back in Feb 1997. It's been the same photos since then. There's only so many copies of copies you can make before you start loosing quality.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

I was just floored by the sizes of the dogs in the picture. Sure, the rottie is a "mastiff-type" dog. but, it was made smaller to do the work they wanted, work that a mastiff-sized dog couldn't do. Could you see one of those dogs trying to work cattle? They'd probably get winded in only a couple of minutes.

ETA: Since they don't need to be kept "amused" by exercise and such nonsense, I wonder what the answer would be if you asked them about using the dog for agility. Or actual work??


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## DinoBlue (Apr 11, 2007)

sargiesmom said:


> Emore - you responded to my other post, too. What are you calling a "King Shepherd" and a "Shiloh Shepherd"? Where should I look for more info on these?


I have a so called King Shepherd. I would never recommend that "breed" (term used loosely since in reality it's a mutt). Lots of temperament issues due to the fact that they are only bred for size and looks.


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## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

I have been seeing this ad in the dog magazines since the early 90s. A good general rule of thumbs is that any breeder claiming that GSDs are supposed to be huge and have been bred down in size is either ignorant or lying.


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## sargiesmom (Jun 17, 2010)

I checked out both the King and the Shiloh, neither is what we are looking for but thanks for the info!

I'll keep looking....


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I've heard there are a lot of temperament issues in both the King Shepherd and Shiloh as well as numerous health problems. 
Personally if I wanted a larger Shepherd-- there are a few breeders out there who do health testing and etc and breed oversized GSDs with good temperaments so I would probably go with one of those.


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## Cyrak6 (Jul 6, 2010)

I am mortified that this woman is from my state. These dogs look old and fat. I love big dogs, but "big" and "fat" are NOT the same thing.

And that's not even going into the ridiculous claims she is making...

I feel sorry for anyone who is taken in by this fraud...


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

This person has been around for a LONG time, she had ads in major dog magazines back in the early 90's - and must be successful I suppose, since she is still in business. I guess she caters to the "bigger is better" crowd, willing to plunk down major bucks for a dog with a watered down temperament and enormous size. Her "philosophy" is just plain rubbish - but the people who buy from her obviously don't have a clue - so the beat goes on.
_______________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge


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## FuryanGoddess (Dec 26, 2009)

I think the photo's look like they were taken in the late 80's early 90's. Yikes.


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## WhitneyAnne (Aug 3, 2010)

*Brittany's Gentle Giants*

I just got back from the Goldendale Animal Shelter which is temporarily housing 30 dogs that were seized by the sheriff last week from this breeder. The dogs are in bad condition - fleas, infected bite marks, eye and ear infections, etc. They were also completely un-socialized with other dogs and aggressive. The woman is under investigation and may or may not get some of the dogs back. Apparently she was caught in California for bad breeding practices and had dogs taken from her then. DO NOT USE THIS BREEDER.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

WhitneyAnne, do you have confirmation to back up these claims? Please post a link if you have one! I saw some articles from newspapers but there were no names mentioned. Though the breeds confiscated tends to give the breeder away...


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

WhitneyAnne said:


> I just got back from the Goldendale Animal Shelter which is temporarily housing 30 dogs that were seized by the sheriff last week from this breeder. The dogs are in bad condition - fleas, infected bite marks, eye and ear infections, etc. They were also completely un-socialized with other dogs and aggressive. The woman is under investigation and may or may not get some of the dogs back. Apparently she was caught in California for bad breeding practices and had dogs taken from her then. DO NOT USE THIS BREEDER.


48 dogs rescued near Goldendale, Wash. | kgw.com | KGW Local News | Portland, Oregon

Certainly sounds like the same breeder. Only


> The dogs -- which are Rottweilers, German Shepards, and Doberman Pinschers -- were being housed at various shelters and foster homes.
> 
> The Sheriff's Office is still investigating the case, and a spokeswoman said charges will likely be requested through the Klickitat County Prosecutor’s Office against the 58-year-old resident owner where the dogs were found.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

breeding for big dogs. That is enough to turn me off. We have a standard and we should be breeding to the standard. That does not mean that every dog meets every point of the standard but grossly outside of the standard is never bread. 

These dogs are grossly oversized.


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## VonKromeHaus (Jun 17, 2009)

This is the same breeder. However, they said there were emaciated dogs, which the pictures don't show at all. Also, the ones in the pictures while definetely NEGLECTED, do not look THAT bad. They look bad and should not go back to the breeder but not as bad as I've heard described. 

Also, MOST dogs are being held at Dogs of the Gorge shelter. I have been told by the lady evaluating them that MOST of the dogs are VERY VERY adoptable with some work. I have not heard that ANY of them are aggressive, undersocialized and shy but not aggressive. 

Brittany Madison used to help run Elite Family dogs with her Ex-husband. Then it was A-1 something by herself. Then she got with Dr. Capriotti who was breeding Capriotti Rotties(Old Roman Giant War Dog lines), they started breeding all 3 breeds. They have been for a long time. Dr. Capriotti lost his AKC rights sometimes in the late 80s to 90s. She screams BYB to me, however, I believe that She got overwhelmed and something bad happened as her place NEVER used to look like that. All the dogs used to look VERY well cared for. It has also been stated that her mental capacity is not well. Ms. Madison is 58 years old. 

The rescues holding them could use some help and donations. 

ETA- I'm not saying that she is innocent or not at fault here, just that she did not used to house her dogs like this or keep them like that. Some of teh pictures are from inside her home, almost giving the impression of a hoarders home.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Yeah, most of the pictures here look like where they are being housed now. 

That the dogs did not have water is disturbing. 

That the dogs did not have food is not. Most people with more than a couple of dogs do not have dogs that graze. Our dogs scarf, because of the perceived competition, rarely do they leave food lying around. If they do, we look to see if they are ill. 

Some shelter workers or humane society people have an interesting ideal when it comes to how the dog should look wieght wise. Many of the dogs owned by people on this site would be considered emaciated by them if they knocked on your doors. 

Seeing the three dogs hanging out in the picture, the rott the dobe and the shep, one would think that they cannot possibly be all that aggressive. If it is a breeder, those dogs are intact, and at least two of them are same sex, and there would be no reason for a breeder to allow those particular dogs to run together regularly, unless she was pumping out designer breeds.

I am not saying this is a responsible breeder, but I almost think it is possible that the media and the shelter are making more out of this than they ought. 

That one gal just cannot wait to get them all NEUTERED. Like they aren't going to be right until they are "fixed." Kind of makes you a bit nauseus if you are a breeder. I mean the artical says that maybe she will get her dogs back, but this shelter worker can't wait for them to be alterred. If a court decides that the conditions are not criminal, and the dogs are not neglected, then she should get them back whole.

Most of the pictures were not from where these dogs were kept, but where they are now. The dogs needing a "much needed bath" did not look like they were up to their hocks in poop. The sheps did not even look like they were blowing coat. 

So I don't know. Maybe the conditions were as horrendous as they are saying. But having a dog with an ear infection, should not make the state come in and take your dogs. The white shepherd looked pretty good, I wonder if they pictured that one after it already had its much needed bath. 

I do not trust humane societies because they have a specific agenda. They teach how to use the media in a raid like this. Seeing one puppy in a crate, is not the end of the world, but it looks like she has crates on tope of crates and it implies that she is keeping them like that.


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## VonKromeHaus (Jun 17, 2009)

Selzer, I have seen pics of where they WERE kept at the property where they were seized. Not horrendous, I've seen worse but not great either. I'll e-mail them to you if you'd like. Yeah, IDK. I just feel that something happened here, i.e.- her husband/partner died and she became overwhelmed. They(rescuers) were upset that one Dobe bitch was in a 4x4 whelping area with her puppies, the whelping box looked fairly clean and there was a water bowl that you could tell had gotten dumped. Also, a lot of these dogs were in crates, were they kept there all the time or rotated? Who knows. I don't always put water in my dog's crates! They were all pretty much intact. IDK. I hate the whole Agenda feeling. If you're on facebook, you can add me and I'll share the other links with you.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

In the video I saw from the shelter, none of the dogs looked thin, sick or dirty.
I am not saying that means they were well cared for but I agree, the way they describe them and the way they look don't exactly fit together.

A lot of people I know don't put water in their dog's crates because the dog will either dump it (I've had foster dogs who could dump ANY water container in the crate) or would pee in the crate if given water while crated.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

The reason my dogs have bucket holders in their kennels is because they are incorrigible when it comes to water ettiquate. If I crate them, and I do have half a room of about eight crates, then they do not have water, because they are never crated for more than overnight, or while I am cleaning the kennels.


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## MomToAtticus (Jan 8, 2006)

*I've had two dogs that came from Brittany*

The first dog is one that my ex and I purchased from her. We live in Pennsylvania; she lived in Washington. Her dogs came so highly recommended, that he flew to Washington to pick up Gatsby. I've never seen a dog with a kinder temperament. He was neat and sweet.

After Gatsby died, I went back to Brittany for my next shepherd - Atticus. He's a giant, and does suffer from hip dysplasia and arthritis, but I could not want for a better tempered dog. He is my heart dog. He loves my grandkids and every single time I am out with him, people stop to comment on what a handsome dog he is.


Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails: Kiran and Atticus

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/q6iCqMlrZkVRM8t__lJZOw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_-iN5dMD_kfs/TWdXMBVo6WI/AAAAAAAAY08/hDltE7GJk4w/s144/Kiran%20and%20A%208-20.jpg" height="120" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/Sybaritic1/AtticusAndScout?feat=embedwebsite">Atticus and Scout</a></td></tr></table>


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Does anyone know what happened to the dogs? Were they returned to the breeder or adopted out?


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## clearwtrbeach67 (Mar 11, 2011)

*RE: last Aug Brittany gentle giants*

Let me first say hi, I have shown AKC, vet tech'd and done rescue for several years- several years ago. I did go up there and see the conditions after the dogs were removed and we were removing many exotic parrots. I have read the posts here, maybe at one time she was good, however I can tell you all with all honesty that at that time the place was disgusting. We really should've had respirators on in the home, the feces all over the inside and outside as well as amonia in the house from urine, dead mice in the parrot cages, holes in the walls, and honestly over an hour per cage to scrub w/ bleach the greasy black grime, not to mention the poor health, one with an over grown beak to where he almost couldn't eat, another plucked almost bald, the scarlett macaw with her breast bone showing. It was very bad!! Now 6 months later and Dale Capriotti has managed to get a court order saying he owned the birds and they are being removed from all of us. There were over a dozen birds, the bald goffin cockatoo I had him 6 month he regained all his feathers!! The scarlett macaw with the breast bone, well she is doing great and now tomorrow the sheriff is coming to pick them up and return them to him, as supposedly he had a restraining order from the property and couldn't retreive the birds, yet their condition did not happen over night!! He is facing some type of other charge, which believe me I will find out, I will also be calling the DA office tomorrow. 6 mos later and he's getting them back, he didn't even file his first claim on them until Dec. 7th and we removed them in mid sept!! Again, mental issues or not this was a very remote area and the home probably beyond repair, if not in need of total demolishing from to the frame. Good breeders can have bad things happen but good breeders know when it is time to ask for help or they are no better than BYB.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I feel for you and your frustration with the unjustice of what is happening to the poor parrots. If we see dog kennels as neglectful, I think many exotic bird breeders are 1000x's worse. I was in that business for several years and it was sad because many were smuggled illegally and the birds were treated inhumanely more often than not.
The intelligence level of these creatures brings on self mutilation due to their living conditions. 
I hope you can keep tabs on Dale. Please update, if possible?


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## clearwtrbeach67 (Mar 11, 2011)

*RE: Brittany M and Dale capriotti*

I will post I'm not letting this lie yet. Can anyone point to a reference of when he was suspended from AKC? 
I do understand about the parrots, I've been involved starting over 25yrs ago. Funny thing is they didn't know that both were goffins, they thought one was a bare eyed, and the scarlett a greenwing! Wrong I knew as soon as I got the pics before entering the home. None of the birds I was trying to make mental notes on had a quarrantine band nor a domestic band- no bands. hmmm? noticed that right away, there was a couple cockatiels, love birds, sun conures, moluccan, male electus, blue front amazon, grey, and several removed before I arrived. 
I just don't understand. I have spent 3 mos screening homes, finally found a home last weekend for the goffin w/ a great family who also had another rescue bald goffin, the other goffin has been living in a great rescue in central OR, that is well established 503c non profit and permanent home and has become part of a flock! It's just not right, and the scarlett is sitting here w/ me she knows something is up her behavior is unruly right now after the sheriffs being here.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I'm so sorry the birds are being returned...I think I'd sue him for the care/money/time you've put in nursing them back to health or give him the option of signing over the birds to you..Hope things work out


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## clearwtrbeach67 (Mar 11, 2011)

*Brittney M and Dale Capriotti*

they were def. BYB the home was deplorable the urine in the house was so strong, holes in the walls, dead mice in the parrot cages, gerbil food in the parrot dishes, one w/ a beak so overgrown he couldn't eat properly, another plucked almost bald who was afraid of the dark for the first month we had him. These birds and dogs were all placed, she has been in a mental facility since July or Aug. he had a restraining order, and now he pulled some BS ( we are going to get court transcripts) and was only proved he owned one of the birds- the moluccan cockatoo- the DA office really dropped the ball and now the judge ordered all to him! So sheriffs started showing up at peoples houses unannounced and seizing the birds that have bonded to their new families and other birds. We are going to contact an attorney and file suit together- as well as charge the county for restitution of all the fees we've had to put out.


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## washington34567 (Feb 3, 2012)

*Military Macaw*

Hi I am very upset to read this... they had a Military Macaw who belonged to my brother. Where did the parrots go? I had no idea. Please, any information you can provide would be helpful...



clearwtrbeach67 said:


> they were def. BYB the home was deplorable the urine in the house was so strong, holes in the walls, dead mice in the parrot cages, gerbil food in the parrot dishes, one w/ a beak so overgrown he couldn't eat properly, another plucked almost bald who was afraid of the dark for the first month we had him. These birds and dogs were all placed, she has been in a mental facility since July or Aug. he had a restraining order, and now he pulled some BS ( we are going to get court transcripts) and was only proved he owned one of the birds- the moluccan cockatoo- the DA office really dropped the ball and now the judge ordered all to him! So sheriffs started showing up at peoples houses unannounced and seizing the birds that have bonded to their new families and other birds. We are going to contact an attorney and file suit together- as well as charge the county for restitution of all the fees we've had to put out.


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## washington34567 (Feb 3, 2012)

Does anyone know if all parrots were taken? THey had a parrot that was my brother's... I want to know what happened to her...


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

This thread is a year old and doesn't need to be resurrected for discussion again. I'm closing this thread.

If anyone can answer the new poster's question about the parrots, please do so via PM. 

-Admin


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