The Agua Viva family has always had dogs in our home. After finding out that all of us have allergies and asthma, we were limited to certain breeds. We had Standard Poodles for a number of years, then went looking for another breed that wouldn't bother our allergies.
For five years, Rosanne went to the Detroit Kennel Club benched show at Cobo Hall and looked at the Portuguese Water Dog. Art, Rosanne's husband, was not convinced that they needed a second dog to keep their Poodle company, so Rosanne "borrowed" a PWD puppy and brought it home. That was all it took to change Art's mind!
We brought our frist PWD, "Indy", (Ch. Timber Oaks Indigo Warrior, CGC, TDI) home from Linda Scheele of Timber Oaks PWDs in 1991. After acquiring our first show dog we decided to see how these dogs played with each other, so we started having "water dog parties" in our backyard. These silly, clownish dogs would run around for hours, chasing and chewing on each other, then lay down in our kiddy pool to cool off. That was enough to convince us that PWDs need playmates! In 1994 we added a second girl, "Blitz", (Ch Timber Oaks Nyte Stalker, CD, CGC, TDI, TT). From these two foundation bitches we have produced eight home-bred champions to date as well as multiple performance and therapy dog title holders.
Lorri, following in her mom Rosanne's footsetps, started competing in AKC and 4-H events as a junior handler. She enjoys competing in the show ring and performance rings today as well. Rosanne and Lorri attend the shows together and Art is the resident "puppy socializer." Jeff, Lorri's older brother, is also a great dog socializer. He has "Tyra", in his home. "Luna", "Misty" and "Shira" reside with Art and Rosanne. Lorri has "Sunny", "Maya" and Maya's daughter, "Abby" in her home. (Read about all of our kids under the "OUR DOGS" page).
Agua Viva prides itself on raising healthy animals with great temperments while continuing to improve on each generation. We recognize the need for these high spirited, strong willed dogs to have jobs, so we make sure that all Agua Viva dogs participate in therapy dog work and continue obedience training throughout their lives.
