Hello, my name is Linda Lavender and I breed, train, and show Staffordshire Bull Terriers (Staffords) and American Staffordshire Terriers (Amstaffs). I have a long and diversified history with behavioral training. Some of my favorite teachers are Cesar Millan, Kyra Sundance, Karen Pryor, and Suzanne Clothier. I am always looking to enhance my skills and knowledge and am looking forward to finishing Suzanne’s CARAT training. My family and I currently live in Georgia between Atlanta and Athens. Though I got into the “dog world” in 1996 when I took a job as a dog trainer, I obtained my first show dog in 2008 from Jennifer Steinle of Ambition Amstaffs. Ziva was an excellent first show dog. I did obedience with her and she moved into show training easily. I was nervous about showing (because it was not part of my skillset), so Jennifer handled her to her Championship title. Though Ziva was a great dog, I lived in a small house and remembered a wonderful Stafford I got from the Humane Society and used as a demo dog many years ago. The breeds are similar, but Staffords have a little softer temperament. Jennifer and I began looking for a Stafford to show. We obtained a wonderfully special boy from Michelle Bryant of Shortyrock, Shortyrocks Cisco Simmer Down Girls. Cisco was initially shown by Jennifer, but in 2013 I decided to begin showing myself. My first goal: finish a dog in the Conformation Ring was accomplished with Cisco in 2014. My second goal was to get a dog ranked in the top 20, I did that in 2015 with Cisco. My next goal is to personally rank a dog in the top 5. My puppies are raised indoors with the Puppy Culture Protocols in mind, which gives them the best start for a relaxed and resilient adulthood. They are well socialized with people, dogs, children, cats, goats, and horses, and I keep them until they reach 10 weeks. The puppies are fed a mixture of Blue Ridge Beef raw food with goat milk and transitioned to a high quality grain free kibble prior to leaving. They also have a good start on house and leash training prior to leaving my house. I like to meet all my puppy owners in person and love to follow them on Facebook. My family is passionate about the health and welfare of dogs, and we do our best to keep our babies happy and healthy throughout their life, no matter where they go. I will not sell a puppy for any illegal purpose, nor will they go to a home where they will be chained outside. I want homes for my puppies where they will be cherished members of the family. I will provide lifetime support for you and your new puppy, and we will ALWAYS take back anything we have produced at any age.
