08/25/2026
Congratulations to Rozalem de Mumartin — our Zora. 🤍🐾
Today is a very special milestone for us as Zora officially graduates from her Social Obedience classes.
When people see a breeding program, they often see the beautiful dogs, the adorable puppies, the photos, and the exciting announcements. What they don’t always see is everything that happens behind the scenes — and Zora’s journey is a perfect example of why this means so much to me.
Importing a dog from another country can be an incredible opportunity, but it can also come with challenges. Some imported dogs spend four to six months waiting through quarantine, transportation requirements, kennel environments, and major changes in routine before they ever arrive home. That early experience can sometimes contribute to fear, uncertainty, awkward social behaviors, reactivity, or difficulty trusting new people and situations.
Zora was different from many of our other dogs from the beginning — not in a bad way, simply in her own way.
She is incredibly sweet, but trust has always meant something a little more to her. She has required more patience, more socialization, more repetition, and more understanding. She still has areas we will continue working on, and that is perfectly okay.
This is what it’s all about.
A breeding program doesn’t just come with cute puppies.
It comes with dedication.
Hard work.
Late nights.
Snippy attitudes.
Constant cleaning.
Training.
Socialization.
Teaching basic commands.
Vet appointments.
Genetic testing.
Color testing.
Health testing.
And sometimes putting countless hours into helping one dog become the very best version of themselves.
Then, after investing a year or more of your time, love, money, and energy into that dog, you still have to ask the difficult questions:
Are the hips appropriate for breeding?
Is the heart healthy?
Is the thyroid normal?
Are the genetics where they need to be?
Can this dog successfully complete the necessary OFA health evaluations?
Does this dog truly belong in the future of our program?
Because being beautiful isn’t enough.
Temperament matters. Health matters. Structure matters. Genetics matter. And the responsibility we have to the generations that come after them matters.
Trying to build the best program possible isn’t easy. There will always be more to learn, more to improve, and more work to do. All we can do is continue giving these dogs everything we have and hold ourselves to the highest standard we possibly can.
And today, Zora gave us another reason to be incredibly proud.
She showed up.
She learned.
She worked through her uncertainties.
She trusted a little more.
And she graduated. 🎓🤍
There is still more work ahead, but looking at how far she has already come makes this accomplishment that much sweeter.
Congratulations, Rozalem de Mumartin.
We are so proud of you, Zora. This certificate represents so much more than completing a class — it represents patience, progress, trust, dedication, and a beautiful step forward in your journey with Catskills Greatest Danes. 🐾✨
