Dear Prospective puppy buyer,
It is my opinion, that THE most important thing to look for in a dog breeder is: the relationship between the things that they say, and the things that they do. Second to that is their reputation. Before I had come to know Libby Willis of Cornerstone danes, I knew her by reputation. I had heard that there was "this breeder in Washington State" that had "100% full European Blues" and that "she was one of the nicest people I could ever meet"! When I called her to inquire about one of her puppies-- not only was she one of the nicest, most knowledgeable breeders I had ever met, but she was also one of the most honest people I had ever come to know. Over the several years that I have now known her, I have grown to dearly love and respect her as a person, but also her breeding principals, and the quality of dog she has produced through uncompromising standards. I have never met a more honest individual. I have owned 2 of her incredible dogs. The first I was forced to re-home when my husband became ill a while back, and the second is with me now. When looking at the Cornerstone dogs, you should not ask if they are "good enough" for your family. The question you should ask is "am I good enough to own one of these incredible dogs?" Cornerstone puppies are many things, but what they are not is "random". Libby has more than 10 years of experience in researching pedigrees, genetic traits in this breed, and dog-handling. She hand-selects (and some times, years in advance) the dogs she will use to produce these excellent puppies. She is known by some of the most famous breeders of Champion- and World Champion dogs all over the world, and is regarded by many of them as a friend as well. When you look at a Cornerstone puppy, you are looking at a puppy that was intended to be exactly as beautiful, and incredible as it looks to be. You are looking at a puppy whose parents were health tested for genetic defects, and who's parents' parents were also bred for health and betterment of the breed. When looking at a Cornerstone puppy, you are seeing a puppy raised in a home where it is affectionately handled by adults and children, and socialized to large and toy breed dogs as well as cats. The babies are kept IN the house, right with their mother until they decide its time to explore the rest of the house! They come to their new homes having been vaccinated, microchipped, health-tested, having had their dew claws removed, and on one of the best foods on the market. Moreover, they are incredibly easy to housebreak, take in the car, crate train, and to love!
You will have breeder support for the life of your dog. Your great dane will get so many "saddle jokes" you'll want to write a book about it-- and you'll have the families of many of the past puppy buyers that can support you in raising your new puppy as well. We constantly are stopped in public, because people have never seen such a big and beefy dane before and always want to know what kind of dog he is!
My 8 month old Levi is one handsome fella. He instantly took to my kitten, my twin babies, my 6'4 husband, and my 11 year old daughter. He came into this crazy home and made himself RIGHT at home! He didn't mind for a second that the kitty is the boss, and that he must obey her. :)
He was evaluated by a professional dog trainer and along with the other female I had adopted before from Cornerstone-- BOTH were said to have the perfect temperament for therapy and service work from the veterinarian, and now our trainer. Our veterinarian was impressed and said several times "these dogs have such excellent bone structure! You can tell they are very well bred!"
These are such balanced, gentle, happy, and HEALTHY dogs! There is a reason these dogs are not priced like some of the dogs you see advertised on the internet. THESE dogs all come from parents that were imported here from Europe from Champion lines, from the top kennels in the world. These dogs are laid on their back from day one to ensure that they are submissive, and a record is kept of each one's temperament, weight and other nuances. They are not "cheap" because in order to produce this caliber of dog, she had to spend easily 3 times what she is even asking for them-- which does not include the fact that they are hand-delivered, and at times hand fed for weeks if need be. I know for a fact that these are not produced in a barn, outside, and left to grow. These babies are born in the house, kept safe and warm, and that Libby sleeps right on the floor beside them until they are old enough to not be compromised in any way! She has even slept on the floor pregnant, right along side her pregnant dam.
You can feel the love that goes into these incredible dogs. Believe me they are the best you will find in the entire United States! THE, BEST!
You will only need to hide your shoes and remeber that anything tasty left on the counter is fair game! ;)
God Bless,
--Brandon & Jamie Ross
Stow, Ohio