A little bit about us..........

Hi, and welcome to Boarpoint Great Danes and Pointers! My name is Melissa Ekis, and I, along with my husband David, and our three sons, live on a half acre in "cow country" in Central PA. I am an ML Support Specialist for Cadmus Communications; a major digital publishing company here in the U.S.

I show Great Danes and was busy "growing out" a fawn boy named Baron, until he bloated. I have since added a new addition. Journey is my first female Great Dane and my first dane champion! She finished in May 2005 with 4 majors. 3 from the puppy classes and 2 specialty majors. I'm so very proud of this girl.

I have been owner-handling our dogs on a limited basis since 1996 and am having so much fun. I am a member of and have held several offices in the Great Dane Club of Central PA (GDCCP). I am also a member of the Lancaster Kennel Club. We support the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League, Inc. and Pointer Rescue and applaud their efforts in trying to find suitable forever homes for our unwanted Great Danes and Pointers. We also help them out by doing home checks, foster care, transport, fundraisers, and have sat at booths at local Pet Smarts on Adoption Days. I participate on the MyMentors (invitation only), Dane Rescue Mentors, Owner handler, Great Dane Owner Handler, DogBreeding, danerescuementors, and Epointer yahoogroups mailing lists. All offer a wealth of information and I highly recommend you check them out. Those lists along with my mentor and good friend, Anna Mary Kauffman of Mountdania Great Danes have taught me and continue to teach me so much about the breed I love.

We are fortunate to have found those same type of qualities in our Pointer breeder, Tammy Albee of Corwyn Pointers.

A little bit about our beliefs........

We do not have puppies, and will not for quite some time, but do delight in helping others. In fact, we haven't produced any litters yet. But I can tell you that we will be an ethical hobby kennel, and will only produce a litter when we wish to keep a pup for ourselves. We believe in breeding for the betterment of the breed. Our goal at Boarpoint will always be to breed a sound dog in body and mind as close to breed standards as possible. We believe temperament is of utmost importance especially in a powerful working breed such as the Great Dane or as in the spirited Pointer. We show our dogs as well as train them in obedience which keeps us in tune to not only their conformation but their temperament as well. We believe if you don't have a sound mind, a sound body does you no good. Our Danes and Pointers must not only do well in the show ring, but provide our puppy people with healthy, structurally sound, well-tempered, loving companions for many years to come. They are only show dogs for a few hours on the weekend, they are your loving companion the rest of the time and you want to be able to coexist with a well-adjusted Dane or Pointer.

Even though we are a fairly new kennel, we take our Danes and Pointers very seriously! All of our puppies will be raised in the home, and will be bred for their gentle temperament and in an atmosphere abundant in human companionship and loving family.

Temperament of our Danes and Pointers is extremely important to us and all of our puppies will be temperament tested before they leave for their new homes. This is to ensure that each and every puppy is placed with the correct family.

Prospective Boarpoint puppy owners need to know that we will be very particular with whom we place our Danes & Pointers. First and foremost, a happy healthy family situation is warranted, our puppy owners researched very thoroughly, we will ask that you fill out a questionnaire and when possible; personal home visits by either ourselves or someone we know and trust, prior to any commitment on our part to place our puppies. A "show home" does not automatically imply that we would place a puppy there.

All puppies will be sold on a contract.....be it a show or pet quality contract. Our pet quality puppies will be sold on a limited registration and a spay/neuter clause. There are no exceptions to this rule, as we do not believe in anyone breeding pet quality Great Danes or Pointers. PERIOD!

We highly recommend that you do your homework, and study up on the breed before contemplating adding a Great Dane or a Pointer to your family. We feel that dog ownership is a responsibility that is ongoing for the life of the dog and encourage people to do research before they commit themselves to any breed, but particularly to one as large as the Great Dane. That cute little chunky puppy can do some serious damage.

Please visit our Links page to get you started in your search for information. There you will find information on the health related issues that affect Great Danes as well as information on what to look for in a puppy and a breeder. My advice to you is Never buy the puppy. Buy the dog the puppy one day will be.

Great Danes are not the breed for every one. Their size and regal appearance are captivating to all they meet and that is what draws many to this breed. I highly recommend you read "Before You Buy a Dane" particularly if you have never shared your life with a giant breed dog. It is important to research any breed you are interested in adding to your family but I can't stress how important it is in regards to a Great Dane. Danes are considered an exotic and high-maintenance breed because of their special needs. Spend some time at shows meeting breeders and their danes.

If you are thinking about a Great Dane or a Pointer, but know nothing about the breed or already have one and have questions about care, upkeep or training or just want to chat, please feel free to contact us.