About Us

Black Forest Bernese - that is the husband and wife team Karin & Ben McCune, our wonderful Bernese pack (check out the 'Our Dogs' section) and last but not least our two rescue dogs Oz (our gentle giant Great Pyrenees) and Max (a feisty wire-hair terrier cross). As well as various livestock on our 90 acre farm just outside Portland Oregon.

Karin hails from a quaint small town in the Black Forest, Germany. From a young age she was drawn to all things animals, especially horses and dogs. She was a longtime volunteer at the local horse stable which also raised Bernese Mountain Dogs and quickly and permanently fell in love with the breed and got lots of hands on experience. Two of these majestic dogs were part of daily life with the horses and the farm, would accompany the trail rides and demand cuddles from the visitors. In her eyes there is not a more beautiful, majestic and sweet tempered dog than the Bernese. Their love for their humans is something uniquely beautiful to behold.

As coincidence - or rather fate - would have it, Karin's husband Ben shared the love for this breed and when they took on the adventure of restoring a formerly abandoned 90 acre farm it quickly became clear they wanted to share it with their favorite fur friends!

To us, our dogs are our family! The house (and trucks, and beds, and clothes) sure show the wear and tear of all the doggie love it but we wouldn't have it any other way. Our dogs get to be family members and live their best farm dog lives - running through puddles, through our woods, sleeping in the tall grass, digging holes, eating horse poop and whatever mischief they can come up with! As much as possible we take them on adventures - to the coast, the mountains, once even on a road trip to Montana, and sometimes 'just' to the local taphouse that doubles as a Bernese meetup spot where there are plenty of human friends to meet. Because in the life of a Bernese, there are no strangers, just a friend you haven't met yet!

We have hand picked our Bernese from different European bloodlines to help keep the gene pool as diverse as possible. Our breeding dogs are extensively health tested and have impeccable temperaments. The puppies are born and raised in our home with lots of attention, love and socialization. We rear them on special traction mats during their first few weeks of life to prevent excessive wear and tear to their joints due to slippery surfaces.

Please get in touch if you have more questions about our program. We love sharing our knowledge and passion for these magical dogs!