Bernese Mtn Dogs crossed with Labs for therapy--Foundation Mira

[Melissa & Porter]

I came across this by accident and thought it was neat.  I don't speak French though and was wondering what the motivation was for combining these two breeds in particular.  Anyone want to translate their reason for being (um...raison d'etre) :-)

The videos are touching even though I don't understand a word!

http://www.mira.ca/fr/plus/1/15/familles-et-autisme_0337.html

[Melissa & Porter]

Thanks for the English version. Wow those descriptions of the breeds are poetic! What a nice thing your friend's mom does.

[F, Calla & Luca]

They look beautiful. Interesting.

[Melissa & Porter]

Yeah, I was drawn to the site while editing a book and figuring out that Labrador is capitalized. Then on the wikipedia Labrador retriever page, there was a list of crossbreeds. I have a couple dog park friends with Bernese--so sweet and soulful.

[Lu]

hiya

I was interested because we went to our first puppy party last night and there was one there and lovely he was too. I clicked your link to have a nose.

[Lorraine Bromley]

I have never known a bernese although I do have friends that have had them. Both died early from cancer. They were huge dogs.Very beautiful.
Since I do have disabilities I do wonder why someone would want a dog that has the coat of the lab and bernese mixed as they both shed and both have very dense hair. Even the golden standard of helping dogs the golden retreiver is a high maintenance shedding mess. Although beautiful breeds. In my work most of the working dogs were labs but moving definetaly towards the use of poodles. That was over 10 years ago that was happening.
I find it interesting that the person figured it was oh buta boom butta bing and after breeding this many over this many years they will be a recognized breed. If this was so, the doodles would have been a recognized breed long ago. I don't see this mix having any better luck with that as a working dog or not.

[Melissa & Porter]

Yes, the two people I know with Bernese lost them to bone cancer between eight and ten years. One of the women has another Bernese now. The other, whose Bernese passed in January, now has a Lab/Newfoundland/collie puppy from the shelter.

As for the disabilities part, I can see how hair-cleanup should be considered with someone who has physical limitations--less so with someone whose child has autism. One of these women I mention semi-carried her Bernese using a body-harness on and off for weeks while he was having heart-problems from the chemo. He had lived another year following amputation and chemo, still going on hikes in the woods. But, no, especially the last several months he would NOT have been good for a person with physical disabilities.

[Lorraine Bromley]

Apparently they must be becoming popular as there is a litter for sale in my local paper this week.