Hello, my name is Christa and I live just outside of Phoenix, AZ in a small rural town along with my husband Khet, my two wonderful children, and our many dogs. I have always had a passion for animals and their well-being since I was small child. After I met my husband over 15 years ago now, my in-laws introduced me to German Shepherds. I fell in love with their intelligence, loyalty, and confidence. I watched them grow older and succumb to degenerative myelopathy and others suffer from hip dysplasia. It broke my heart to see these amazing animals at such a high risk for these debilitating diseases. This sent me on a path to extensive research to understand the why and, if possible, how to lower this risk in such an incredible breed. Shepherd’s Watch was born out of this research and love to better the breed.
Even though we are a small kennel, I am very passionate about German Shepherds and helping others understand the breed better. I participate in ongoing trainings and classes on everything from nutrition and genetics to dog manners. I love learning about all thing’s dogs! I'm not the type of breeder that will just sell you a dog, and you never hear from them again; you are taking home a member of our family. I will always be happy to answer any questions you may have large or small.
The mission of Shepherd's Watch is to produce, provide, and enjoy healthy, happy dogs with a focus on health, temperament and most importantly love. We do this by adhering to strict, ethical breeding practices. As such, all our dogs are DNA tested for over 190 different variants including degenerative myelopathy (DM) through Embark, along with testing through Pennhip for hip dysplasia. We pride ourselves on being as honest and transparent as we can be to the best of our knowledge. Which is why all our test results are available on our website.
Our dogs are very versatile and can perform a variety of functions. They can be used as beginner show or companion pets for individuals and/or families. Our focus for the breed leads us to healthy companion pets but our pedigrees have many titles all the way up to world champion. Which is evident in their intelligence and confidence. All our dogs live with us in our house and have access to the outdoors 24 hours a day. They have family-oriented temperaments, a medium drive, are well socialized, and can learn almost anything.
We are so excited we were able to turn our passion into something we love to do. If you have any comments or questions, please visit our Contact page and let us know.