CedarsPoint navigated through several significant challenges this winter and into late winter of 2025. This post aims to update everyone interested in these challenges, changes, and to highlight the important events of 24/25, as well as to share our hunting season. Some changes were wonderful, while others were not so much... The life of a business connected to Small Munsterlanders... Regardless, we wanted to share our ongoing journey with you, to keep you informed about the kennel as we begin the 2025 hunt testing season, and to give you a firsthand look at the life of a developing kennel, with all it breaths and sorrows. This post is by far the toughest one we've ever written. Heartache, trust, and joy are all intertwined in this one....
Recent Events Outlined and Discussed:
G Litter between Gosch's Cir Conn-Cedars and Brush Dale's You Can't Fence Me In
Jeff Makes Kennel Primary Focus
September-Hunting Season Starts in Wyoming-Ruffed Grouse in the Black Hills
September-Cedars Point Kennel Takes Montana by Storm Wind and Heat
Fort Pierre Grasslands Trip with Buckwoods Kennel-Jennifer Kellogg
Two trips to hunt Wyoming Chukar a Cedars Point Kennel First
Cedars Point Kennel Receives their Fourth NAVHDA Natural Ability Breeders Award
Cedars Point Rings in New Year in California to Breed Yetta to Alex
Cedars Point Visits Southern California to hunt with E Litter Owner on Quail and Fowl
BB's Aster is Retired From Breeding and Place/Photo Tribute
Cedars Point Don't Stop Believin' Re-homed /Photo Tribute
Cedars Point Starts Begins Preparing Glitzy Spitz for the NAVHDA NA Test
Cedars Point Announces Fourth Pairing of Brush Dale's You Can't Fence Me to Gosch's Cir Conn
In Closing
2024 Key Events:
G-Litter Between Brush Dale's You Can't Fence Me In and Gosch's Cir Conn
On May 26, 2024, Cedars Point Kennel welcomed a litter from Yetta and Cedar. This litter was a repeat of the A and C litters, marking CPK's seventh litter overall—our G-Bold Mix litter. This experience challenged our breeding knowledge and presented some unique difficulties.
Yetta, like all her previous litters, went into heat normally and had no trouble enticing Cedar to mate. She carried to full term, and our estimated whelping date was accurate. Her temperature dropped that day, and she began nesting and panting late on May 25th. Shortly after, things became unusual. Typically, Yetta's stage two labor follows stage one by about two hours. By the fifth hour of stage one labor, it was clear something was wrong. We contacted the Rapid City Emergency Clinic to explain the situation and that we would likely bring her in at the first sign of distress if she didn't start contractions and enter Stage 2 labor. They agreed with the circumstances and the plan, and we all stayed by her side.
Brenda and I took turns throughout the night, but there was no change. She ate the next morning, though much less than usual. Still no contractions! However, there was a change late in the afternoon. While nesting in the towels we use before whelping, she stood up and left a green streak of discharge on one of the light brown towels. Her first sign of distress—as if 20 hours of stage 1 labor wasn't a sign too! We immediately called the clinic and explained we'd be arriving in 20 minutes for a c-section. The car was already packed, and within minutes, Brenda, Yetta, and I were at the clinic being admitted. Within 35 minutes of the distress sign, she was in surgery.
Brenda and I attended Saturday night Mass at the Cathedral, where we prayed for Yetta and the puppies' safety. On our way back from Mass, we received a call from the clinic informing us that Yetta and all nine puppies were healthy and nursing. Dr. Christiansen explained that a puppy, initially overlooked after entering the first uterine horn, was obstructing the entrance to the birth canal, preventing Stage 2 labor from occurring. He praised us for our prompt and proactive actions, which saved both Yetta and the puppies' lives. He mentioned that Yetta and the puppies would stay with them overnight, and we could pick them up the next morning. Initially, he considered removing Yetta's uterus, but we explained the litter history and requested that, if they were in good condition, they be left intact. He honored this request, and we were relieved by the condition the doctor found them in.
The next morning, when we arrived at the clinic, the vet technician brought out the puppies and handed them to Jeff in a box lined with several towels. They advised us to head home quickly so Yetta could continue nursing. They were also impressed with Yetta's efforts, as she cared for the pups all night, even coming out of sedation. The vet tech jokingly suggested naming the pups after the box they were in. It was a Frito Lays chips box used to stock the clinic's vending machine. She pointed out that the box described them as a "bold mix." We laughed at the idea, thanked her and the ER doctor who performed the c-section, asked all our questions, and headed home.
Aside from the c-section, everything else about this litter exceeded expectations. As newborns, both the litter and their mother thrived, matching previous litters in weight and development, and truly became a "Bold Mix" group. Interestingly, we asked our buyers to suggest Frito Lay names starting with "G." We received great participation, making the litter a fun Bold Mix. Their names are listed below, starting from the top row, left to right:
Cedars Point Grandma's Ultimate Mix
Cedars Point Glitzy Spitz-Glitzy
Cedars Point Gundog Crackerjane-Gypsy
Cedars Point Grit in the Sun Chip-Huck
Cedars Point Gadabout Funyun-Creed
Cedars Point Gonzo Frito-Duece
Cedars Point Grand de Lays-Rollo
Cedars Point Great Golden Goodness-Karma
Cedars Point Gutzy Rold Gold-Jim
What an exciting time, emerging from what seemed like a crisis. We are optimistic about seeing a good number of the Bold Mix team participate in the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association Natural Ability testing this summer and fall. The Bold Mix is definitely unforgettable. Cedars Point retained a puppy from the litter and hopes she continues to show potential as a breeding prospect. This leads us to another event at the Point, but first, a significant change at our Kennel made the news in chronological order.
Cedars Point Lines Up Three Litter Pairings for 2025 Breeding Year
After extensive research and consideration of our girls and their contributions to breeding, Cedars Point contacted three different stud dog owners to request their consideration for pairings planned for late 2024. All three owners were receptive to our interest, and we posted these pairings on the Kennel Website back in November. All three pairings were presold. We would like to thank all buyers again for their interest and for choosing Cedars Point. Unfortunately, only one of the original pairings remains posted, and we are patiently waiting, along with our buyers, for Riavas Miss Dakota to come into season. The Winter litter between Yetta and Alex didn't work out, and the litter between Aster and Beaker didn't take. These were originally the H, I, and J litters, respectively.
Currently, we have only two prospective litters listed. Riavias Miss Dakota and Brush Dale's Triple Threat-Soda, the "H" Litter, is expected to begin her heat cycle soon, and the "I" Litter involves Brush Dale's You Can't Fence Me In and Gosch's Cir Conn. This pairing was recently added and will be a late Summer/Fall litter. You can view these litters here if you wish to check them out more closely.
Jeff Makes Kennel Primary Focus
After spending about 10 years in South Dakota and a year of discussions with his wife, Jeff decided to leave his sales position with a power electronics manufacturer in Rapid City to fully dedicate himself to the kennel. Following the recent loss of his father and the small age gap between them, Jeff realized that money should not be his primary focus. His dreams have always guided his life's pursuits, and the kennel is indeed that dream. After 7 years in sales, Cedars Point Kennel, along with breeding, training, testing, and hunting his companions, became his sole focus.
September-Hunting Season Starts in Wyoming-Ruffed Grouse in the Black Hills
The beginning of the 24/25 hunting season, similar to the previous three, was too warm for the prairies. Consequently, Jeff and his team headed to the hills beneath the Aspen canopy to commence their season. Although the days were short, they were productive. For most of the first two weeks, we could only hunt for about an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening because temperatures reached the 90s. Here are some photos of our endeavors. It was a challenging yet enjoyable start, we even lost a cell phone along the way.
September-Cedars Point Kennel Takes Montana by Storm Wind and Heat
As the heat began to subside slightly, Jeff connected with a member of the Black Hills Chapter to organize schedules, revealing a chance to head to Montana for a brief week of sharptail and Hungarian partridge hunting. Although the weather eased somewhat, it remained hot. Montana offered incredible experiences, despite the high winds and lack of shade. We had great success with sharptail on our second day, though we didn't take any pictures, and then moved to a different spot to hunt both sharptail and huns. This turned out to be my favorite hunt of the season, as we had never pursued this quarry before. Key learnings follow:
Sharptail are plentiful in Montana, so are huns, or at least this year they were.
The shot size for the two birds are similar but if there are more huns than sharptail where your pounding ground the shot size of choice for us would be 7.5. We didn't bring enough of this size either. Thanks Henry!
Huns are fast, flush in large coveys on their first flush, and when they get up into the wind it makes them exceedingly difficult to hit.
Chokes size for the two quarry differ to some degree too. With sharptail they tend to be further out, and are much bigger game so improved and modified worked perfect. On huns, at least in the early season, we were much closer to the quarry than sharptail, so with the chokes we'd been using for sharptail it made it harder to hit them. Once we changed to cylinder and improved we were dropping two or three per covey rise. Another learning that rung true that took another trip out to zero in; dogs that nose up rather than nose to ground scent these covey more consistently at a larger distance. Zephyr was the dog that really put this together first. It fit her style-nose up. Then once the coveys had been broken up, we'd run senior dogs into the same coulees to clean up the singles. The other ah ha..., huns really like lentils over cut wheat. Fun, fun, fun...
During our second trip to Montana, which I undertook alone, we were even more productive. We applied what we'd learned, including bringing more ice. Additionally, we discovered that coolers stayed better under shade outside rather than in the car with windows open. Once again, it was windy and hot, and we often couldn't set up the megamid to shade our coolers, so we used the truck's shade instead. We also needed to cook in the shelter of the truck to prevent us and the food from being blown away. All of our dogs made us proud, even the youngest, Glitzy Spitz, shown here checking out a DRY slough. Upon returning home, we decided to preserve capes from the huns and found a fly fishing market for them, which helped cover the costs of gas and ammunition.
South Dakota Sharptail Opener-Glitzy Spitz Kills Em
After our second trip to Montana, on our way back from the hunt, we stopped in northwestern South Dakota for the sharptail opening weekend. It was crowded, and we had some unsettling encounters with hunters outside the grasslands. We witnessed unexpected sights and even spoke with the local Fish and Wildlife about the midday events. We departed after Glitzy had her first encounter with South Dakota grouse. On our way home, we also shot our first hun in South Dakota, along with the more common white-tailed jackrabbit or hare.
South Dakota Pheasant Opener and the Weeks Following
The South Dakota Pheasant Opener, like every other hunt before Halloween this year, was hot. We visited a new State Production Area that we had never explored before, and it turned out to be fantastic. Our subsequent hunts were equally successful. However, by November, without snow on the ground, the birds, much like the grassland grouse, were not sticking around to be hunted. Additionally, there was a trend we observed not only in South Dakota but in every state we hunted, except California-rampant mean seeds. After years of drought, grasses were being replaced by less desirable plants-noxious weeds and mean seeds. In the past, we would simply pack up the dogs and find another hunting spot. Why take the risk. This year, that wasn't an option. We wouldn't have pounded any ground. There were two other areas where we didn't encounter mean seeds—the two grasslands we hunted of South Dakota. That was it. Everywhere else it was the norm. Our tailgate checks this year also demanded an extremely thorough effort.
Fort Pierre Grasslands Trip with Buckwoods Kennel-Jennifer Kellogg
In early October, we traveled to the Fort Pierre Grasslands to meet Jennifer Kellogg and her dogs while she was in South Dakota to breed with a stud owned by Jason Munson from Sioux Falls. Jennifer loved the expansive spaces of Central South Dakota. The first day on the prairie was challenging, starting with an encounter with Pepé Le Pew just minutes after getting out of the car. Fortunately, we were prepared and dealt with the situation by the end of the day. Hunting was difficult—not due to a lack of birds, but because they were quite wary. Our first day was successful, as we managed to bag some birds. However, on the second day, we could only watch as hundreds of them flew away as we approached. Despite this, we enjoyed great camaraderie, along with some amazing sunsets and equally beautiful sunrises.
Two trips to hunt Wyoming Chukar a Cedars Point Kennel First
The initial trip to Wyoming was extremely challenging. The weather was cold, and we arrived just after a system had passed through, leaving 4 to 6 inches of snow. We had never hunted chukar in the wild before, relying solely on Google and OnX Hunt for guidance. This approach worked remarkably well, but the roads were dangerous, and being alone in such vast country, we had to exercise caution and make wise decisions. During the first half-day of hunting, we bagged our first Wyoming hun. The following day, we ventured into an incredible basin, but the birds eluded us by flying to the opposite side of the junipers, preventing any successful shots. However, we did manage to bring one down, and Aster's bird work was exceptional for her first experience with wild and wily red devils.
For the next two days of our initial Wyoming adventure targeting the willy red devil, we decided to explore a completely different area of the Big Horn foothills. After several hours of navigating roads lacking gravel, and driving most of the day we succeeded to reach the area we had identified as potential chukar habitat. We drove as close to the identified area as possible but chose to walk up to it the following morning due to the conditions of the roads. This turned out to be a wise decision until the ground warmed up, making our return to camp after the hunt challenging. The mud that clung to my boots added nearly 5 inches to my height. We also put boots on our dogs for the first time on this trip. They adapted quickly, and we were amazed at how well they performed throughout the day. None of them lost a boot, thanks to Hunter Kamm who introduced us to his method. The video he shared was exceptional. It was satisfying to create our own and have them work perfectly, including the taping technique.
Cedars Point Receives their fourth North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA)-Natural Ability (NA) Breeder Award
This award would not have been achievable without outstanding buyers. Remarkably, one of the pups from this litter became the first to be placed in a working dog role with a professional ski patroller in Washington State. Keep an eye out over the next year or so for its testing in Back Country Avalanche K9-(BARK) certification. This news was also bittersweet as one of the pups from this litter became the youngest SM in the breed's history to achieve a NAVHDA NA passing score before reaching 4 months of age. Cedars Point Don't Stop Believin'-Zephyr was incredible on test day. There's a long story about why Zephyr was tested that day, so feel free to ask us if you're interested. Zephyr has also been an exceptional hunting dog over her first two seasons, having been hunted in MN, SD, WY, and MT.
The bitter part of this award is that Zephyr didn't grow tall enough for us to enter her into our breeding program. We didn't want to "stop believin'" in her but at age two there was litter hope she would achieve standard height. Fortunately we are currently grooming another pup to take Zephyr's place-Cedars Point Glitzy Spitz. Glitzy will be hunt testing this June. We hope she performs well enough to move her to the next stage of grooming process. Stay tuned.... We are beyond dismayed at the situation with Zephyr. She's an amazing hunter and companion. Beyond any we've work with up to this point. Letting go is the hardest part of being a breeder, whether it be with pups or with dreams of keeping your studs line alive and well.
2025 Key Events:
After five exceptional years of kennel successes or ups, late 2024 and early 2025 proved to be wrought with challenge. Like with anything, however, one must take the ups with the downs.
Receiving the 2024 NAVHDA NA Breeders Award, our fourth award in seven litters left us riding a high into the beginning of 2025. That high came crashing down almost immediately into 2025.
Cedars Point Leaves Facebook Behind
When Brenda and Jeff moved to South Dakota Jeff didn't have an active Facebook page. His work with the City of Summerset changed this. The City wanted to start a Summerset, SD Facebook page, a page geared at better communications between City Officials and the public. The only way to achieve this was to start a personal Facebook page and then open up another page tied to the personal page for the City of Summerset. Jeff chose to to do this as part of his job with the City.
Shortly thereafter he started Cedars Point Kennel and it only seemed logical for Facebook to be used to market their new beginning-Cedars Point Kennel. After nearly 10 years of promoting the Kennel through Facebook and over a years discussion with Brenda just before entering into the New Year Cedars Point Kennel decided to close their public account and Jeff's personal account on Facebook. The decision was based on a number of things:
Facebook's changed along with everything else in the country the last several years. The biggest change was when they went public and became Meta. Feeds became inundated with politically charged rhetoric. Friends disappeared based on new algorithmic slants. It became a place to find perspectives aligned with the same slants too. Perspectives we didn't ask for, seemingly shoved down our addicted throats.
Jeff believed the social media giant was needed to be successful as a start up business and new kennel. How painfully inaccurate this reality was too.
Jeff's always been an adrenaline junkie, or better yet an addictive personality. Facebook became an outward manifestation of this personality. One that was being used in excess. In places it shouldn't be.
So after much discussion, we are no longer representing our kennel on the mainstream, public Facebook. We are currently using the platform on a private level to create Facebook content to support the greater Cedars Point Buyer Family. Each litter group has it's own private alliance to participate in, to watch their litter/puppy develop, to see first hand the rearing protocols of Cedars Point in action, and to ask questions and communicate away from the public eye. Brenda manages these groups and Jeff now uses his time for other things, much more productive to the kennel. We also use Brenda's personal account to market content added to our website and to hopefully continue to add value to the breed, buyers and breeders in North America.
Cedars Point Rings in New Year in California to Breed Yetta to Alex
Just prior to the New Year Brush Dale's You Can't Fence Me In came into heat. Back in November of 2024 we lined up her pairing partner with Jan Zitny and Alex z Hanusova Lomu. Without going into the details specifically, the pairing was unsuccessful in producing our first litter of 2025 between Yett and Alex. The litter was presold and there were a number of buyers and current SMCA breeders alike disappointed in the end result. Fortunately, we turned it into an incredible hunting adventure.
Cedars Point Visits Southern California to hunt with E Litter Owner on Quail and Fowl
After finishing up the proposed breeding with Alex and a quick visit with a high school skiing, track, and cross-country friend of Jeff's in Rocklin, CA, Jeff headed south to hunt with an "E" Litter owner for California quail and fowl. On their way south, while waiting for their "E" Litter buyer to complete his work week, Jeff and crew pursued Mountain Quail along the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCNST). Unfortunately, none were found. The journey was, regardless, a memorable pursuit, a reminiscing time of a historical adventure from 1997 for Jeff, a character-perfecting pursuit for him and his dogs. Back in 1997, Jeff and a former partner of his at the time, Michelle Willix—better known for her PCNST name BAM or Bad Ass Mama—completed a thru-hike of this trail from Mexico to Canada. The event was called "Going the Distance Because We Care," and was completed as a fundraiser for Children's Hospitals' Uncompensated Care Fund. The hike took 5 months, and the two averaged 22 miles per day on the crest for three days less than 5 months. Being back on the trail hunting Mountain Quail was amazing! Unfortunately, no quail were to be found, just an uncharacteristically large volume of deer ticks.
After the mountain quail effort, Jeff met with Ryan Lenyk, an "E" Litter puppy owner, and visited him, his wife, their children, and Ryan's parents in San Diego. Immediately following the visit, Jeff and Ryan set off in pursuit of California quail on their first day. They drove over the Laguna Mountains to the northwest edge of the Anza Borrego desert. For the second day of their planned hunt, they headed south to a private duck club where Ryan has been a member for about six years. The quail hunting was good, but only Ryan was successful on the first day. Unfortunately, no pictures were taken. The next day, they traveled southeast to Ryan's club, located south of the Salton Sea, nearly reaching Mexico. The wind picked up on the leading edge of the storms that hit Los Angeles. This helped the duck hunt as the Salton Sea stirred in the high winds, creating perfect conditions to move the ducks and geese off the sea towards the more sheltered waters of the club's flooded canals. Aster and Ryan's pup Gia were the dogs chosen for the second day of their hunt, and both performed exceptionally well. Aster even made a 100-yard blind retrieve of a snow goose that was downed and fell in the canal behind our blind. The wind and the flock's line of travel when it was hit caused the goose to land 100 yards behind us in another canal. It was a truly remarkable retrieve, as the goose resisted Aster the entire way back. Aster never even adjusted her hold, bringing the duck out of the canal to hand. Unbeknownst to us at the time, this would be Aster's last retrieve for Jeff as his cherished hunting companion. More on this later in the blog.
Once they finished their hunt for the day, Jeff noticed that Aster had gone into heat. Although he intended to leave that day to hunt with another "E" Litter buyer in Arizona the following week, their trip would be postponed until the next year. After a breakdown by Jeff prior to his departure, Ryan and Jeff bid farewell, and the Cedars Point Kennel team set off for home.
BB's Aster Comes Into Heat-Off to Wisconsin We Go
After a challenging start home, Jeff's iPhone GPS began to malfunction right after he left the duck club. Jeff decided to head towards Phoenix, AZ, hoping to secure an appointment for a progesterone test the next morning. Unfortunately, no clinics would accept a new patient who had never been there before for progesterone testing that morning. Instead, Jeff contacted his vet in South Dakota and scheduled a test for the following day just before lunchtime. After nearly 20 hours of driving, Jeff arrived for his appointment 15 minutes late as the clinic staff were leaving for lunch. Jeff explained that he would wait and took a nap in his truck until they returned. Aster was seen, tested, and fortunately had not spiked yet.
Aster's heat cycle is unusual; while most dogs have a cycle lasting around 21 days, Aster's cycle is only 10 to 11 days. This has been challenging to manage over the years, and we had to figure it out ourselves, which cost us one breeding attempt. Initially, we didn't understand what was happening until we figured it out. This pairing with Beaker would be Aster's fourth breeding attempt, so we wanted to ensure she had the best chance. After the testing, we returned home and unfortunately caught the flu from pushing too hard during our trip to California. We retested her on Tuesday after a difficult weekend. The second test confirmed she had spiked and released eggs—or so we thought. After four days of rest, or rather pain and suffering, Jeff and Aster headed to Wisconsin to mate with Beaker, a proven stud arranged for the pairing. This proposed pairing, like the one with Yetta, was presold. We were eager for good news at this point. Our stud, Cedar, also indicated that Aster was ready, and when we arrived late Wednesday, Beaker wasted no time in mating with Aster. After a day off between the first and second mating, they mated again within minutes of our arrival. Both Cedars Point and the stud dog owner were reasonably confident in the likelihood of success. We returned to South Dakota to await confirmation.
2025 Hunting Season Comes to a Close
Facing challenging weather and with only a few days remaining in the season, Jeff took Cedar and his daughter Glitzy Spitz out for one last attempt at Pheasant before the 24/25 season concluded. It was enjoyable to watch the two run together for the first time in a brace. The birds were generally uncooperative, flushing wildly out of gun range all morning. However, around lunchtime, both dogs locked onto some birds that had settled in the lee of an old road bridge, roosting deep in the cattails. Jeff only needed to take two steps after the dogs stopped, a group of roosters took flight. With two shots, two birds went downed both landed deep in the cattails. After a 20-minute search, both were retrieved to hand. Unfortunately, Cedar took all the glory of the retrieves for himself, Glitzy was determined and never gave up the effort-but Cedar had experience on his side.
Cedars Points Starts to Develop Their Blog Site
Cedars Point Kennel decided to leave Facebook after extensive discussion and debate spanning over a year for several reasons. One key factor was the excessive time spent on the platform looking at posts unrelated to the Kennel, Small Munsterlanders, or even our friends. Additionally, we were overwhelmed by rhetoric spreading misinformation and emotionally charged divisions among Americans as a crucial presidential election approached.
The tipping point, however, was a post by a buyer from Cedars Point that attracted numerous comments. One comment that stood out to us was a cartoon gif intended to be humorous, but we found it insulting. We recognize that this was our own issue, not the poster's fault. The original post seemed to be earnestly seeking information, and while it appeared genuine, we believed Facebook was not the appropriate place for such inquiries. The post candidly highlighted the absurdity of the platform and the lack of critical thinking often displayed by its users when seeking to make informed decisions. We tried to respond to the inquiry with genuine and objective comments after observing it escalate like a atom bombs mushroom cloud. However, within just four waking hours, it became clear that our comment had challenged someone's perspective and efforts with the breed. We had struck a nerve in them just like our buyer in us. The individual respectfully contacted us directly, requesting us to remove part of the content we'd posted. We respected their request, and this incident became the decisive moment after a year of discussion that convinced us leaving the platform was in our best interest. It also inspired us to consider a new path: starting a blog.
The Cedars Point Kennel blog page now boasts five categories. It's been highly visited with over 1000% growth. In the last 30 days we've had over 350 visitors, and 8 shares. It has been a ton of work, but our time spent is aimed at breed education, breeder development, training development and more generally giving back. Brenda is even sharing recipes she's found and morphed into Keto friendly alternatives.
We had hoped for more comments or feedback, but perhaps that's not the purpose of blogs; it seems people do that on Facebook now. We also hope that over time, more breeders will engage in blogging. Since we decided to become breeders about seven years ago, one thing is clear: good mentors are rare. Without the support of the one who has stood by us over these years, who knows if we would have come this far? We haven't reached our destination yet, wherever that may be. We know we value learning, feedback, and diverse perspectives. Growth can't happen without these or in a vacuum. We'll see how things unfold. The year 2024/25 has been incredibly challenging at Cedars Point Kennel, more than we could have imagined at the start. We hope these challenges have made us stronger, more knowledgeable, and better equipped to meet the needs of our kennel, our aspirations, our buyers, and others we encounter on our journey.
We hope you appreciate the content, find value in our perspective, and perhaps are even open to challenging them. Honestly, it's taken some courage. This year has added value in numerous ways, not just on a dramatically intense level. We hope some of that value has been shared with you.
Blog content can be found here:
Categories are as follows:
What's New at Cedars Point Kennel
Recipies
Looking for a Small Munsterlander?
The Whelping Room
The Training Table
We hope you'll enjoy and find something of inspiration there! We sure have....
Aster's Breeding Doesn't Take
After waiting until the beginning of the third trimester of Aster's expected pregnancy for the ultrasound, Cedars Point Kennel and the litters' buyers, who had been patiently waiting, received disappointing news. Aster showed no signs of being pregnant. This was Aster's fourth natural cover breeding, with only one litter previously carried to full term. This news, combined with the earlier pairing challenge with Alex, was difficult for everyone involved. After discussing it with our vet, we were confronted with making not just one, but two difficult decisions.
BB's Aster is Retired From Breeding and Placed/Photo Tribute
BB's Aster, our superstar and the bane of birds, was the result of our stud's first litter with Lakewood's Enchanted Beauty. She's an exceptional hunter, a wonderful companion, and a housemate to our other breeding females. She embodies our commitment to preserving our stud's lineage, the foundation of our kennel. We discovered the breed many years ago through an unexpected introduction by a colleague of Brenda's. Interestingly, the son of Brenda's colleague assisted Jeff in preparing Aster for her Utility testing with NAVHDA. Coincidentally, a family friend of this colleague placed a deposit for a puppy from this litter. Additionally, the colleague's son had been waiting over a year for a puppy from Aster. His hopes were dashed again after losing his first Small Munsterlander to old age during the hunting season. Their hopes were altered when we received news of the failed pregnancy. Given Aster's breeding history—four natural breedings with only one full-term pregnancy, her shortened heat cycle, and a pup with congenital challenges from her first litter—Cedars Point made the difficult decision to retire her. Following this decision, Jeff began contacting buyers from the litter to deliver the unfortunate news. Brenda's colleague's family friend was among the last calls. Dan, a retired pharmacist and lifelong hunter from South Dakota, shared stories of hunting with the family who introduced us to the breed. He was deeply disappointed by the news. During this conversation, Cedars Point mentioned Aster's background and their interest in placing her in a dedicated hunting home. When this was relayed to Dan, he wanted to discuss it with his wife. He called back after their discussion, showing enthusiastic interest. He had already arranged for Brenda's colleague's son to train Aster's pup, and this opportunity was even better—a nearly finished dog that matched his remaining hunting years. It felt like divine intervention. Additionally, Jeff might have the chance to hunt with her again. A perfect home was found. Aster is scheduled to be spayed later this month, allowing her to heal at Cedars Point before joining Dan. We are cherishing the remaining time with our star flower and bird nemesis.
Cedars Point Don't Stop Believin' Re-homed/Photo Tribute
As if navigating our future with Aster wasn't challenging enough, Cedars Point faced another tough decision regarding the pup retained from Aster's only litter. Cedars Point Don't Stop Believin' had repeatedly demonstrated her prowess as an exceptional huntress. Zephyr holds a unique accolade, being the youngest Small Munsterlander in the breed's history to pass the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association Natural Ability test at just 3.67 months old. She has been extensively hunted across several states, showcasing a distinctive nose-up hunting style. Her performance in her first and second hunting seasons was remarkable, particularly with ruffed grouse and Hungarian partridge, both from the same bird family. Unfortunately, she barely met the height standard at the withers and has a very mild temperament, showing slow maturity. This has led us to hesitate in pushing her further in development and training, but true to her name, we didn't want to "stop believin'" she would mature and integrate into our breeding program. Shortly after Aster's litter didn’t succeed and Zephyr's birthday, we reluctantly realized she also needed to be rehomed. Disappointed with our second Cedars line pup, we advertised her availability. A buyer from a previous litter had shown interest about six months ago, but they had just acquired a dog the previous week. To our delight, another Cedars Point Kennel buyer expressed qualified interest. They had recently lost their first Cedars Point pup in a tragic incident and were looking for a replacement. Having had time to heal, the entire family was thrilled with Zephyr and her availability. Like Aster, Zephyr will stay with us until her spay later in the month. After her procedure and recovery, her new family will come to pick her up.
Reflecting on the past five years of breeding, we never anticipated the heartbreak we've faced in 2025. Fortunately, the Cedars Point narrative is one of fresh starts, not sorrow. Breeding Small Munsterlanders has exceeded all our expectations.
Cedars Point Starts Begins Preparing Glitzy Spitz for the NAVHDA NA Test
Blog post to see most her in action can be found here.
She also had an amazing hunting season covering ground in WY, MT, SD and CA.
Cedars Point Announces Fourth Pairing of Brush Dale's You Can't Fence Me to Gosch's Cir Conn
Link to Litter Announcement can be found here.
2024 and Early 2025 In Closing
Having just completed this post, we feel somewhat raw and disenchanted. The adrenaline from the 24/25 hunting season has faded. We're still waiting for the joy that puppies bring to arrive. It's been an incredibly long wait. We've experienced more sorrow in four months than we ever imagined possible. If it weren't for Glitzy Spitz and our focus on her development, along with keeping Cedars Point's legacy alive and thriving in our kennel, we would mostly be holding onto sorrow. We are cherishing our remaining time with Aster and her daughter Zephyr. The walks we share consistently evoke a mix of emotions, memories of pure joy intertwined with the heartbreak of our current reality. Without our faith and the ability to let go, we would be overwhelmed by anger, resentment, and depression. We choose love, lent, and reflection.
We will leave you with nine final words. A quote we found that gives us peace, hope....
“Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you.”
― John Green
Jeff Mizenko
Cedars Point Kennel
Summerset, SD
425 241-7788
Jeff Mizenko is the owner of Cedars Point Kennel in Summerset, SD. He's a late onset hunter, aspiring trainer, husband, and breeder of Small Munsterlanders. He loves adventure and acquiring life experience.
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