In The News

2024 March, NC State Vet Med Outreach; Raleigh, NC
  • What a fantastic day of out reach. Thank you Valerie for making this opportunity possible. The love that was exchanged between the Berners and the attendees was incredibly touching. Young and very old had the chance to snuggle, cuddle, and learn about our breed and how the Vet School has been instrumental in the care of our breed. What an amazing experience. Great time with Valerie amd M. Yoffe with Phoebe, T. and Tom Coleman with Radar, for myself and J. McCune with Journey. -D. McCune
  • Thanks D. McCune for the photos.
2024 March, BRBMDC Draft Test: Hurdle Mills, NC
  • Another fantastic BRBMDC draft test weekend is in the books. The tests were held on the property of Dorene and John McCune in Hurdle Mills. Judges Ruth Nielsen and Karyn Beyer flew in Thursday from Washington state and California respectively and Phil Atkinson and wife Beth drove down in his RV from Massachusetts. All of the judges and test Secretary Laura Hartsoe and husband Sam were hosted by the McCune’s for the weekend.
  • We started off with practice run throughs Friday March 1st. We had 14 teams practicing in two rings with judge Karyn Beyer in one and judge Ruth Nielsen in the other. This gave the teams the opportunity to go back in forth between the rings working on specific areas or doing an entire mock run to get ready for the tests.
    The run throughs were followed by a cookout on site hosted by Dorene and John which was attended by about 25 people.

  • The overnight brought heavy rain that cleared out before the Saturday the 2nd 7:30 am check-in but made for a soggy day. Saturday’s judges were Phil Atkinson and Karyn Beyer. We had 8 passing teams out of total of 22 teams that tested. The day wrapped up at about 6:00 pm and was followed by the Judge’s dinner at Radius Pizza in Hillsborough which was attended by 22 people. Sunday the 3rd was a beautiful day. Sunday’s judges were Karyn Beyer and Ruth Nielsen. We had 12 passing teams out of a total of 24 entries. -J. McCune
2024 February, NC Museum of Art & Lynnwood Brewery: Raleigh, NC
  • Thanks V. Yoffe for the pictures and coordinating the Event
2024 February River Art District Walk: Asheville, NC
  • Thanks W. Djang for the pictures!
2023 December Annual Meeting: Hurdle Mills, NC
  • Thanks J. Poskanzer and M. Persons for the pictures
2023 Oct Club Meeting: Asheville, NC
  • We had a great October club meeting today! We started with a nice walk around the lake, followed by delicious box lunches from Atlanta Bread Co. During lunch we had our meeting which included 29 people and 21 dogs!! We also picked up 5 new Berner families who joined us yesterday AND today! After lunch, we played a very rousing game of Berner Bingo and finished up with an interesting educational session by Dr. Matt, focusing on elbow and hip dysplasia and various preventive and therapeutic measures available. Thanks to D. Nelson for organizing this and to everyone else who helped and attended to make this another very successful and enjoyable event!!  - T. Coleman
2023 Howl-o-ween Pet Parade: Black Mountain, NC
  • Oct 28th: Some of our members and friends descended on Black Mountain's Annual Howl-o-ween pet parade. Some were decked out in costumes, humans and Berners alike! Congratulations to Sis and Lisa for their first place in pet costume contest!
2023 Octoberfest: Winston Salem, NC
  • Sep 30th: A truly Bernertastic meet up today in Winston Salem! We had about 20 people and 12 dogs, including 2 new member applications.. A big thanks to MJ for setting this up and the pretzels . They were a big hit and much appreciated! Thanks to everyone who ventured out for this great day! - Tracey C.
2023 Club Meeting: Durham, NC
  • Aug 19th: This year’s August club meeting took place at the Page Point Animal Hospital and Pet Resort in Durham. The facility hosts a spacious indoor play area,  which is great for this time a year in the triangle area and the 90 degree temperatures. In attendance,we had  19 club members and 16 Berners. We had 4 guests in attendance interested in joining our club with their Berners (included in the 16 total). We had 3 guests interested in learning more about the breed.  It was a pleasure to see several long-time club members who we haven’t seen in a while.  That was a real treat! 

    We started with a social gathering, humans and Berners alike. The Berners were truly having a great time, some even got the zoomies! Lunch included a variety of delicious burgers, grilled cheese, fries from the Will & Pops Food Truck. After lunch, we held our club meeting followed by the raffle. During the raffle, one Berner cheered the winners with dancing!  There were lots of great raffle items and participation, earning the club $310.  

    We closed out with some fun games including “Guess the age of the Berners” and “Musical chairs” with delicious dog treats and cute toys as prizes!  Playing along were 3 pups under a year and 3 elder statesmen 9 and over.  Love it!  And lastly, let’s not forget MJ’s special Berner Bananaritas with yogurt, honey and bananas- YUM! Midas slurped his up and wanted more.

    Another successful BRBMD club meeting is on the books. We encourage everyone to attend these club events and look forward to seeing you at them.  They are typically packed with activities games, education- and food! 

          Thank you to all our members who ventured to the Triangle for our August club meeting! Please give a proper thank you to  
          the club Events Chair, MJ Kramer, for coordinating this fun meeting.   Finally, thank you to the board’s supporting our
          membership and our Berners.  

2023 Summer Hike: Asheville, NC
  • July 23rd: Members and Berners spent a lovely Sunday walking along a portion of the famous "MST", Mountain-to-Sea-Trail in Asheville at 10AM. The day is capped off with a lunch at Noon at "The Hound" for refreshment, tapas and food truck! Thank you all for coming, and a special thanks to Dave-Margo-Solomon-Maggie as our hosts/organizers.
2023 Christmas in May: Flat Rock, NC
  • May 21st: Members and Berners spent a lazy Sunday walking among a beautiful trail flanked by a babbling creek! Lunch was provided and a brief update of the Club was given. An Educational Q&A from our very own Member-Vet. Dr. Zebley was insightful. There was gift exchange for humans and a Rally class demo by Dorene. Thank you all for joining and participating! a shout-out to Event team, D. Nelson for championing this event and Wendy D. for the pictures!
2023 Beach Weekend: Topsail Beach, NC
  • April 28-30th: Beach weekend! Members and pups enjoyed a beach walk on Saturday followed by lunch at Sear's Landing with fantastic fresh seafood. Thanks MJ for organizing!
2023 Draft Weekend: Hurdle Mills, NC
  • March 17th-19th: 2023 Draft Tests Weekend hosted by Blue Ridge Bernese Mountain Dog Club in Hurdle Mills, NC

    First Day of Draft Test, 10 of 18 teams qualified
    2nd Day of Draft Test, 14 of 19 teams qualified

  • BRBMDC Qualifiers

    Sat:
    Sis O'Hearn and Mae - Novice Draft Dog (NDD)
    Dorene McCune and Rose (with assist from Journey) - Brace Novice Draft Dog (BNDD)
    Dorene McCune and Rose - Draft Dog (DD)

    Sun:
    Sis O'Hearn and Mae earned a Novice leg.
    Lauren and Twister earned an Open and a Novice leg
    Dorene and Rose earned Open, Novice, and Novice Brace (with Journey) legs

  • A Special Thank You to our hosts and Draft Chair John and Dorene McCune for allowing us on their private property for the Draft event

  • Thanks to our judges Larry Bohlig, Barry Solomon, and Nancy Van Horne, and apprentice judge Jan Burgan who made it a fun test. A huge thank you to our volunteers who make the draft test happen: Dan Lynn, Sam Hartsoe, Duy Nguyen, Karen Park, Tom Chase, MJ Kramer, Laura Gilliam, Jim Dilda, Cindy Mitchell, Tom Coleman, Lisa Hodge, Anthony Barbera, Tracey Coleman, and Mary Ann Persons. A special shout out to Laura Hartsoe, our draft secretary - the hardest job in putting on a draft test
Winter Meetup: Flat Rock, NC
  • February 26th: The group met up at The Park in Flat Rock, NC for a leisurely morning walk then headed to Blue Ridge Beer Garden for social hours with drinks and BBQ food truck. We had 27 people and 16 Berners! Thank you all for coming! Thanks to the Events team and Deborah-Jim!
Winter Meetup: Raleigh, NC
  • February 4th:  The group met up at Blue Jay Point County Park for a walk then headed to Bottlemixx for drinks and food. We had about 10 people and +10 Berners. Thank you all for coming! and a big shout-out to MJ for organizing the event.
Annual Meeting Dec 4th: Old Fort, NC
  • Our yearly main Club meeting, aka "Annual Meeting" sure lives up to its name. Held at Hillman's Brewery in Old Fort NC. Over 39 Members and 27 Berners were present to get a status update on the Club while enjoying games, food and fun!
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Christmas Parade Dec 3rd: Black Mountain, NC
  • BRBMDC participated in Black Mountain Christmas Parade. We were among +60 local groups/organizations that showcased and celebrated the start of the Holiday Season. Our Berners and owners/members sure know how to work the crowds!
BRBMDC Howl-o-ween & Club Meeting Nov 5th: Hurdle Mills, NC
  • Thank you to everyone who came out to the 2022 Howl-o-ween Party! John and I really love to share our farm with everyone. It is wonderful to see so many dogs run off leash. We had 25 people and 17 1/2 dogs (Orion only counts as a half!). Since we are on the eve of our club's annual auction we kept the raffle small, yet we raised $145 from ticket sales and donations. The pot luck items were wonderful, the game participation was fantastic, and the costumes were outstanding! We are looking forward to the next time we can have the club out! - Dorene

           Thanks John and Dorene for the professional photos
Hillsborough Berners & Brews Oct 30th; Hillsborough-Durham, NC
  • Our members enjoyed walking the historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail in Hillsborough and capped of the outing with some drinks at Ponysaurus Brew's in Durham, NC.
Howl-o-ween Parade Oct 29th; Black Mountain, NC
  • Berners and members got into the spirit!
Valle Crucis Park & Club Meeting Sept 25th: Valle Crucis, NC
  • BRBMDC headed back to Valle Crucis for our Club Meeting. Lunch was provided along with Berner games with prizes. We had a fantastic demonstration of basic carting 101!.
NC Arboretum Walk & Lunch Sept 11: Asheville, NC
  • Sunday funday! The group spent a lazy morning with an easy walk through the lush ground of the Arboretum then a light lunch on the patio. Thanks Jamie B. for organizing!
Regional Specialty Jul 28th weekend: Greenville, SC
  • Our team co-host this event with the Piedmont Club. An extended weekend of shows, sponsorships and of course shopping! A big thank you to Wendy D. and Dawn G. for coordinating this event.
High Country Picnic July 24th: Valle Crucis, NC
  • The group went up to the High Country for cooler summer air for an afternoon of games, food and fun! Beautiful community park with paved walkways and right next to the Watauga river! Thank you Tracie F. for organizing!.
Chimney Rock Hike & Lunch June 4th: Chimney Rock, NC
  • We walked among the forest shades on this mid-morning hike. An hour loop hike total, challenging at times! The group enjoyed lunch at Burnshirts Vineyards Bistro with a spectacular view of Chimney Rock.
Christmas in May & Club Meeting, May 15th: Durham, NC
  • The group met in Durham for our 1st meeting of the year! Beautiful facilities, air conditioned for pups and humans. Fried chickens and sides were served. Thanks Lisa H. and Valerie Y. for organizing!
BRMDC Draft March 4th-6th, Hurdle Mills, NC
  • The 2022 BRBMDC Draft Match and Tests were a success! Thanks to the dedicated work of the draft committee and volunteers. The weather was great, temperatures were in the 70's and sunny.
  • By the numbers
    • 30 at Friday's evening cookout
    • 20 at Saturday Judge's dinner
    • 10 participants on draft match Friday
    • 16 entrants and 8 qualifiers on Saturday
    • 19 entrants and 7 qualifiers on Sunday
River Art District Walk Feb 20th: Asheville, NC