Today we’d like to introduce you to Annette Gitli and Matias Raciazek.
Hi Annette and Matias, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Our story started with a passion we both share as a couple: our love for animals. We’ve both had animals our whole lives, including dogs. When we started dating, we realized we both wanted a career change, and we wanted to start doing something that we love. We both had dogs in the past, and when I (Annette) met Matias, I had my first Chow Chow, Sascha. We both fell for the breed. Chows are stubborn, but at the same time they’re the best household dog you can find. We even had 3 Chows in a tiny apartment at one point and people kept asking how we did it. Contrary to what people usually think, there’s really nothing to do, they’re so well behaved that sometimes we forget that there’s dogs at home.
We started educating ourselves about three years ago, preparing for a breeding program. We didn’t know much about breeding, but everyone has to start somewhere. So we went to our local bookstore and started reading books, we joined different Facebook groups and we continued to learn as we go. We have two females and one male and we will keep expanding with time.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Breeding is never an easy job. Sleepless nights, lots of cleaning, and plenty of trips to the vet. But when we’re tired and feel like it’s enough, we think about why we started. We want to bring joy to families by giving them a new member of the family. We want to change the perception that people have about Chow Chows, and you start doing that by giving families a healthy, happy, and well-behaved puppy.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We are a family-owned kennel that breeds Chow Chows. We only offer our puppies as pets since we are not experts in Championship and we want our puppies to have a simple yet very loving life. We are very proud to be able to share our love of Chows with the world and to be able to make a small difference, even if that means changing only one person’s perception about the breed.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
We greatly admire Jeannette Forrey, author of the Badass Breeder method. I think that there’s always someone you can look up to and it doesn’t even have to be the best in your industry, but someone you can learn from.
Contact Info:
- Email: purpletongueskennel@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/PurpleTonguesKennel/?ref=py_c&__xts__[0]=
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purpletongueskennel/?hl=es
Image Credits
Annette Gitli Matias Raciazek
