Kim Crawmer
Maremma Sheepdog Club of America Code of Ethics Breeder
My love of all animals, but especially dogs, began when I was a small child. My parents owned a Boxer named Duke when I was born and I loved that dog dearly, as well as my grandmother's miniature poodle, Jacque. Over the years we had many pets, including dogs of many different breeds and crosses, usually gotten at the dog pound or found by my dad on his routes as a truck driver for Exxon. I always loved these dogs, but my parents tired of them quickly so they didn't stay long.
When I was 14 years old I began an apprenticeship at a dog grooming shop in my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. I worked there for 5 years, first bathing, brushing and blow drying dogs and cats and eventually learning to groom all breeds. I encountered a large variety of breeds through this job, including a few LGD breeds such as Great Pyrenees and Kuvaz. During this time I also began breeding Cocker Spaniels and bought my first horse, an Arabian gelding, with the money from my grooming job. I also paid his board and all his expenses with my own money. I'd been asking my parents for a horse all my life. They always said no so I finally bought one myself.
When I was 19 I got married and moved to Florida. My husband was in the Navy so over the years we also lived in Guam, Florida (again), Maryland, Virginia and California (twice). I continued grooming dogs off and on in the various places we lived, owning my own dog grooming shop, Island Pet Grooming, when we lived on Guam. (I was the only groomer on the island for a period of time.) I bred Cocker Spaniels, my favorite breed at the time, for many years and owned a variety of horses, mostly Arabians, as well as a large variety of other pets and farm animals. We owned a farm in Virginia for a few years, where I finally had dairy goats, chickens and my horses living at home, but we gave it up to move back to California to be with our oldest daughter who had gotten married while we were stationed here.
Back in California our horses went back into boarding and my dreams of owning a farm were put on hold again, until my husband finally retired from his 40 year Navy career. In late 2015 we bought my "dream farm" in Lemoore, California. I started out planning just to have my horses at home and add a few dairy goats and chickens. But I soon learned that Dwarf and Miniature dairy goats sell well so I went from only having enough for our own milk to breeding them on a larger and larger scale. Because we live in an active predator area I needed a Livestock Guardian Dog to protect my animals, so we bought our first Maremma, Olaf, soon after moving in. I soon fell in love with the breed, eventually loving them as much as my beloved Cocker Spaniels. In 2017 I bred my first Maremma litter. All those puppies went to working homes and raising and training them was such an amazing experience that I was hooked. Over the years I have worked on my breeding program, acquiring dogs from the best breeders in the country, eventually becoming a Maremma Sheepdog Code of Ethics Breeder. In 2022 I imported my new stud dog from Italy.
When I was 14 years old I began an apprenticeship at a dog grooming shop in my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. I worked there for 5 years, first bathing, brushing and blow drying dogs and cats and eventually learning to groom all breeds. I encountered a large variety of breeds through this job, including a few LGD breeds such as Great Pyrenees and Kuvaz. During this time I also began breeding Cocker Spaniels and bought my first horse, an Arabian gelding, with the money from my grooming job. I also paid his board and all his expenses with my own money. I'd been asking my parents for a horse all my life. They always said no so I finally bought one myself.
When I was 19 I got married and moved to Florida. My husband was in the Navy so over the years we also lived in Guam, Florida (again), Maryland, Virginia and California (twice). I continued grooming dogs off and on in the various places we lived, owning my own dog grooming shop, Island Pet Grooming, when we lived on Guam. (I was the only groomer on the island for a period of time.) I bred Cocker Spaniels, my favorite breed at the time, for many years and owned a variety of horses, mostly Arabians, as well as a large variety of other pets and farm animals. We owned a farm in Virginia for a few years, where I finally had dairy goats, chickens and my horses living at home, but we gave it up to move back to California to be with our oldest daughter who had gotten married while we were stationed here.
Back in California our horses went back into boarding and my dreams of owning a farm were put on hold again, until my husband finally retired from his 40 year Navy career. In late 2015 we bought my "dream farm" in Lemoore, California. I started out planning just to have my horses at home and add a few dairy goats and chickens. But I soon learned that Dwarf and Miniature dairy goats sell well so I went from only having enough for our own milk to breeding them on a larger and larger scale. Because we live in an active predator area I needed a Livestock Guardian Dog to protect my animals, so we bought our first Maremma, Olaf, soon after moving in. I soon fell in love with the breed, eventually loving them as much as my beloved Cocker Spaniels. In 2017 I bred my first Maremma litter. All those puppies went to working homes and raising and training them was such an amazing experience that I was hooked. Over the years I have worked on my breeding program, acquiring dogs from the best breeders in the country, eventually becoming a Maremma Sheepdog Code of Ethics Breeder. In 2022 I imported my new stud dog from Italy.
My Education
I have always been an avid reader and, as my husband puts it, "the most researching person he knows". When I was a kid I studied every book the library had on animals of all kinds, making notebooks full of notes, drawings and diagrams, planning my eventual farm I would have someday. As an adult I homeschooled my six children so I continued to educate myself in addition to them, taking out stacks of library books as well as amassing a huge library of my own of print, digital and audiobooks. I couldn't begin to remember all the books I have read on animal care, breeding and training over the years but I'll start with the ones I do remember. I've also found formal courses to be very helpful so I will list the ones I've taken here, as well.
In Person Courses
Training For Professionals- Across Species
Five day course at the Karen Pryor National Training Center in Washington state
Five day course at the Karen Pryor National Training Center in Washington state
Online Courses
- Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Foundations
- Karen Pryor Academy Puppy Start Right for Instructors
- Puppy Culture
- Badass Breeder Puppy Evaluator Course
- Suzanne Clothier's Introduction to CARAT
- Empowered Badass Breeder Mentorship Course
- Mini-Series for Badass Breeders - Our Oath That Unites Us
- Mini-Series for Badass Breeders - How to Use Canva
- Mini-Series for Badass Breeders - The Business Side of Dog Breeding
- Mini-Series for Badass Breeders -Medicine, Feeding, Foot Baths, Hand Washing, Dam Butt Baths
- Mini-Series for Badass Breeders -Reservation Lists, Master Lists, Litter Lists
- Mini-Series for Badass Breeders - How to have a Badass Breeder Go Home Day
- Mini-Series for Badass Breeders - New Litter Forms
- Mini-Series for Badass Breeders - Client Webpages for Litter Info
- Mini-Series for Badass Breeders - Giardia Protocol That Works
- Mini-Series for Badass Breeders - Trupanion Health Insurance
Learning Never Ends
I am continually educating myself in order to be a better breeder and trainer. Currently I am working on the Karen Pryor Academy Better Vet Visits course. Once I'm done with that course I am considering several other courses from Karen Pryor Academy, Suzanne Clothier, The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), The Institute of Canine Biology and Fear Free.
