The herbalist behind the kennel.
Nine years of breeding, one breed only, and a discipline borrowed straight from the apothecary counter.
Before the dogs, there were the plants.
For eleven years, Léonie Cardinal ran an herbal apothecary on Saint-Paul Street, in Old Montreal — mother tinctures, custom blends, hand-written labels, a batch log for every preparation. Rigour wasn't optional there: a poorly recorded dose can't be undone.
That same discipline now applies to breeding. Every puppy has a file, the way every tincture had one: date, weight, observations, reactions. Nothing is passed down from memory — everything can be reread.
The apothecary closed its doors four years ago — Old Montreal rents show no mercy — but the spirit of the counter simply found a new subject.
The dog who started it all.
Mélisse arrived at the shop by accident — literally. A customer tied her up outside during a quick errand and never came back for her. Three weeks later, Mélisse was sleeping behind the counter, among the jars.
It was in getting to know the Wheaten terrier's temperament — quick, devoted, capable of greeting a customer by jumping higher than the counter — that the idea of breeding took hold. It wasn't planned; it simply steeped, the way an infusion sometimes steeps longer than intended.
Mélisse is retired from breeding now. She still lives in the house and supervises, in her own way, every new litter — lying nearby, one ear half-raised.
Why only one breed, at a time.
Knowing one breed well beats skimming several. We don't produce crosses or litters of a different breed "on request".
Worth knowing about the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier: roughly 35 to 40 lbs at adulthood, 17 to 19 inches at the shoulder, a 12 to 15 year lifespan — longer than many mid-sized breeds. Puppies are often born darker (slate or red) and the coat "clears" to its final wheaten colour between one and two years of age.
Another trait owners quickly learn: the "Wheaten greeting" — an energetic, two-legged welcome offered to just about everyone. Charming to expect, less practical in a wool coat.
The full screening and socialization protocol specific to this breed is detailed on the Our Method page.
Would you like to meet Mélisse — and perhaps her descendants?
Visits happen by appointment, in Old Montreal. No commitment is required to come and see.