About Us
At Rustic Barn Kennels, it is our goal to enrich the lives of you, our customers, through personal interaction as friends to friends. It is our desire to listen to your needs, your likes and dislikes, then guide you to a puppy friend that can be a part of your family for many years to come.
Here at the kennels, we strive to spend time with each puppy individually, thereby developing within them a love for people. Usually, they respond well to our whistling calls, and come running and tumbling with much tail wagging and excited whimpering. They’ll even give us a through face-licking when given the chance!
At Rustic Barn Kennels, we have set our goals on quality genetics and show quality confirmation.
We are located the the foot of the Rocky Mountains in picturesque St. Ignatius, a little town in Montana. We are only a small family-operated breeding facility in our second year of operation. We believe having everyone in the family involved will result in healthy, well-socialized puppies that will smoothly transition from our family to yours.
More About Rustic Barn Kennels
Small, mild-tempered dogs originally bred for cattle herding in Great Britain, Welsh Corgis are perhaps best known as Queen Elizabeth’s favorite dogs. According to Rueben Yoder, who raises what he calls ‘people-loving, happy-go-lucky’ dogs, they are the oldest known breed in England. Today, they are also known around the world, from the pastures of Great Britain to rural northwest Montana where Rueben and his wife, Rachel raise the beloved breed.
“They are just so easy going,” Reuben explained. “We have seven females and are in the process of expanding into genetic testing. We are working to improve the breed by learning all we can about the genetics involved with these dogs, especially their genetic weaknesses and how to best breed those out of future generations.”
He continued. “I got my first dog when I was 13, a dachshund crossed with a rat terrier. I’ve been interested in dogs and raising them ever since. When I met my wife, Rachel, she didn’t like dogs and I had to convince her how much fun they are and now she loves our Corgis.” Reuben and Rachel have a daughter, Kari, who is almost a year old and they are in the process of adopting her. When not involved with his family and the Corgis, Reuben makes outdoor polywood furniture. The Yoder family lives on a small plot by Montana standards of eight acres, outside Missoula. In addition to their Corgis, they have a couple of horses which are also carriage-trained.
Corgis are heelers, like several other breeds also originating in the United Kingdom. These herd dogs were bred to move livestock by nipping at their heels. Corgis are also known as dwarf dogs due to their small stature. With their long history, tracing back to the 10th century, stories and myths surround the amiable canines as well as their long work history as livestock herd dogs. One legend says that the Corgis were a gift from the woodland fairies and their unique beautiful markings were left by fairy harnesses and saddles.
“There are two types of coloring to the Corgis. Our Pembroke Welsh Corgis are red and white and there are also tri-colored dogs, that are black and white with copper accents,” Reuben added.
In more modern times, Queen Elizabeth when she was still a princess received her first Corgi as a gift from her father when she was eighteen. Her puppy, Susan even rode in the Royal Carriage, hidden under rugs, after her wedding to Prince Philip. Ten generations of Corgis have been bred from that first puppy belonging to a young princess and owned by the Royal British Household over the years. More than 30 of them have belonged to Queen Elizabeth over her decades in the British monarchy.
“So far we’ve marketed our dogs through the local newspaper, on our website and through bulk emails. That last one has made a real difference,” Reuben continued. “They are incredibly good family dogs and really good around kids as they have a gentle yet very outgoing personality.
“We haven’t had to opportunity to get involved in showing our Corgis yet but that is something we’d like to offer to our customers in the future.”
With a young family and such outgoing puppies underfoot, it is certain that Reuben and Rachel have a bright, rollicking future ahead of them.
Article written by Laura L. Valenti
Blessings to you,
The Yoders
at Rustic Barn Kennels
If you have any questions or would like to know more about us, please call (406)745-5225 or Contact Us. Thank you!