About Us
AKC BREEDERS OF MERIT FOR BLACK RUSSIAN TERRIERS
Located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Sparta Black Russians is a breeding partnership between Emily Foster and Jean Tuggle that solely breeds quality Black Russians Terriers. We take great pride in what we are working to achieve, and we truly love this magnificent breed. Our breeding goal is to first and foremost make a positive contribution to the breed as a whole! We think this breed is something quite special and we strive to always move our breeding stock and breeding program in a positive and balanced direction, this is important not just for
ourselves but for the survival and wellbeing of our breed. We aim to improve overall health while maintaining excellence in conformation, temperament, and never losing sight of what the breed was made to do, this is a balancing act and improvements take time. We work to breed consistent litters that follow the breed standards set forth by our parent club, as well as the FCI and RKF standards to help us achieve this goal.
Our dogs are bred to be able to step into a confirmation ring and be exemplary representatives of the breed with power and elegance combined. However, we don’t stop there, our dogs can be used for service work, therapy work, doing serious protection work, and of course just being the perfect family companion. They are a wonderful and versatile breed that are delightful to live with for people that are willing to put in the necessary work of socializing and training.
We take a collaborative approach to reach our breeding goals, and Sparta Black Russians is truly a family affair. Our puppy families have an important role to play, and we would never be able to achieve our goals without the love and support of our extended Sparta Family. We are sometimes goofy and playful, sometimes serious, and always passionate about our dogs and our breeding program. We bring over a decade of combined experience to the breed and over 2 decades of experience in multiple facets of animal husbandry and competition.
We believe community involvement is a very important part of what we do. We are proud and active members of the Black Russian Terrier Club of America. Emily is an active member of the Linn County Kennel Club and Jean is an active member of the Mount Rainier Working Dog Club. We are AKC Breeders of Merit and participate in the AKC Bred with Heart program. Sparta Black Russians has raised and bred multiple AKC Champions, Grand Champions, and beyond, as well as achieved a variety of other titles.
MEET OUR BREEDERS
Emily Foster
Emily’s love of animals began at a young age. She grew up with a house full of various animal. The family dog was always a Rottweiler. No house could be complete without the 2 cats, fish and birds. 😉 The one animal Emily’s heart always longed for was an American Quarter Horse. Her father and grandparents raised, trained and showed reining, cutting and western pleasure horses. The family had sadly gotten out of horses when Emily was born but that didn’t lessen her love for America’s Horse. So to indulge their daughter (and get her to stop asking for a horse) Emily’s parents got her into riding lessons. Emily would later go on to compete in some local horse shows and even learn to team rope.
Emily has an AAS in Medical Assisting and is currently pursuing continued education to earn her Registered Nursing degree.
Emily’s experience with animals ranges from the domestic house cat, dogs, horses and to some of the most beautiful Big Cats of the world. Being blessed to be apart of the Ambassador program at Wildlife Safari, a wildlife conservation and education park. There she had the privilege to engage with some of the rarest, most amazing animals while educating the public, ranging from the Great Horned owl to the beautiful Snow leopard.
Jean Tuggle
Jean’s love of purebred dogs started very early. She was blessed to be raised by a very loyal Golden Retriever. As a child, she would participate in pretend dog shows staged by herself and her neighborhood friends (of course her Golden would always win 😉). As a young adolescent, Jean started riding hunter/jumpers and that became the main focus of her life for many years to come, however, her dogs and cats were always in toe.
Jean has a BS in Biology with a minor in chemistry and a BA in Political Science.
Jean has worked around animals in a variety of capacities for most of her teenage and adult life. Working as a stable hand, exercise rider, riding instructor, dog groomer, veterinary assistance & technician, behavior consultant, and foster care coordinator in a couple of large metropolitan animal shelters just to name a few ways in which her life has been completely intertwined with the many animals that have shared her life. She has always had a passion and love for the companion animals we share our lives with, and an intense competitive spirit. She brings these years of experience, passion, and competitiveness to the Sparta program.
