Did my research and wanted a Boerboel. Richard and I spoke on the phone about his dogs and my dog handling experience and we agreed to meet in person to see if this was a good match. His dogs were present for inspection and his house and kennel were clean and pleasant. Our puppy is perfect. He is an exact copy of his father. I am very happy with my purchase and will get another puppy from this breeder. A Boerboel takes a few hours of work a day to dial in just right. This is a big commitment but if you have experience and the time, it is worth it. read more

I bought a female brindle pup, beautiful. She lived for four years, seems her line had history of piometria, spent as much trying to save her as she cost. I also had to fix an abdominal hernia, which was told it would go away.Prior to her getting sick I bought my male, some sketchy business. Never got his paperwork, to beeed him it was an additional fee. Make your plans clear when buying a pup, ask about parents health!! Seems now the standards of the breeder are not as high as when he did not have all those breeding pairs. read more

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Horrific experience with this breeder! BEWARE!! Mt. Olympus Boerbels was neither professional nor responsive once an issue arose. We picked up our 10 week old boerboel puppy after months of waiting on Thursday, May 31, 2012 from the airport. The first few days were fine with no signs of a problem. However, on Monday, June 4, 2012 we took our new puppy for the required vet check. While doing a routine exam, our Mt. Olympus Boerboel puppy growled and tried to bite our vet. Our vet (extremely experienced with mastiff breeds) stated this was highly unusual for a puppy of this age. On the advice of our vet, we immediately set up a session that Friday with a reputable certified pet dog trainer (CPDT) We returned to the vet's office the next day (Tuesday, June 5th) just to give the pup a treat and acclimate her to the vet's office. The puppy growled and tried to bite the vet tech. We immediately let Mt. Olympus Boerboels know the issues we were having and that we had a proffesional dog trainer coming on Friday to evaluate. The breeder told us we "overwhelmed" the puppy by not carrying her into the vet office, that this is a "protective" breed, and our vet obviously did not like "breeder dogs" or had an issue with the breed. In preparation for the evaluation by the professional dog trainer, we asked for the "PAT" results on the pup. We were sent a result that had incorrect parents listed. When we pointed this out to the breeder, we got a nonsensical response. Make certain that you get a PAT test performed by a disinterested and reputable certified pet dog trainer BEFORE you make full payment and get delivery of a puppy from Mt. Olympus Boerbel. I recommend that the PAT test be videotaped to make certain it was actually done on the puppy you are buying. On Wednesday, June 6 2012 the puppy growled at my eight year old daughter. On Thursday, June 7th, the puppy growled at me when I gently guided her by her collar from under a bush she was eating in my garden. Our review of the history of the Boerbel breed revealed that growling at family members was absolutely prohibited. On Friday, June 8 2012 we had our Mt. Olympus Boerboel puppy evaluated by a CPDT (certified pet dog trainer). Over the course of an hour, the Mt. Olympus boerboel puppy growled and tried to bite the dog trainer multiple times. It was clear that this puppy was not the breed standard and did not display the "trustworthy stability" and "even character" as Mt. Olympus boerboels advertise. On the advice of our vet, our dog trainer, as well as our own gut instincts, we shipped the Mt. Olympus boerboel puppy back to Texas on Saturday, June 9, 2012 at the breeder's direction. There is a HUGE difference between "protection" and "aggressive". This pup was not trying to protect us on any of these occassions. Before you buy a puppy from Mt. Olympus Boerboel, you need to make your own investigation regarding the level of socialization the puppy will receive prior to delivery. Do not rely on the Mt. Olympus Boerbel website that says "Our pups are hand raised inside our home with complete socialization on a daily basis...Our pups are raised as part of the family." The main caregiver appears to be the wife (Michelle Jones) who is the mother of an infant and a toddler - a full time job in itself. Now add about 23 adult dogs. Now also add three simultaneous litters of puppies (probably over 30 puppies). Michelle was very nice, but appears to be overextended. The husband (Richard Jones) is a chiropractor who handles the business end of the puppy transactions. Richard indicated that some puppies died due to overheating during the summer of 2011. The Mt. Olympus Boerbel website says: "They are not raised outside as kennel dogs with little social human contact." Before you buy a puppy from Mt. Olympus Boerbel (or any breeder) it is best to personally inspect how and where the puppies and adult dogs are kept. Don't make the mistake of buying a puppy over the Internet without seeing the puppy and how they are raised. Mt. Olympus Boerbel provided a partial refund, but we are still out of pocket about $1,100. So much for the Mt. Olympus Boerbel website promise: "Our pups are health, temperament, and hip guaranteed." When we asked that the full $1,100 also be paid to us, Mt. Olympus Boerbel initially referred us to its half executed written contract without referring to any particular clause. When we pointed out the fully executed contract was never provided to us and we were entitled to at least our $1,100 out of pocket costs (e.g. remainder of money paid to Mt. Olympus Boerbel, vet exam, and flilght back to breeder) under the Uniform Commerical Code (which has been enacted in all 50 states) and the representations on its website, Mt. Olympus Boerbel stopped all contact with us. I gave Mt. Olympus Boerbels every opportunity to make it right before writing this review. I will file my own complaint with the BBB today. read more

UPDATE.... After posting our unfortunate experience with this breeder on Yelp and filing a complaint with Better Business Bureau, we finally got refunded our deposit of $200. While the money was never the issue, it was more about principle. Below are the emails that transpired between Mount Olympus and ourselves. Up to the point of getting our emails, he still felt the need to send emails defending himself against the other reviewer and how he "did everything he could". It is my OWN personal opinion, that the "said" available puppy never existed as you can judge for yourself in the emails below. As soon as we said we wanted to check out the newly available pup that was born, he was quick to go on the defense and ask us if we were really interested ETC... Additional emails were sent with him badgering us for a response about how we empathized with the other reviewer, but we ignored his insistent emails. ****EMAILS LISTED FROM OLDEST TO MOST CURRENT AT BOTTOM FOR YOU TO JUDGE*********** Hello, I emailed you on 6/22 but didnt receive a reply. I am emailing a second time for documentation sake that I am contacting to tell you as I did on 6/22 that I have a puppy that was born, a fawn female. You stipulated a June/July 2012 delivery in your complaints to Yelp and BBB. This pup was born in that time period and is the gender and color you requested. I offer her to you and am offering to you again. We have your reservation and it is your choice as to accept the pup or not. I am fullfilling our original agreement. This pup is what you requested and born in the time frame you requested. I will be fowarding this information to the BBB and Yelp and filing disputes against you complaint. As The agreement was fullfilled as told to you and agreed upon by you, you do not have a complaint as I have fullifilled our argeement. Let me know what your intentions are for the purchase of this puppy. I have other buyers awaiting your decision. Regards, Richard Hi Richard, Would you be so kind as to send us some pics of the puppy, also who are the parents so that we can see what they look like to? Regards, Aubrey Aubrey, Are you actually interested or trying to actually see if there is a pup and color that is light? You seem quite upset about things and I feel I have reason to question your request and intentions. After all, I am now dealing with both sites and resposes to your complaints. Have you decided not to buy from Atomic? I know them well. I actually have a minister from Florida waiting for this same puppy. Regards, Richard Richard, We are still keeping our options open and would like to have a look at the puppies and see if they might satisfy our requirements. Aubrey Aubrey, My wife discussed the situation tonight and feel you better suited going with Atomic or whomever else you so choose. I do not keep your credit card information on file, so please forward you credit card number and exp date of the card the deposit was placed on and I will reverse the $200. There was a breeding as I stated and there was a light female produced. This is true. And yes they did whelp on the day stated. I cannot control these issues. The Dam was Zeus' sister and she produces excellent pups with a proven breeding history. She is a large and healthy pup. I also wanted to say that you don't know the circumstances with the other person you spoke of 'feeling for' on Yelp. I actually refunded them full purchase price for the puppy they are referring to prior to them making a complaint. Travel expenses of a pup I have no control of and I arrange them for buyers merely as a courtesy. I prefer they pick up their pup in person to meet us see the facility and meet their pups' parents. As to having pups die in heat last summer, that is totally untrue as the breedings did not take in the first place and no pups were born as there were no pregnancies during the last Summers' heat. And we also do keep all the pups inside to prevent any potential heat issues. I also have video of their puppy playing very happily with my 20 month old son and my 10 week old son as well 10 minutes after taking her out of the crate from the airport. No aggression. My Vet certified the puppy with no aggression. An international Schutzhund trainer of the USA and Germany certified the puppy as not aggressive. The puppy has been sent to another family and they have sent me numerous videos of the pup playing with their children and not showing any aggression and I have their statement to this as well. This family also took the pup to their Vet and she certified the pup as not aggressive to her and/or any of her staff during two separate visits too. So you see, circumstances are not always what you hear or read. But of course, in your eyes, I am wrong, bad breeder and buyer beware. Again send along the credit card info and I will reverse you $200. I will also inform Yelp and BBB to this and wait to see your followup response on Yelp and with BBB. richard read more

I'm sorry to hear some people had bad experiences. I have bought Boerboels from Mt Olympus Boerboels for the last 10 years. We love this breed and we love the pups Michelle and Richard raise. We have been to their home numerous times & met many of their dogs and puppies over the years. The reason we've recently gone back for our 3rd puppy is that we love the sweet, docile, loving temperament of their dogs. It's true that we are not able to pet all of their breeding dogs. This is a large guardian breed dog, & when they are being bred & haven't been fixed, they are not always easy to introduce to new people. But many of their dogs have climbed into my lap & kissed me, all 160 lbs of em, over the years. I did months, maybe years of research before purchasing this breed. My husband and I understood that this was not the type of breed we could just let new people walk right up to. They have to be properly introduced & socialized. And your Boerboel MUST know that you are the alpha in the home. We worked really hard to socialize ours with people, kids, & other animals. We can introduce them to anyone & they have lived in harmony with our small dog, cats & rabbits over the years. I have never seen a single one of their breeding dogs with hip or joint issues. But they had warned us that these dogs grow big fast, until they are 3 yrs old. So you do have to use caution with how hard they play or exercise during those years or you could easily see some ligament/joint injuries. This just comes with the territory of large breed dogs like this. I feel like the complaints here are from people inexperienced with Boerboels or large guardian breeds in general. They are not for everyone. They are a special breed. And if you raise them right, they are the best dog you will ever know. I would also like to add that i have played with dozens of their puppies and NEVER seen an aggressive one. And I wouldn't call any of their dogs aggressive. Even their large breeding males are just really protective. It took some time, but we were able to be introduced to a couple of their very protective breeding males over the years. Again, you just have to take care and caution in how you manage & introduce this breed. Michelle and Richard really do love every one of these dogs like they are part of their family. Michelle probably works 18 hrs a day, but she makes sure her children are cared for, her home is in order, & every one of those puppies is played with, loved on, socialized, & cared for. You won't find a better breeder out there. I've attached a pic of our 2 yr old daughter laying with our 10 yr old Boerboel. They are the best of friends. read more

Mount Olympus Boerboels - Pet Adoption Near Me - Fort Worth, Texas

I am extremely pleased with Richard and Michelle of Mount Olympus Boerboels. I started researching Boerboels in 2015 to see if one would be a good fit for our family. We had a French Mastiff previously and loved her dearly until she passed away at an early age due to a congenital heart defect that we were unaware of. We didn't want to go through that terrible experience again so I threw myself into finding just the right giant breed for all of our requirements. When I contacted Richard we spoke for a very long time and he was very gracious in answering all of my questions and concerns. After a few different conversations with both Richard and Michelle I knew I wanted a Boerboel pup from them...now I just had to convince my husband because they were twice as much as our last Mastiff! Once my husband agreed we picked our sweet baby girl from the litter after she was just a few days old. We decided to name our beautiful black baby girl Ezra, and Richard and Michelle began calling her that from that point on while she was in their care. When she was 8 weeks old she was flown to us in California ....from the moment we set eyes on her she has been a blessing and a huge part of our family. She is by far the smartest dog we have ever had, and so easy to teach and willing to learn. Not one ounce of any health problems or aggression (to people, children, or other dogs). She is extremely intimidating and protective of my three children, our farm animals, and our family....which is exactly why I chose this breed. Yet very discerning of situations. Everywhere we go she stops traffic with her amazingly athletic physique, her gorgeous shining coat, and her ability to be so well behaved in public. She definitely makes her presence known! I am telling you all these things because all Mastiffs are not the same....not even all Boerboels are the same! So much depends on the breeder and the environment that they come from. Richard and Michelle have been amazing to work with. I continue to send pictures of Ezra and video's so they can see how she is progressing. I have shared with them how Ezra has proven her worth twice with us in regards to protecting our children at all cost when she was alone with them....something you always wonder about with a dog. Will they really do anything should a scary situation arise? We no longer wonder...we now know for certain! There is no greater feeling as a parent than that. Our Ezra girl is playful, smart, protective, silly, loving, and FIERCE. I can't thank Richard and Michelle enough for breeding such amazing animals and allowing us have her in our family. We are truly blessed. read more

I am proud to say,my family did our homework and visited the breeder location,checked with prior puppy purchasers and found the very best Boerboel breeder,Shirley Hagler, in White Springs,Fl. Shirley travels to South Africa alot and her dog loving husband, Buddy is home to manage things. There dogs are top shelf,in breeding,standards and the kennel and dogs were so clean,we were so impressed and felt worry free. We were on a waiting list for over two years,thats how nice their Boerboels are.Worth every minute to wait for the best!!!! They are so eager to help you learn and love the Boerboels. We purchased our Ziva a year ago and we are on the waiting list for a male pup.Buddy and Shirley have the very best in Boerboel breeding,all hand raised,plenty of TLC ans best of Veterinarian care. Ziva was a lifelong investment for us,and we only wanted the best,she exceeds all of our expectations.My husband and I are both Nurses,my husband, an ER Nurse. We did our homework. I can save you alot of footwork,if you want the best,can afford the best, then call Shirley Hagler,386-397-1298. Glad to help future Boerboel families, Anne read more

I am writing this review so that another family won't be devastated as we were/are. After falling in love with this breed, South African Boerboel, I thought I did my homework and decided to go with this family breeder that keeps their dogs in their house (so we thought) and let's them swim in the pool (see website for pics). I hit the jackpot when I called and they already had a litter with very unique blue pups. The parents were Afrika Mars and Mt. Olympus Rhea which I recently discovered that her dad Chaos has bad hips. We picked her up from the airport at 8 weeks old. She had fleas which I was appalled at since I had other pets in my home. We treated that and she also had a hernia which my vet said needed to be repaired. Michelle said that it would fix itself. Anyway, Bella got along famously with my other pets and was very gentle with small breeds. After a couple of months she got mange, the kind that is passed on from the mom. I took her to the vet and got some cream and the vet told me that the mom should not be bred because of that. I always sent Richard and Michelle pics and updated them on Bella so I also passed on this bit of info to them as well. They didn't agree of course saying that all dogs have it so I let it go. Then she got a urinary track infection which along with the mange is a sign that the immune system isn't working properly. When she was about 10 months old I was playing tug with her, very gently, and she fell down and couldn't get up. Her rear leg was limp and she couldn't stand on it. She had a luxated patella. I had given her joint supplement her whole life as Michelle requested me to do. I told Michelle what happened and she recommended doubling up on the joint supplement and taking her for acupuncture. Well I did the supplement but not the other. I rested her and spayed her around the same time and it did eventually heal after about 3 months,thank God BUT then her aggression issues surfaced. She started randomly attacking people and other strange dogs. She eventually bit my 29 year old son when she was in one of these aggressive attacks toward another dog. I contacted the breeders continually about this because she was dangerous. Luckily she was very sweet with us. She also from the day we brought her home had many fears. I think her aggression was fear related. I have come to learn that this dog had bad nerves and Michelle and Richard finally admitted to me that some of their dogs can not be around invited guests in their home. I was appalled again! Do you realize I have a lot of company? Many of them being my kids friends! I would have to tie her up when people came in for fear she would jump them and bite them, which she did to about 6 people in my home. Luckily I was right there to intervene. Once I actually took the bite by jumping in her way. When she hit 2 1/2 years old she stopped eating for a few days so I took her to the vet. She did blood work and many tests. After another week on a special diet and meds she got worse. We had to rush her to the hospital. She had an auto immune disease called AIHA. After 4 blood transfusions and 2 weeks in the hospital in I.C.U. and after just 5 weeks of showing symptoms she passed away. Even though she was aggressive we loved this dog more than you can imagine. My whole family was devastated. We are still paying the $10,000 bill from the hospital (this happened December 31, 2011). I think that people that want to breed potential killer dogs should have to pass many tests and learn about breeding for health and temperment FIRST and foremost. I have a new boy now who is almost 10 months old and this time I did my homework thoroughly. I still cry over losing my Bella so young but I think that it must have been a blessing in disguise because I really believe that she would have hurt someone eventually. I do not recommend this breeder. I really feel that they do not fully understand how a bad temperment/bad nerves in a dog this big is very dangerous. If you kennel your dogs all day and don't take them anywhere to socialize them and interact with people and dogs in every day life, then how can you possibly say that they have a good temperment? I socialized Bella daily taking her everywhere with me. I took her to training as well. She was a great dog until she reached sexual maturity. Then it was like you turned on a switch with her. That is not normal! Do your homework is all I can say and visit the breeder. See where they keep their dogs and if you can pet them. The breeder I just got my new boy from interviewed me to see if my home and lifestyle was suitable for his pup. He encouraged me to visit and I know people who have and they got to see his working dogs and pet them. I also know someone who he refused to sell a pup to because he didn't feel she had the appropriate place for him. He also doesn't take deposits and he doesn't sell off a pup when they are 8 or even 10 weeks old. He thinks it is just too young. Good luck! read more

We got a "black boerboel" from them naively, and they charged us the same as an AKC papered dog. Come to find out, they cannot get papered through AKC because that black male is in their bloodline. But that isn't what I'm upset about. She is now 13 months old, and we took her to the vet after she showed signs of false pregnancy. That is relatively understandable also, it happens. But I asked WHY is she so SMALL?? She is only 79#'s. Vet said based on size of her paws and bone structure, this is it, she's as tall as she will get and will only widen out (and fatten up if we fed poorly, which we feed raw according to amazing Dr. Becker, so that's not an issue at $100/week). We will be doing a genetics test on her in the next week. Neither myself nor my vet thinks she is full blooded Boerboel even with the Black "boerboel" as her sire. This is the smallest dog I've ever owned. Also, she was SUPPOSED to be my Service Dog's (a brilliant AKC Cane Corso) successor. To fill this role, she would have to be able to perform certain duties, 4 of which are K9 SIZE oriented: to hold my weight, tall enough where my hand comes to her whithers (which isn't hard, I'm only 5'3"), be able to pull forward and help me to stand from sitting, and be able to do pressure therapy. She is too damn small to do any of these. If she weren't so sweet (much of this is our training, I'm an experienced Behavior Mod/Karen Pryor trainer), then she would likely be rehomed. She originally would growl when you got too close to her face, and we have worked with her adn she no longer does this at all. Many do not have our level of integrity or means to afford an extra dog as we do and would likely have dumped her or she would have been put into foster/pound system. Also, we had a $200 allergy panel done on her and EVERYTHING IN THE CRAP BREEDER supposedly 'healthy' 'BILJAC' FOOD (the 3rd or so ingredient is CORN!!) came back positive -elevated on her IgM & IgA results!! For anyone who doesn't know, when the breeding mother is fed crap allergins, it can often express in the pups, just like humans who's mothers consume toxins/allergins/alcohol etc and the baby's consume it in womb or breastmilk! So now, not only will I have to get another dog which will NOT be from them and be thoroughly researched - a will be a REAL full blooded & papered mastiff, but now I have to feed her even more expensive special diets so she will be healthy. Additionally, the breeder will tell you the food is healthy and try to sell you a huge bag of the garbage. Everyone knows that no dog goes out in a corn or wheat field and forages for food. Grain- free should only be fed, especially to large breeds adn only and for her, NO POTATOES, as she's allergic to that too. As for if we are allowed to see where the dogs are, they have 2 rows of runs on either side of that pool that YOU ARE UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES allowed to see, they claim for our safety which may be true, but I think they need to be inspected. Additionally, if they were trained and not a breeding mill, then this would not be necessary. They were all behind 10" tall chain link kennels anyway?? Why would it not be 'safe'? THe puppies stunk, and WERE NOT potty trained, peeing on Richard & Michelles floor next to their kitchen and in their kennel. That tells me that they were just taken out of the kennels in the back from the mother or something, not being potty trained in the slightest. They smelled like they had been kept in a shelter on a concrete floor full of urine. They had evidenly just been pulled off the mother because my Zeuter Neutered service dog male smelled everything about the intact mother on our pup when he met her outside before leaving. I have that on video. He stopped this behavior as SOON as we bathed her ASAP upon getting home from 5 hour drive. We partially took her under belief that these people were respectable - although I'd look up his supposed degrees - and that we were just smelling the parents who were in need of baths. I didn't care for the temperament of 2 of the parents. They said the fawns came from different parents and the blacks from another set. I think the mom could have been knocked up with 2 litters simultaneously, with some being from some neighbor dog that was NOT a Boerboel even remotely. Also, we were tired and had just drove 5 hours to their house in Dallas surrounding area, and didn't want to have wasted our trip. We really wanted to believe they were NOT dishonest and thought we are not showing her & don't care about color, & truly believed she'd be atleast 120#'s like my male CC. Lastly, Im submitting this to BBB, mostly for future puppy's benefits -these kinds of operations lead nowhere good and contribute to overpopulation/ giving reputable breeders who are truly interested in enhancing good bloodlines a very bad name, to prevent this puppy mill from ripping others off. they need to be held accountable. read more

I did a lot of research on Boerboels before we decided to buy. We were looking for a protector and family dog. We decided to go with Mt. Olympus. They were very accommodating to us. These dogs are Michelle's life. She spends hours with these dogs and exposes them to her kids and let's them in her house for exposure to a home environment. We quietly sat as each dog was let in individually so we could see how they behave. We decided on a 6 month old who was a little shy, but after a few minutes came up and licked our face. Brought her home and I must say she is the smartest most loving dog. She was leash trained in less than 24 hours was coming to us when called. She is completely docile around our other dog, cats, sheep, chickens and ducks and did not chase them or attack them. She licks our kids and is so very loving. Michelle has been in contact with me often inquiring how things are going. I would have to say if your going to buy a dog like this you really need to take the time to watch how the act around you and see which temperament you prefer. I honestly couldn't imagine buying a dog I've never met. Every dog has its own personality and they will not all be the same. Take the time to make a trip up to see them when choosing your closest companion. A dog is man's best friend so don't pick a dog out based on the weight or color you want, pick it out on temperament and how they react to you. read more

Hi there Richard and Michelle, I'm happily writing you about Kyra, previously called "Mini" who is now 5 months old. Kyra has been an amazing addition to our family. Having had a Boerboel before we though we had seen it all, but we were wrong. Kyra is the most lovable dog I think we have ever had. She is simply amazing! Kyra immediately took to the family, and made herself an instant family member. Amazingly smart, she knows how to sit, stay, lay down, give her paw, and play dead. She is attached to my boys hips and even sleeps with them every night. It is funny to see her cuddled up with my 10 year old son when I put them to bed at night, and find them the same way in the morning. Potty training was quick and simple with her, and my son has taught her to smack the door with her paw when she wants to go out. She is always by our side, that includes the pool. Oh yeah we have a water dog! She jumps in the pool and swims with us, and remains in the pool as long as we stay in it. I can't even begin to explain the beach! She stays by our side on the beach, and jumps in the ocean to swim after us. Super loving with our other dog, and friends dogs, as well as any body she meets. She rolls to her back and it's belly up immediately! We can't thank you enough guys enough. She is what a Boerboel should be! She is or was 60 lbs, and growing everyday. She is simply a beautiful, loving, caring dog. She is Kyra which translates to mean like the sun! Well, she has definitely been our bright spot! BTW, this is the puppy that Rebecca Q. wrote about in her review previously. Sincerely, Michael & Candy read more

We thought Michelle and Richard were the ultimate breeders and I have kept quiet about my problems with my dog because I thought I might be the only one. But I feel I must finally break my silence. Our dog is a wonderful dog in so many ways but I have had to make way too many concessions about her. She developed mange at 6 months and our vet requested we spay her. We talked to a geneticist who told us that if she got through a second heat with no mange, we should be okay to breed her as planned when she was 2. She almost died from the mange medicine and we took her off of it and the mange never came back. She has an inverted vagina (opposite of the prolapse that can be so prevalent in boerboels) and she has silent heats. She has terrible skin allergies and breaks out in hives and gets a VERY red belly and scratches all the time. One of her allergies is grass and the others are food related. We have been through just about every expensive dog food out there. She is a very skittish dog and cannot be trusted around children but does well around adults and older children. She has always been timid and not confident unless she is fighting. She will kill our smaller dog if given the chance. We have baby gates up to climb over and everyone in our house knows the rules of shutting one dog up before the other goes out. She has done okay with other dogs, but now hates the dog she used to play with. The worst thing was when we proudly took her to be evaluated by the SABT South African judge (a breeder whose father helped save the breed in SA) and she said that our dog did not even qualify to be judged as there was "NOTHING" about her that resembled a boerboel. We were so shocked. We knew our dog didn't look like the others at the appraisal, but thought like Richard and Michelle told us, these are the classical lines which are a bit different. Our dog was the only dog disqualified that day and one of only a handful of dogs ever to be disqualified. We had been told it had only happened once before. The appraiser said everything about our dog was WRONG!!!! Now for the even worse part....here was Richard's email response to my request for my money back. All of the breeders and owners at the appraisal said we should contact our breeder for restitution immediately and that is what we did. Richard's response (I copied and pasted): I dont know of any breeder who will give money back just because their dog doesnt look good enough to someone else, judge or not. If she looks so bad, why not put her down? If she is that bad to you, then send me the euthansia receipt and I will give you another puppy. I have two girls that can fly next Thursday, 5/31. Flight and shipping will be $450 (see the website) but the pup will be no cost. If you so choose, let me know. Regards, Richard I was again shocked and saddened.....I love my dog because no one else would love her the way we do and take care of all of her little problems. She is a funny, VERY smart dog and I would never euthanize her. And she is a great protector. Things we were looking for in our choice of a boerboel. My advice to potential boerboel buyers.....the boerboel in my opinion has been allowed to become too large and unhealthy and are not as advertised. The dogs I saw at the appraisal were dogs that drooled incessantly, had trouble breathing in the heat and were basically manhandled to go through their paces. Try manhandling a 160 lb dog and that is now an okay weight for a FEMALE! The breed is intelligent and good protectors, but I would not get one as a family pet again. If you are looking for a protective, loving family pet, look into the Cane Corso and Gator Country Cane Corsos have been in business a long time and have old school, original bloodlines. I hope this saves some heartache for someone else. I still find this hard to write as I really liked Michelle and Richard and blamed my dog's problems on things other than her breeding. Sadly, I was wrong. read more

I am somewhat surprised by the ignorance of breeds, and breed characteristics of the people who posted the reviews complaining about "aggression" in Mr. Jones' dogs. 1) Boerboels were developed and bred as GUARD DOGS by the DeBeers Diamond mines. 2) All Guard Dogs are instinctively protective of their home turf. (Socializing a dog outside the home will make the dog well-mannered in public; unless extensively socialized in the home, the dog will remain protective against non-household members.)(Isn't that why we breed and buy Boerboels? To protect our home and the household.) 3) I currently share my home with 2 (two) Boerboels that were bred at Mt. Olympus. My older girl was described as a 'lap pup', by Richard, before I accepted her. He was right on the money. Today, at 19 months old, and 138 pounds she gets her feelings hurt if I don't allow her to climb into my lap when I am in my recliner. She sleeps on the bed with her 'human' pack. My 11 year old daughter uses her as a reading pillow when they 'lounge' on the living room floor. When the pup was growing up, I would take her to a local elementary school where I volunteered as a math tutor. When a child completed their task, they would be allowed to play with the pup (which was waiting under the desk) for a few minutes then work on the next task/skill. I live in the country, 8 miles from town, this wonderful dog "Patrols" my fence line regularly when she is outside, and barks at anyone approaching or passing by the house when she is indoors. (Just like ANY good guard dog should.) My younger girl, now four and a half months and 74 pounds, was described by Richard as 'dominant'. Again his evaluation was perfect. The little one immediately attempted to assert herself in the house. After a couple of weeks, she got that her people were the alphas. She also learned that the 27 pound beagle will only take the guff she wants from a 'new pup' and quickly set the newcomer straight. (They are now the 'best of buddies'.) The older Boerboel loves playing with here 'little' half-sister. She (the young pup) needs a bit more attention than her elder, and more frequent corrections than the elder did at her age. The youngster prefers to sleep in her crate, (which is in the master bed room). She loves attention on her terms, and for short duration (15 to 20 minutes) only. Like Richard said in his description of her in our email exchanges, she is a dominant pup, and wants it her way. In spite of her slight stubborn streak which Richard 'warned' me about the pup is PERFECT. Before I 'discovered' Boerboels I lived with, and (once) bred Rottweilers. I believe the protective instincts of both breeds are similar, and ANYONE not aware of the psychology of guard dogs has no business owning or living with one. read more

I'm reading all these bad reviews and I have to say I can't agree with any of it. I started working with Richard before the litter was even confirmed. Once it was confirmed he let me know, he informed me when she welped the pups and that a puppy was available that I had requested. I received a pic of the new born litter with the mother right away, followed by pics and video when she was a cpl of weeks old. He stayed in contact with me through the whole process ( several month) and kept me updated. Once I got there to pick up my puppy he took his time and explained everything to me. I can not say anything bad about this breeder I'm fully satisfied as so many others I have been in contact with who received pups from him. I will in about a year or so get a 2nd one from Richard and Michelle. read more

I desperately wish my husband and I would've read these reviews before contacting this breeder. After weeks of emailing and multiple phone conversations, we placed our deposit for our selected pup. After a month or so, I received an email saying the breeding had been unsuccessful, but another puppy from a different breeding had been chosen for us. I then attempted to call Richard. He refused to talk to me and would only respond to text messages. At this point, I became very uncomfortable with the situation and told him we were no longer interested and wanted our deposit returned. I thought this was a completely legitimate request, seeing that we were not receiving the puppy for which the deposit was placed. Then the ugly text messages starting coming! I will not go into detail concerning what all he said to me, but I will say they were the most derogatory and spiteful texts I have ever received. I immediately forwarded these texts to my husband. He also attempted to call Richard multiple times. It was during one of these attempts that I received a text saying "Does it make you feel better hiding behind your husband like a coward?" That was the last straw. My husband then called one last time and left a very detailed message, including the fact that we knew where he lived and where he worked (we found both of these addresses online). My husband also told him it would be in his best interest to return our deposit as soon as possible. If he chose not to return our deposit within 24 hours, then he would have a fierce-looking man waiting for him when he got home (my husband is the most non aggressive, tenderhearted man, until someone threatens his wife). Needless to say, our deposit was refunded within the hour. It was such a disheartening and disappointing experience. Hopefully by sharing it we will spare someone the same disappointment. read more

I visited Mount Olympus Boerboels in September of 2013. I met with Richard and Michelle for about 3 hours. We discussed numerous topics, both breed specific and general puppy issues. I found Richard and Michelle to be knowledgeable and informative. They brought out a number of their breeding dogs so that I could get a feel for the general disposition of their dogs. All of them were a joy to be around. Richard, Michelle, and I discussed what my specifics wants and desires were for my puppy. They brought out a puppy, from a recent litter, that met all of my desires. We discussed the purchase agreement and set a date for me to come back and pick up my puppy in approx. 3 weeks. We purchased our puppy from Mount Olympus Boerboels in October of 2013, and we couldn't be happier. Since our purchase, I have exchanged pictures and texts with Richard and Michelle. They have provided advice and counsel about raising a healthy puppy. Thank you Richard and Michelle. read more