We visited Doreen's farm over the long weekend, she is a kind lady who does not resist rescuing animals in her community. Be it donkeys, kittens or little birds. We met Chico, the sire of our puppy and the mother, Pippin. Pippin is gentle, doting, with a sweet temperament, and just as was Chloe. Chico is a rambunctious Shiba, he loves ladies, and barely gave a second look to the males. If you rub the right spot on his back, across his beautiful double-coated mane, he could lay in the same position under the sunny porch for the entire day. Like the other Shiba parent below, Doreen explained diligently the puppy's lineage, showing us his microchipping, registration papers, and gave us a Shiba introductory book in advance. We then posed with the furry little puppy litters, a soft cuddle of forever love that lingered sleepily in your arms comfortably. We even met Timbits, an extremely friendly Shiba, younger than Chico but exhilarated at the attention of any human he met. It was an amazing day, and the day to bringing home our new fur family member cannot be here sooner! PS: The Smiling Bear Kennel's new album link: https://get.google.com/albumarchive/105922119665452617575/album/AF1QipPz7Vx60y5Syi27xB0wBHnhpTRIIbBFAaofkEmp read more

I am giving smiling bear a review on behalf of my sister. I drove her down to Hanna ( outside) on Dec 2014 to see the litter of Shiva inu. It was maybe 10-16 mins. Away from Hanna. The car ride was about 2.5 he's got to go thru drunheller. It is very isolated, however it was worth it. Colleen is very warm and loving. She knows Shibas quite well. She got a few in her farm. My sis got a black Shiva. She is uber soft. We got to meet her mom and dad and then some. She got different fur coats of Shiba...black, sesame / red. Whites are rare. After meeting them, she showed us paperwork, her family tree, her certifications and even gave my sis a book to read, ckc certifications, medical clearances. Then we went back on Jan on Panda,s 8th week she gave her vaccines, all the paperwork, micro chip included. 6 months pet insurance, puppy food both wet and dry. Then Panda,s certificate was sent thru mail. I'm really impressed. I didn't get any of those things with my daughter Bailee. Of you seek a Shiva inu, she is good. Her rate is reasonable with everything she includes. There is 1 in Calgary, however, the breeder didn't get back to my sister, thus she went with collin.. She also sends out emails, Info's to help your puppy, which is very helpful. read more

We visited Doreens farm a month ago and it was so amazing to be able to meet all the pups. She is such a kind, caring lady! I have never felt so great about such a big commitment and purchase in my life. She is giving me my baby boy Keiko on Friday, I am working so her lovely husband is going to wait until I am finished work, 4.5 hours to give me my baby boy! My co-worker also got a pup last November from Doreen, and I was so amazed that she remembers the pups name and the two owners names, where they work etc! It shows that she is a very caring breeder! Thank You so much Doreen!!! XoX Keiko, Amber, Robert, Kendra read more

I want to write this as I stumble upon this page while surfing the web. Our family got our shiba inu Pumpkin back in the summer of 2014. I searched numerous websites and breeders around BC (where I live) and all over Canada. I was nervous as I wanted to find a responsible, reputable breeder and as we all know the internet can give us a spectrum of results. Doreen's email response was the reason I chose her business. She was genuinely caring, extremely knowledgable about this breed and fulfilled all of my requirements. The process of adopting our pup was very straightforward and pleasant. Doreen would constantly update us with photos of Jazzy (the mom) and Chico. Because we lived in Vancouver, it was difficult for us to make the trip to Alberta, so our pup flew to us. Pumpkin's crate was made quite comfortable for her, and a book on the breed, a sample of her puppy food, and her vet/AKC forms accompanied her journey to Van. I will not hesitate to recommend Smilingbear to anyone. Who knows, maybe our dog needs a little brother soon :) read more