Meet The Breeder

Joelie Gengler

Owner & Trainer of Vice & Virtue German Shepherds

My fascination & love affair with German Shepherds started when I was a young girl. Our close family friends had two German Shepherds while I was growing up named Brick & Rommel, and every chance I got to go play with them I would.

I didn't get my first shepherd until I was eighteen years old, on a whim I went to go pick up my Nova from someone who I would later learn was a backyard breeder. I would never see nor have contact with them again, but the experience would have a lasting effect on how I wanted to conduct my own business in the future.

After getting Nova in 2013 (and quickly falling in love with her) I began to research more into German Shepherds and their genetics, and this is how I discovered the Panda German Shepherd. I quickly became enveloped and obsessed with the beautiful coloring and look of Panda German Shepherds, and sought out to have one of my own.

Viserys or "Vice" was my first Panda Shepherd, and lord was he beautiful. When you search for "Panda German Shepherd" on Google, Vice's image is one of the first that will greet you. While he was certainly gorgeous, Vice had a horrendous temperament that caused him to be extremely fearful and anxious despite being socialized as a puppy. He also had one undescended testicle that made him unfit for breeding. Unfortunately we lost Vice to bloat at only one and a half years old. I decided to honor his memory by naming my kennel after him.

After Vice's death I became very lost, I wasn't sure of what direction I wanted to take in my life. I had been interested in breeding but hadn't learned much about it in the couple of years I had Vice & Nova and I had no idea where to start. Service dogs had always peaked my interest so I began to look into dog training and schools that provided information on it. This is how I discovered Bergin University of Canine Studies.

While taking prerequisites for BUCS, I acquired a few other dogs and reared a litter of accidental puppies. I adored the experience so much that I made the decision to become a breeder. I wanted to be better than other breeders I had experience with, and keep in close contact with my puppy buyers.

I graduated from Bergin University in May of 2018 with my Associates degree in Business & Companion Dog Studies.

Today I am striving to make Panda German Shepherds better overall, prioritizing health and temperament when making decisions on breeding my dogs. The goal for our program is to produce dogs capable of performing service or therapy work upon retirement from our breeding program.