About Great Northern Schnauzers

About Us

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Hi, we’re Chris and Billie Tucker.

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Since I (Billie) was a little girl, I’ve always had a deep love for animals. My first pet was Susie, a black Lab, and we grew up together. She showed me love and compassion in a way that sparked a lifelong bond with animals. After Susie passed, my parents got me my first cat, Morris. Unlike dogs, cats show a different kind of love. No matter where I was in the house or what I was doing, Morris always wanted to be near me—his favorite place to sleep was right by my head.

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One day, my dad came home with a pet rat named Frenchie. His friend had been diagnosed with cancer and could no longer care for him. From the moment I met Frenchie, I was smitten. He was different from my other pets, but he quickly became part of the family.

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As I grew older, moved out, and started my own little family, my attention shifted to raising my three children. One day, my mother-in-law called about a pet rabbit that needed a new home. We welcomed him in and named him Hubie. He was litter-box trained and spent most of his time hopping freely around the house.

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About a year later, my daughter found a stray cat. We searched high and low for her owners, but with no luck, we decided to keep her. My daughter named her Ginger, and she’s still with us today. Ginger is a precious girl—she prefers to be admired from afar rather than handled too much. It’s her house, and we’re just lucky to live in it!

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Years later, I met my husband, Chris.

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Our Love for Mini Schnauzers

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Since Chris was a little boy, he’s always had small dogs. As he got older, he became interested in the Miniature Schnauzer breed. He first fell in love with their unique look—like little grumpy old men!

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After lots of conversations, we decided to bring home our first Mini Schnauzer, Ace, when he was just three months old. The moment I laid eyes on him, I was in love. He brought so much joy and happiness to our family. At the time, we weren’t considering breeding, so we had Ace fixed.

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After a few months, we realized Ace needed a playmate, so we brought home Rocky from the same breeder (though they’re not related). Ace is playful and loves to chase and play fetch, while Rocky is more reserved—a little snuggle bug who loves hugs and kisses. Like Ace, we had Rocky fixed because breeding wasn’t on our minds yet.

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Our love for Mini Schnauzers continued to grow. Chris works as an outside salesman for a trucking company, and I worked at a dog daycare and boarding kennel. Chris loves his job, and I loved that I could bring Ace and Rocky to work with me every day—it was truly a dream!

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Then COVID hit, and our family made the decision for me to leave my 9–5 job and become a stay-at-home mom. I was able to support my kids with distance learning while caring for our dogs full time. During that period, I began exploring the idea of breeding Mini Schnauzers, but with the uncertainty of the pandemic, we decided to wait.

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Growing Our Fur Family

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We eventually moved back to Minnesota and bought five acres of land—plenty of space for both our kids and our dogs to run and play. Once life started to settle, we began seriously discussing breeding again. I spent countless hours researching how to responsibly and ethically breed healthy Mini Schnauzers. I didn’t just want to raise puppies—I wanted to ensure we were breeding healthy, well-socialized dogs.

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We left it in God’s hands, and that’s when Bella came into our lives. Bella is our princess, and she knows it! Unlike Ace and Rocky, Bella is a black-and-white Mini Schnauzer. The boys immediately accepted her as one of their own, and that’s when our breeding journey officially began.

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Later, we added Leo, a black-and-gray Mini Schnauzer. His nickname is “Kangaroo” because he loves to hop and bounce around. Leo is full of energy, adores people, enjoys training, and brings joy to us every day.

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While Bella and Leo were still puppies, we focused on training and enjoying life with them. Then I came across another little Mini Schnauzer and instantly fell in love—enter Zoe. She’s black and white like Bella and Leo, and her personality is constantly evolving. Zoe quickly found her place in our family, learning from Ace and Rocky with almost no potty training needed. She even has the cutest little wiggle when she walks!

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Ace, Rocky, Bella, Leo, and Zoe completed our fur family… or so we thought! We raise and breed all of our Mini Schnauzers in our home, surrounded by kids and cats. It’s the environment that works best for us and allows our puppies to grow up well-socialized and loved. We’re continually expanding our knowledge to ensure we’re raising the healthiest dogs possible.

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Update

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I thought our family was complete with five Mini Schnauzers—but Bella’s first litter changed that! Two of her puppies went to amazing forever homes, but Mohawk and Sleeves formed an inseparable bond. Despite many interested families, something in my heart told me they needed to stay together.

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Finding a home for both proved difficult, so after a heartfelt discussion (and a little convincing), Chris and I decided to keep them. We renamed them Luna and Storm (Stormy). They’ll be fixed when they’re old enough and won’t be part of our breeding program, but they’ve found their forever home right here with us.

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Now, our family—and our pack—feels truly complete… for now!

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