Nancy McLean of Ethos GBGV

It must have been obvious early on that I was destined to become a “crazy dog lady”. I cannot remember a time when animals, (dogs and horses in particular) weren’t a focus in my life. From the time I could talk, I would speak of my love of animals. When asked where I got my red hair, I would reply, much to my mother’s chagrin, “from my dog!” If I had a popsicle, I shared it with my dog. Ewww! Clearly, we were a team. Sadly, my parents divorced when I was 7 and I was no longer allowed to have a pet. Luckily, I was stubborn and creative. I soon began knocking on neighbors’ doors and by age 10, I was the neighborhood pet sitter! Taking care of other people’s pets filled my void and taught me a lot. In college I volunteered at a local shelter and adopted my first dog since childhood. Always a sucker for a scruffy face, I couldn’t help but fall in love! He was a wiry coated Benji type mix named JAS, and I adored him for many years. In 1991 I met my soul mate Scott in the Army and in 1994 we got married. Then, while working at a vet clinic I met a Mastiff breeder and in 1995 I purchased my first show dog. Years later, I am proud to have produced dogs titled in conformation, rally, CGC, Therapy dogs, etc. while promoting Mastiffs and Hounds and educating newcomers. Rescuing, fostering and placing dogs of all shapes and sizes along the way has also been very rewarding for me.

I feel very blessed to be able to do what I love every day. With my kids nearly grown and the constant support of my husband, I am really able to focus on my love of dogs. We own a pet resort, which is located on our 20 acre farm in NE Missouri. This occupation allows me to play with dogs all day long! It’s a dream come true, which brings me to where I am today and has evolved into an opportunity to show and breed our wonderful French hounds.
At my body’s request, I began transitioning from Mastiffs to GBGV. Building on my many years raising and showing Mastiffs, I imported my first Grand from Vivien Phillips of Debucher in 2007. It was love at first sight when I drove to O’Hare airport to pick up my wonderful boy Debucher Greffier. It was this very special hound who made me realize how much I truly love raising show dogs! Since that time I have imported several more hounds from Debucher and Wilmit in England, Black Majesty in Croatia and most recently I traveled to Sweden to meet breeder Zelina Olesen and imported a very promising female from Kennel Grand Awards. These collaborations are crucial to expanding the genepool of our rare breed here in the USA. Additionally, I co-owned a dog and bitch with Sidekick GBGV in Florida, but they are both retired. I also have great co-ownerships with Glory Road Grands and Kaizen GBGV too. Years of hard work has paid off and our breed has achieved full recognition in the AKC Hound Group! With full recognition, I am excited to be part of our breed’s future and I am pleased to be working on titles in conformation and performance events with my hounds. How fun is that!

So far Ethos GBGV has produced 9 lovely litters and we are excited to watch them mature and represent our breed in conformation, performance events like nosework, barn hunts, rally, therapy work and in family life around the country and abroad. While I enjoy showing, my passion is really in the whelping box. It is such a fulfilling feeling to place puppies in new homes for show and family life. When I see the joy in peoples’ faces, it makes every sleepless night and occasional heartache well worth the effort! I am always mindful of the betterment of the breed, be it Mastiff or Grands. In my breeding program I am proud to have produced dogs with type, temperament, longevity and performance abilities. It may sound cheesy, but I love seeing Ethos dogs being canine ambassadors all around the country. I thank God for placing the right people in my path to provide great homes for the dogs I breed. This is what it is all about for me. Great dogs + great people = Great friendship and great success. I believe teamwork is the key to moving our breed forward. That is why it is especially exciting to be one of the founding breeders of GBGV here in the US. I look forward to continuing to work with other breeders and enthusiasts. I will always strive to protect and support the integrity of the breed and of my own breeding program as we move forward with our wonderful hounds. I am very happy to be part of something Grand!