Meet Piper van der Woodsen, or Piper to her friends. Piper is a longhaired Miniature Dachshund, and she’s been hunting since 2023. Piper tends to be the star of the show wherever we go. She’s one part luck dragon, one part Fjallraven, and all truffle hound. Don’t let her diminutive frame and silky good looks fool you…she’s as tenacious a hunter as they come, and maybe the best sniffer in our pack. But she’s also a love bug, and if you aren’t careful, she’ll end up in your lap with no intentions of leaving.
Although she doesn’t like to discuss it, Piper can confirm that the Dachshund on the Royal Canin bag is, in fact, a relative… but that’s another story.
This happy little fella is Luca. He arrived at our home in August of 2023, after a long flight from Boston, MA to San Francisco, CA. He was lovingly cared for by Maggie, his foster mom and a good friend of the Lagotto Romagnolo rescue. Luca was born in Maine as part of two large litters from a breeder with big ideas and little follow through (sigh). We would later find out that Luca’s mom was from Serbia, and his father from Italy. We were also pleased to discover that Luca is one of the most genetically diverse (and healthy) Lagottos in the country.
A serious fan of peanut butter, our little Luca is one happy chap. He completed training in 2023 with Victoria at Truffle Dog Company, and started helping us in orchards in early 2024. He has apparently unlimited stamina, but never fails to enjoy a lounge after a long day.
This handsome fellow is Bryn. He’s started training for truffle hunting in 2022, with our friends at Truffle Dog Company. Bryn was our first truffle hunter and comes from a long line of lovely labs raised in central California. His breeder was reputed for having big dogs with great temperaments… and that’s Bryn. He’s the sweetest dog we know and a lover of animals and people alike… especially people with a ball in their hand.
In the 2024 season, Bryn located the “inaugural” truffle for two California truffieres; a true delight! He loves to be outdoors and never passes up a chance to swim. He’s tolerant, hard-working and our most successful hunter to date!