Arete is the ancient Greek value of being "the best one can be", or "living up to one's fullest potential". Translated into English, Arete means "virtue" or "good character". A culture filled with, or fulfillment of, Arete encompasses virtue, excellence, and goodness to the utmost of ability.

The name Arete was chosen to represent our "kennel", the dogs who live in our house, take over the beds, and fill our lives with joy. We are dedicated to Belgian Tervuren and Italian Greyhounds, as show dogs, performance dogs, and as pets. We actively train and participate in conformation, obedience, agility, and herding. We also support Belgian Rescue as volunteers.

We strive to help our dogs achieve their greatest potential, all the while, we are striving to achieve our own greatest potential: as owners, handlers, and perhaps one day as breeders. My Mom and I chose this name because it represents a goal that we wish to accomplish with our dogs.

The greatest potential able to be attained is not measured in wins or in titles. Wins and titles are lovely; they are the icing on the cake. But they tell nothing of a dog's quality, temperament, talent, heart, or drive. Although they demonstrate, to an extent, training and longitivity of a job (be it the breed ring or the herding arena or something else), they do not tell us what is inside the dog. It is what is inside the dog that matters most to us, and developing the dog's mind, body, and soul are the utmost of importance to us -- not the bragging rights.

The dogs speak for themselves.