Menu
We’re Lisa and Geiger Lee, and this is our home in Granville, Ohio — and the home of Afterglow Kennels.
Lisa is the heart of Afterglow. She is the principal owner, known around the world for the breeding programme of champions she oversees. She has been raising and showing Scottish Terriers and Sealyham Terriers for over 23 years, since 2003, and she has whelped several litters of Afterglow puppies herself, in her home. She is, quite simply, a full-time doggie mom — and, as Geiger will tell you, she has a deep, nurturing way about her. She would have made an excellent nurse. She is always patient and kind with the dogs and the puppies.
Geiger is the support team behind her. He takes care of the paperwork, the logistics, the website, the bookkeeping, the social media and the video editing — and he helps with the dogs and puppies, too. By day he works as a compliance officer, a job that is all about ethical standards, organisation and attention to detail — the same care he brings to Afterglow. He works from home, from a desk in our master bedroom — which is also where our new puppies are for their first few weeks. It is nice to be able to take a break from desk work and play with and hold a puppy. People on his video calls always get excited when there are puppies, because he will hold one up on camera. It can often calm a contentious call.
Only family cares for our dogs. There are no employees. When you get a puppy from us, you are getting a puppy that has been raised by us, in our home, with our family.
Lisa lived in the Palm Springs area before we were married in March 2015, when she moved here to Ohio. She had been doing dogs long before then. Geiger was not involved in breeding or showing before he met Lisa — he used to take his children to dog shows, enjoy seeing beautiful dogs in the ring, and ask the handlers lots of questions. We were introduced through friends.
Lisa's focus in raising the puppies is hands-on from the very start. The puppies are whelped in our family home, with their mother, and they receive constant attention from us. We make a point of holding and playing with them, so they get the socialisation they need before they go to their new homes. After about five weeks they move into our kitchen and dining-room area, into their play area, right in the middle of family life. We watch them as they grow, and look for the characteristics that make each one unique — that is how Lisa matches each puppy to the right family, something she has been doing for over 23 years, since 2003.
He loves the intelligence of both breeds. The Scotties know they are smart, and sometimes their stubbornness makes it a battle of wills to get them to do something — he loves their tenacity, and their sweetness. The Sealyhams want to be in our laps and receive belly rubs — and play, play, play. Their goal seems to be to make him happy. He loves taking both breeds for walks with Lisa, and on adventures together.
If you are reading this page, you may have recently lost a dog — to cancer, or another illness, or simply to old age. We know how that feels, and we know what you are looking for now: a breeder who cares deeply about health and temperament, and who will be there for you.
That is what we try to be.
We breed for exceptional temperament and health, while conforming to the breed standards — and above all, for puppies that make great companions. A show title means nothing to us if the dog underneath it would not make a wonderful family dog.
We test our adults before they are used for breeding. That is the point of the numbers below — they are not a trophy list, they are the proof that we do the work.
Health testing reduces the risk, and it is the responsible thing to do. We want to be honest with you, too: it cannot guarantee that a dog will never get sick. No breeder can promise that. What we can promise is that we have done everything we know how to do to give your puppy the healthiest possible start, and that we will be here for you, whatever happens.
We test parents and puppies “to provide families with the healthiest puppies possible” — and our puppies have CMO, PLL and Von Willebrand’s genetic testing where needed. Our primary focus is “breeding healthy dogs with great temperaments”, while also breeding to the breed standard so the dogs can continue the breed into the future. That matters all the more because both breeds are rare, and the gene pool is small. The AKC’s Advanced Level Silver standard — which Afterglow was the first to earn for both breeds — requires proof that all the health testing recommended by the parent club is done, and submitted to the AKC.
We show our dogs, and we do performance events like FastCAT, because we want our dogs to be proven against the standard, and to be fit, happy and well-rounded — not just beautiful in the ring, but joyful dogs living full lives.
Afterglow is an AKC Breeder of Merit, Advanced Level (Silver), for both Scottish Terriers and Sealyham Terriers — the first breeder to earn that level in both breeds. Lisa is also on the Scottish Terrier Club of America’s Breeder of Merit Honor Roll, at Platinum Level. Our dogs have been to Westminster, and have run at the AKC FastCAT National Invitational. Those things matter to us as evidence, not as bragging — they tell you that other people who know these breeds have judged our dogs, and found them sound, true to type, and true to temperament.
Our home in Granville, Ohio
Our puppies are raised in our home, with their mother and with our family — not in a kennel building, and not away from everyday life. They grow up hearing ordinary household sounds, meeting ordinary people, and learning what family life feels like. They are not placed in their new homes until they are at least 10 weeks old.
We live on almost two acres in Granville, with over an acre fenced, and country life around us — including our chickens. Our days start at 6 in the morning, with the dogs out for their morning run while breakfast is made. There are walks, play, grooming, vet visits, and calls and emails with families — and calls from people looking for a puppy, sprinkled through the day and the evenings. Bedtime for everyone is between 9 and 10.
We have had dogs all our lives — Dachshunds, Chows, a Shih Tzu, a Yorkshire Terrier, and a few mixed breeds, as well as our Scotties and Sealyhams. And Lisa’s love of animals goes beyond dogs: our chickens, the barn horses she visits, the Valais sheep she loves to see. She just loves animals.
When you get a puppy from Afterglow, you get Lisa for life. We mean that. Lisa will always be there for you — when times are good, and when times are bad. For the life of your dog. That is the promise at the heart of Afterglow, and it is the one we most want you to take away from this page.
A puppy is a long commitment, not just a cute puppy. A Scottie or a Sealyham will be part of your family for many years. Lisa matches each puppy to the right home. It is not first-come, first-served, and it is not a matter of picking any puppy you like. She chooses the puppy that fits your family, your home, and your life. We do not say yes to everyone who wants a puppy from us. In fact, we say no more often than we say yes. We are very selective about who can take home an Afterglow puppy, and we only place them in homes we know will love them. And there is almost always a wait list, because there are very few reputable breeders left. If you are willing to wait for the right puppy, we are willing to wait with you — and to help you understand, while you wait, what makes these two rare breeds so special. It is always hard to say goodbye when the little ones leave. But when a family comes to our house and Lisa brings out their new puppy, the smiles — and sometimes the tears — in that moment when she places the puppy into their arms, that is the best feeling. And it helps so much when our new families stay in touch, with photos and videos and stories as their puppies grow up.
Scottish Terriers and Sealyham Terriers are rare breeds, and their numbers are declining. Part of our work is to be ambassadors for them — helping people meet them, understand them, and love them, so that these breeds have a future.
Our dogs have been part of that work at the College of Wooster, at the USAF Museum, at Westminster, and at FastCAT events. And two of our Sealyhams, CH Afterglows Rapunzel and Afterglows Cinderella, appeared in the 2012 film Hitchcock — fitting, since Hitchcock himself loved Sealyhams.
We enjoy exploring new places on day trips when we can, spending time with our friends, and taking walks on the many paved trails near us. We love country, classical and jazz music, the theatre, and finding new cuisines to try. Geiger loves researching topics he never knew about — and he is polishing up his high-school French, in the hope of visiting France someday soon, in retirement. We love travelling together to new places in the US.
If this sounds like the kind of breeder you have been looking for, we would love to hear from you.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know us. We hope we get the chance to get to know you, too.
— Lisa and Geiger