About Recherche Bichons
Recherche Bichons are professional breeders and trainers of Bichon Frises. Recherche Bichons is owned by Jamel & Charity Hamka, who for many years have been dedicated to becoming the most professional breeders and trainers in the country. Since 2004, Jamel and Charity, and their staff at Recherche Kennels has bred and trained more than 600 puppies.
Recherche Bichons is located on a 33-acre property in Statesville, NC. The property contains a state-of-the-art 19,500 square foot training and care facility that is dedicated just for the puppies. These facilities allow the pups to be brought up in a healthy and stimulating environment, with full access to on-staff animal care technicians and trainers. In addition, Recherche Bichons includes a large number of outdoor areas, including open fields, an on-site lake, trails and much more, all of which is used in the care and training of each Recherche puppy.
One of the hallmark features of Recherche Bichons is our extensive Puppy Training Institute, where each puppy is enrolled in one of our many training programs. These programs give the puppies hundreds of hours of training in areas such as Obedience training, House training, Socialization, and Outside training. This training sets us apart and is the most extensive available anywhere.
About Jamel and Charity Hamka
Jamel and Charity have been married since 2003, where they joined the ministry soon after. Jamel became an assistant pastor and youth pastor in 2004 after graduating from Crown College with a Bachelors of Ministry, and later a Masters of Ministry at Crown Seminary. Charity graduated with a Bachelors in Music from Golden State Baptist College, giving her the opportunity to play and teach piano to local students.
Charity has transitioned to becoming a full-time mommy more recently. Jamel and Charity have adopted three precious children over the last three years. The oldest daughter, Grace Anne, has just started homeschooling, with her younger sister Mercy being adopted in 2017. Finally, Jamel and Charity adopted Josiah, who was an extreme preemie at just 24 weeks old.
Family Portraits Taken 2019
Story Behind Recherche Bichons
Jamel: “I was blessed to grow up in a breeder’s home. We weren’t large and only had a few litters but I was the one that spent all the time with the pups raising them and training them.
I’ve always had an intense desire to work with animals. I especially loved dogs. All growing up I believed I would become a veterinarian or a marine biologist. In high school I took all the prep classes to become a veterinarian.
In my senior year of high school though I felt God’s leading to go into the ministry. I thought I gave up my dream to serve in the ministry. I graduated from Crown College of the Bible in Knoxville, TN in 2004 with a Bachelor’s of Youth Ministry. In 2008, I finished my Master’s of Ministry from Crown Seminary.
In the ministry, to make some extra money, we decided to buy some high-quality American Eskimos and breed them. We did that for a few years as hobby breeders. The amazing thing is that we learned that all the desires of my heart and the gifts that God gave me was perfectly suited to breed and train puppies. God knew that which I didn’t. We eventually moved breeds to a more friendly and trainable breeds including the Bichon Frise. We wanted a breed that was highly intelligent and loving. We wanted breeds we can trust with our young daughter.
I am so thankful I’m able to fulfill my dreams and desires by working with my passion and also being able to work with teenagers as a youth pastor.”
Charity: “My upbringing was much different from my husbands. I was born to a wonderful Christian couple that served as missionaries to Hispanic-speaking peoples. Because of the travel, we never were able to have any pets. I always loved animals and would sneak pets in continually like lizards I found in the backyard.
I began college at a young age studying languages (French, Spanish & Greek). I eventually felt called to serve in the ministry and went to Golden State Baptist College in Santa Clara, CA where I graduate with a Bachelor’s studying Piano and Music Theory in 2003.
While dating Jamel, we discussed having dogs and I was definitely excited. When we started breeding dogs, I found that I was gifted with training pups. I studied teaching in college and that along with the training of my husband allowed me to work with pups very successfully.
I personally trained over 100 pups before we moved on to hire professional trainers full-time. I now am so happy to be a new mother and spend a lot of time working and training my children.“
Our Distinctives
1
The most extensive training program available- Puppy Training Institute
In addition to importing only the highest quality dogs, we also have spent years creating the highest quality training program anywhere. We have over 15 professional trainers and veterinarian assistants that work hundreds of hours every week socializing, house training and obedience training each and every puppy.
Our Puppy Training Institute is where our puppies get training from as early as 5-6 weeks old. Our training is quite detailed, and includes training levels below:
- Puppy Academy (250+ hours of training up to 12 weeks old)
- Canine College (350+ hours of training up to 16 weeks old)
- Master’s Program (450+ hours of training up to 20 weeks old)
- Doggy Doctorate (600+ hours of training up to 6 months old)
- Double Doggy Doctorate (training up to 12 months old)
We employ full-time training staff that consists of some of the best obedience trainers in all of North Carolina, with each trainer having years of experience working with and training dogs. In addition to obedience training, we have 4 professional “house trainers” who provide training for our pups 24 hours a day for things such as crate training, potty training, jump training, and chew training.
The training our puppies receive is second to none and because we start training them so young and we also are so experienced in training young pups like this, we see the results are remarkable. If you are looking for a pup but are stressed out about all the work involved, our Puppy Training Institute will put you at ease.
2
The best Bichon Frise pedigrees in the world
All of our adults have been carefully chosen and imported by only the best breeders, many from Europe. You may notice that our dogs pedigrees contain multiple World, International and national champions. We chose to import our dogs because we wanted the healthiest and best looking breeding stock in the world and like many other breeds…the best are those from Europe. Europe has had higher breeding standards than America and also has a greater genetic diversity.
We test each parent, along with their parents, for a variety of health issues. These tests are expensive but are crucial to determining the health risks for each puppy.
Also each adult has their health clearances as required and more that are simply requested. Our adults come from generations of health cleared parents, grandparents and great grandparents. We also provide up to a lifetime warranty & 1 month of free pet insurance at no charge for each puppy. Please see our Warranty page for more details.
3
Puppy health is the most important aspect of our program
Our staff of professional trainers is joined by a caring and deeply qualified group of veterinarian assistance and technicians. They work full-time making sure our facilities stay clean, and every puppy is cared for individually. We have invested heavily into our care program and keep a detailed Nursery protocol to make sure each puppy is healthy and strong. This also helps the pups have a more productive training experience, and makes the transition to your home an easy one for all parties.
We also keep a close relationship with multiple amazing veterinarians, and some of the best in the state are nearby in case further care is needed.
We feed only the best food (TLC Whole Life Puppy Food) and give every puppy NuVet and NuJoint. It starts before your puppy is ever conceived, providing proper diet and exercise to the parents. Throughout the pregnancy, the dam is monitored to ensure she and the puppies are progressing well. In addition to this she is provided with NuVet and exercise.
We put a lot of care into the health of our puppies, and we believe it’s vital that you have some extra peace of mind as well. That’s why we offer a lifetime health warranty for all pups (with NuVet/NuJoint/TLC usage). We stand behind our pups, and while we have some of the healthiest parents and puppies you will find, we understand that there is always a chance for problems to occur. Our warranty is the longest quality warranty you will find, and we won’t dodge our responsibilities.
Every puppy is up-to-date on all vaccinations including kennel cough, parvo, distemper and rabies, treated for worms/giardia/coccidia, given a microchip, up-to-date on all heart worm and flea preventative if applicable and given a final veterinarian check-up showing they are healthy.
Every puppy is given a fecal, heart and full body examination from the veterinarian as part of their final checkup.
4
We put your puppy's welfare foremost
With all the care we put into breeding, training, and caring for our puppies, we also take extra steps to be sure our pups go home to the best environment possible. And our clients have always appreciated the steps we take in this process. It’s our ethical duty as breeders to ensure that each pup will continue to get the care needed after they leave our facilities.
Our clients aren’t interested in finding the cheapest Bichon Frise puppies, but instead they value the puppy’s health, their training, and they are dedicated to not only spending the money needed for their puppy, but also taking steps to keep them healthy and continue their training. Our Puppy Application and screening process is a key factor in what we do.
We’ve never had a problem finding great homes for our pups because of this process. We’re not interested in the highest bidder, and we make sure our pups will be placed in a home and family that is the perfect match for everyone!
5
We aim to make your Bichon Frise purchase process as smooth as possible.
This may seem like a small thing but it’s really not. Purchasing a puppy online and most of the time across the country can be a very stressful experience. You want a breeder that’s very organized and run their kennel like a professional. One of our greatest strengths is our ability to prepare our clients to be able to have a smooth transition. Our entire goal is to make every client as ready as possible by providing weekly updates, bi-weekly videos and providing professional advice continually.
Take our website as an example. Not only did we design our website to be attractive but more importantly it is designed to answer as many questions as possible. We run our business the same way. We are very organized and have a well-run facility that’s required if you are going to keep on training your pup.
For example, if you purchase a puppy from us at 6 weeks of age and take your pup home after Master’s Program, you will have received at total of 7 videos of your pup by him/herself working with our professional trainers.
We also provide each client with a very detailed final video of your pup in training as well as a detailed Report Card written individually for your pup. Each client goes home with a detailed and extensive Puppy Training Packet that provides all the health and training info possible. We even purchase 30 days of Trupanion health insurance for every puppy.
Our entire goal is for the process to be as stress-free as possible and to provide you with the tools necessary for your pup and your family to bond immediately.
Ready to add a Bichon Frise puppy to your home?
Family Portraits- March 2015
Our Property In Statesville, NC
Located in Statesville, NC
- Distance from Statesville:
Charlotte, NC– 41 miles
Knoxville, TN– 216 miles
Atlanta, GA– 278 miles
Washington D.C. – 379 miles
New York, NY– 608 miles - Email & phone number at the bottom of page!