The mission of the Berner-Garde Foundation is to support efforts to improve the health and longevity of Bernese Mountain Dogs. We support scientific research into the causes and cures for genetic diseases and general health of our beloved Berners. All access requests are approved on a case by case basis by the board of trustees.

Researchers can request access to the cheek swab DNA, blood DNA, or frozen tumor tissue being housed in the Bernese Mountain Dog DNA and Tumor Tissue Repository. Please detail the research you are doing, what specific types of samples you are looking for, and send it to research@bernergarde.org.

There is a wealth of public information available in the Berner-Garde Database that can assist scientific research. Researchers may need special searches or reports run to extract the information that would be most beneficial for their particular research. To request special reports to support scientific research, please detail the your research project and what special information you may need and send it to research@bernergarde.org.

Researchers can request financial grants to support their specific research pertaining to diseases present in the Bernese Mountain Dog population. Please detail the research you are doing or proposing to do along with what type of financial support you are looking for. Send that detailed information to research@bernergarde.org.

The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America maintains a list of current and ongoing research studies relevant to Bernese Mountain Dogs. Some of these studies may be looking for blood or tumor samples directly from Bernese owner, if you are interested in participating please see the link below. Berner-Garde encourages your participation in any peer-reviewed research studies your dog may be eligible to participate in.