Today we’d like to introduce you to Rashad Cleveland.
Rashad, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It truly began the way most great things do — simply. I got my first dog around eight years old. A German Shepherd mixed with Border Collie, straight out of a shelter. A mutt that just needed love, a job, and room to run. That dog taught me something I’ve never forgotten: give a dog purpose and it will give you everything it has. No conditions. No negotiations. Just presence and loyalty.
My uncle had Rottweilers. That turned me onto the working breed world. Big dogs with discernment, bold but purposeful. That imprint stuck with me through college, through my first place on my own, through acquiring my first purebred, an American Staffordshire Terrier named Capone, from a breeder who became a mentor and a friend. That relationship opened doors in my mind around genetics, pedigree, and selective breeding. Then came Diamond, an American Bully. By that point I wasn’t just an owner anymore. I was a student.
I spent about a decade working in the funeral industry simultaneously. Deathcare gives you a very particular relationship with life, with what matters, with legacy, with what people need to hold onto when the weight gets heavy. I was carrying a lot during that season. And I knew the balance I was searching for could only come from a quality working dog. Something intelligent. Something I could grow alongside and meaningfully contribute to as a breeder myself.
I considered Rottweilers, too far developed for me to contribute to the breed’s progression. Presa Canarios, incredible animals, but too primal for the modern family dynamic I wanted to serve. And then through a conversation about dogs during a mentorship session with one of the best embalmers I know to this day, a relationship was established that led me to visit a dear friend I’ve now known for over thirteen years and to my first real encounter with *the* Cane Corso. I say *the* Cane Corso deliberately. Because it didn’t feel like I found the breed. It felt like the breed had been waiting on me.
From there I went deep. Pedigree analysis, genotype, phenotype, animal husbandry, the rich Italian history of a dog literally built alongside the poor farmer to guard his land and protect his family. And about five years in, if you’re honest with yourself, you hit a wall of humility that either breaks you or builds you. It built me. I stopped breeding for preference and started breeding for legacy. That’s when Royal Guardian Cane Corso was born.
These dogs helped save my life; and I mean that from the deepest part of my truth. Through some of the hardest seasons of my journey they were there, unconditionally, without judgment, with a presence nothing else could replicate. And I knew that what they gave me was something other families deserved access to. Especially Black families and melanated people within the diaspora who deserved a dignified, educated, world-class experience with a dog of this caliber.
So that’s what we built. A family-centered breeding program rooted in education, transparency, genetic integrity, and genuine love for where this breed came from and what it’s still capable of becoming. We’ve placed dogs that go on to do neurological syncope detection, autism support, farm work, and community service in schools and nursing homes. We’ve placed a dog named Rocko with the children of my late childhood friend Lil Joe, a dog who traveled 1,400 miles to reach them and shows up every day as a living reminder of their father’s legacy.
It’s not just a kennel; it’s an endeavor full of meaningful purpose…
And we’re just getting started.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Waste management – that’s the greatest struggle LOL
All jokes aside:
The two most important lessons this journey has taught me are also the two most difficult to learn: patience and a trained eye. You can study genetics, memorize pedigrees, and build the most intentional program imaginable, but at the end of the day you are working in partnership with nature. And nature doesn’t operate on your timeline or your preferences. You have to learn to yield to her orchestration while still managing everything in front of you daily. That’s a discipline that takes years to develop and honestly, you never fully arrive. You just get better at trusting the process.
There are natural outcomes in this work that no amount of preparation fully cushions you from. Fetal demise. Unsuccessful breedings. Seasons where you put everything into a litter and nature has a different plan entirely. You grieve those moments quietly and you keep going, because the work requires it.
Then there’s the human side of it, which can be equally challenging. Finding honest, quality counterparts to collaborate with or source fresh bloodlines from is not as straightforward as it should be. This industry has politics, pride, and ego woven into it, and those things show up most clearly when integrity and opportunity are in the same room together. You learn quickly who is really about the breed and who is about the business of appearing to be.
And beyond all of that, there is the simple, unglamorous daily reality of what this commitment actually looks like. Regardless of weather, your health, family obligations, or anything else life presents, the dogs cannot feed themselves or clean up after themselves. The care doesn’t pause because you’re tired, sick, or needed somewhere else. That kind of commitment either refines your character or reveals its limits. For me, it has been one of the greatest teachers I’ve ever had.
This road has asked a lot of me. But everything it’s asked has made me better at this, and more certain that it’s exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Royal Guardian Cane Corso is a family-centered selective breeding program based in Willis, Texas, and at the core of everything we do is one foundational belief: that the right dog, placed in the right home, at the right time, has the power to genuinely change a life.
We specialize in producing true Cane Corso bred to the historical standard with regard for breed evolution and the understanding that “form follows function” as our lighthouse. That means balanced temperament, structural integrity, and the natural guardian abilities this breed was originally built around. Not trends, not surface level aesthetics; but the whole dog, inside and out, genotype and phenotype working together the way nature always intended them to. We also provide all necessary auxiliary support services to include but is not limited to: all levels of training and behavior modification, private or general transport, grooming, and consultation and advisory services regarding breeding, canine nutrition, and animal therapy services.
What sets us apart is that we get to know you before we ever place a dog with you. Our process is thorough by design because what we’re doing isn’t a transaction, it’s a placement fueled by genuine intentions on both parties behalf. Every puppy we produce carries our name, our standard, and our commitment for the entirety of that dog’s life. That responsibility doesn’t end at transition. We stand behind any and every dog we produce and majority of the families investment is us as a resource for the life of the dog.
We’re known for education, transparency, and an experience that clients consistently describe as feeling like they’ve been welcomed into a family. From neighboring states to central Mexico to Canada to the Dominican Republic and even way over to Guam, the people who find us tend to stay with us. And that kind of loyalty isn’t built through marketing. It’s built through integrity and quality relationships being maintained consistently over time.
What I’m most proud of brand wise above all else is what our dogs go on to do in the world once they leave us. We have Royal Guardians serving as neurological syncope detection companions, autism support animals, working farm dogs true to their historical roots, and active contributors to their communities in schools, churches, and nursing homes. That’s the breed’s full potential being realized in real life, and that’s exactly what we’re here to produce.
Our motto says it best: Fostering Joy, Love and Deeper Connection, One Pawsitive Experience at a Time. And our mission is to bridge the gap between a breed’s true potential and the families who deserve to experience it, with education, integrity, and genuine care leading every single step of the way.
If you’re serious about this breed, if you want a world class experience, if you want a breeder who will still answer the phone years after your puppy comes home, Royal Guardian was built for you. We don’t cut corners, we don’t rush placements, and we don’t compromise our standards for anyone or anything.
Real People. Real Dogs. Royal Experiences.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The industry is growing and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. The human-animal bond has never been more recognized, more researched, or more valued than it is right now, and that’s only going to deepen over the next decade. More families are intentionally seeking out quality companions, and that demand is reshaping what the market rewards and what it eventually pushes out.
I do think we’ll see slightly more regulation coming, which honestly isn’t something that frightens me. When you’re already operating with integrity, regulation just becomes confirmation that what you’ve been doing all along is the standard. What I’m watching carefully though is what’s happening in the veterinary industry. There are some trends emerging there that, if left unchecked, could begin to create unnecessary constraints on responsible breeders. That’s a conversation our community needs to be having loudly and proactively rather than reactively.
One of the most encouraging shifts I see coming is increased public awareness around puppy mills and irresponsible breeding operations. Consumers are more educated than they’ve ever been, and that education is driving them directly toward transparent, relationship-based breeders who can show their work. The days of high volume, low cost, and low accountability as a sustainable business model are genuinely numbered. Families want to know where their dog came from, how it was raised, what the parents looked like, and what kind of support they’ll have after they take that puppy home. That’s the standard rising, and I welcome it.
What that means for the serious breeder is that demand for elite, ethically bred, well-socialized puppies with proven health longevity is only going to increase. The market is naturally moving toward professional breeding standards and certification programs that distinguish the committed from the casual. That’s a shift that benefits the dog first, and ultimately benefits everyone else in the process.
And then there’s technology. By 2030 to 2035 I fully expect artificial intelligence to play a significant role in expanding access to genetic knowledge, health analysis, and breed development discovery in ways we’re only beginning to imagine. The breeder who embraces those tools thoughtfully, layering them on top of a foundation of real experience and genuine love for the breed, is going to be exceptionally well positioned. Technology won’t replace the human element of what we do. But it will absolutely sharpen it for those willing to evolve.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.RoyalGuardianCaneCorso.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/royalguardiancanecorso
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoyalGuardianCaneCorso
- Other: https://www.RoyalGuardian.info
Image Credits
Royal Guardian
Philip Schrei – Schrei Media
Danielle Weakley
