The Heart & Soul Team
Elissa Cotter Bojesen
Elissa is the founder of Heart & Soul Cobberdogs.
She started Heart & Soul in 2020 after falling completely in love with the Australian Cobberdog and its special combination of sensitivity, intelligence, and connection to people.
She is fascinated by temperament, genetics, and early development, and those interests have shaped the way Heart & Soul puppies are raised today. Her focus has always been on producing dogs who are not only healthy and beautiful, but emotionally resilient, intuitive, and genuinely wonderful to live with. She is particularly passionate about the potential of Australian Cobberdogs as therapy and assistance dogs.
Heart & Soul has grown considerably since its beginnings, but the philosophy hasn’t changed. Every breeding decision is made thoughtfully, every litter is raised with enormous care, and finding the right match between puppy and family remains essential.
These days, Heart & Soul is also very much a family affair. Our clients also get to know Elissa’s husband, Bjørn, and little boy, August.
Petra Lazar
Petra is part of the team behind Heart & Soul Cobberdogs.
She brings many years of experience in dog training and a particular passion for puppy development, early socialisation, and raising confident, emotionally balanced dogs.
Petra’s love for the Australian Cobberdog led her to found The Cobberdog Club, an initiative dedicated to educating people about our breed, as well as Born Balanced, through which she support breeders in Slovenia with ethical breeding and puppy-raising practices.
She is also the founder of Raised Balanced, a professional puppy-raising programme focused on developing calm, confident, and socially intelligent family dogs. Heart & Soul already partners with Raised Balanced, reflecting our shared philosophy around temperament and early development.
Petra is closely involved in caring for our dogs and puppies and, as Heart & Soul grows, she will take an increasingly active role in the day-to-day life of the programme. That means getting to know our dogs and guardian families, helping to raise our litters, and making sure the things that make Heart & Soul special remain at the centre of everything we do.