references

Hi Doug,

I just thought I'd update you on Hank, the black lab I purchased from you last May, the pup of Kate and Gib. He's got to be the best dog I've ever known, let alone owned. He was potty trained by 3 months, heeling by 3 1/2 months, had mastered sit, come, stay, & down by 4 months, and has been dove and quail hunting where he excelled at both. He went dove hunting at 5 months and by the third day was finding all of my birds. He also pointed one of my winged birds that I had given up on, and when it jumped, I shot it, and he retrieved it to my feet. This past weekend we went quail hunting and he sniffed out 4 birds in about 10 minutes in a field my dad and I had assumed was empty. He's now 9 1/2 months old and weighs almost 80 pounds. He's got the biggest feet of any lab I've ever seen and he is very tall, long, and lean. When he fills out, I expect he'll hit 90+ lbs. Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know how much we love Hank and how impressed we are with him. My mom is now looking at dogs and I recommended you guys to her. Thanks again for the great dog! Keep up the good work!

Seth Thorp 12/30/05

Hi Doug,

I had to drop you a note and let you know that Rebel the pup we got from you (Shooters and Gib's) is an absolute hunting machine. At 10 months old he is about 70lbs and a bull in the field. He never tries to follow you or quits in a hunt and covers damn near every inch in the field ahead of you. I think he would go until he dropped from exhaustion before he would quit.

The very first pheasant he saw was retrieved to Jacob (our son) and he was very soft mouthed with the bird and immediately gave on command. By the 4th bird of the season he was tracking cripples and once he caught on to that he has not lost a bird that fell. He flashes the point but we have not encouraged or discouraged that behavior.

I have only had the privilege of owning one other dog with as much natural instinct that Rebel has and never thought I would own another like that.

Of course he has 2 quirks I have to iron out. The main one is to break off of a bird that was shot at and kept going (he can't quite comprehend why it isn't falling). The other is a fascination with sparrows he finds in the grass. Both are being corrected already and he improves every day he is out. Everyone that has hunted behind him has commented that he will be an awesome dog by his 2nd year.

We just wanted to say thank you for letting us get him as we love everything about him (yes he is exactly as you said he would be....EXTREMELY active but very good natured with a protective streak of the house and Shari and Jacob).

If anyone doubts the breeding of GIB and Shooter, tell em to come hunt behind Rebel for a few hours. He is already out hunting 2 other purebred labs that are 3 and 6 years old.

Thanks again,

Bruce and Shari Christoffer 11/06/05

Doug and Lynn,

A puppy, yet unnamed, tipped over the Christmas wrapped box in which she came and made a mad dash for the kids' room. She first found Max, who awoke his sister on Christmas morning yelling, "Oh my God, there is a puppy in this house! Maddy, I think you got a puppy from Santa!"
Maddy, speechless for almost an hour, decided to name her puppy "Ruby Jane."

You can't even imagine how big our little puppy is getting. She is growing and growing every minute! Maddy is trilled beyond imagine.
Even Max, our 8 year old, hugs her every chance he gets! Ruby is trying to potty train, but this past weekend we had 8 inches of snow, so that has set her back a bit. She chews most anything that she can, but seems to especially like Maddy's beanie babies. She's been to the vet, and the vet says she looks great. We think she's wonderful!

Thank you so much!

Christine 1/11/04