Current Puppy Owner Feedback

Below are comments from our current puppy owners.  They are edited to remove any personal information.  References are available to serious prospects. The comments are listed under the owner's given name for the puppy.  This page will be updated as customers report Veterinarian health checks and provide us with the puppy's progress.

 A big "Thank You" to all our puppy  owners that keep us informed and compliment our efforts in achieving our mission.

 Quincy

I am going to try to upload some photos of our  beautiful (and very good) puppy.  I think I did it successfully, so here you go!
Quincy's vet visit went great - he is totally fine.   Attached is one
photo, but I took a bunch of "family" photos this weekend and will send
them from my computer tonight.  The amazing thing about Quincy is what
an incredible swimmer he is!  On his own, be has learned to jump off the
dock and swim to shore to cool off.  His favorite spot is in the shade
under the table on the boathouse dock -- I think he will spend many
pleasant hours there in his life.  He also went on his first sailing
adventure on Lake Anna this weekend - he was a little nervous, but did
well.  
I'll send the "water" photos tonight.
Thanks so much for everything with the puppy - we absolutely love him and Jackie is on the moon, of course!  He was very, very good all afternoon at the lake (he even ventured into the lake from the shallow beach and tested out his swimming skills, which surprised us).  He was also very quiet in the car and last night in his crate in our room.
Thanks Eliz!  Slideshow is great.  Thank you again for taking so much
time with us on Saturday.  I know it was a crazy day for you and we
really appreciated it.  We are sort of regretting that we didn't take
our puppy on Saturday, as we miss him already!  It was probably the best
decision due to John's travel schedule though.

Duke

Eliz and Mack - Sorry we're a little slow getting back to you, we've been traveling a lot lately.  The new puppy is awesome!  We've named him Duke and he has adjusted very well to his new home.  We've received so many comments from friends and neighbors about his temperament.  They cannot believe how well behaved he is for a puppy.  We tell them it is due to good breeding.  I've attached a few pictures.  We have two pugs and he is fitting in well with them.

Thanks for everything,

Susan

Brody "Brody Mack"

Eliz and Mack,
Thanks so much for the pictures!  We have named the puppy "Brody" 
and I often call him "Brody-Mack".  He got puppy shots yesterday at  
the vet and once again fell asleep on the exam table. He's gained 3  
pounds in one week. Brody loves the outdoors and everything in it  
has been checked out thoroughly. He and the old Lab are getting  
along very well and the have been no real problems. They're often  
asleep in the same bed.
We couldn't have asked for a beter pup and just love looking at that  
face. He steals the show everytime we go to the vets. We'll bring  
him by some time soon.
Sincerely,
John and Linda
Just to let you know I finally got the "puppy show" to play on my windows application. Thanks again!  Puppy is doing great! He's quite the explorer and checks out everything inside and out. So far is favorite spot is in the utility room, beside the dryer. He goes there on his own to take a nap, but won't fit in the limited space too much longer. He seems to like the crate so far but wants you in sight when he's in there and awake.
We're really enjoying our new family member and will keep you informed as his life events take place.
John and Linda 

Zoe

Thanks a lot.  You brought something that I was missing for to many years.  Now I have the best companion a person can have..............
You are doing the best to accomplish the mission. Keep doing the good job you are doing breeding them.  She sleep with me every day and go everywhere with me.  Today she's going to Ft. Belvoir to meet my coworkers.
Thanks for everything.  Take care and keep in touch.  I took her to the vet yesterday and Dr. Pearce said she's very healthy.  She has appt to see the Dr again on my birthday, 25 June.  I told the Dr I got her from a breeder and gave her all the paper you gave me. She said that you're really a good breeder and not all breeders are like you. 

Rocky (Rockford)

Hi - just wanted to let you know how our baby is doing. We settled
> on Rockford as his name and will call him Rocky. We had an
> uneventful trip home - he was in the crate the entire time just
> checking things out. We took him out to explore the yard when we
> got here and he seemed to feel right at home - I think the deck
> threw him for a few minutes, but once he got to the grass he was
> full of energy. He ran around for a long time and played while I
> got his dinner ready. He ate almost a full cup of the food and then
> was ready for a brief nap. Bryan has some friends over watching the
> basketball game so they've all oohed and aahed over Rocky and one of
> my friends cme been by to see the baby. He's done all his bathroom
> business outside in the yard and he's been in and out of the crate
> several times. He's already learned how to go in and out - I left
> the door opened and he went in by himself and stretched out for a
> while and then came out to explore the house some. He's conked out
> inside the crate now sound asleep and seems to be pretty happy with
> things so far. He is just too adorable for words and I'm so
> thrilled that he's here. I'll be sleeping downstairs for the next
> few nights near him just to make sure he's okay thru the night. He's
> so smart that I'll think he'll have the basics of crate training and
> house breaking down in a couple of weeks. Thanks so much for
> letting me have one of these guys! Bryan is as excited as I am
> which is fun to see. >
> Have a great weekend and I'll let you know what the vet says Monday.

Hi - I  thought I would send another update.  Don't worry - I won't send these often but if I were in your shoes I'd be curious to see how the pups are doing.
We went to the vet yesterday and everything checked out great.  Everyone there just loved him and my vet was crazy about the golden I had before so he was especially excited to see that I had a new one.  He's very impressed with Rocky and how handsome he is.  I asked about the water issue and he said he has not heard of any issues in this area.  He thinks the mineral content might be higher in Northern Va but says we should have no problems here with that.
Rocky continues to amaze and amuse us.  He's learned how to go up and down the deck steps and went for his first walk tonight on a leash.  He's just so smart!  He's getting adventurous and exploring all around the yard and house.  We've had a couple of accidents in the house b/c Bryan doesn't fully understand what "supervision" means (woe be unto him if/when he has kids of his own!), but he's learning.  We'll be starting obedience classes around the end of June (when he's 12 weeks or so) and I fully expect him to be the smartest guy in the class.  I'm sure his siblings are doing equally as well.  He's just a completely delightful dog.  Everyone that has seen him wants one and I've given your website to lots of folks. 
Tell Trevor we said hi and when Rocky gets a little bigger we'll bring him out so you can see how he has turned out.
Stay well and thank you so much for such a wonderful dog.  He's brought joy and laughter to our house which we missed with the loss of our old dog.  Rest assured that he is well loved and well cared for.

Mosby

Hi Eliz and Mack,
After three weeks, I am convinced that we did not get a pure bred golden retriever!
He is surely the mix as follows:
    5% rooster - as we haven't slept past 5:30 since he came to live with us
    10% sheep - as he has eliminated the need for lawn mowers - rip, shake and kill that bad grass
    10% Tasmanian devil - as he is impossible to catch when running away from mom
    10% snapping turtle - as he is always after the kids' feet and ankles
    10% weed - as he is growing much faster than any mammal should
    10% cat - as he has found that cat food is preferable to dog food
    10% mouse - as he has managed to make his bones disappear when he squeezes under the baby gate to get above mentioned cat food
    10% human child - as he does not listen when reprimanded for above mentioned mouse, cat,  devil and turtle activities
    50% skunk - as he can very quickly clear a room after partaking in above mentioned mouse and cat activities
In short, he is 125% puppy and the delight of everyone he meets!
We haven't taken any new pictures lately.  He is a very handsome boy.  I am sure that his legs have at least doubled in length, as has the rest of him.  At his appt. on Friday, he had grown to 13 lb., 14 oz.  He's already outgrown his first harness.  Since he came home, he has been playing with his chihuahua and miniature yorkie neighbors.  He is now twice as big as the two of them put together!
He loves to go on car rides and is just learning the delight of sticking your face out the dog window.  He is also quite determined to bite the wind!
Walks are a bit different.  He runs for a few yards, finds a shady spot then collapses in a heap of yellow dog.  After much nudging, he might stand up before flopping back into the shade to rip grass.  Often though, he needs to be picked up and carried a few feet so the distraction of the shade and that mean old grass is gone.  Then he will charge full bore again, only to find the next shady spot.  He truly is a lazy dog.
We have loved every minute of him.  Can't say the same fore the cat who is going through food faster than ever before or of the boys with their sore toes and ankles, but Rob and I are deeply in love with him.
It is funny, now that we have owned two goldens.  We see many of Reagan's traits in Mosby.  What we thought were her quirks or idiosyncrasies must be innate golden traits.
We will send pictures soon.

We had to break out the Slip 'N Slide to combat the heat today.
Unlike Reagan, I think Mosby will like the hose!
Thanks Mack,
 They called just after I emailed you last.  His stool sample was clean.  The tech said that the deworm pill could also contribute to his loose stool.  I am certainly not worried about him being dehydrated.  That boy can put away the water!  And, what comes in must come out!!!
 He's still asleep.  Has been since my last email.  Wish I could nap like that.
Have a great day, 
Mosby slept through the night!!!!!  We put him in his crate around 10:00 and didn't hear a peep.  I came down at 5:15, and he was sitting there so happy to see me.  He really is a good boy.
This morning he went on his own into his crate twice for a mini snooze and a good long one just outside the door.  By 6:30 he was down for a good long nap.  He is acclimating well to all the attention.
I feel like a new mom again.  You forget all the things you are supposed to do.
 I have a neighbor who just found out about Mosby.  They have been talking about getting a golden puppy for Father's Day.  Her husband desperately wants one.  I gave her your website link.  It would be great for him if one of his brothers was nearby.  Wonder if he would remember?
 Right now, Mosby is bundled in a towel on my lap.  He and Andrew decided to water the flowers together.
When you stay up all night, you are bound to sleep all day!
 Mosby slept soundly through his first visit to the vet, even through getting his temp taken and his testicles checked (one has completely dropped - the other wasn't too clear - hard to check when you are comotose).  The vet had to wake him just long enough to get him to swallow a pill.
Perhaps I shouldn't walk him before our next visit ;o)
He weighed in at a whoppin' 10 pounds even.  The vet carried his limp body to the scale and deposited him back on his towel still snoozing.
He slept the whole way home and only woke when I waved lunch in front of his sleepy face!
Mosby was asleep when we left again for school a bit ago.  I put him in his crate and he stayed asleep.  When we got home he was wide awake and ready to play (but not crying).  I think the key is for him to know that we will come back for him. 
Mosby finally made it home.  Traffic on 95 was horrendous, and we stopped a couple of times for him to stretch his legs.  He just finished his supper and relieved himself and we are settling in to build his crate.  He was a good doggy all the way home, but I think he is missing his siblings.

 Colby

Good Morning!

I apologize as I have had y'all on my list to email, but between regular life and now Colby, busy is just not the word for it! Colby is doing great and the vet seemed very pleased with him. They did not find worms and did not prescribe worming him at this time. They said they would check him again in about 6 weeks for worms. He returns to the vet on the 23rd for his next round of shots. I hope you do not mind, but I did give them y'all's information incase people are looking for goldens.

The girls are loving Colby and he seems to adore them too! Our oldest daughter and Colby have become quite the buddies as she seems to spend the most time with him. Colby and our other golden Clancy are starting to finally interact and play. All in all the family seems happy and we can not remember life without Colby!

Thank you again and I will try and get better with the emails!

Bailey

Our puppy's name is Bailey.  He has started walking with us on a leash in the neighborhood, and we sure are meeting a LOT of new people!  Everybody has to stop and tell us what a beautiful puppy we have!  See you in a couple of weeks.  I'll e-mail you a couple of days in advance to work out exactly what time will be convenient for us to bring him out there.  See you then!  Mary Alice

Everything is going GREAT!  Can't believe I haven't managed to finish an e-mail to you yet.  I started one the first day to tell you how he went right to sleep the first night without crying but a minute or two (in the crate in our room so he wasn't lonesome, I guess), and then he was so relaxed the next day at the vet that he fell asleep on the exam table!  Never had one do that before!  He was probably exhausted from all the attention he got from the personnel at the vet's, who took his picture (he's certainly used to that!) and then they threatened to kidnap him because he was so cute! So  far he seems like a calm sweet dog, just like we wanted, and he's smart too.  He figured out how to scramble in the dog door without any of us showing him how!  I thought he wasn't big enough to use it yet, so I was real surprised...  But he doesn't like to stay outside any longer than he has to when it is hot, and I was pulling a few weeds, and the next thing I knew, he was inside in the cool and I wasn't! Anyway, as I'm sure you can imagine, we are really enjoying him, but of course he does act like a puppy sometimes - into everything! Got to keep an eye on him, but he sure is a lot of fun. Maybe we will have managed to teach him a few manners before you see him next. Speaking of which... I think I mentioned that we might be going away for a few days in July, and we wondered if you could keep him for us.  We would be leaving about 3:00 in the afternoon on Wednesday, July 9, and returning that Sunday night, July 13.  Do those dates work for you? If so, what time do you prefer for us to bring him? We get back home fairly late on Sunday, so it would probably be better to plan to get him on Monday. I hate the idea of leaving him,but I think he might have a good time out there visiting his first family!  Hope he doesn't forget us though! He's over there pacing and sniffing in front of the door, so I guess I better go QUICK! Hope to see you in a few weeks!  Mary Alice

Berkleigh

I appreciated your email, and I can imagine how frustrating it is for you as it is for us. I want you to know that we in no way think of this as an issue with you or your beautiful dogs. We still feel we got a healthy and happy puppy and still recommend you highly as breeders. As far as how and where she picked it up, the vet told us there is no way to really determine it exactly. She also said that since she has already finished one course of antibiotics she is fine to be around other puppies and dogs. She will start her second course the day we get back. I don't know about the water but I will ask the vet when we take her next week for her 11 week appt. Thank you so much, we know you love her as much as we do!

Hi! According to the vet, the coccidia is normal in the soil and because puppies don't have immunity to it they are likely to get it. Adult dogs are immune. She also breeds and said that even at 4 weeks when her puppies go out for the first time they sometimes get it, even though they weren't around other dogs. The only reason she suspected it was because of her pasty poops and she wasn't passing anything formed in addition to her UTI, which doesn't surprise me considering her diarrhea that she had. As a nurse I am probably a bit in tune to her symptoms that would seem to me to be unusual, therefore, I had the vet checking for anything that could be wrong,especially when she didn't seem to be getting better. Sometimes it's good to be anal I guess! :) Anyway, the vet assured us that she is healthy and that she has just gotten some general puppy things, she just got them all at once. And with incubation periods and the like who knows when and where she got it. We have been keeping her out of the woods in case she got into something in there and we haven't taken her anywhere around other dogs, even the dog next door. She is very sweet and the girls love her to pieces, she's growing so fast too! She is very smart and learning fast! Thanks again!
Hi! Thought you'd like to know how Berkleigh's first day and night went. She cried and barked almost all night last night but otherwise has done well, has taken quite a few naps and has been almost 100 % at housebreaking if we keep up with her. She adores the girls and when she needs a break she goes in her little room and a lays down. Thanks again, she's a beauty! Will keep you updated!

Yo Adrian  

Sorry I took so long to get back regarding Yo-Adrian's vet check. My computer wouldn't work right and until I could get the Norton Anti Virus system updated, downloaded and cleaning up whatever was giving it a problem, I couldn't send anything to anyone for fear of sending them something that would make their computer "sick" too!
 
Dr. Bauer checked Yo-Adrian Monday morning and pronounced her to be PERFECT: perfectly healthy, perfectly beautiful and perfectly sweet!! (And probably going to be perfectly spoiled - at least when it comes to having constant attention and lots of loving!) She took the stool sample with her and said no news is good news, so the fact that I haven't heard anything from her indicates she is worm free. She's on her Heartguard for puppies and doing very well with her potty training. Because she has a little bit of a problem with slightly loose stools (after all we changed from your water system to ours, then yours again and now ours again!) Dr. Kathy advised us to put just a little fat free plain yogurt on her dry food.  The Little Prima Donna now thinks she is getting gourmet dog food - and she's okay with that!
 
She and Rocky are fast becoming best friends. She is fascinated with him and makes a bee-line for him in the morning.  Rocky has been amazingly patient with her and has tolerated her taking toys right out of his mouth, pulling his ruff, his ears, and his tail. The only time he grumbled was when she pulled the feathers on the backs of his hind legs and behind his ears, and she listened! When they go outside, she follows him all over the yard and if she moves too near the fence, he puts himself in front of it as if he's afraid she'll get out. Once she figured out that his herding pattern is simply a form of "chase me, catch me" in which he just runs ahead of her and blocks her path, she realized she could run as fast as she can and then do a fast turn and keep going. She gets faster every day, and it's been wonderful to see them play in the early morning and late evening. (It's been too hot to let them play much in the middle of the day.) It's been wonderful for him, because it's been too hot to take him on the long walks he used to need for exercise, and it gives him a job - something Border Collies really need. When she gets tired and plops down on the grass, he lies down next to her and keeps an eye on her.
She spends a lot of time rolling in the mulch and getting Rocky's dog drool all over her, so she's going to need bathing fairly often. What do you recommend to bathe her with? I want to be sure whatever I use is mild enough. I considered baby shampoo, but wanted to find out what you normally use.
She barked for the first time yesterday! The huge German Shepherd next door barked at her through the fence, and she stood up and barked back. Apparently she surprised herself, because she then ran right around and hid behind my legs. She also surprised the German Shepherd (who is a big pushover anyway) and he ran all the way over on the other side of his yard!
I'll send more photos soon.hh, she is so adorable - thank you so much for the photos! Yes, if 2:00 today is still good with you, we'll try to come then so we don't interfere with the folks coming at 3 to choose from Charlie Girl's beautiful pups. Thanks again for letting us come to see her. (I should have confirmed the day and time before, but got caught up in graduations and college kids coming home!)

Miss Daisy

Well!
Since I guess you are not coming up to check on Miss Daisy as threatened...
Miss Daisy is doing very fine!
Her first routine Vet visit was 6-2-08, all was well except cocidia. She was treated and has been negative since.
Her second routine check up was 6-24-08, weighed in at 13lbs, and all was fine.
Believe me...I think of you often...I have always been this way...think allot but something always gets in the way of the doing.
Again...since you are not coming up, I hope you enjoy the pictures!
Have a great day and although it seems as though you are being ignored, you are not!
The pleasure was all mine! I was very impressed by your set up and how well you care for your "family"! Did that couple come back regarding Charlie Girl's Fem #3?  I could sit and watch the slide show all day. It's incredible how you put it together so well with the music. If this isn't your livelihood it should be!
Take care,
Barb
Hi Mack,
Six days and counting! The puppies are adorable...already wallpaper on my cell phone! Are the girls with the pink ball and boys with the red one?  A friend of mine will travel down with me next Saturday to help navigate and see the puppies if that is ok. It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive. I have map quest directions and your phone number (from your web site).