Hunter is a lucky boy!!!

This cute boy, complete with camo bed and huge camo bow, was waiting to surprise his boy as soon as he got home from school! This video sent by his mom made my heart so happy! This is one lucky dog!

This cute guy is Fletcher!!

This lucky boy is Fletcher! These aren't his "real" moms but delivered him to his real mom. But I'm certain they'd step in for duty in a minute!! Congratulations Taylor!

Meet Aspen!

This sweet girl is Aspen! And isn't her family adorable? Congratulations!!!

Puppy Tug of War

These puppies love to play tug of war!

Going Shopping!

So you've bought a puppy! Hooray!

You don't need a ton of stuff. Here's what I think is important to have!

Puppy Food (of course!)
I've been feeding these babies 4 Health brand puppy food. You can read about it here. It has really good ratings and I've switched all my dogs over to it. I found it at Tractor Supply. I'm sure you can get it at PetsMart, etc. Tractor Supply is just more convenient for me! Oh! You will need to feed puppy food for about a year. Ask your vet what they recommend.

Food and Water Bowls

Collar and Leash

Chew Toys
Just about anything will do. Lots of people love the Kong brand of toys. My dogs don't love them, go figure! But these puppies like to chew so I would strongly suggest something appropriate for them to chew on!

Shampoo
My vet just recommended bathing your puppy in baby shampoo. You can buy other shampoo which is probably more expensive but I just love the smell of baby shampoo!

Personally, these are the only really necessary items to have. Everything else is just fluff.

Indoor Kennel/Crate
I would strongly advise kennel training your puppy. We have had such good success with kenneling. Keep in mind to buy a large kennel for your puppy because they will (quickly) grow into medium to large dogs! We prefer a metal wire kennel. Our dogs will sometimes just come inside and go lay in their kennel even with the doors open. It's a safe place for them and they just love having their own space. You can google and research kennel training to see if it's right for you!

Toys
Our dogs love stuffed animals. And rather than enduring the drama which ensues when one is stolen from my daughter (seriously!!) we found that the "stuffing-less" animals are the best for us. Our dogs mostly just love the stuffed animals to rip the stuffing out and make a huge mess so the one's without stuffing work best for us!

Dog Bed
Honey loves her dog bed, the boys not so much. It's nice for them to have a place to lay. Just buy one that is large enough with their future size in mind!

Of course you can buy just about anything your heart desires. I've had a few new dog owners ask what they need so I just thought I'd put my two cents into the game.

Available Puppies!

These guys are ready to snuggle and play with and love a new family!

Introducing: 

Purple (genius name, I know, but this is how we tell them apart by the color of their collar!!)
This boy, Fletcher, has an awesome forever home and is so, so loved!

Greenie  Hooray! He's going to a forever home with two boys! His name is Baylor!!

Light Purple--still available! Mild mannered and sweet

Goldie--still available! This guys is rambunctious and loves to play!!

Not the greatest photo shoot but I needed to get these pictures so you could all see just how cute they all are! If you have any questions, please just call or email!

Giving back

Recently I've been confronted and asked about why I have bred these puppies when there are so many animals in shelters just waiting for homes. It's a legitimate question.

We've adopted pets from the animal shelter before. One of the first dogs my husband and I had together was literally rescued from an animal testing facility. He was a beautiful, full-size Walker Hound. I was in love with him because I'd always been a horsewoman and dreamed of fox hunting. He was a good buddy but had so many issues due to his previous mistreatment.

We "adopted" our first Golden Retriever, Champ, from a dear friend. She was a horse breeder and needed to cut down on the number of mouths she needed to feed. He was about 2 years old when we got him. He was literally the best dog we've ever had. Ever ever.

Since then we've been hooked on Goldens. And really, that's our story. We brought Honey into our lives a few years ago and she is such a joy. Every one loves her. Everyone loves her so much that people began asking us if we would ever consider breeding her. And, after several people asking we decided that we could give it a try! But that's another story.

This is about giving back.

My daughter, Chloe, is an animal lover. LOVER. She plans on having a vet clinic and wants to rescue sea turtles. We donate to the sea turtles. We donate to save the whales. We donate goods to the Humane Society (blankets, treats, food). We watch Sea Rescue on Saturdays. Anytime we see a coin drive on a counter for Fuzzy Friends or whatever animal shelter needs help, she is on it. Did I mention the sea turtles? We talk about the sea turtles almost every single day.

Last year on her 8th birthday (56 in dog years!) she decided that instead of presents she wanted her friends to bring toys and treats and food to donate to an animal shelter. We chose Happy Endings Rescue Shelter in Hewitt. It was really so much fun. They took all of us in and we got to play with the dogs and love on them and give our treats and toys. It was a truly fulfilling day.

I think animal shelters are wonderful places and we have adopted animals from shelters and totally support that decision. I believe it's a personal decision you can make and finding a four-legged fuzzy friend is about finding the one who is best for you and your family. That's the bottom line.

And, please support the sea turtles!