We have a lot of changes going on at Rolling Oaks. We have discovered Captain is sterile. This is devastating news for us, as he is/has been a wonderful part of our breeding program. He has produced wonderful puppies who have grown into amazing dogs. We are very thankful we have kept several of his daughters to use for breeding. We had purchased a young male, Drake, to someday take Captain’s place. Unfortunately Drake did not pass his clearances. He has grade one elbow dysplasia. What does that mean? No one is really sure. He could pass this trait down to his offspring, so, Drake was neutered yesterday. I almost cried when I left the vet. He is such a wonderful dog, never to be a sire. But, Russ and I made a commitment to only breed dogs who we know are healthy and have their hip, elbow, eye and heart clearances. It was not meant to be.

In the meantime, Jewel and Ruby were bred by an outside stud, who we had checked his counts at our local vet, but they could not see that he did not have a high enough count to sire a litter, so Jewel and Ruby did not conceive. This is devastating for a breeder, but it reminds me again of the creator, the giver of life. Creation is not a science, and does not always go as we planned. I have been begging God for direction in this business, and asking for guidance in finding our own stud dog. In the meantime, Cabela and Ezra were bred by two different outside studs, and I pray they are pregnant! I was in desperate search of a stud dog. I called everyone I knew in the dog world and told them my situation. I spent hours and hours and hours on the internet searching. I am very happy to say I found Griffin, from Michigan, to be our new stud!!! He will get his clearances the next two weeks, and I will be posting photos of our new handsome man. When things like this happen in our business, I am reminded again how I am not in control, God is. He is my source. He is my strength.

Through it all, life doesn’t stop. There are still swim meets, laundry, meetings at church, etc. I wanted to post this photo of Amy and her swim coach. We are so fortunate to have a coach that treats Amy like everyone else. In this photo, Amy is giving attitude about wanting to be finished swimming and go get dressed. Her coach is in her face saying “no, you need to stay on deck and cheer for your team, just like everyone else!” No exception for Down syndrome. I love that! So many people treat Amy special because she has downs, but the truth is, the more you treat her like everyone else, the more she acts like it. Last night she swam her fastest race yet, finishing the 50 in 54.91 seconds. Last year we just hoped for her to swim it in under a minute, this year she accomplished it! There are no words to express the joy in my heart when I see Amy get a high five from her team mates, and see the expression on her face when she is done racing. I want to cry and laugh at the same time. Even though there has been a tremendous amount of stress in my life due to the stud dog situation, I have been sustained, and I am pressing on.

Hi Barb,
Just wanted to share an update with you for Sabin. (Ruby/Captain litter) I can’t believe he’s one already! I just can’t say enough about my handsome man – he is always so happy and easy going. We love how laid back he is, even for just being a year-old. I can tell a huge difference in his personality from that of our other golden (when she was his age) and other goldens that I see in the clinic. So many of them are just bonkers and have too much energy to contain at this age but Sabin is remarkably calm. He loves playing fetch – we have to keep his tennis balls hidden in the closet unless its time to play because he’s obsessed. He also loves to play tug – especially with our other golden. I know I have said this before but thank you for your wonderful breeding program and the great puppies it produces. The Golden Retrievers that you breed are great representations of what the breed truly is.

I have attached a few pictures so you can see him all grown up. One of our two dogs together, one of Sabin and me (we both have Sept. birthdays so it was our birthday pic) and one of Sabin and my brother – it was his first swimming experience this summer.

Cheers!
Janessa

Hi Barb and Russ, It has been three weeks since Greta (Maddie and Captain, Nov. 2010) has returned from Rolling Oaks training. I cannot thank you enough for the amazing improvement in Greta’s behavior. As you know we attended puppy training last winter and spring and Greta was an attentive student. This summer as her strength grew, my command consistency lessened, and she challenged me more. After Rolling Oaks training, her heeling is so improved that walking has become a delight. We have added a mile to our daily walking routine, which is good for both of us. We have more fun at local dog parks; she “stays” and retrieves balls like a champ even with the distraction of other dogs. An added bonus from her Rolling Oaks experience is that Greta is totally content in her outdoor dog run. This allows for more flexibility with my work schedule. Thank you for teaching us valuable long lasting lessons.
-Karen

Hi Barb – thought I’d drop in and tell you how wonderful Lucy (Captain/Emmy Feb. 2010 Litter) has been for us. She has been the perfect dog and a wonderful companion this summer. It seems to get better by the day. She really enjoys going to Puppy Play time @ Petco 2 times a week. Once we pull into the parking lot she is rearing to go. She just got fixed this past Friday, so it has been tough having to “take it easy”. She loves being outside and running around. We can’t wait to get back to our regular routine once she is all healed up.

She just had her 1st photo session the other day, so I thought I’d share some photos with you. Thanks again for a wonderful dog. She is everything we were looking for in a puppy. ‘Till next time!
Nicholas

Hi Barb, I was looking at your website and I realized I haven’t sent you pictures of Dakota (Captain & Ivy April ’08) in awhile. She turned 2 yrs. old this past April! Its amazing how fast time flies by. It just seems like yesterday I brought home this tiny little puppy that I could pick up without any effort! I remember looking at all the other adult dogs on your website and thinking it was so far away that my little puppy would grow up into an adult.

I get such wonderful compliments on her color and her looks; whether it be at the groomer, going for walks, from the vet, or from friends and family. Everyone says how well behaved she is. It just makes me feel like such a proud owner when I hear things like that, and it reminds me how she got such a great start when she was a puppy from you and your family. I can’t stress enough what wonderful things your family does for these puppies and I know how much work you put into them.

As you can see in her picture she LOVES to play with other dogs. We had a doggie play date the other day. All 3 of them have their tongues hanging out from a long day of playing! You have no idea how hard it was to get all 3 of them to sit and look at the camera! In the other picture you can see she likes to help herself to our bonfire wood – even if it is a log! And the last one was from this past winter during our Christmas day blizzard. Thank you for everything you and your family does! You do an amazing job!
Erin

Hey Barb!
Our whole family is loving having two dogs! They are getting along great and love to wrestle and play tug-a-war. Scout is from Ivy/Banner ’03 and Bailey is from Emmy/Captain ’10. Both dogs go to all of our sports events with our family. They are always swamped by kids and parents the second we get there, wanting to pet them. Everyone loves them! We have made sure that Scout has been getting as much attention as Bailey. Both dogs are so much alike. They both love people, toys, food and the dishwasher. Thanks so much for giving us so much happiness and two gorgeous dogs.
-Meghan (13)

Hi Barb, Russ, & family! Today we celebrated Moose’s third birthday. He is a very happy and healthy three year old puppy. We just wanted to send you an updated photo of him from today and let you know we couldn’t be happier with him. We hope everything is going well with your family and the extended Rolling Oaks family and want to wish the rest of the Zena/Captain litter from May ’07 a happy birthday!

Sincerely,

Mike, Erin, & Moose

Isaac, our grandson, loves to lay by the babies when they are so little. He is mesmerized by their little tails!

Delilah had her puppies! One female, six males!! This litter will be ready
for their new homes June 18. We have a male puppy available, if this is
good timing for you, please fill out a puppy application and I will call you
for a phone interview. Our next litter will be born around July and ready
in September, between Jasmine/Captain.