Pups will be tested for clear/carrier status of Ichthyosis. No pups will be affected. Bella is Clear for Ichthyosis, PRA-prcd, PRA1, PRA2, DM and NCL. Cruz is also Clear of PRA-prcd, PRA1, PRA2 and NCL.
This breeding offers a low coefficient of inbreeding. We anticipate coat colors to fall within the medium to dark range. Bella's coat has some wave, offering both curly and straight coat potential. Cruz has a straighter coat. Pups should be true to breed size at maturity.
Both Cruz and Bella have many generations of hip, elbow, eye and heart testing.
Bella is a wonderful mother to many talented golden retriever kids and is our foundation female. Be sure to visit our "What the Kids are Doing" page to see what they have been up to.
"Bella" came to us from the Bob and Meg Beck family of California when Topbrass Lightnin Strikes Gold *** OD whelped a beautiful, birdy litter with FTCH AFTCH Heads Up Tracks in the Taiga MH QA2 WCX *** OS Can WCI JFTR QFTR "Trek". Bella has been a wonderful, focused girl with super demeanor and willingness to please. Her pedigree is filled with field champions and titled dogs. We just couldn't part with her for professional field training away from us, and so she is entirely amateur (and sometimes kid) trained. She has been our hunting companion and competed with our children on the 4-H venue in rally, obedience, agility and show.
She qualified for the Minnesota state dog show her second year out as grand champion overall for the county, beating our own T-Rex. (T-Rex also received Reserve Grand champion that year.) She enjoys children, could retrieve all day, and has been a super mom to her puppies. We have simply *enjoyed* her. She was tested as the birdiest pup out of her litter, has a passion for water and a nose for getting through tall grasses. Two of her full siblings from the same litter became qualified all-age, Beck's Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah TD SH WCX *** and Beck's Catch the Wave SH ***. Beck's Top Gun MH ** also titled.
Pups from Bella's litter do it all -- derby, field trials, hunt tests, dock diving, obedience, agility, scent work, therapy work, physical service work, and make great companions. We also owned a full aunt to Bella that we raised to a Master Hunter level (Pez) and participated in field trial. Bella is incredibly similar to her auntie Topbrass Pawziah MH. Bella naturally loves to fetch and hold, and bring it back. Her only bark is usually when strangers pull up to the farm, which we've encouraged so we know people have arrived. She is otherwise very quiet and has the "shut off switch" to relax and cuddle up in the house. If she doesn't want to do something for us, she always has good reason and can think intelligently on her own. She also awoke and alerted us to a brush fire in our woods a couple years ago.
In Bella's 2018 litter with "Ike" (FC Thistle Rock's Red Ike MH QA2 WCX), pups have been overall birdy and great retrievers, driven, and enjoy water. We currently own a Bella x Scout son, "Bison" (Floden's Pride of the Prairie TKN CGC) and he has gone off to the pros for hunting and hunt test training. Bison also passed all of his OFA health certifications this past year. Another of Bella's daughters with our own male, T-Rex, named "Glory" (Trifecta's Daze of Glory***) ran derby and participates in field events with Lisa Kane of Trifecta Kennels. Glory became Qualified All Age in 2018. Another pup from that same litter is a physical service dog.
Please note that we don't have a preference when it comes to breeding color, nor for breeding the "rare, white, English Cream golden retriever". Our focus is for other qualities, such as health, temperament and trainability. Review the Golden Retriever Club of America link for a note on golden retriever coloring and why that shouldn't be a primary focus for top breeders.
To learn more about Bella, click here.