We bought our first "real" Lab puppy from neighbors of relatives. We got lucky, with a healthy, intelligent, gorgeous chocolate male, Riversides Hunter Hudson, SH. Back then, the only health clearances done were OFA hips, maybe elbows, and CERF for eyes. We just wanted a family dog we could hunt with, which we got, but Hudson was the start of a different direction our lives would eventually take. While husband Mike and Matt, my son, helped with the training of Hudson, I myself launched into a whole new world, meeting a professional retriever trainer, getting into AKC Hunting Tests, and eventually, breeding. I worked full time, my last and favorite job being with the veterinarian I continue to use today. We didn't jump into breeding right away, I didn't go out and buy a bunch of brood bitches to set myself up with some "cash cows", I trained, ran HT, watched dogs run and train, studied pedigrees, learned. Bred a litter now and then from my own dogs as I grew a small pack.
2005-present
After moving and career changes and months of searching for just the right place for us and the dogs, we got lucky and found this home in rural NW Wisconsin, where Mike was born and has spent all but 4 years of his life. My grandparents retired and had a little general store 10 minutes from here, where I worked and lived summers as a kid, then I moved here permanently when a senior in high school. This is home, with roots, for us. 22 acres, partially wooded, with a nice rolling field in back to run and train the dogs (and keep Mike busy mowing). It makes a longer drive to other training grounds in more western Wisconsin and in Minnesota, where we mostly run our Hunt Tests and some minor stakes Field Trials (which I also judge), but, it is worth it for the privacy and the beauty. Winters are long and often harsh, some of my dogs are lucky enough to go to Texas for the winter training with our pro, the rest of us get by with snowshoeing and indoor activities.
We have, and continue to, work on the house and land, remodeling, improving the house and yards, clearing more field, all with the focus on what works best for the dogs, easiest to keep clean while still being our home. We enjoy gardening and decorating for the holidays. While I would love to have enough puppies for everyone, all the time, that would mean too many dogs and kennels and puppies not getting enough of the detailed attention we provide by having them all in our home, all the time. We have fenced yards for dogs to hang out when we aren't with them in the field or house, and a separate play yard for puppies, when weather allows them to be out, under shelter, for periods during the day. We have our two spare bedrooms converted to puppy whelping/play rooms and the lower level walkout is set up for the (often dirty and wet) dogs to be able to come in to a concrete floor from the field, chill out on Kuranda beds with plenty of toys and bones, TV, radio, climate control. We do not have a separate kennel building. Mike is now fully retired and has taken over the exterior maintenance (he got promoted to head pooper scooper). I left my job with the vet about 13 years ago and have worked full time with the dogs since then.
The health, mental and physical, of our dogs is paramount to us. I do the available genetic testing, which is added on to as they develop new tests, along with OFA hips, elbows and eyes, on any dog that will be bred. People are welcome here to pick up puppies and those with deposits on a litter may be able to visit when puppies are older, but most go longer distances and people only meet their puppies and the other dogs when they arrive to pick up their puppy. Which is why I try to put as much info as I can with photos and videos on my website and Facebook page. Everyone with deposit on a puppy gets a weekly update once puppies are born, with videos/photos, to be able to watch the development and progress in general. I have put lots of photos and videos on this page so people can see what we do and how we live. We are not open for drop in visits and will schedule visits only as our time allows.
Email is the best and fastest way to reach me, phone calls get returned when I have time, generally within 24 hours. rainmakerlabs@yahoo.com or landline 715-865-6049.
