Our Golden Retriever Owners

Hi everyone,

We just want to say hello and send you a picture of Keva on his first birthday.
As you can see, he has grown into being a gorgeous boy, and we all love him so
much. Keva goes just about everywhere with us, and everyone always comments
about what a beautiful boy he is and how he is so calm and well behaved.

We hope all is well with the Golden Meadows family!

Best regards,

Lisa Cali

Sam_and_Bubbles_March_2014 (1)

Barbie,

I thought you might enjoy a brief clip of Bubbles and her boy Sammy that Sammy’s mom sent me the other day. This pair have a really great bond and she has helped him so much. I did gently urge her to help Bubbles lose some of that extra weight and hopefully that will happen —

Rachel

Rachel Friedman, MSW, LISW

A Better Pet LLC

Author of The Six Pillars of Dog Training Wisdom

Inventor of Har-Vest: 3-in-1 Backpack for Dogs

YOU TUBE VIDEOS

A BETTER PET FACEBOOK 

HAR-VEST FAN PAGE FACEBOOK

Here is a photo of Cheyenne whom we purchased from you in 2012.  She has turned into a real beauty!

 

Judy

Hello,

I wanted to send pics of Jake (used to be Levi)  He's doing great, I love him so 
much!

I had a quick question,  he JUST started shedding like crazy, any 
recommendations on the best way to keep this to a minimum and grooming 
recommendations?  Trust me, I know I have a golden retreiver so I know he'll 
shed, just want to do what's best to keep his coat in good condtion :)

He is such a great dog.  I was curious how you guys thought he was filling out? 
And if you think he could be "show dog" material? Or if there are certain things 
about his confirmation that wouldn't make him not the ideal show dog? He's about 
11 months and 72pounds. When should I expect him to reach full maturity as far 
as weight and appearance? 

Thank you so much!

Rachel 


			

				
			

			

				
			

			

				
			
		

 

Hi Barbie,

Today is Ella’s first birthday. You might remember her as Morgan. We took her home with us Memorial Day Weekend.

Yesterday we had a birthday celebration for her. We invited friends with their dogs. I baked a Peanut Butter Carrot Cake with Yogurt and Peanut butter. It was a big hit. For party favors I wrapped home made sweet potato pretzels and oatmeal peanut butter biscuits in green bandanas. My family thinks that I am nuts. We love her dearly.

Thank you for this precious member of our family,

Marla and Bruce

Three years old now and is the nicest guy ever....till we met Dory the little 
female , now we KNOW  you breed the most beautiful goldens. 

Hope you and Tim and family are well! 

Dear Tim and Alicia 

I just wanted to tell you both how incredible these past 2 days have been with 
Wrigley. And what an incredible pup he is.  Worth every penny.  And such a great 
experience from beginning to end.   Thank you for the care you give both to the 
pups and to their new families.   I will highly recommend you to everyone who 
asks!!  Thank you for such a special new member of our family !!

Fondly 

Lynn 
And Wrigley!!

 

She was really great on her first ride. This is transportation mode to the dog 
park area once her spay stitches are out. 
We got to La Quinta with no problems or issues.  She was a good girl and laid on her new bed with one of her new toys.  Now after 3 hours of being home she is is settled in nicely and we have already done some training.  She eat at about 4PM some out of Susan’s hand and some out of her dish.  She is a darling and wants to be where ever we are and lays right next to us.  We about to go out for a walk and potty excursion.  Thanks for the video.  Just in case you wondered – we just love her.

Bon and Susan

These 2 sisters have to play every day with each other or they are very sad.
2 sisters from Lawford. Peyton 17 months old and Patches 5 months.
They are the sweetest girls ever!!
My sister Mary and I love them
Thanks for great puppies and dogs
Kathy and Mary

Hi Alicia,
I hope you and all your pups are doing well. Kali is getting so big and brings
happiness and joy to our family!! She is so precious, she loves the beach and
rides the surfboard in to the beach.
With love,
Sabrina

Ok, so you would think after deciding that a Golden Retriever will be our family’s next dog … how hard could it be to find that next family member? I guess the answer to that question really all ties into the reality of “how much do you really know about what you are looking for”. As a small animal veterinarian, I have always loved the Golden Retriever breed. And in general, day in and day out in my profession, when it comes to my dog and cat patients, I get to see the very best and worst when it comes to pets’ medical and behavioral issues. So in the end, knowing that Goldens are without a doubt one of the nicest breeds that can unfortunately get some of the ultimate worst
issues, when it came to finding my family’s dream Golden – I searched VERY CAREFULLY – both long and hard.

What first grabbed my attention to Golden Meadows Retrievers was their terrific web site. Great information! Wonderful looking dogs! And when I called to chat with Tim the owner – right off the bat, we struck up great conversation and he really took the time to answer all of my questions.

The next step to our Golden acquisition journey, was to see Tim’s place in person. I just wanted to be sure as a veterinarian, that I felt really confident about the kind of breeding program that Tim had put in place. These days, you just can never be too careful. So my husband and I hopped a plan to Burbank and Tim spent some really great quality time with us one on one. I loved that his dogs all have hips, elbows, eyes and hearts assessed. You just can’t breed Goldens based upon their wonderful personalities alone – as many times, that can be a recipe for orthopedic disasterdom. He let us see the puppies. We got to meet the parents and some not too distant relatives as well. All in all, I was very impressed and in a blink of an eye, the deposit on our future family member was made.

Of course, as the days grew close to me flying back to Burbank to claim our new addition, my ultimate bad habit of needless second guessing began. What if the puppy is too shy? What if it doesn’t like me or even worse, my husband and children? What if the puppy simply isn’t a good match? But once again, communicating my angst to Tim, it didn’t take long for Tim and Alicia to kindly take the time to put my fears to rest.

When I got to Burbank and Tim’s employees met me at the airport with my new gorgeous little ball of fluff, I absolutely couldn’t contain my excitement. “Trevor” was absolutely stunning! He is such an amazing puppy! He is so outgoing! Not only was he excited to meet me for the first time with zero trepidation, he was also quite the social bunny star of the Burbank airport on our trip back home. He slept quietly the entire flight! He instantaneously bonded with my husband, 2 young children and our other dog as well. But wait … so much more !!!

 

I’ve been very impressed by how completely mellow of a personality Trevor has. He’s content to just “chill”. Loves to be held and cuddled. He’s been so easy to crate train and in just one week, his incredible smarts have already shone through – already quickly has been learning his name, some basic obedience commands and is getting the house-breaking concepts with very little difficulty (thank goodness!!!).

My family feels INCREDIBLY lucky to have found Golden Meadows. We are just so in awe, so amazingly impressed with our boy … and we look forward to many wonderful years of companionship with Trevor as a priceless member of our family.

Thanks Golden Meadows !!!! We just couldn’t be happier !!!

Hi. We removed the life vest for this photo.  He is so awesome! He has no 
problem moving up and down the stairs on the yacht and he did beautifully on the 
small boat! He is just so fantastic!  

Dear puppy purveyors,

I am in love. Her name is “Sasha.” She is incredibly affectionate. And she has no pooped or pee’d in my house yet. Amazing. She is following me wherever I go and waiting until we get to the dog park to go. I don’t expect that to last but she is giving me very clear signals when she needs to poop. I feel like you guys gave me a big head start. Thanks!

I will keep you posted as to her health and condition as she grows into what I hope will be an long and healthy life.

Thanks again!

Rahel

 

Dear Hoke family and all who help with the breeding, etc:

I am writing because I cannot believe the amazing puppy I have. I picked her up on Thursday. She has yet to poop in the house and has pee’d only a few times. She is a grabbing her leash by it’s handle to walk me. And she retrieves…repeatedly…and gives the ball back. Neither of my 2 previous Goldens ever accomplished that. One retrieved but then played keep away with the ball and the other was not interested in retrieving at all. Sasha seems to love everyone and everything.

I have one complaint…..you told me to take her to the vet for a puppy wellness check. I did. It cost me $55 for my vet to tell me how beautiful and perfect she is and show her off to the whole staff at the vet hospital. That is, I paid for my vet to fall in love with my puppy. I had to tell her that she couldn’t take Sasha home with her. The wellness check was not really necessary….except my puppy became a star….photo ops all around. It is Studio City…maybe Sasha will be discovered!

Are you sure no one trained her before I got her?

Thanks for everything!

Rahel

 

Dear Hokes, et al…

    Just wanted to let you know that Sasha is doing great.  She weighs 18 pounds and is quite a star.  I have neighbors asking me to borrow her for puppy love.  At the Vet, they take her to the back for 20 minutes just for the staff to ooh and aah over her.  I have told everyone where I got her from.  The vets are totally impressed with what you did with the booklet you gave me and the quality of the pup.

    She is not totally housebroken yet but we’re working on it.  She loves stinky socks and has eaten a few slippers and shoelaces.  She has also found the joy of shredding rolls of toilet paper.  In fact she loves shredding all paper…not good in a lawyer’s household.    She also lets me know that she needs to poopie by biting my forearms….many scratches and puncture wounds.  I’ve got to teach her another way to let me know.  But we are really not having any behavioral problems aside from that.  She retrieves pretty well already.

    I am very much in love with her and so is everyone else.  Thank you again!

Rahel Kent

Thank u for the encouraging phone calls! We r doing better! He’s right with either one of us all the time now which is so much
better–we have the leash on him. He’s great with Mike in his office when I am gone. You can see he loves the snow! We don’t but he does!:-). He romps and plays in the banks! He still tests with jumping but it’s better. He tries so hard to be a good boy—he knows because we say wrong and them he gets way down…he’s a sweet boy and we love him!! Thanks again!! Brenda

Does this tell you how things are going?
Dee

Hi Barb,

We have had Milo for a year and a half now and just wanted to let you know that
he is doing great! He is so well behaved and gets compliments on both his
behavior and good looks everywhere he goes. He is very energetic just as you
promised and runs with me 2-3 times a week averaging 6-8 miles per run. He gets
so excited when he sees me putting on my running shoes. I have attached a few
pictures of Milo in the snow. We haven’t had snow here since 2008 so it is
pretty exciting for the humans as well. Milo has been running around through the
snow like a lunatic! He loves it!

Darlene

Hi! I wanted to update everyone on how Gus is doing. He is my very special boy,
I could’t love anything more!! here’s some pictures…

Thank you,
Ashleigh Howington

Hi Guys

It has been a little while since we have checked in with you.

I just wanted to tell you that Lucy (you had named her Leslie as a pup) is the most perfect animal the good Lord ever created and we could not be happier.

She is such a loving, wanting to please, calm, obedient, fun, sweet, gentle, kind, .. etc …pet/member of the family.

Everyone wants to know where she came form…and of course I tell them the story.

Hope all is well with everyone at Golden Meadows.

Sincerely

The Beskins

Va Beach, Va

Hi Alicia,

Here’s a photo of them getting along extremely well!

Steve & Lori

Hello

I took my dog to the vet today She said the dog is in perfect health, likes to wait a little longer to make a judgement on the hips but does not see any issues here. She was impressed with the detailed booklet and was very happy that I chose to get a puppy from a reputable breeder.

Thanx again Brodie is a joy to have and Alicia you picked the correct dog for me.

Gerry

Heres Brodie after a busy morning of learning all the different smells of his new digs. Crate training is showing signs of great rewards, Brodie went to the back door and we let him out and whala he did his job YEAH. We will take the best of care of him and he has been the star of my family, everybody has came and visited him and have fallen in love with him. He is such a wonderful addition to my family’

Thanx  So Much   Gerry  🙂

Hi there — I bought my dog Sydney from you in March 2013, and I am thinking about getting her a little brother. Barney is just adorable, but see from the website that he is reserved. Any idea when his prospective parents will make their decision about whether to take Barney home?

I am looking for a boy counterpart to Sydney, who is sweet and playful at the same time. Very cuddly with her human but also loves to rassle with other puppies. I like smaller dogs, and Sydney’s dad is Deno just like Barney. Sydney’s mom is Sophie.

Thanks for your help.
Christina

Sorry Christina, Barney went home yesterday. His brother Ritchie is available and will be going home Fully trained on Feb 22nd.- Alicia

Thank you, and I am glad Barney has a nice home! I saw Ritchie on the website but was wondering if he can be available earlier without all the training at a reduced price? I really loved training Sydney on my own, and it was a good bonding experience.
Christina

If Ritchie goes home this weekend I can let him go at the Started level. You do receive the $250 off as a returning family. [Ritchie] has that great temperament but will be a traditional size of 75lbs like his daddy.
He gets along with the bigger dogs and even shares nicely with them.- Alicia

One question: I kept reading that if you get 2 dogs, it is best if they are different sexes. But Sydney is really a perfect dog, and she may get along fine with another girl instead of a boy. I do prefer the smaller size. What do you think about the gender issue for two dogs?
Christina

How old is Sydney and has she been fixed?
It is often suggested to do opposites but then there are some dogs that it is not a problem.
Come up at 2pm on Saturday meet Ritchie bring Sydney. If you are not sold on my sweet heart boy we can transfer the deposit to one of the other Started pups. I am going to be training a girl from Lelani and Deno. They just turned 6 weeks old and you know how wonderful Deno babies are. She’d be ready to go home March 13th. I will know in 1 week which of those beautiful babies she is going to be. and if you reserve her I would be hand selecting based on your criteria. (gets along with older female, petite, social, lovable, smart, and cuddly) – Alicia

They are doing great and are so happy together!
Christina

Ha ha ha. I think the husband is rotten and the JEB is precious. JEB is a rock star! We love him.
He’s really my dog. I’m at home with him all day!! We are walking, very leisurely, 2 miles a day. He’s made friends and is adored by many!

I hope y’all are well.

We picked up Teddy on Dec.8, 2013. He is now doing agility training and 
obedience. Having the time of his life.
Jo 

Baxter is the best golden that I have owned.
Thanks to your team!
Barry

We love this dog so much! He is so sweet to everyone and is transitioning nicely. He hasn’t even needed the tummy medication. We purchased a larger
crate for him today with a comfy pad for the bottom. He rides daily to drop off and pick up the children from school. We’ve been on two small walks per day. I found him sitting in Lee’s lap and the two of them were watching a movie! He also flies like a natural. Slept until we arrived in OK and slept until we arrived in SC.
Oh..I ordered a life vest for him. He will have his first sailing trip valentine’s weekend. He’s visiting the children at school on Mondays and Tuesday too!
Seriously, I want to be a golden retriever in my next life!

Hugs to all!
Pam

-UPDATE-
Hi! Jeb had his first SC check up at the vet’s yesterday.
I showed them the records you sent with us.
We have started him on a flea/tick/heartworm mediation, he’s had his rabies shot, and some other shot that protects against something with a name so long I cannot pronounce!
He now has doggie insurance! Ha!
The new vet is so lovely and Jeb did a great job.

Everyone commented on how well trained he is!
He has made a friend in our neighborhood – Chloe, who is a lab/poodle mix – she is 7. We are on the same walking schedule!
He has visited the children at school too!
We are taking him for small walks twice a day, every day and he is finally comfortable enough to go potty on our walks.

He is a magnificent creature!

Many thanks to you.

Warmly,
Pam

Hi,

Just wanted to send you a pic of Chewbacca and Solo. They are both blossom and
LJ pups one year apart. They play and challenge each other like true brothers.
They are doing amazing and we can’t imagine life without them. They are both so
smart, loving and calm. Thank you so much for all that you do! Irene and Ray
Nudy

I just wanted to tell you that our golden, Leo, is 7 and he came from your 
wonderful place at Golden Meadows.
We are a part of Pet Partners and People Animal Connection. Leo goes to UCLA 
Hospital twice a month and
visits pediatric patients, some in intensive care - he gets up on their beds and 
gently puts his head on them 
and tries to bring a moments comfort. We love him so much and so does the staff 
at UCLA? Here's his hospital pic.
Thank you!!

 

 
Peyton,15months old and Patches 3 months old
Half sisters , Sam father, Hook,line and sinker
Best friends

Hi there! I love Sydney. I decided to keep her name since it really suits her. She is doing great and keeping up with her training. She is a great walker and is fetching a tennis ball & bringing it back to me with no problem. Here is my little Sydney, who turned 1 year old yesterday. She is the best!

Christina

Good Afternoon All!

Just thought you would get a kick out if these pics. Ironically, I won them as well through a local pet rescue! So the joke for the day was that I had a photo session that I won with the puppy that I won. We are hoping to have the two Hazels meet this year as we just went camping with her (Hazel Hammersley’s) grandparents over the New Year break. Thank you for MY Hazel! I couldn’t ask for a better baby. 🙂

Courtney Walker

Just wanted to send you a quick pic of Luke and Lucy (Blossom and LJ’s pups).
Major winter storms here and they are just loving our romps through the snow!
They are suck sweet, loving and easy-going puppies; we just love them so much.
Lucy is such a lover, her whole goal in life is to be held and petted. Luke is
such an adventurer, always exploring new things. We start riots wherever we
take them because they are so beautiful and sweet. We are so grateful to you for
these two beautiful babies, and we can’t imagine our family without them.

Thanks again,
Jen and Mike

Attached is a picture of Ashley, whom we purchased from Golden Meadows in March of 2004. Her Dad is Zach. She will turn 11 next Monday, December 18. Although we loved Ashley dearly (and still do), we gave to her to a family who has son with Autism. Although she wasn’t trained to be a service dog, Ashley has helped Joe through some tough times and they have been best friends for 5 years now. Golden Meadows should be as proud as we are.
Also attached is Charlie (formerly Taylor), who we purchased at Golden Meadows this summer. She is Ashley’s third cousin.
We would love to see Ashley get recognized on your Facebook site…
Jerry

Alicia,
Here is a pic of Buddy. Girls love him:). He is super sweet! Adjusting well!!

Mary

Hello!

Thank you Tim/Alicia for all your help during this time,Mako is doing well and is a very contented pup! Everyone we’ve met love him too (even the cashiers at Target though we recently know he’s not allowed in there haha)

Here are some of the pictures we have of him during this time! Thank you for bringing him to us, he’s so dear to me.

Alicia

Here’s Beau (previously known as Flynn) at 7 months. Even though he’s getting
HUGE, he’s still my big baby 🙂
Love,
Katie, Lauri, and Beau

She’s the best pup. Sleeps all night in her crate. She’s training very quickly and knows sit, come, kiss and potty on command. She sits before she eats and waits patiently. She heels off leash and loves the snow.

Thank you for Percy!

He is a wonder — smart and beautiful! He is very loved by all the family and neighbors too!

As you can see Percy is a happy camper! And super smart too! We love him!

Have a Happy New Year!

Cheers,
Liga, Annavija and Torben

Dear Tim, Alicia, and the whole staff at Golden Meadows,
Thank you so much for giving me the gift of my beautiful girl, Ellie. She is such a wonderful addition to my life. She has adapted very well and loves her big brother, Griffon. He takes such good care of her and is a great teacher. She loves to run around with him and he even graciously allows her to steal his rawhide bones. She is sweet, gentle, a great cuddler, playful, inquisitive and naturally a little mischievous. These are just a few adjectives that come to mind when best describing her. I have attached a few pictures that we took this afternoon. I will send some more periodically. Once again, thank you so very much for being apart of this new chapter in my life.
Sincerely,
Melinda, Griffon, and Ellie Wisotsky

We are thrilled with our beautiful 12 week old pup Baxter and so grateful to Alicia and all those at Golden Meadows who made finding this perfect golden such a pleasure and so easy. Lalage

Lightning Jack Sparrow is now 2 and 1/2 years old, and oh! what a PIRATE that boy is!! He has stolen more hearts than we can count: all the way from Northern Idaho, through Montana, Washington state, California, the skyways and airports of United Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, and the Islands of Oahu and Maui…EVERYWHERE we go people stop us and exclaim, “OH!! What a GORGEOUS dog!
May I pet him??” If I had ten dollars for every time that happened? I would be able to fly to Rome first class! Jack Sparrow has a sweet energy that captivates everyone he encounters. He is gentle and kind. He enthralls children, and wiggles his way into the hearts of adults. Invariably, spotting him leads to conversations about the other person’s dog, present and past, and always, they want to know where he came from (other than God/Heaven as an answered prayer): It is with great pride that I am able to say, “Golden Meadows
Kennel in Ojai, California!” We are a walking advertisement! When his vest comes off, he is silly and goofy and loves to chase the ball with the Chuck-it.
He also loves to swim, as long as it isn’t over his head! He is VERY protective of me in the water (I am not supposed to swim alone), and attempts to pull me in if I go “too deep” in his estimation.
Lightning Jack Sparrow is turning heads everywhere he goes, all day long. Flight attendants and fellow passengers are dumbstruck when they see how well behaved he is on the trans-Pacific flights from the West Coast to the Hawaiian Islands. People often comment that they had no idea that there was a dog on the flight. In short, he is a total people magnet (so a similar dog would be GREAT
for a child with autism)! Around other dogs, he is polite and well behaved. His only longing is to find a buddy who will play “chase” with him; then HE would feel as though everything was peachy…but I believe that he is pretty content to be my special dog…. 🙂
Needless to say, I am so in love with Jack, I cannot bear to be away from him for any longer that the three hours he spends at the groomers. He is my
salvation, canine companion, partner in “crime”, collaborator, inspiration, and keeper of my heart. I honestly can’t remember my life without him, that’s how
special he is.
A shout out to Liz Treynor and Victoria Linssen for their supreme generosity in making my dreams come true! And, of course, Golden Meadows Kennel, for the exquisite breeding and training of my incredible Service Dog/Canine Companion.
Mahalo nui loa!!

Elizabeth and Her Pirate

Hi Tim, Barbie and Alicia, I just filled out the review request and tried to attach this photo but it said the file was too big so I attached a pic of Percy from a year ago. However, this is him on the beach in Carmel on Wed, ears flapping, having a ball. Maybe you can attach this to my comment page! He’s doing great, strong, healthy and happy. A true Golden love bug who is my everything. Thank you!! Best wishes to all for a Happy Thanksgiving.

Carol

Hi, I just wanted to thank you again for our wonderful puppy. Gruff, who was Blossom’s only male puppy born April 2nd , is a smart, handsome lovable dog. We are in the middle of puppy training classes and he is very bright and picks new behaviors up quickly. Thanks again for a wonderful member of our family, Susie.

Hazel (formerly Ellie May) and her “cousins” hiking to the top of Mt Woodson right across the street from our house!

Courtney

Just wanted to thank you again for the beautiful dog that is now in my life. He is the light of my life, keeps me young, and makes me extremely happy. He had is 1 year birthday last month. Since it snows so much up here and it’s hard for me to take him out for walks we go to the local Lowe’s and HomeDepot and walk around quite a bit. He’s a regular there and they love him because he’s so cute and well behaved.
Thanks again….and here’s his latest picture….he TOTALLY LOVES playing in the snow!!

How Hazel keeps cool..
I throw ice in the kiddie pool as she just got spayed so she can’t get wet yet. She eats the ice right up and when I throw a towel in, she lays on it and enjoys the cool life. I also freeze her toys in Tupperware as she is teething too. 🙂

Thought you might get a kick out of this. Hamilton LOVES wearing this hat. (My daughters got him doing it.) When he is heading outside, he runs and gets it out of his toy box so that we’ll put it on him.
-Rick

She has recovered from surgery, and a little sunburn (I guess) on her nose. She is getting along well with my pack here, and has been out to a doggie day care we have here twice. She is slowly letting herself play with other dogs. She has been reserved. She loves to swim in the pond out there.
We have been going to some dog training classes and she is making great progress.
We had a photo shoot at Lake Shawnee. The pictures turned out great.
She and I and my other crisis response dog will be commissioned during a church service next Sunday to do disaster response, although Jasmine will still be in training for that for about a year probably. But we have started the process.
I thought you all might like to know these things.
Carolyn

Gus is doing great. His crate training is done for sure. His potty training is still in progress. He loves his naps during the day and he love exploring outside 🙂

Thank you,
Ashleigh

Hi Alicia,

Here is a photo of Daisy (7 1/2 mos…approximate 45 lbs).

Just to remind you…..her parents are Invictus and Ain’t that a kick in the Head.

And photos of Daisy and my daughter Leslie.

Daisy always thinks she’s a lap dog…..lol

She is just wonderful.

Joel

 

I brought Sadie home as a trained English Cream Golden Retriever when she was 5 months old. She was still very much a puppy, but had been started on her commands and potty training. I absolutely never thought that I would buy a puppy that was 5 months old. In retrospect, it was absolutely the best thing for my family. Both my husband and I work and our children are both in school full time, so having a “started puppy” from Barbie and Tim was brilliant. Sadie was still every bit of a puppy and super cute, but she was already on her way to being a well mannered dog as well. Looking back on it now, I don’t think I would do it again differently considering our lifestyle and I absolutely recommend Golden Meadows as a breeder. I have visited the facility more than once and it is truly a beautiful place. It speaks volumes about how they take care of their animals and the care and attention to detail that they put into training and caring for the puppies. Here is Sadie and she is loved by all around her, particularly my 5 year old who thinks she is her trainer. It’s hilarious. Thank you to Tim, Barbie, and Alicia for guiding me and leading me to Sadie. She is perfection.
Love, Tracy

I brought Sadie home when she was (5 months old. When I met with Alicia at 
Golden Meadows, I wasn't  certain that I wanted to go with a "started puppy."  
Eight week old puppy's are so precious and I knew my girls would love it.  After 
meeting Sadie, who at the time was 5 months, I fell in love. She knew her 
commands, was potty trained and was still very much a puppy.  I came back the 
next day to pick her up.  I have to say that my experience with Golden Meadows 
was so informed.  I made the right decision for our family and we couldn't be 
happier with Sadie.  She is a star and everyone that meets her loves her.  Thank 
you Alicia and Golden Meadows for everything.  Your facility and your customer 
service was and still is incredible. 
- Tracy Tutor Maltas

I was gone all morning today and Lucy was so happy to see Mommy come home ;) it 
was fetch time. She is such a sweetie, giving Mommy some kisses. Sorry they are 
a bit blurry was trying to hold my phone and snag the pic as well as keep us in 
the frame. 



			

				
			

			

				
			

			

				
			

			

				
			
		

Hello, hello!
I just wanted to send you a few photos of Logan along with a short update. Service training is going well. He is getting more and more confident when we are out in public. He attends all of my doctors appointments and soon we will start dining out in restaurants together. Everyone loves him. I get compliments everywhere we go. nobody can believe he is so young, because he is so calm and low key. Today we met another service dog inside Michaels, a big shepherd, and Logan didn’t even flinch despite the other dogs interest in us. I was so proud!
Hope all is well,
Sarah

Hi guys,
Just wanted to drop you a quick line to let you know how much we love having Elway (previously Malcolm) in our family. From day one, he has been such a sweet boy and is a fantastic fit for our family.
We knew we’d made the right decision before we even made it home – he snuggled and snoozed during the entire 6-hour trip back to the Bay Area. Elway recently graduated puppy kindergarten, learned to swim in our neighborhood creek, and is the staff favorite at the local doggy day care. He loves belly rubs, countertop-surfing, and chasing falling leaves in our yard.
Thank you so much for raising such a wonderful pup for our home. We are so blessed to have found Golden Meadows and our sweet boy. See pictures of him growing up attached here.
Btw, I am stalking little Sophie on your website (Elway’s sister). She and Elway could be the same dog, they look so much alike! I’m so tempted to make ours a family of four every time I see that sweet face.
Hugs from the Bay Area!

Brittany & Nick

Hi Lauren
Marcus arrived and seems to be settling in.
My kids are in love with him.
So happy to have him
We will let you know how our first night goes.
Thanks for everything
Amy

Hi there! Just wanted to let you guys know how much we love Belle Star. I’ve attached a picture of her at her new home. She is the sweetest pup and fitting in great with our family (except Jack the cat)!

Thanks again!

Lucy has grown a lot since we got her from y’all. She’s an amazing dog, listens so well, is very well mannered, and LOVES to play. I brought her a new toy today and she was like a little kid at Christmas time! She brings so much smiles to our family daily! We can’t thank you enough!

Hi Alicia,
Just wanted to reach out and let you know everything is going phenomenally well with our new baby, and to say thank you for helping us through the first couple days. It was very helpful. I know my parents are making another addition to the family, so maybe one of these days we’ll have to bring Cooper and Delilah by to say hello. Everyone is getting along great and couldn’t be happier.

Thanks again.
Kyle and Erica.

When I first started my search for a Golden Retriever breeder, I felt a little overwhelmed. After all, I wasn’t just looking for any old Golden Retriever puppy, I was looking for a Golden Retriever partner, a service dog that would help to mitigate the symptoms of a severe bipolar sensory disorder.
After months and months of searching, I came across Golden Meadows Retrievers. I was immediately impressed by the information on their website. They do early neurological stimulation with all of their puppies, early socialization, early puppy training and I was looking for a puppy with a good foundation that I could train to do service work–sounded like a match made in heaven. Little did I know.
After lots (and lots) of questions, kind, courteous customer service and hours of drooling over pictures of their dogs, an appointment was made for a visit. I drove up to the house to meet a few female puppies, but waiting in the holding pen was an eighteen month old male, named Dante. We made an instant connection. I brought him home a week later.
Today Dante is my service dog in training. Our connection continues to grow, our bond continues to strengthen. When he matures, he will go everywhere with me. He attends all of my doctors appointments, my therapy appointments and will even be taking an agility class to boost his confidence in a few weeks time. We have a good time together, and how couldn’t we? It’s not everyday you meet a dog who chooses you too.
Dante (now named Logan) is my miracle man, and he is going to change my life. And I’ll forever be thankful to Golden Meadows for bringing us together.

hope it isn’t too long. Logan is doing great, he is so much more confident when he is with me, it’s like he’s two different dogs. He really did choose me. Hope you like the pictures. More to come I’m sure.
Sarah

Hi Alicia,

Just wanted to drop you a note to let you know Axel has been home for a week now! He’s already part of the family. The best puppy I’ve ever owned!! He’s so sweet and gentle. Even Sylvester, our cat likes him. (Although he won’t admit it) He made quite the impression at the security checkpoint in Burbank. The TSA agents and total strangers asked if they could pet him. Axel had quite a following. Even the Southwest flight attendant brought me water for him during the flight. She mentioned that he’s not suppose to come out of his carrier, but she would look the other way if I wanted to give him some water!

We’ve been doing great on the training sessions. I took him to PetsSmart a few days ago and the trainer on site came out to talk to me. He couldn’t believe how well Axel walked with his leash. Always staying on my left side and not getting ahead of me. We take walks every morning before work and he gets so excited when I pull out the leash! I took him to the office for a few hours last Monday. Nobody got any work done as you can imagine. The crate has been a breeze too. Still working on the potty training . . . but I think we’re almost there!

Here’s a picture of him with the toy you sent home with us. His first vet appointment is tomorrow. Looking forward to it.

Thanks again for everything! We love him very much!!

Sharyn

Happy Birthday Soli!

Soli continues to be my painting muse.  She is an active, playful, joyful creature who loves everyone especially if she can get them to throw her endless tennis balls.
Thank you for all you do to continue this wonderful line of human companions.  Soli is a gift to my life every moment of her life.
Sue 

Dear Alicia,

How are you? I hope all is well!

I just wanted to let you know how Keva is doing. It has been a month (already!) and he is growing in leaps and bounds. I weighed him this morning, and he weighs 31 pounds! We are taking Keva to puppy training classes with Melissa at Pawsitively Perfect Pooches in Santa Monica, she believes in positive feedback, and has already had a Golden from Golden Meadows in one of her classes, that she says is just a terrific pup. Keva is doing great in his classes and we practice at home with him at least twice a day. We are going back up to Lake Tahoe today for a long last weekend before my son goes back to school so it will be fun to see how Keva reacts to the lake. I have been filling a wading pool with water every day in the backyard to get him used to water ( on a much smaller scale!) so we’ll see how he does.

Keva is settling in, the house and backyard are definitely “his” now. He races around the backyard playing with his toys, and jumping in and out of his pool while barking at the squirrels at the bird feeder. we have had a few puppy play dates with neighbor dogs and he loves playing with them in the backyard. He is such a wonderful pup, he is bright and curious, but at the same time is very calm. He just sat in my lap and observed several dogs barking and being wound up at the vets office last week. Our vet has nicknamed him “Mr Perfect Puppy” and says we could not have gotten a better looking and behaving pup.

Best,
Lisa 

Hi Barbie:

Coach Weiss is up to 41lbs, and doing great.  He has been in training every day and is really an amazing dog.  He does get a little crazy towards the end of the day and tries to nip my shoes, but that’s all I can complain, he is fully house broken also.  I have given your information to more people then I can count, because everyone stops to say hi and now knows “COACH”.  Hope all is well with you guys.   🙂

J. Jonathan 

Hi Lauren, 

Oscar is doing great! He’s my baby boy! Hahaha everybody loves him and he loves being loved! It feels like we’ve had him forever. He is so goofy and well behaved (despite his digging! Haha) Even if he is acting naughty you can’t help but love him! We took him to the lake for the first time and he is just the cutest thing when he swims, he now sits whenever we tell him and we’re still working on everything else but he’s getting there! He never potties in the house and can go quite a long time between potty breaks! Here are some pictures of my BIG boy! Hahaha

He’s a funny sleeper

Tests his boundaries by climbing on the couch 

Thank you again for my best best friend! Haha

Sara

Hi Alicia, Lauren & All,
I’ve enclosed 2 recent photos taken by some friends; one is of Delani with “a clump of palm” after she had a “tug of war” with my male Golden mix, Goldy…he is 1 year old, and as you know, Delani is almost 4 months…& she won!!..:)…The other pic is of a neighbor-friend, Bruce, walking the 2 “kids” as they venture up the mountain behind where we live…The 2 pups are so madly “in Love”, it’s a Joy to watch them!…Fortunately, Goldy’s been neutered…I’ve been teaching them sign-language, the clapping & the whistles & it works SO much better than the voice…
So, here are the pics…Please send my Love to her Mom & Dad & Everybody!!…I know she’s sending you all a Sweet, Gentle Kiss, ‘cuz that’s the Girl she is 🙂
Fondly,
Elizabeth, Delani & Goldy

Junie and Riley are the sweetest dogs. We love them more than we can say.
Here’s the latest pictures.
Check out how beautiful they are.
Junie still melts everyone’s heart who meets her and Riley is so devoted, sweet and fun.

We are so thankful every day that we have these two angels in our lives.

Toby

Lauren,
Oscar is doing very well, even my mother (who was reluctant to getting a dog) loves him very much. He’s a great listener and can now sit without the use of a treat. Now we’re working on getting him to lay down without treats as well. He’s very photogenic and loves to pose for pictures. The cats are beginning to get used to having a rowdy puppy around. He’s figuring out how to jump up and down from my bed which is great because now I don’t have to pick up a 40 lbs puppy! Hahaha
All is well here, it’s my summer vacation and me and Oscar are bonding more than ever! (:We love him tons and I thought I’d give you all an update!
Keep doing what you do best, you’ve made our family very happy.
Give all the other dogs our love
-Sara

He’s  not a picture poser… but he does have a wonderful sense of self confidence and is a decorator — he drags out throw pillows from house  thru the doggie door and into the back yard. I never catch him doing it.  When I catch him doing it , then I will discipline him . Then he will learn… Thanks goodness he stopped digging 😉   He’s getting really good on the leash too. He loves the park and is so people and dog friendly. He’s not bold

Hi Tim,

I wanted to give you guys a shout and let you know that “Royce” is doing great!  We named him Finn and he has been fantastic.  He sleeps through the night and loves his crate.  We actually went to Phoenix last weekend to visit Josephine’s parents and carried him on the plane in a pet carrier and he was perfect.  He is VERY mellow and has a great demeanor. We cannot make is half way down the block without 20 people stopping us to play with him. Needless to say, we are very happy with him. Here are a few photos.

Thanks and we hope all is well!

James

Hi from Idaho…

I just wanted to send you a quick note to thank you and to let you know what a amazing dog Holly has become. She is a sweet heart and gets along well with my husbands english pointers. Holly was our Christmas puppy 3 years ago and has been a big part of our family ever since. I’ll include some pictures. She loves swimming; it is hard to keep her out of the river behind our house and the lake at our cabin. Holly lives to retrieve – my husband keeps threatening to take her on his pheasant hunting trips, however, I want her here at home. We are thankful we found Golden Meadows and love our golden.

Thank you,

Michelle

Trixie and Jiraiya wanted to wish their daddy Aragorn a Happy Easter. They are such great pups. We practically cause a riot when I take them out in public. I can’t tell you how many people I have referred to your kennel ! Jiraiya had a mob around him at Home Depot-and he was gracious and well mannered to all- toddlers and old ladies in wheelchairs ( both he had not encountered before) Breeding will tell!

Thanks!
Lisa

Riley and Emma have really taken to each other. They are 2 years apart and Riley has become a great big brother to his little sister Emma. Riley normally sleeps on the bed with me but at the beginning of the night if Emma is crying in her crate, he would jump on the floor and sit next to her until she fell asleep and only then would come back and join me on the bed. When I walk Emma, people are amazed at how well behaved she is. She doesn’t pull as most puppies would and she walks right at Riley’s heal with no issue. Thank you for such great dogs and great additions to my life. Without them, my life would not be as complete!

Eric

Annie is doing great. Thanks for everything!! We will keep in touch.
-Larry

Hi,
I brought Tommy home from you a little over a month ago (I kept the name, loved it). He’s doing great, putting on weight and growing like crazy. He’s great with my other golden Zeke and has been awesome with crate training. He’s a great addition to the family.
Paul

Alicia,
Hope this finds you well. Harley (Hadley) is fitting in nice with our family. He is so happy and such a great addition. People comment all the time how well behaved he is. I am sure to mention you every time. In fact, my office neighbor loves him and recently lost a Golden and I passed on you info. Her name is Sharron and she has been all over your website and wants to explore more. I gave her your contact info.
Let us know when you are ever down this way. You should stop by for a glass of wine.
Happy Passover, Leo

There wasn’t a letter included but the story goes as such:

Lauri fell in love with our boy Wyatt and awaited for his next litter  that worked time wise to get a pup for her daughter. Laurie and her daughter came out and met Flynn and Collins. After an hour  they decided, and with a little help that, that Flynn was the better match.

Flynn and Collins had been playing so well together and even proving to us trainers that they would make an excellent pair.

Well as it turns out Laurie’s Son was also considering a puppy. And Soon after Flynn came home Laurie’s son decided to come down with his mom and pick up Collins.

A wonderful set of pups for a loving devoted family.

 

Hi Barbie and Tim-

What can I say this guy loves the snow. We got 37″ last weekend, what a storm. The records were all shattered but we got through it well. We even went down to the cove, which is only 1K feet away during the height of the storm to watch the storm surge and high tide. he loves running into he snow, even when it is taller than him. We are like little kids playing. I forgot to tell you that yes Kai did go down into the cove last month 10 degrees outside and he decides to go down into the cove where the rocks had ice all over them, he slide on his butt with his paws in front of him and is so happy down there. Even though there are 18 home sin our “Park” there are only 4 year rounder’s and we kid and call it Kai’s cove since he likes to go there everyday we can. he went down to the water and looked around for approval and I said okay and then in he went, swam around in a circle and then I made him come up. his fur froze right away but he didn’t care. I took him home and we dove in under the covers. Now he has his Jolly ball with the rope and we leave it outside. he loves it when the rope turns to ice. I also got him one with just a handle and it is historical to watch him roll it around on the snow and then he sinks down. he will sit for hours on top of the snow bank if it is sunny and warm. last spring he laid there while it melted one day. Kai is just the best dog, he has the sweetest personality, not unlike his owner. Can’t thank you enough. Still cannot believe this is a dog I never met until Alicia walked him off the airport in Boston. he loves Maine though, personally I would rather still be in Hawaii with him but…..Everyone loves him.

Spring is just around the corner. I saw bumper sticker last year that said “in order to enjoy the summer, you have to gone through the winter” it actually is really nice to have four distinct seasons. It is only the second winter so I imagine that won’t last for long. The good news is that Kai loves them all and he’s having fun and lives in a great home. he is also easy to wear down after a few hours of hard fun, he goes out like a light.

Aloha,
Jon and Kai

Hi!
It’s been nearly 5 months since we picked up our little Landon from Golden Meadows and we wanted to send you some updates of how he has grown. You’ll see below what he looked like the day we picked him up and how he has grown into the tall young man he is today! He is the sweetest little boy we could have imagined and he makes our lives so much better. He is so well behaved and well-mannered, you guys raise amazing pups! He has never chewed one thing in our apartment, not one! We are so in love with him and thank you again for raising such a great dog. We’ll send pictures again once he grows into a man! 🙂
Thanks,
Ben and Christina

Hello I thought I would send you a couple photos of Cali (Courtney) since we’ve had her! She is the most well behaved sweet little pup ever! Everyone loves her and everyone says they want one now haha! 🙂 she is already doing very good with potty training and she rings a bell whenever she needs out! She’s doing awesome and loves to play but will just lay around by you also! She is growing up so fast too! We all love her so much! Couldn’t have gotten a better little girl! She is growing up so fast too!
Thank you

Hello Barbie — it’s been almost nine years since I adopted BEN, who, not surprisingly, became the love of my life, and still is.

Hope things are good with you and, as always, I am appreciative of you and the joy of BEN.

with best regards David

I can’t tell you what a gift Jack Sparrow has been to me in my life..
He is the SWEETEST, most patient, and sensitive dog I have ever encountered! He has not left my side for an instant, and he is constantly checking on my well being and my mood.
He has only been in my life for six months, but I seriously cannot remember my life without him, and cannot imagine the day that will invariably come (hopefully WAY later than sooner).
He is truly an Angel, a gift from God…
EVERYWHERE we are/go, people are drawn to him, interact with him, are healed by him, laugh with him…

I TOTALLY get why you wept when we took him, but please know, he is in the very best of a “forever” home!!
Mahalo nui loa, Barbie!
Happy New Year of the Snake!

Elizabeth and The Pirate

Hi Barb and Tim and Alicia,

Happy New Year. Jon and Kai

Angel at sunset.
Had a blast trying to catch the diving brown pelicans.
I enjoy the postings of all your puppies and dogs on FB. You’ve had
some beautiful litters!
Best,
Mary

Hi Tim and Barbie ~ Attached is a new photo of Percy ~ he is 76.5 lbs and the vet who weighed him today said “he is the most beautiful Golden I have ever seen. We get lots of Goldens in here, and some of them are light like he is, but they have narrow faces. He is incredibly handsome and has a fabulous head.” Those are his exact words! Of course, I know he’s beautiful ~ but he also has the sweetest personality ~ loving and sweet. As you know, I completely adored Gus, and came back to you for another puppy when Gus went to Heaven. I couldn’t have made a better choice. He is perfect and since his birthday has a special meaning to me (the day Gus died), I believe Gus continues on in Percy.

Thank you a million times over for my incredible baby,

Best,

Carol

Hi Guys- Meet Talullah (aka Tulah). She is the sweetest, most mellow, beautiful puppy we have ever had. She was perfectly crate trained when we brought her home and she has only had a few accidents outside the crate in the last 3 weeks (and they are usually my fault). She and our 10 year old Golden, Sophie, get along great. We are in love!! Thank you so much.
Sharyn & Steve

Dear Barbie and Tim,
Bailey will be two on Dec 28th and we’re thinking of celebrating in the snow. We’ll send pictures of course since it’ll be his first time. Hope you guys have a wonderful Holiday Season.
Much love,
Bailey, Dani & Pedro

Dear Barbie,
I came, I saw, I fell in love! The whole experience of getting my Duncan ( AKA Domino) was the best ever. I came with my best friends, Nancy and Bill Hovey, and Bill said he has never seen such a professional presentation given…..he was over the moon impressed with the booklet. We all were impressed with everything from spraying our shoes to me wanting to give your wonderful daughter a big hug goodbye!!! Alissa (sp?) was fantastic, please tell her I said so…..she was/is so knowledgeable while being down to earth, making the whole 2 hours just fly by, so much love and beauty at your place/home…..if I wasn’t sure I’d get lost, I’d come back often.
I may still do that because I also fell in love with Punky, she was spunky! So loving, playful….not to mention beautiful. I could go on and on….but I just want you to know that my heart is happy again, and my house is once again a home. Duncan is the BEST puppy I’ve ever had, bar none. He slept in his crate all night without a whimper as long I had it placed where he could see me. If I’m at my desk on the computer, he is under it to be near me, he comes when I call to him, he goes potty outside in this horrible east wind, he gives me kisses, and when I remember to say WRONG (I must train myself on that word instead of no) he stops chewing the plants…..he is PERFECT in every way imaginable!!
Thank you for a wonderful experience, and a loving, healthy, beautiful new Best Friend.
Fondly, Pamela and Duncan

Hi Tim and Barbie ~ Percy turns 6 months old on Saturday and I thought you might like to see what a young man he’s grown into ~ he’s beyond beautiful ~ have given your name to several people who agree that he’s a very special dog. He is so loving ~ to everyone ~ whimpers and hugs and nestles into anyone who will let him. He gets along so well with my 10 year old Golden. He loves the beach ~ not too sure about the waves, but if there is tide pool left over from high tide he frolics and dives for seaweed. In the picture is an example of one of his favorite seaweed finds ~ he drags along the beach behind him ~

I love him so much and am so very pleased with him ~ thank you for such a wonderful companion ~ he’s the best!

Hope all is well with you ~ I still look at your website all the time, just to look at all your adorable puppies.

Best,

Carol

Hi Tim,
Tokoriki (“Toko”) is doing great and just turned 3 months old yesterday. He’s very smart and easily learned sit, shake, down and roll over. Plus he is already house trained and sits by the door when he wants to go out. We’re very happy with him.
We were curious, do you know how much his mother and father weighed? (Maggie & Lawford).
Also, I met an elderly woman in the park who was very interested in our puppy since her daughter’s golden just passed. I gave her your info.
Thanks,
Paul

 

Tim and Barbie, Sophie is now 16 months old and has grown into a wonderful family member.

Thank you for such a wonderful friend!

A couple of early pictures when Nik and I arrived back from rafting in Oregon, Sophie in the field behind our house 3 2011, at the beach Half Moon Bay and of course with her blanket today.

As you can see in the pictures attached she has grown, and her trusted blanket has been repaired, reconstructed, patched together, and anything else to keep it for her. It has even survived being buried for 4 months last winter.

We would love to replace it with a new blanket with the scent of her mother Big Love, and are very happy to pay for it and shipping if it is possible?

Randy, Deborah and Nikolas

Tim and Barbie

We bought our Golden Retriever female from your kennel in July, 2011. Our beautiful dog Cleo is now 16 months old. We wanted to send you some pictures of her so that you can see her now as as adult dog. These pictures were taken in late May, 2012, when we celebrated her first birthday.

Cleo is a healthy, loving, smart, playful, funny, beautiful, and much-loved dog. She is living a wonderful life, and we enjoy every day with her. We take her to a doggie park every day, and she plays and plays with all the dogs — and gets lots of attention and caresses from the people there, too.

She is so beautiful that she literally stops traffic. Every day, as we walk with her, someone will stop and say what a beautiful dog she is — all while they caress her, of course.

We wanted to express our appreciation for the work that you do, because, through your work, we got to have Cleo in our lives.

Sincerely,

Maria and Ron

Barbie,

I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know how completely in love we are with our new puppy. We named him Albert Einstein because he is very smart, but call him Albie for short. He is rapidly learning basic commands. He is by no means a replacement for our beloved Darwin, but he takes so much energy to care for that he is definitely a distraction and bringing a lot of joy to the family.

Thanks again,
Karen

 

Hi Barb,

I just wanted to send along a few of my nearly 100 pictures of Milo during his first 2 weeks with us. The first shows him in full action chasing and catching a ball. The second is along the banks of the Willamette River where he plays almost every day. He likes to wade in the water and splash, but shows no interest in swimming so far. The last picture is of Matthew and Milo on our front lawn.

Milo is doing really well. It feels like he has been with us for so much longer than 2 weeks. Hard to imagine that we were at your place only 2 weeks ago.

Hope that you enjoy the pictures!

Darlene

Wanted to update you on Dru. I cant begin to tell you how we love this guy! I already have him in his service vest working with me and he is just amazing! He has already gone to a restaurant with me and behaved like SUCH a good boy and stayed right at my feet under the table until we were finished. People kept commenting on how well behaved he was for such a young dog! He made us very proud. Today he went to Rite Aide Pharmacy and to the Bank and he was very good there as well.

He also follows me around the house and lays right at my side against my wheelchair. He used to lay directly underneath my wheelchair but he has a hard time fitting there anymore. He also has lots of dog friends, all of whom he loves to play with. Everyone always comments on how beautiful he is also. WE are so very happy that we found you guys and him. Thank you for such a wonderful, smart, and amazing dog!

Thanks….Amy

Good Morning Tim & Barb,

If I had a dime for every time I was going to sit down and email you, I’d be wealthy!
I can’t believe my baby Luke is going to be 5 months old. Where has the time gone? Anyway, he is an unbelievable dog. He’s soooo handsome, intelligent, good-natured, friendly, well-behaved. I could go on forever. Barb, you were right, he is a cuddler. When I’m at school and I think about him during the day I smile because he is such a happy guy. When I come home from work both he and Sam greet me with a stuffed toy talking themselves silly. They have grown to be the best of friends, and Sam is a great role model for Luke. They are great watch dogs, taking care of my house and each other. I don’t know where in the birth order Luke came out, but he is not a bit shy or afraid of anything, he definitely is an “alpha” dog. I can’t wait for puppy kindergarten, I’m sure he’ll be at the head of the class. Dr. Cohen and Deb just love him, at his last set of shots he weighed 30.3 lbs. he’s”lean and mean” 🙂

The front office girls can’t get enough of him, he’s such a flirt. I have hundreds of pictures, if I knew how to email them I would, but I don’t, so if you get a big piece of bulk mail it will be from me with pictures for you. I’ve already started his scrap book, I can’t believe how fast he has grown, it must be the “NuVet Plus” and the excellent breeding 🙂 I could go on forever, but I’m sure you must get tons of great reports about your puppies.

I did use Duke’s name for Luke’s papers, his offical AKC name is Golden Meadows Duke’s Prince Luke, and what a prince he is.

Tim, when you’re down this way and you’d like to visit with Luke I would love it. I would love to know what you think and if there is anything I can do, other than not spoiling him more than I already do 🙂 Well it’s Sunday morning and it’s time for a Starbucks and a walk around Balboa Island, (it’s the best, Luke walks with part of his leash in his mouth) then to the Bakery for some treats.

Thank you both so very much for my wonderful gift and for your awesome dogs that make us much better people.

Take Care,

Melinda…..with licks from Luke

Hi Tim…hope you are well and have had a good summer. Just wanted to send a brief update on Shimmy’s Boys….Rolls and Royce.

They are simply THE BEST!! This Thursday, they turn 8 months old and Rolls is 71 lbs and Royce is 69 lbs….and there is no fat on them…Royce is all muscle…and runs as fast as a racehorse.

Rolls is built for comfort. Both have great coats and color…vanilla and butterscotch. While they are simply inseparable, they have very different personalities. Everything you told me about them has come to be true….Royce comes in from play and settles right away…a real cuddler and loves to lean on the side of the chair or your legs. Rolls on the other hand tends to take some restless time before finding the spot to lay. They have graduated from their crates for sleeping ( they simply can’t get in them anymore) and they now have “big boy beds” beside us at night.

It was a good decision on our part to get another golden…but getting these two from you was a wonderful gift. Thanks again Tim…we have two VERY happy boys in our life.

Jim and Diane MacKay

Hi, my name is Tracey Johnston.

I had the pleasure of grooming Gringo today. Not only is Gringo the most beautiful golden I have ever encountered, his temperament exceeds the average. Steve was gracious to inform me of your website. I will be sure to recommend your Goldens to any of my customers who are looking for that special canine to complete their family.

Tracey Johnston

Hi Tim!

Just wanted to let you know that Newman (son of Kami & Jasper) is the greatest dog we could ever ask for. Not only is he absolutely gorgeous, but he has the best temperament, is highly intelligent and extremely loving. Newman is now 8 months old, weighs 65 pounds (how much bigger do you think he’ll get?) He loves the water and only wants to be around people. Thanks so much for our boy. We’ll send more pictures after his 1year birthday!

Many Thanks,

Tonia & Jeremy

Hello Tim and Barbie.

Thanks for the hospitality and time yesterday. I am very impressed with the attitudes and environment in which you raise the dogs. The animals certainly get a good healthy beginning!!

The puppies are beautiful and Cody is even more impressive than before. I can assure you that whatever pup is selected, it will be going into a safe environment with much love and attention.

Thanks again and have a great weekend.

Best Regards, Tom and Irina Ewing

Tim & Barbie,

…Our pup rides very well in the car. In public, she’s calm and a little princess. O:-) There was another Golden Retriever brown-rust-colored pup with a rough coat the other day (at our nephew’s baseball game) and that pup tried to bolt towards her but she was as calm as can be. (Was the other dog an American GR?) she sat by my side the entire time and never wavered. She looked at the other dog but didn’t do anything (same thing at the vet’s) The other pup was rambunctious, high strung, moved a mile-a-minute, tugged & pulled on his leash constantly, barked a lot and couldn’t stay still for 2 seconds. We were quite relieved that she was the exact opposite of this kind of behavior. She’s soft and beautiful with that cream & light golden blonde coat. Our girl constantly receives rave reviews whenever we’re out in public and from visitors who come to our home. We tell them about GoldenmeadowsRetrievers.

…She did superbly when we went to an outdoor cafe. She was on a large, clean towel next to us while we ate lunch. Again, she receives a lot of attention in public. Many compliments from the public.

She gets along great with all of us and has fit in very well in our home. She’s very well-behaved and it’s a pleasure and a joy to have a dog like this at home and in public. She’s easy to take care of because of her behavior and so gorgeous, too. We like her face, too -square, big eyes, well-proportioned, well-balanced facial features, beautiful coloring, perfect body, everything.

Thank you to you and Barbie for doing a fantastic job raising and training her. I receive a lot of compliments not only on her overall beauty, her soft fur … and the way she’s so well-behaved. It’s her fine, selective breeding, inherited disposition, inherited good health, care while in the womb, health outside the womb, nursed by her mother and not taken away too soon, training, socialization and you choosing the right puppy for us from the beginning.

She’s a real crowd magnet and garners a lot of attention wherever we go. We receive a lot of compliments about everything about her. She does so well at home and she’s so cute. A very nice little girl. O:-)
She has cute hair ribbons now, too which she wears on occasion.

Maggie & Mike

Hi Tim,

Chamois is doing GREAT! She’s now retrieving almost any object requested and can open and close doors, and tug Joel’s socks off for him! She does a three minute out-of-sight stay with moderate distraction and knows all her “basic” commands:

(sit, down, stand, come, heel, wait, stay, leave it, “go in,” kennel up, and her service dog commands: jump on, off, look, tug, get it, hold, give, settle, go through, go in (lie quietly under the table while I eat or work), back, and tricks like shake, wave, high five, paws up, say your prayers, wipe your paws, touch, kiss, and get me a Kleenex. We’ve just begun “ turn on the light.”)

She is a complete joy… a little sassy, and vocal, but sweet and a brilliant learner!

We are shooting for August to place her in Seattle with Joel. That’s pretty early, but she will definitely be ready, command-wise. We’ll she how mature she is… She has already flown up and visited 4 or 5 times, so it’s a second home to her.

I am considering taking another puppy when Chamois leaves…

Aleita

Hi Barbie & Tim:

I am so glad I found your web site. We bought Murphy from you Christmas, 2001. We came to your house when you lived in Simi and Murphy is the puppy of Lucky Strike and Sunshine. Murphy was born October 28, 2001.

Anyway, Murphy is just the love of our life! He has a doggy door where he can be in or outside anytime he wants. He is just a part of our family and is always with us. He absolutely LOVES our granddaughter, Heather who is 9 and loves to go swimming in our pool. Murphy is very calm and easy going and only gets real excited when somebody comes over. He is so sweet and thinks he’s a lap dog! We are so thankful and happy to have him in our family and I just wanted to write and let you know that.

I have a lot of photo’s of Murphy, but only one I scanned on my computer to send you. This picture was taken right after he got out of the swimming pool and his hair is all wet.

Thank you for selling us such a beautiful, healthy dog, but most of all thank you for your dedication to these beautiful dogs. Good luck to you and say hi to Murphy’s Mom and Dad. I am assuming Sunny is Murphy’s Mom, but I did not see Lucky on your web site. I loved looking at your new place.

Again, good luck and thank you.
Robin & Al Herrera

Hi Tim & Barbi,

Thanks so much for this awesome puppy! We love him to death and it’s great to have a puppy to cuddle again. He’s very smart and sweet and seems to have settled right in. He went to the office with me yesterday and was quite the hit! Stacey and I are going to try to take pictures of both puppies in the snow today.

Thanks again!

Michele and Tom

Hello Tim…

Diane and I thought we would provide you with a belated update on the two boys…..in short….they are simply FABULOUS and we could not be happier or more proud!!

The trip back to Port Orchard WA on the plane was quite an upsetting ordeal for them I suspect. The cage was covered inside…they must have been so terrified…but I cleaned them up at Seatac and once I got them home…lots of love, a bath. a dinner and hugs all ’round and they slept all night.

They are both NEARLY house trained…do well with ‘sit’ and ‘come’ and we are doing what we can to keep them separated as much as we can. There is no mistake they bond to each other.

When I had them to the vet for the first visit…they were 9.5 and 10.2 lbs each…they are now 21.8 and 22.3 lbs each….have lots of strong muscles everywhere and Rolls has HUGE feet. The vet says that they could come in at 90-95 and 85 to 90 each when fully developed.

They have very distinct personalities as you well enough know.

Tim, thanks for raising such wonderful pets….you must surely have a passion for the work you do…it was the right decision to choose Golden Meadows for our new family…we will keep you updated on their progress.

These two had a big set of shoes to fill when we lost Molson in December…Diane always said he was the “Rolls-Royce” of Goldens……….. “Rolls” and “Royce”are doing a great job of delivering us continued happiness…

Thnx again….

Jim MacKay

Hi Barbie & Tim,

Just thought you might enjoy an update on Allie. We love her to death. She goes everywhere and does everything with us. You did such an amazing job getting her off to the right start & have made our lives so much easier. I continue to reinforce everything that you taught her & am having a blast teaching her new things. She’s got the “wave” & rolling over down. We continue to work on “wait”, but I think that I’m most of the problem with that one. Now we’re working on giving presents (taking & dropping a gift bag for someone), resting, going to sleep, peek-a-boo, & playing baseball (she picks up a ball & trots to 4 pieces of paper representing the bases). Fetching the ball & general cuddling continue to be her favorite pasttimes, though.

She was really the puppy for us. You’re right about her having a strong opinion at times, but we love her all the more for it. She continues to have a real personality & makes us laugh constantly. Even her veterinarian & the staff at the Dr’s. office beg us to bring her by occasionally so they can watch her grow & perform.

We took her on her first boating trip a couple of weeks ago to Catalina Island. She had so much fun! I’ve attached a few photos from that weekend.

I hope that all is well with you & your very large “family”. Have a great holiday season. I’ll send you an occasional update.

All the best,

Sue Vermeeren

Hi Barbie and Tim,

Well, we’ve had Cooper for 2 weeks now and he is just wonderful. He is so sweet, mellow and well-behaved! We all just adore him and he is so good with our kids. He knows just when to be playful and when to just hang out. He is so cute with his toys and loves retrieving. The kids love throwing tennis balls to him in the yard. He is still doing great with his commands too. His easy-going nature combined with your great training has produced great results. When we took him to the vet a little over a week ago he weighed 40lbs. and was the best behaved dog there. He also rides great in the car. We can’t thank you enough for such a great dog. He is the perfect fit for our family.

Many thanks,

Carrie Taylor

Hi Tim and Barbie,

I can’t tell you enough how much we love our new little family member! We changed Bond’s name to Brady – he is such a love bug, that Bond was just a bit to “macho” for him. : )Brady spent the weekend in SLO with us, and you’d think he’d been with us since birth! After we left your place on Friday, we met up for dinner with our daughter and friends. Brady just slept peacefully under our table (we ate outdoors) the entire dinner. The next day we went wine tasting in Paso Robles, and he was welcomed at every tasting room (except one, obviously not dog people) That night we took him to Sami’s sorority fundraiser auction, and everyone was asking if Brady was up for auction. They were ready to start bidding right then!

We stayed at a very dog friendly hotel in Avila Beach. He spent some time at the beach with us, and we were literally stopped by everyone on the beach admiring, praising and petting little Brady! We had absolutely no problems at all with “going potty”, crate sleeping etc. He’s a dream!

When we got home on Sunday, we were all beat. Brady thought he probably got adopted by a “party family” and wanted to rest! Our only dilemma we have at home is the area we had designated as his potty area is all gravel. He will not go on gravel. John had to actually go out and20buy a large piece of sod so he’d go. I’d take him out to our front yard which is all grass, but I hated doing that in my pajamas at 6:30 in the morning as the neighbors drove by! On Sunday our landscaper is coming in to convert a corner of our yard to grass.

Brady is the sweetest companion we could ever ask for. Your dogs have absolutely the best disposition or temperament of any pet we’ve ever seen! We have been trying to keep up with all the basic commands. Last night as we were watching your training DVD, Brady started responding to it! It was the funniest thing to see.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to enjoy one of the best Goldies we could ever have! (People around here haven’t seen too many cream colored GR’s, so they keep calling him a lab)

Who knows, maybe another one may be in the horizon one of these days!

Best regards,

Barbara and John Kawahara

Hi Barbie,

Just wanted to send you a couple of pics of Nicki. She is doing great. Still chews on the kids toys, but not on the house and furniture so much. We got her some HUGE Mammoth bones that she loves, ha! One picture is of the day we got her and Ryker seeing her for the first time. It’s one of my favorite pics because he was so happy to get her. He couldn’t stop hugging her! The other pic is of her just laying down being a good girl. Thought you might like an update. Ryker sat on Santa’s lap this weekend and told him that he wanted a Transformer for Christmas and then I heard him say, “My dog Nicki has been a good girl and she would like a rubber bone”. Ryker’s Kindergarten teacher sent home a paper the kids had each done for Thanksgiving and Ryker’s said “I am thankful for my Nicki”. I usually crate her right before he gets home from school because she gets sooooooooo excited to see him she can’t hardly let him through the door (kind of like Fred and Dino, ha). Once he gets inside and settled, the reunion begins! She is very good for him and we are so happy to have her. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas

Jenny Roark

Tim & Barbie,

We cannot thank you all enough for the joy we continue to receive every day from our Maddie Girl! When I contacted you back in August, we had recently lost our 2.5 year old golden retriever to meningitis and our entire family was very sad…. Our Gracie had been a challenge in her early days,but provided us much pleasure later on, and my husband and I were not quite ready to take on a new puppy just yet.. Barbie, you spent endless hours talking with me and sending me pictures of various puppies you currently had in training – but, each time you kept coming back to “Madonna”. As you know, with a house of 3 big boys, a princess with the name of Madonna was never going to work for us!! After many discussions, we all agreed, that she would be the chosen one…. From the minute I picked her up at the Dallas airport, and everyone that had any contact with her along the journey had fallen for her, I knew she was the perfect choice!!

She curled up in the back seat and slept on the way home and has been a pure delight ever since. We have had several dogs over our adult lives, but none even come close to Maddie’s personality. (Yes, we immediately changed her name to Maddie!) She did not skip a beat when joining our family along with our other dog, Brady, a 4 year old Goldendoodle. As my husband says, she is quite the city girl to look at and the way she behaves, but then when we load up the truck and head to our ranch in East Texas, she is ready to go. As we make the trip, she becomes the country girl, ready to run and swim in the lakes and find every mud puddle within miles! She truly knows how to enjoy life to the fullest, whether it is accompanying Brady and me on our 4 miles walk every morning, running wild in the country, or stretching out by me with her head in my lap watching tv or reading.

Barbie was always available to answer any question I had regarding Maddie or her training, no matter how big or small. Usually, we have started with new puppies and had to work through the challenges that go along with that. With getting a 7 month old pup, we only got the rewards and truly appreciate and recognize the hours of work put into the training. Maddie was and continues to be a star student! Not only does she look the part, but she behaves extremely well in all situations, with the family and other dogs as well.

All of our friends are dog people and we have a number of their dogs at the ranch, but none of them have experienced any such as Maddie!! They continue to comment on her and her personality and behavior… A dear friend of mine that trains dogs and boards them in her home calls and begs me to let her keep my dogs…. She keeps a couple of male Irish Creams, and she now has her favorite female, Maddie, or more
fondly known as “Princess”!!!

A smile has returned to our faces and we thank you all everyday for sending Maddie Girl our way! She is the perfect companion for us and is a great addition to our family!!

Sincerely,
Kim and Doug Hutt
Dallas, Texas

HI Tim and Barbie!

Just wanted to give you guys a quick note to thank you for our little precious little girl. We made it home safe, she was perfect, she didn’t get sick in the car….nor did she have any upset tummy the past 2 days.

You were right, when you said she will test us…..and that she is doing! But we will all find our groove. She really wants to be on the couch with us, and she is the most ferocious eater I’ve ever seen….so I put a tennis ball in her food dish to slow her down a little bit. She sleeps great thru the night! And when we went to PetSmart to pick up some stuff……some guy came up to us, and said “she stands like a show dog”,and then I showed off a couple of tricks! 😉 He was soo impressed that she was soo smart for being so young, and he turned around and his shirt said “DOG TRAINER”! ha ha ha I thought that was soo funny!

Slade is adjust to her, sometimes he gets overwhelmed at her enthusiam……but he will get used to her, and her to him. She did go lie with him while he was getting his tube feeding, and I’ve attached a pic.

I’ll give you quick little updates every few months….and hopefully get some professional pics of the two of them. Thank you both for everything!! We are soo happy, and she is perfect!

take care,
Katherine and Slade

Grace LOVES Riley so much. She says ‘hi Riley’ every morning when we go get her out of her crib and then she gives him a hug. She’ll hug Junie right after Riley to make sure they both get a hug.

Surprisingly, Riley is even more attached to Grace than Junie is. He’s also very protective of her and the house. He’s SUCH a great dog. We are so in love with him. He’s GREAT with his commands. Junie has become attached to Riley and Riley is attached to us. Junie seems more independent now that Riley is around. Riley just wants us to love on him. We make sure we give them equal attention and work with them equally on their commands.

We can’t thank you enough for sending him to us.

Hope you guys are doing well.
Toby

Dear Tim & Barbie,

My name is Jessica Tuohy and last year we purchased our golden retriever from you from Punky and Jasper’s litter. Today is Allie’s 1st birthday and we wanted to write you and tell you how blessed we are to have her in our life. She is by far the best dog we have ever had in our family and she makes every day better for us. Allie has the sweetest temperament and gets along with any dog regardless of their size. Our vet who also owns a cream golden retriever, said she has never met a dog with a sweeter temperament than Allie! She has an amazing intuitive nature about her and she can truly sense your emotions.

Sometimes when I am having a bad day, she will come over and just rest her head on my lap and immediately make me feel better. Every morning she jumps on the bed (we let her) and she gets in between my husband and I, lays down, and puts her head on our pillow like a human. Then she gives us a big lick. We have two daughters, age 11 and 8 who also absolutely adore her to pieces. She follows them around wherever they go. Allie has never had an obedience problem, chewing issue or excessive barking. In fact, we rarely ever hear her bark at all. I attached a few photos of her.

Thank you for providing us with such an incredible piece to our family. We could not imagine our life without Allie!

Best Regards,
Jessica B. Tuohy

Hi Barbie ~

Luc is awesome. We love him ! Where the family is, that is where he wants to be… right at (or under) our feet. Not only is he the sweetest and not laid-back puppy ever — but he is SO GOOD and anxious to please. So far, not a single accident (thanks to you and Tim). I just love the way he comes prancing back — tail a-waggin — when he plays fetch with his squeeky toy (and then sits and drops it at my feet. Amazing!)

But I do have one dopey question (that I already know the answer to) , because it has been a while (eleven years !) since our last Golden Puppy. Goldens have their “soft mouths” and Luc keeps trying to “mouth” arms, hands, fingers etc (esp when someone is lying on the floor with him, giving him tummy rubs). My (grown) kids think this is funny/adorable — since he doesn’t bite hard — but I tell them that this isn’t a behavior that should be encouraged…. and whenever Luc tries this with me I will gently say “wrong” , and give him a chew toy instead. (it still amazes me how Luc INSTANTLY responds to a single quiet “Wrong”). Since (as you and Tim know) our kids never listen to us as parents — I would like an official pronouncement from the Professionals on this little issue. Then we can go to a consistent family plan on this one small thing…. (I bet you wish this was the biggest problem that all of your pup-clients had !).

Alicia demonstrated the correct placement of the show collar to me for when we are on our short “working” walks. She was very thorough. I really appreciated the orientation that she gave me.

We all well realize that a puppy could get the greatest start in the world (which you and Tim have most definitely provided us) — and if things don’t proceed onward with continuity and ongoing obedience work — that all of the hard work and love that was initially lavished on Luc’s training and socialization at Golden Meadows all goes for naught.

If you need another reference — please add me to the list: not only is Luc gorgeous, but your “trained puppy” option is worth every penny ! I hope you have a great day.

Best Wishes,
Paul Ross, MD and family

I can not tell you – can not even begin to express – what an INCREDIBLE dog Ella is. Literally everyone she comes into contact with falls madly in love with her. She is fun, sweet, playful, and very attuned to the people she’s with. I’ve had several dogs in my life that I’ve loved dearly but I have to say she is just an absolute joy to have in my life. My kids completely adore her.You guys are doing something right there!
Hope you’re all well.

Best,
Greg

Barbie,

Here are some adorable pictures I wanted to share with you. Riley is still doing Great. The dynamics keep changing. Now that the newness has worn off, Junie is still Graces dog. She plays with each of them but I can tell she still prefers Junie. Junie is the alpha but in a very sweet, calm way. Riley is a Saint and so sweet and patient with everyone but especially Grace.

We live next to a wooded area. I think it’s about 100 acres of woods along the bayou and around a running trail and golf course. So, there are lots of wild animals around. Junie puffed up and stood her ground between us and a coyote the other morning. Denis was out of town so we had to walk the dogs early before the sun was up. Riley is still such a puppy he didn’t even notice the coyote 🙂

Hope you guys are doing well. We are enjoying our spring weather.

Have a great Easter.
Toby

HI Barbie,

Gus is getting along so well here. He has not bothered my three cats at all! I had a little talk with him about the cats and chickens and he seemed to listen. I have not let him loose with the chickens yet (George completely leaves them alone in the yard). But I introduced them through the fence. He loves the horses and all those smells.

He still does not like the car and it takes a treat to get him inside. We just missed the next obedience class so we will probably get a personal trainer to work with my mom until the next session begins. I’ve got him to “sit” on cue and working on “shake” now. But the big help we’ll need is walking manners. He tends to run to the left, right, around my mom, etc. I don’t want her to trip.

So far my mom is doing very well….but she’s tired. I think it’s been a lot for her. Gus absolutely adores her though. He follows her everywhere and when she sits, his head is always in her lap. I think my dad sent him to us…especially considering he was born on the very day my dad passed. Gus sleeps with my mom at night, in his crate, next to her bed. I took the front gate off the crate. He loves to sleep inside, but he kind of lays his head outside it closer to my mom. I have had him each day to give my mom some rest and so he can play with George and get extra exercise. Mom can get some paperwork done while he’s gone too as she says she can’t help but play with him, brush him, talk to him, walk him, etc when they’re together. We have a pool and guess who likes to swim?!! He’s found the steps to get out, but I have told him not to go back in as I can’t be towel drying him all day long. George also swims during the summer, so I’m sure we’ll have LOTS more golden hair in filter. Haha…

Gus saw the vet last week for his well-check and he’s 52 lbs. Our vet was very impressed that a 2 year old golden would lay at my mom’s feet instead of bouncing off the walls. He really is very special. He has an appointment to be neutered next week.

Last night when Gus went home, I really missed him. I told my husband I want a second golden soon. He said we already have a part-time second dog. But I am going to bet as Gus gets older and my mom gets into a walking routine and she relies on his companionship, she will keep him more. So I will continue to look at your website everyday to dream of my next one. I LOVE the brother-sister team being sold together. TOO CUTE!

Hugs,
Patrice

Hey Barbie just an update

Grace helps me with the training exercises we do with the dogs. They mind her now. All three of them are madly in love with each other. I think Riley will want to sleep with her once she gets her big girl bed. He follows Grace everywhere.And if the dogs start rough housing, Grace is the first to go tell them to ‘cut it out’ 🙂

Thank you for sending us such GREAT dogs.

Have a wonderful summer.
Toby

Hi Barbara!

We love our little white puppy we got from you a few weeks ago. He is doing great and getting bigger. Here are a couple of pics of him.

Take care,
Caitlin and Karen McNulty

Tim and Barbie,

I wanted to give you an update on the puppy we got from you. We got one of the Punky females and she is doing great. We named her Lexi. I have attached a photo of her and our other Golden “Riley”. They are getting along really well. Her training is coming along she knows sit and down and has the basics of the house training, although she still has accidents now and then.

She is sleeping in her crate through the night now.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that we are thrilled with her. Thanks again.

Brooke Mathis

Tim & Barbie,

Just wanted to give you a update on Brando(little bear) Well, he is the sweetest puppy ever. It was so hard at first when he came home because he reminded us so much of Bear that it made us cry. But now we are doing better. He has really helped my husband get through all the pain. He is still very well behavedJ, he walks along the side of us around the ranch and wont leave our side.

My daughter convinced my husband to get a friend for him so we added another puppy to our family the same age as Brando, his name is Sammy, Sammy is a German Shepherd. They are the best of friends and play all day together. You should see the looks Brando gives Sammy when he’s all over us jumping and chewing, he’s like dude don’t you have manners! Its so funny. Just wanted to say thank you for our new baby, he is just what we neededJ. He is also so sweet and gentle with our 18 month granddaughter.

We will keep in touch and send photos, Again thank you so much for the new member of our family,
Ronda & Alfonso

Hi Tim and Barbie,

Today is Soli’s 4th birthday. She continues to be the delightful, playful, joyful, beautiful delight of my life. Each day she sparkles with energy, enthusiasm for her family, her toys and above all her walks and play time with stickball retrieving. Soli also loves to cuddle.

I often wake up in the morning to find her attached to my side, her head resting on my hip. She loves to be close to her beloved family members.

I continue to paint her as she is such a wonderful subject. I’ve attached two rather different paintings I did of her eyes. These paintings have attracted attention as they are very different from the usual. I’m also
attaching a picture of her in a relaxed pose hanging out with her red ball. Thank you for all you do to continue this wonderful breed. Soli is a strong healthy athlete and such a treasure in our lives.

Sue Whisenand and Soli

Hi Tim and Barbie,

A few weeks ago, Mario and I bought the copy of Cesar’s Way because the puppy on the cover looked so much like our Dylan. We were not surprised when we saw on the inside cover that the puppy was from Golden Meadows. Congratulations! Your puppies deserve to be the models of golden retriever cuteness!

Our two goldens are great – Dylan just graduated from Puppy PreSchool (at the top of his class, of course). Dylan follows his big brother Toby everywhere and likes to cuddle next to him whenever they nap. Dylan has been the perfect addition to our family. I have enclosed some pictures of our boys.

Again, congratulations!
Mario, Rosemary, Toby and Dylan Flores

Dear Tim, Barbie, and Alicia,

Just wanted to let you know that Sophie was a trooper on the long ride home. We had no issues in the crate, was a good girl potty-ing during the stops and went right to bed when we got home. There has been no crying or barking issues and she is thrilled with her back yard space. Everyone is impressed with Sophie’s dedication to “come”, “sit”, “stay”, let’s go, and “ok”. The “down” command is sporatic and “high 5” goes in one ear and out the other, but we’re working on that. We are excellent on the leash in the house and yard but walking up and down the street is a little confusing–cars, people, city sounds are still new and, I would guess, a little frightening.

Sophie loves to sit at my feet and follow me around the house. Stairs are a new joy that she’s conquered and can’t wait to show me whenever possible. Our favorite past time right now is slopping around in a tub of water out in the yard–San Franciscois finally getting it’s Indian Summer. The last 4 days have been in the mid 80’s, with yesterday topping at 94, but today’s high is expected to be around 82. We have had no potty issues in the house yet, diligently going outside together every 2-3 hours, and especially 15 minutes after eating as you suggested.

Sophie is a gently soul and her bursts of energy are quiet manageable. Thanks so much for bring this little angel into the world–we are taking good care of her. Haven’t had a chance to read your website to see how last weekend’s show went, but we may find a few minutes tonight to catch up on emails and such.
Take care, and here are some pictures you might enjoy. I’ll forward more every now and then as she grows.

Kathy

Barbie-

I have not even downloaded the pictures from the fair. Life is so full and busy. The boys are amazing. (Boys = Jeramy, Brad, Costner and Titan!) They are all my children and take all my time. But a mother would not have it any other way. 😉

I look at Brad and I can see how far he has come, what Costner has given him. Others look at him and don’t see any struggles and think I’m over reacting. True friends who have been with me long enough to know or educated enough to see his struggles are amazed and how capable he is at adapting to life skills on his own. I would not change the road I choose to put Brad on, I’m grateful for the leap of faith in getting Costner. Did I mention Brad went to Scout camp for 1 week? That is overnight camping away from us and Costner! He earned 6 merit badges while he was gone. Next week his summer program group is going on an overnighter to Salt Lake. He is very excited about it too. One might argue that as kids mature they work through their own struggles and I do agree. Brad has done a tremendous job of working through his and growing into others. I am very proud of where he is and what he now chooses to do. It’s eye opening.

A dog for us was amazing, but as you know it’s taken daily work to have them. I don’t know how I have managed through it all and still taken the time needed to be a mom. I love and appreciate both my dogs and the love and kindness they show. Honestly, you get out of it what you put into it. New owners need to understand that. If they do that, they will have the same chilling story as we do. These dogs are my furry children and I wish I could do so much more for them. Costner is my Hero – I dread the day that he is no longer with us. Until then – he makes me smile every day and he gives Brad the confidence to face the world and reach for the stars!
I’ll send pictures soon.

Rebecca

oh PS – I do watch your site. All the time. Love the puppy pictures.

Hey Tim and Barbara,

We have settled into Laguna and Tuck (the lover) and Brek (the climber) are perfect puppies! We couldn’t ask for better dogs! Peaches traveled perfect. No accidents or screaming. She LOVES her new home and is getting very spoiled in Texas. We will be sending you photos this weekend. We take them every day so we can see them grow.

You had mentioned that you may know a vet in Laguna Beach. Brek is due for a shot and we would like to know one in the area if we have any questions.
We hope all is well and we will stay in touch.

Best,
Andy & Jenn Nielsen

Hi Barbie and Tim,

Thank you so much for the picture of Jayne, Mitzi, and the kids. I am certain Mitzi will be a wonderful and amazing addition to this family — they all look so happy and comfortable together.

I thought you would like to see a picture of Jean-Luc which my home-from-college-for-fall-break son took of the two of us relaxing at home today. Isn’t he gorgeous! And what a turn-around in behavior, Barbie… you wouldn’t believe it. And All of his chewing issues were “fixed” overnight! You are a miracle-worker.

Best Wishes,
Paul Ross, MD

Hi Barbara and Tim,

Just wanted to let you we are all head over heels… Taylor is just so perfect!!! He slept all the way home to San Luis Obispo. He was so good last night, He just seems to want to please. He is going potty almost each time on command, I have been able to give him a treat on command six times! He slept through the night in his crate without an accident, only stirring once, but went right back to sleep. He is such a good boy. He is doing very well with his sit, high five, down, stay, wait, leave it, ok , quiet commands. We went to the vet today, he is happy and outgoing, and got A-ok from the Doc. We went for a little walk today to our mailbox and he is now down for a long afternoon nap. Lots of changes for this little guy but I think it has gone very well for the first 24 hrs. He is playing fetch a bit with some of his new toys and sort of learning drop it. We’re all in love here.

Thank You for all you’ve done to give us such a wonderful little guy, he is happy as a clam in his crate, I’ve been hiding treats in it and new toys when he’s not looking so it’s fun for him to go in and find fun new things.

Love, Mary

Dear Barbie & Tim,

I wanted to send you a picture of Marni’s 1st birthday party and let you know how truly blessed our family is to have her in our lives. Marni is our true delight and we enjoy every moment with her even when she gets sassy at times ! I wished for a Golden Retriever for 18 years and I have found a perfect furry friend and family member.

When I look into her beautiful, kind eyes, long lashes, gorgeous blonde fur giving long kisses on our cheeks while driving and paw on our arm, it’s impossible for anyone not to fall in love with her. She is highly intelligent, altert, sensitive, gentle and is full of life from chasing bubbles in her kiddy pool (now she’s outgrown it), running through the sprinklers, playing hide and go seek, tug of war, watching bugs and much more.She is our fur baby and has brought true happiness to my life. I have trouble leaving home without her !

Thank you so much for such a wonderful addition,
Patty Solomon

Jazzy has one of the best personalities of any dog we have ever owned. He is almost ready to become a hospital therapy dog like his brother. He loves hanging in his real estate office every day with his dog pals and looks forward to his daily runs in the snow at lunchtime. He greets everyone with a toy in his mouth, that is a must!! And his body wiggles so much it is crazy!!

(Jazzy was a pup we donated to the Boys and Girls Club in April 2009)

Hi Barbie and Tim,

Your website just keeps getting better!! We just celebrated our 2 year anniversary (1//8/11) of getting Bentley! He is an awesome dog! Today, Sunday, we attended a Christmas party at the day care he attends. Everyone and every dog loves him — we saw for ourselves. They also marvel at his beautiful head. Everyone he meets comments on how handsome he is == and he really is!!

He is so well behaved and likeable that Bark Avenue Day Camp has made him the ‘evaluation dog’; i.e., when new dogs want to attend, Bentley is the standard they need to meet in order to be accepted. If they can’t get along with him, they won’t be compatible with the population of dogs who go there. We learned that he is also the ‘example dog’. They have a resident trainer who is great — he holds Bentley’s behavior and training as the gold standard of what a dog should achieve when trained properly!!

He is a happy dog, and this year 2 Maine Coon kittens joined our family. He thinks he got 2 puppies~!! They love him and he is so gentle and loving towards them it is a thrill to watch them.

Thanks for the great training you gave him as his start in life. We know that it was the key to seeing him develop into such a loveable and ‘cool guy’.
carole and randy biang

Dear Barbie and Tim~

I have been meaning to write but life with a puppy has been busy! Our three boys name our little golden girl Zoe on the car ride home. What a sweetie! I knew we would love her, but never expected such a loving personality. She is so well behaved, never jumps up on people and is super smart – already learning lots of commands! All our friends, neighbors and strangers have commented on her sweet disposition and adorable charm! She loves her crate although also loves to pick up the water bowl and dump it – some things are just funny – she is definitely keeping us entertained too! We are thrilled with our new addition and thank you again! Wishing your family the best for the new year ahead!

Ed and Tish McKernan

Hi Tim and Barbie,

Just want to let you know that JJ is adjusting very well with our 2 other goldens. One is his playmate and the other is his “mother”. JJ is very mild manner as you mentioned. He is toilet trained with a few accidents when he is distracted. Most of the time, he will sit by the door to go out and either ring the bell or bark for our attention.

He sleeps through the night with no accidents, he is not using the crate any more. The only issue we have with him is his severe carsickness. My vet told me he will get over it once he get older.

Overall, he is an extremely well behave puppy (most of the time) and we are continuing his training with sit, stay, down with the help of our older goldens.

I am sending you some of the pictures of him. He is almost 30lbs!

Julia

Riley is maturing nicely. Junie is still a saint. Wanted to share a recent pic of our kids.

Thanks again for bringing these angels in to our lives.

Toby Calabrese

Okay, we definitely have the most amazing dog! Fitch is fitting in just fine with our kids, Bailey dog and Kitty. Everybody instantly got along. We are al in puppy love!!!!!!!

Matt and I just had a few questions…

once we put him in his crate for bed, how many hours can he stay in before he has to pee? His crate is in Taylor’s room. She goes to bed at 8pm and wakes up around 7:45am. Is that okay or should we wake up and take him out? He peed right before bed.

Also, I didn’t read the feeding directions until after. But you want us to feed him his meals in the crate? Just want to make sure.

It was a pleasure meeting you guys! Not only are you so sweet, you are doing a fantastic job with the breeding business. You place is so professional and clean. Hopefully we will see you soon for Matt’s parents to get a pup.

Thanks,
Matt & Kristi Even

Hi Barbie & Tim:

Been meaning to drop you a quick email all week…..Gibbs is doing great!! We had our puppy trainer out that first Sunday and she said he is going to be so easy to train. She was really impressed with him and fell in love with him. He already knows how to sit and walks on a leash. Is responding really well on his other commands already. When we open the door to take him out to feed him or go potty, he runs to our outdoor kennel; he knows right where to go. Saw the vet on Monday…everything is good, but he does have a little parasite, so the vet put him on another medication. We take him back in another week or so for his other shot.

He is already learning his name and his tail never stops wagging. Every time he sees one of us, his tail just goes crazy. He is so much fun and we absolutely love him. Max still isn’t too keen about him, but he’s getting better. We just need to monitor him when they’re together. Gibbs is getting brave and wants to play all the time, so he tries to jump on Max or bite his ear, so Max probably thinks he’s pretty annoying. It will take some time, but I’m sure they’ll be great friends.

We are just so amazed at how good he is….he never even makes a peep when we put him in his kennel/crate……even if he isn’t sleeping, he just lays in there playing with his toys. In the 10 or so nights that we’ve had him, he’s only gotten up in the middle of the night on 2 nights…we took him out, he went potty right away and then came in and went right back to sleep, without making a peep. So amazing at this young age.

We’ll keep you posted, and will send you a picture in a month or so….we think he’s already getting a little bigger. (He LOVES to eat…he’s a chow hound!). He’s going to be a beautiful dog.

Take care, and we are so happy we found you guys!

Nancy

Hi Tim and Barb,

I have been meaning to drop a note but life keeps up so busy.. I thought you might enjoy seeing our beautiful boy Taylor. He is now 7 mos, weighs 65lbs and is such a joy to our family. He and I are starting AKC training classes this week in basic obedience and rally obedience. He is such a smart guy, He now rings a bell to go outside ( we have a glass panel door making a doggie door difficult) , loves to go for rides and goes up and down his ramp on command. He is just a great family member and recently has started verbalizing, we can’t tell if he is telling us a story or trying to sing.. it’s really funny, but upon greeting you he really has to talk with you for a moment after he has brought you his toy of the moment in greeting. Such a personality.. So here is a recent picture, thought you would enjoy his regal posture.. He really is a beauty, but then again we’re prejudiced. We’re asked all the time where we got him and are passing your name on.. hoping the best for you and yours..

~Mary Barncastle

Dear Tim & Barbie,

Here is a recent picture of Luna, our beloved little girl, on her morning walk at the dog park. She is so happy and good natured that she makes friends w/everyone she meets. Our daughter is in love w/her and Luna loves cavorting w/the kids in the backyard.

Aside from being a good dog, she’s gorgeous! Everywhere we go, we get comments on how well bred she is. It’s like hanging around a super model.

Thank you for a great dog!! We love her.
All the best,
Mary Elliott

Hi Barbie and Tim,

Well, BEN continues to be the light of my life — it’s been exactly eight years since I took BEN home (from your former home.)

Anyway, he goes everywhere with me — beach, mountains, errands, what a pal. Thank you again and again. Thought you might like some current pics of him.

David Grant

Dear Tim and Barbie,

Woodrow recently turned 1 and we wanted to say hello. Woodrow has gotten so big and reminds us very much of his dad Colt, as we remember him the first time we saw Woodrow. I’ve attached a picture of him with his “Golden Meadows blanket”. He still plays with it and his tiny little toy that you sent home with him. He is the sweetest, most soulful guy. He has a pal, Marley, in our neighborhood that he has play dates with often. She is a slightly older Labra doodle, that he met right after he came home and they are best buddies. They wrestle, play and take toys from each other, then collapse and sleep together. He has lots of other pals that we meet at our neighborhood park regularly.

A Golden Retriever puppy is certainly not for the rigid, but if you can get beyond the garden and carpet destruction, he is the most loving and wonderful addition to our family!!!

By the way, he was house trained within days of coming home. He has torn up the upstairs carpet, probably because he heard me say I didn’t like it anyway. The garden destruction is slowing down and I have begun to forgive him.

Both Jim and I are over the moon about Woodrow and our family is as well. The grandchildren can’t wait to visit him and call him on the phone regularly.

Anyway, just wanted to say hello and give you an update on our big handsome boy. He is staring at me now, since I promised him a day at Camp Bow Wow. He loves going to camp, and wears himself and the other dogs out, playing non-stop.

Hope all is well with you and would love to hear the latest news from Golden Meadows.

Very Best Regards,

Susan and Jim TenBrook

Hello Barbi and Tim,

I wanted to drop you a note to tell you how much all of us love Maybelline. She is such a sweet dog and has adapted to our household with ease. While she still is reluctant to get into cars, I see some improvement. She now jumps easily into the dog walker’s van. According to him she has adapted extremely well and plays and cavorts with the other dogs. He also says she has completely adapted to his routine and enjoys being with the other dogs.

She is being spayed today so will have to be walked on a leash for awhile.

Again, thank you for the wonderful dog. I will keep in touch.

My best,
Peter

Hi Tim and Barbie,

I cannot believe it will be 6 years, 8/12 since Sundance was born. I still remember the day like it was yesterday on that morning of November 11, 2005 when we picked him up from your Farm. Let me just say, that we would do it all again in a minute. We love Sundance, he has taught us so much about Love, patience and understanding. Sundance completes our family of four. I spend about 18 waking hours a day with him since I am a stay at home Dad these past 11 years. I just love to hang out with the star of Alamo, Walnut Creek and Coronado California. Sundance spends 2 months every summer in Coronado and during that time, he is the Star at the Hotel Del Coronado and all of Orange Ave. During the school year, we spend 5 afternoons a week in downtown Walnut Creek wondering through the town while my girls are taking Ballet.

Over the past six years Sundance has been approached by thousands of people. They ask me where we got him, how is he so well trained and they comment how calm he is. They are amazed at how in control he is when crowds and other dogs come around him, barely taking notice. When I walk him off leash people are blown away watching him follow behind me and how he moves to the right, away from any dogs approaching ,so indicating to owner and dog that he is a non threat. They say “how do you do that”. I say that they are just like children, “you get back what you put in”. When we shop in Walnut Creek all the Store owners Know Sundance, he walks through Nordstrom’s as though he is the King. Even Ted, the store manager says hello to him and always has a cookie waiting in his pocket for Sundance. Besides my wife, Sundance is truly my best friend. I know that Sundance is personally responsible for at least 4 of Sundance’s half brothers and sisters coming to the area, the latest one joining the Cademartori family. Dave and Stephanie are amazing people with three sweet kids, Jessica, Sarah and Emily. I saw Dave today and we were talking about the dogs and you guys and the subject of Service Dog Badges came up. Dave said ” Sundance surely has earned that badge over the years and more, he is like the “official Ambassador for Golden Meadows” for the East bay. I thought that between your initial training with sundance when he was a pup and his unblemished record in the public eye, and amazing ways he demonstrates all of the positive attributes Golden Meadows represents, that you may consider honoring this Ambassador with a Service Badge. You have my word, he will always wear it with distinction. I wish continued good fortune and health to your Family (furry family members included), Employees and all of Golden Meadows. Look forward to hearing back when you have time.

God Bless both of you,
Chuck Steel

Greetings from Tahoe!

Well, today is our one week anniversary of having Dexter as part of the family. All things considered … he’s been incredible!

He survived an 8 hour drive to Tahoe without a whimper or whine … he sleeps through the night in his snug crate (except for a snore or two!) …. aside from two house accidents (partially our fault) he seems to know which doors mean “access to the yard and Potty” . . . . he has entertained several guests in outstanding fashion (except for prancing around last night with our friend’s flip-flop in his mouth!) … he has marked his Potty territories in the yard, which are fairly consistent (especially where he poops) … he continues to pick-up/chew/toss pinecones by the dozen, bark, and twigs and romps in the yard as if he owns it! … he is always close by, laying with us wherever we are in the house …. he has been to two restaurants (one for dinner, one for breakfast) and behaved well on each outdoor dining patio … he plays with ALL his toys, just like a kid … he wakes around 6:30-6:45 announcing a request to come out with a soft whine, and knows to go to the sliding door so he can go out into the yard. Once he’s done with his business, he comes back up the patio stairs, waits to be let in, and goes right for as many toys he can put in his mouth as morning is his most favorite time to play … he eats like a champ (and loves the tablespoon full of low fat cottage cheese we give him … he has a variety of scarves to choose from, courtesy of all the scarves I saved from my last Retriever (so they’re hand-me-downs from Bella!).

Today he is sporting violet! … He LOVES when people show up at the house and has played with a neighbors dog (Fozzie), and as of yesterday went to Tahoe City Dog Park (fully enclosed) where we let him off leash to see how well he’d do on commands. He was so overwhelmed with all the dog scents that it took a good 15-20 mins. to get him to figure out we were still there! … he will probably stay in excellent shape as he goes up & down the stairs constantly … and come evening he is exhausted! He usually falls asleep on the floor and I have to wake him to go into his crate. Today felt like he really crossed over into settling in, trusting us completely and admitting to himself that this is his home. So, quite the 7 days, huh?

He had his first visit with his new Vet (Dr. Kim Barnes), and got a glowing report. He’s now received a rabies vaccine, and Boardadello (spell?) so he can mingle at doggie parks safely. His stool sample was negative, and he now has a toothbrush & toothpaste for weekly brushing! He weighed in at 50 lbs on the nose!

I will send (separately) a couple of recent pics. Wednesday we have a shopping list for Reno and PetSmart is our first stop. We were wondering if his crate is starting to become too small … and, we definitely need to get a “ramp” for the cars. Terry has been picking him up and putting him in the car as Dex seems very skittish about jumping into the Lexus, and the Hummer is even higher a jump. Today was the first time we coaxed him into jumping “out” of the Hummer. If you have tips for this, let us know.

Commands have been working … to be honest I think we need more training than he does! We fall back on old commands (from our old dogs) and catch ourselves (“Out” instead of “Wrong”, for example). But we put the “Puppy Whisperer” sheet up on the kitchen bulletin board to remind us of all the right cues. Next week we’ll start working more seriously as we are still cautious about letting him completely off leash (especially on his first visit to the un-fenced Incline Dog Park). We ordered his food, and Vitamins for delivery, and registered the Micro-Chip & AKC.

Most of all … we are smothering him with LOVE! … and we believe he knows he’s adored.That’s all that matters, right?

Sorry for the lengthy update, but after all you’re his birth parents and without you he wouldn’t be part of our lives … so thank you!

xoxo ~ Carole

Hello Tim and Barbie,

We wanted to give you an update on Cleo, who we picked up from you a week ago.

She checked out fine with our vet and is slated for all her shots. She has already grown a lot, as you can tell by the attached photo. She didn’t get diarrhea, she eats well, and she’s energetic, alert and attentive. She has already learned not to chew on our feet, to come and to go potty outside. She cried the first night, but has adjusted to her new environment now, even at night.

We hope her siblings are doing as well.

Thanks for taking such good care of her her first few weeks of life.

Ron and Maria

Dear Tim and Barbie,

Hope you all are well and enjoying the weekend.

We just took Lolly (born Gabbana) to the beach and thought we’d send you some pictures. She is just a gem and we feel so lucky to have her as a member of our family. She is sweet, mellow, well-behaved, and a favorite in our weekly puppy training classes!

We all just LOVE her!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Warmly,

Misti, Parthiv, Amrita, and Roshni Sangani

Hi Tim and Barbie,

I cannot believe it will be 6 years, 8/12 since Sundance was born. I still remember the day like it was yesterday on that morning of November 11, 2005 when we picked him up from your Farm. Let me just say, that we would do it all again in a minute. We love Sundance, he has taught us so much about Love, patience and understanding. Sundance completes our family of four. I spend about 18 waking hours a day with him since I am a stay at home Dad these past 11 years. I just love to hang out with the star of Alamo, Walnut Creek and Coronado California. Sundance spends 2 months every summer in Coronado and during that time, he is the Star at the Hotel Del Coronado and all of Orange Ave.

During the school year, we spend 5 afternoons a week in downtown Walnut Creek wondering through the town while my girls are taking Ballet. Over the past six years Sundance has been approached by thousands of people. They ask me where we got him, how is he so well trained and they comment how calm he is. They are amazed at how in control he is when crowds and other dogs come around him, barely taking notice. When I walk him off leash people are blown away watching him follow behind me and how he moves to the right, away from any dogs approaching ,so indicating to owner and dog that he is a non threat. They say “how do you do that”. I say that they are just like children, “you get back what you put in”.

When we shop in Walnut Creek all the Store owners Know Sundance, he walks through Nordstrom’s as though he is the King. Even Ted, the store manager says hello to him and always has a cookie waiting in his pocket for Sundance. Besides my wife, Sundance is truly my best friend. I know that Sundance is personally responsible for at least 4 of Sundance’s half brothers and sisters coming to the area, the latest one joining the Cademartori family. Dave and Stephanie are amazing people with three sweet kids, Jessica, Sarah and Emily. I saw Dave today and we were talking about the dogs and you guys and the subject of Service Dog Badges came up. Dave said ” Sundance surely has earned that badge over the years and more, he is like the “official Ambassador for Golden Meadows” for the East bay.

I thought that between your initial training with sundance when he was a pup and his unblemished record in the public eye, and amazing ways he demonstrates all of the positive attributes Golden Meadows represents, that you may consider honoring this Ambassador with a Service Badge. You have my word, he will always wear it with distinction. I wish continued good fortune and health to your Family (furry family members included), Employees and all of Golden Meadows. Look forward to hearing back when you have time.

God Bless both of you,
Chuck Steel

Dear Barbie and Tim,

Here are some pix of Bailey as he approaches 8 months! We love him so much and he’s brought so much joy into our lives.  I actually have a puppy fever and I’m craving to see more puppies!!!! I saw the pix online of that new litter… MY OH MY!!!

When could I bring Bailey over for us ALL to have a play date?

Let me know and I’ll be there yesterday. hahahah!!!

besos and love,
Dani.

Just another fun day in the backyard while mom was busy. we still love her, mud and all.

Best regards, Dianne, Matt and Jack

Hi Tim and Barbie!

I hope you remember us. It’s Katherine Rogers, and we got our precious girl Rosebud from you last year March 2010. I am sorry it has taken me Soo long to write and send some pictures and give you all an update. As you may remember I got Roaebud for my son Slade, who is severely developmentally delayed. These two are the best of friends. I did continue with a professional trainer to be specific to Slade’s needs and our routine. Rosebud is even a certified Therapy dog! But there have been other surprises as well….Slade started having pretty bad and frequent seizures about 6 months ago. And when Slade starts to have one Rosebud lays across him. It was quite a wonder to be seen. They say dogs have a sense. I was able to get Slade out of my bed at night (something he didn’t like and made me nervous). What if I didn’t hear him or something was wrong?

Rosebud sleeps with Slade at night now, and not only can Slade sleep in his own bed and in his own room, but I can sleep because I know Rosebud is there with him. If for some reason Rosebud is not in his bed….he sits straight up in bed and starts hitting the side rail and she comes running to him. Slade is still not talking at all, but has seem to come alive with his Rosebud by his side. Slade doesn’t get a whole lot of socialization, and Rosebud helps fill this void for him.

About 4 months ago, Slade became really sick and was hospitalized for almost a month. My mom says Rosebud just paces the house and won’t lie down when Slade is gone.

When Slade was starting to feel a little better and was moved out of the ICU, Slade had a hard time sleeping and was pounding and hitting his bed…to the point where they had to sedate him. Then one day a social worker came in and I told her about Slade’s dog Rosebud. And right there in the Pediatric Ward of the hospital, they let me bring Rosebud to Slade. A couple people/nurses and me as well were a little teary when we all saw Slade calm down (without sedating meds), he curled up with Rosebud and fell asleep. We took her back to him in the hospital two more times…it was magical. We were even printed in the hospital newsletter!

We are all doing great! And as you can see we kept her name Rosebud…I at first wanted to call her Rosie, but she wasn’t responding to it too well….and she is Sooo pretty and a lady, she is 100% a Rosebud. And the Snow Buddies movie is still Slades favorite movie….and Rosebud watches it too as if she knows all those puppies!! It’s cute.

I’ve attached a picture, and following emails will have more pictures and videos. For some reason it won’t let me attach more than one, so forgive me for sending multiple emails with pictures. I hope you like them!

Thank you again and again for our Beautiful girl! She was 100% worth it, even with all this blonde hair taking over the floors! Haha 😉

I hope you are both doing well!

Love,

Katherine, Slade and Rosebud

Hi,

She is doing great after a long, crazy day in the air and on the road. She just fit under the seat, thank goodness and was so calm. Slept all night, and is on her 2nd nap today. All is well. We are all in love, great job with this little one. Thanks again, will update picture over the holidays.

Dawn Cornelius

Hi Tim and Barbie (Alicia too)

I thought you would enjoy seeing your wonderful boy, Jean-Luc (who just celebrated his second birthday). We cannot imagine life without him. Luc is awesome. OK, I know he is a Golden, but he is ALWAYS happy, and always perfectly behaved — so smart, loving, and so anxious to please. Luc’s little Corgi-brother ‘Blue’ (actually, the alpha dog of the house LOL) really doesn’t like having his picture taken … so first it was all “Hurray, I get to sit on the couch with dad and Luc” which then quickly turned into “Opps … No one said anything about photos. How fast can I get down from here!”

As you can see, Luc is a big guy, but we really restrict his diet and he gets tons of exercise — so I think his size is just in the cards. He’s very much like our prior “giant Golden” Banner … so there must be a jumbo-size gene lurking somewhere in his bloodline . (I love his enormous blocky head…. especially when he comes over and plops it in my lap ).

(And is it even necessary to add that Jean-Luc is gorgeous) (I know I am biased, but pictures don’t lie).
Hoping that Golden Meadows is thriving, and that you and yours have a lovely holiday season.

Best wishes,

Paul Ross, MD

Dear Barbie and Tim,

We wanted to wish you a very happy Holiday Season.

Here are some recent pix of Bailey, the JOY OF OUR LIVES! The 3 of us watching a gorgeous sunset in Manhattan Beach; Bailey on Pedro’s lap (he still thinks he’s a tiny puppy/lap dog and Pedro loves to cuddle with him like that); and dancing with me.

We are leaving tomorrow and the reason we didn’t call you is because we were able to swap dog care with our good friends and neighbors, and we decided to be back just in time to spend Christmas with our baby and celebrate his FIRST BIRTHDAY on the 28th of December. Even though he won’t know the difference, we just didn’t want to miss it! 🙂

Thank you again for your kind offer in regards to his boarding, it is always good to know we can count on you.
Please know you gave us the best gift of 2011 and we will always be thankful for that!!!

With love,
Dani, Pedro & Bailey

That month of training is incredible. We have the most polite, well mannered puppies in Malibu. Thank you so much! Not perfect, but very close. I tried taking them in the car with no crate and they are pros. Almost zero barking and good with their trainings. Scout is a little picky about her treats and doesn’t perform unless the incentive is good enough or she’s hungry. So cute. Almost potty trained. The boys are in heaven.

Thanks for everything. We will see you around the holidays. I’ll get dates to you after this weekend.

Have a great one!

Debbie

Happy Holidays Tim and Barb, Hope this finds you and your family well and happy.. I thought you might enjoy this still the photographer sent us from our company TV commercial. As You can see Taylor stole the show… Turns out the photographer for the shoot had done golden rescue for years in the LA area and Taylor of course just stole his heart.. which he does with everyone.. he is just the greatest dog.. such a gift for our family, We are thankful every day and thought you should know your hard work is appreciated.. Merry Christmas to you and yours..

The Barncastle’s

Hi Tim and Barbie,

We wanted to tell you how thrilled we are to have kingsley as a part of our family. He is such a joy to be around and so smart, and so handsome. He has a great disposition and we hace enjoyed taking him enverywhere we go. In Saturday I took him to my daughter’s water polo matches and we sat on the pool deck so I could see how comfortable he was with the water. He was totally relaxed and even occasional splashing by the swimming didn’t bother him.

His vet checkup went fine and everyone at the animal hospital raved about what a good dog he is. We couldn’t agree more!

Thank you so much for raising and training such a wonderful golden and allowing him to be part of our family. he is such a joy to be around.

Best Regards,

Happy Golden Retriever owners in Northern California

Hi Tim and Barbie,

I hope this finds you bot well and thriving. We have fun checking into your website and love seeing the photos of Jim and Bentley. 🙂 Bentley loves watching TV. He especially likes any show with a dog or a ball in it. His favorites are soccer and golf. Here is a shot of him watching Phil make a very tough putt. I have ones that show his active side, but I thought this was so cute!

Bentley is the complete love of our life. He is so sweet and well-mannered (and super handsome.) He adores us, for sure. He also LOVES playing with other playful dogs. In fact, he loves playing so much that we think we need to bring home a playmate for him. I don’t know if we can do that right now, because we are temporarily living in a small rental house while our house is being remodeled. (It was unexpected: a pipe broke in August, causing extensive damage.) Nevertheless, we are considering it. Both Jim and I noticed Cash, also a super handsome guy. How do you think he and Bentley would get along? Is Cash as well trained as Bentley?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

My best,

Ann

Hi Barbie and Tim,

I’m Hilton’s Mom Renee. Just wanted to let you know that my husband and I are absolutely in love with this puppy girl. She is so amazing. Just like you said…sweet, smart and beautiful. She just celebrated her first Birthday on January 7th and she has turned into such a beautiful girl. She has no fear and rules the entire house. Her brother is a 105 lb 5 year old male German Shepherd. She has him wrapped around her little paw. They are best buddies and love each other.

We changed her name to Kelani which means “heavens” in Hawaiian.

Thank you for this lovely baby.

Renee and Mike

PS, I don’t know if you remember, but I’m the one who purchased this puppy knowing my husband said “no”. The night I brought her home it was about 10:30pm. By the next morning he was in love and now she is “Daddy’s little Girl”.

Hi guys

Thought I’d let you see a few pics of what a beauty I have in Dru! He is so pretty with the longest coat imaginable. He truly Is the light of my life! I love him more than words can describe.

Tim and Barbie,

Happy New Year! We hope all is well with you and the entire family. You may not remember us given the volume of your business but we have been wanting to send you some pictures for some time now. We can’t begin to explain how much our dogs have impacted our lives. We acquired Sage (Symphony from Jon Luca / I’m a spoil Brat) around November of 2007 so she is just over four years old and quite the lady. Sawyer (Roscoe from Duke of Somis / Moon over Georgia) became part of our family around October 2008 so he is about three and a half. We believe Jasper is his grandfather? And true to Jasper, he is rarely without a ball in his mouth. He is one of the happiest dogs we have ever been around – and quite a handsome blond (in our opinion). We hope you enjoy these photos.

Take care,

Dick and Debra

Hello Tim & Barbie

Bronco Billy is now 6 years old and he is a lovely boy. Now we are living in Indonesia and I think he is adapting very well to the weather. Every time we take him out for a walk, he is just like a celebrity, everybody loves him!

Thank you for giving us a wonderful dog that completes our family.

Cheers,

Michiko, Adrian & Billy 🙂

Barbie,

Here are a few photos of Axel. He is fitting into our family so well. We are so happy to have him, he’s such a doll. I now can’t imagine our lives without him. He is doing well with his training and even sleeps out of his crate at night right next to me on the floor. Thanks you so much for such an awesome dog. Everyone is in love with him 🙂

I hope you enjoy the pictures. I have taken so many it was hard to choose. He is quite the ham for the camera.

Have a great weekend!!

Colleen

Just a quick note to let you all know how much we are enjoying Zari. She has gotten Jack trained every morning with the tennis ball. She waits for him to finish dressing and do his work out. Then she sits at the back door with tennis ball in her mouth. Jack hits the ball with a baseball bat and Zari gets her morning work out every day. She is such a love. That tennis ball goes everywhere with her. She sleeps. eats and pees with it next to her. I have even seen her smile at us. She has so many facial expressions. Thank you so much for selecting her. She was just the right fit for us.

Best regards,
Dianne, Matthew and Jack Silvera

Hi Tim & Barbie,

just wanted to thank you from the bottom of our hearts and give you a quick update on Oliver. He’s been so amazing since we brought him home less than a week ago. He’s doing great with his crate training. He’s smart, sweet, very playful with his new older brother Ozzie, and a complete love bug which I adore. He’s such a wonderful addition to our family 🙂

With love,

Monica & Joe

Dear Barbie and Tim

Summer is nine months old now and i thought you would like to see how beautiful and BIG that she has become. This picture was taken today and I just fell in love with it. She is so wonderful, loving, feisty, funny, curious and very playful. We love her to pieces. Hope all is well with you.

Thanks,

Suzie and Steve

This is the most previous little Angel and I feel so blessed to have her on my life!

She owns my King size bed and is a wonderful sleeping partner. I just melt when she snuggles on my shoulder and around my neck.

I will stay in touch with pictures and updates, but for now, just wanted to send a quick message that all is well. And what did I name this little Angel? Angel – of course!

Her formal name is Angelina.
Hugs and puppy kisses from Angel!

Barbie-

Kai is a great dog, I really love him a lot. he isn’t as perfectly trained as he was but he is such a good dog. We had an invisible fence installed last month. Over the three days of training and installation both of the guys said he was one of the sweetest, most sensitive dogs they had ever seen. They also could not believe that such a big dog only needed such a small correction level on his collar, he is very smart, that is probably why he has me trained so well. But it works for me and we have a great life here. Thank you so much for your patience with me during my transition from Hawaii and CA to my new life here in Maine. Barbie You picked out a great dog for me and I am grateful every day for Kai the wonder dog. If you are ever on the East Coast, please come visit, you’re welcome to stay with us.

If I win the lottery I might get a buddy for Kai. Happy Spring Barbie and Tim and Alicia.

Aloha, Jon & Kai

Hi Barbie, Tim and Alicia-

Here I am at low tide in my cove. We had very unusual high heat 80 for two days and I just swam around for hours and played in the seaweed, I love it down here in the cove. Usually I get to swim around all those rocks but I do love rolling in the seaweed, but Jon makes me get a bath after. Hope all is well with you.

Love, Kai

I picked this computer for mom. Her other one was a “dinosaur” and died! Her new one will be installed on Sunday!

Love you!
~Angel

Hi Tim and Barb!

Angel is a doll and so very smart. She hasn’t started puppy classes yet, but she wouldn’t think of asking for a treat without sitting. She has “five” down pat. I ask for “five” instead of “paw” because the “five” command is what kids like to ask for. I started “down” and she almost has that one figured out too. She is pretty much house trained with only an occasional piddle inside.

I have kept her on Life’s Abundance and the vitamin supplement you recommended and she is definitely thriving.

Hope all is well with you
Mary

I took this on Father’s Day. Bailey’s tribute to Pedro 😉

Hope you had a fantastic day, Tim!

besos
Dani.

Dear Barbie-

It has been quite stormy and cold since we got here… Lightning, thunder, and “chubby rain” (see the movie “Bowfinger” for the reference..) We are awaiting the arrival of my bed…until then, as you can see, I am well taken care of!

Mom would like you to know that NOTHING makes her happier than waking up to my smiling face on her pillow and my wag-wag spirit to greet her as she tumbles out from more dreams about me!! Of course!!

I’m thriving!! This place TRULY rocks!!!

Much love,
Lightning Jack Sparrow

We just wanted you to know that Sophia is enjoying Italy. She especially loves that ALL ITALIANS kiss and hug her. I think everyone in our small village knows her name. We thought you would enjoy this photo of her in a beautiful field of poppies. She received her Euro passport today so she will be enjoying a lot oftravels this summer. We will send you photo’s so you will know where she has visited.

Ciao

Today is the first day we officially took Cash out as Brady’s service dog. Our first adventure was at the World Famous SD Zoo! Cash was quite the celebrity and soooo many people stopped to admire him! He was as calm as calm can be and Brady really enjoyed having him with us for the day.

We really enjoy having Cash a part of our family. He has really made Brady, as well as my younger son, Weston happy as clams. Brady has taken on the responsibilities of brushing, feeding and walking (well, we really do it but we let Brady think he is), and it has given him a sense of independence and responsibility. It’s fantastic to see!

Cash also lays behind Brady’s chair during his 5 days of therapy. It keeps him calm and he really enjoys “showing” Cash what he can accomplish, like puzzles and memory games. Whenever Brady is having a frustrating or difficult time coping with something, Cash simply comes to be by him and has nuzzled his neck, which calms Brady right away. Even our 2 year old loves him to death!

The best part is that Cash still loves to play and I frequently take him for a “Mommy and Cash” date at the park to play fetch. He’s just fantastic. I can’t thank you enough for matching us with him!

I’ll send more photos as we get them!

Trisha

Good Afternoon,

I am writing you to tell you after 5 years, we have the best dog in the world. She was a puppy of George and Arwin. She is beautiful and healthy. She is very active and participates in agility. She does very well and has fun as well as won many ribbons. I have attached a newer photo of her. You still have a photo posted of her from the day we got her. I am sending you this to say thank you for her. She is amazing and we love her very much.

Thank you, Debby

Hello from Soli. She is 6 years old today and continues to be a total delight to all who know her. From puppy to now, Soli has grown into a wonderful dog that receives many comments on her beauty. I can not begin to thank you enough for creating the right combination of parents for her heritage. I love reading your web pages and blog.

Here is her most recent picture and as you can see she lives up to her name, Soli. and she still loves her toys, especially the octopus!

From her human mom, Sue

Hi Tim and Barbie,

Percy is safe and sound in Carmel. He had his well puppy check up today and the vet said he was “perfect.” The entire staff there came out to meet him since they were such a big part of the last weeks of Gus’ life. They were all so happy to meet him and see the cycle of life at work.

I thought you might like to see a picture of Percy and Claire, age 4. She is the daughter of a close friend and I think you won’t be surprised to hear that she wants a puppy just like Percy.

He’s been great, so far no potty accidents in the house and just a complete love bug. He’s also walking well on the leash and looking for his treats when he does well.

So, thank you again for such a wonderful boy and perfect buddy to my older Golden who has missed Gus so very much.

Please say hello to Alicia for me and Percy and I will stay in touch.

Best to all of you,
Carol

Samantha is happy and healthy and enjoying life in Cincinnati!!

She swims, actually jumps in the pool after the kids! (like a lifeguard) Jordyn, our 11 year old is Samantha’s favorite! Sam attends puppy school on Saturdays, and has advanced to level 2.

She can be a little stinker at times…..she has an affinity for Barbie Dolls and Deer poop, and often runs to the field next door for a neverending supply(of poop, not Barbies). She also loves to play with the dogs in our cul de sac, her favorite being the little Pug/Chihuahua next door.
Samantha was spayed on Tueday of this week, no problems whatsoever. She is doing very well. The lump we saw previous on her shoulderblade has disappeared.

She is such a wonderful addition to our family!!!!! We absolutely LOVE her.

All the best,
Jill