Hey Trish,

Sorry we did not respond sooner . . .Filson is great. We had the best holiday with him. He made a lot of new friends, both human and canine. He endured 28 inches of snow, his first hunt, and, unfortunately, a lot of time traveling in a vehicle . . Check out the pictures.

He is now up to 31 pounds. We can tell that he is going to be tall like mom. He has an excellent and curious nose and is a little too ambitious about eating grouse, pre-cooked. We had him out with two different labs over the holidays. He has already learned a lot about working the field, even though the grouse hunting was tough with all the snow. We are debating over whether to send him to school.

The only problem that we have had is in getting him to urinate outside. He is still having problems with that. It is strange because he will sometimes be outside, come in and go on the floor. He is still doing this once or twice a day. What is most strange is that he is in his cage all night and never goes. Any suggestions?

Kristie & Peter Ressler
Philadelphia, PA

Hi Trish,

We can't tell you how pleased we are with our puppy Molly (of Jack and PJ - October 13, 2001). With 2 wonderful black labs already (12 years and 5 years), our process of finding a puppy was long and involved. We've always been proud of our dogs - they're obedient, kind, gentle, and have classic hunting dog looks. We really wanted a puppy who could fit in as a member of our family. From day one, Molly has been the perfect addition. Each day we are impressed with her intellect and touched by her sweetness. She begins her training in just 2 weeks and we're eager to watch her rise to the challenge. I've
attached a photo of a sleepy Molly at about 12 weeks. She's huge now, and has made a sport of going up and down the stairs to find her bigger sisters.

Thanks for your diligence in breeding. We couldn't have chosen a better breeder or dog.

Christine and Fritz Seving
Gable Hill Farm
Malvern, PA

 
Trish:

I just wanted to take a moment and say how much I appreciate you working with me and breeding such a fine line of Labs. I am sure it is not easy, in fact, I am sure it is a 24 hour job. You do it because you like it. Obviously there has to be some monetary gain but it doesn't come close to the amount of time you put into it I am sure!

Raven has really been a once in a lifetime dog for me. She is my 4th lab and all of them were hunters. This past year she has learned to point ruffed grouse. When Colleen and I went to MI hunting this fall, she had the opportunity to work dozens of birds. It is very hard not to push grouse too fast and have them flush way up ahead of the dog. Raven figured this out and has since pointed several grouse for me and has always been right. What a neat thing to have happen, a dog who points grouse!

I hunt with several guys around and she is always invited (I would not go without her) to come on the hunt. They even leave their dogs at home because they are not steady in the goose spread or they whine, etc. Raven just sits there minding her business and going into action when it is necessary. You almost forget she is there until she moves her head letting me know she has seen ducks that I would have missed otherwise.

I can guarantee you she is well taken care of. She had shrimp, oysters and clams for our Christmas dinner. I usually do not feed her anything else other than dog food as she has a sensitive stomach. She always goes to the office with me everyday and I even have patients who ask for her to be in the room when I am treating them. Some even want her on the table while I am working with them so they can hold and snuggle with her. Of course I oblige them! She sleeps by my bed every night and it is a comfort knowing she is there. I am sure one of the reasons I have low blood pressure is because of the love this dog has for me and vice versa.

One incident recently while hunting, I shot a double in geese and one was a huge goose, maybe even the largest I have ever shot. He was winged and running hard. I sent Raven and she ignored the closest bird and picked this one on her own. She immediately bulldozed this bird and he was not going to give up without a fight. They circled several times with her going after him and he was pecking her head and beating her with his good wing. After circling for about 30 seconds another flock of geese came in and I had Raven sit and down so we could get a shot at the next group. She laid down beside that goose WHILE he had her ear in his beak pinching it. I felt sorry for her but thought if it was hurting her she would move. The flock we had coming in circled as she was out in the field and finally decided to come in. We limited out with these geese and she was released to bring in the one she was beside. She picked up this goose by the neck, looked at me and jerked her head a couple of times and spit him out. She turned and looked at me with her head down, ears and tail tucked like I know I should not have done that but I was tired of taking that crap! I almost started crying as this little dog was more concerned what I thought about the situation then taking care of herself. I hollared good dog and encouraged her and immediately her ears and tail came up and she reached down and brought that limp bird to me. I will never forget that as long as I live.

Trish, I could go on and on with the stories about this little dog with a big heart. The fact of the matter is I love her very much and you need not worry ever about her. She is family and will always be family. Thanks again for the neatest dog I have ever owned!

I wish you a great Christmas and prosperous new year!

Bill Whiteford

McGahneyville, VA