About Us
Our Team
Besides our family of four, we have some very special friends and family that assist with everything from taking care of the dogs when we are out of town, assisting with business activities, and all the puppy assessments and duties. Without them we absolutely could not do this. You know who you are and we appreciate you all so much! We also could not do what we do without the advice and expertise of our veterinarians. Dr. Nelson and his staff at Country Hills Animal Hospital take care of the general health of our dogs. Strafford Veterinary Clinic is our go to place for all things reproductive!
Ben Kellner
Head Pooper Scooper
Ben does the majority of the onsite retriever training and the lion's share of the day to day dog exercise and kennel maintenance. Yes, that includes scooping a lot of poop! Ben also assits with everything whelping and puppy related.
Puppy Snuggler Rating: Advanced
Casey Kellner
Midwoof
Casey does a lot of the planning, coordinating, record keeping, research and other training. She might have a slight problem of collecting dog gear and training equipment, but who else is going to spoil these pups!
Puppy Snuggler Rating: Expert
Grace Kellner
Handler
Grace is becoming quite the trainer and handler and we are blessed that she can take classes with her dog at the place we train. She is great at noticing small differences in the puppies behavior and loves to just love on the puppies. Getting pooped on, not so much.
Puppy Snuggler Rating: Intermediate
William Kellner
Handler
William helps out with all the fun stuff and all the gross stuff. He loves to learn all the ins and outs of the puppy care and testing as well as teaching the puppies how to run and play.
Puppy Snuggler Rating: Intermediate
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Our Values and What Sets Us Apart
We are a small, home based breeder of American Labrador Retrievers. We currently have 5 labs: Avery, our almost 14 year old matriarch; Caramel, our 3 year old yellow female who is on the pet therapy team with Casey; Blackberry, our 3 year old black female who is Ben's duck dog and William's best friend; Posy, our 1 year old black female puppy who is Gracey's project dog (they hope to work towards agility, CGC and Tricks Titles); and Cash, our 1 year old black male who we are having professionally trained as a hunting retriever.
Our kids, Grace and William, are big helpers and are learning everything about health screenings, breeding, whelping, handling puppies, the different early stimulation/exposure techniques, as well as confidence, drive and temperament assessments. Above all else we value our integrity as breeders and strive to only raise the best labradors from health, genetics, trainability, drive, confidence and companionship.
What sets us apart from other breeders:
1. We perform both PENNHip and OFA hips evaluations on our breeding dogs. I have a great article from ESPN of all places that describes the importance of both. Additionally, we donate puppies to certain service organizations and they desire PENNHip since it is a better indicator of hip health. We currently only breed non carriers of the standard genetic screenings for labradors.
2. Our introductions, exposures and assessments are very extensive and varied. We perform Early Neurological Stimulation, Early Scent Introduction, sound and texture exposures, Confidence and Drive assessments (9 times between 4 and 8 weeks), modified Volhard, and a basic service dog assessment. Typical sound exposures: music, various television sounds, traffic sounds, loud metal sounds, sudden loud noises, dogs, cars, mowers, blowers, loud children, forest sounds, horns honking, air compressor. Typical walking surface exposures: wood, tile, linoleum, smooth concrete, rough concrete, gravel, metal, uneven surface, stairs, carpet, grass, woods, stall mats, smooth plastic, mulch, water. Confidence and Drive Assessments: Starting at four weeks and then every half week until eight weeks of age, we perform a Confidence and Drive 'test' similar to the US Customs and Border Control Program. The protocol is provided to us by PENNVet, one of the organizations we donate puppies to. These tests are videoed and the puppies are ranked for their confidence and drive. Modified Volhard: We utilize the basics of the Volhard Puppy Assessment and modify a few of the exercises. We do allow people the puppies have met before, but do not allow one of our family members to do the handling. We do the assessments on site in a location with limited distractions that the puppies have been in before but have not spent any amount of time in. Service Dog Training Assessment and Apptitude: This assessment is provided to us from Smoky Mountain Service Dogs to assist in puppy selection for their organization. All of our dogs have purpose in our lives and we are constantly working with them and training them. They are an integral part of our family and lifestyle. Just ask the kids.
Lastly, we truly strive to provide support for the lifetime of your pet. We had a puppy from our 2010 litter that was having some geriatric health issues and the owner was home alone and very concerned at the time. She and I talked for over an hour checking different things with their dog until she felt confident with their plans.
Our kids, Grace and William, are big helpers and are learning everything about health screenings, breeding, whelping, handling puppies, the different early stimulation/exposure techniques, as well as confidence, drive and temperament assessments. Above all else we value our integrity as breeders and strive to only raise the best labradors from health, genetics, trainability, drive, confidence and companionship.
What sets us apart from other breeders:
1. We perform both PENNHip and OFA hips evaluations on our breeding dogs. I have a great article from ESPN of all places that describes the importance of both. Additionally, we donate puppies to certain service organizations and they desire PENNHip since it is a better indicator of hip health. We currently only breed non carriers of the standard genetic screenings for labradors.
2. Our introductions, exposures and assessments are very extensive and varied. We perform Early Neurological Stimulation, Early Scent Introduction, sound and texture exposures, Confidence and Drive assessments (9 times between 4 and 8 weeks), modified Volhard, and a basic service dog assessment. Typical sound exposures: music, various television sounds, traffic sounds, loud metal sounds, sudden loud noises, dogs, cars, mowers, blowers, loud children, forest sounds, horns honking, air compressor. Typical walking surface exposures: wood, tile, linoleum, smooth concrete, rough concrete, gravel, metal, uneven surface, stairs, carpet, grass, woods, stall mats, smooth plastic, mulch, water. Confidence and Drive Assessments: Starting at four weeks and then every half week until eight weeks of age, we perform a Confidence and Drive 'test' similar to the US Customs and Border Control Program. The protocol is provided to us by PENNVet, one of the organizations we donate puppies to. These tests are videoed and the puppies are ranked for their confidence and drive. Modified Volhard: We utilize the basics of the Volhard Puppy Assessment and modify a few of the exercises. We do allow people the puppies have met before, but do not allow one of our family members to do the handling. We do the assessments on site in a location with limited distractions that the puppies have been in before but have not spent any amount of time in. Service Dog Training Assessment and Apptitude: This assessment is provided to us from Smoky Mountain Service Dogs to assist in puppy selection for their organization. All of our dogs have purpose in our lives and we are constantly working with them and training them. They are an integral part of our family and lifestyle. Just ask the kids.
Lastly, we truly strive to provide support for the lifetime of your pet. We had a puppy from our 2010 litter that was having some geriatric health issues and the owner was home alone and very concerned at the time. She and I talked for over an hour checking different things with their dog until she felt confident with their plans.
Caring
Raising labs and sharing them with others is a passion and we do it with purpose. We have never known life without a labrador and we hope we never do.
Partnership
We find and select various non-profits to partner with by providing them puppies as a donation of support for their programs.
PENN Vet The Working Dog Center
Smoky Mountain Service Dogs
Excellence
From extensive health screening, training and titles to the way we handle our puppies and their exposures and assessments we strive for excellence and professionalism.
Gratitude
We are grateful to our supporters and enthusiasts. Breeding dogs is not for the faint of heart and there is little financial gain when done well. We are so thankful that we are in a position to provide well bred dogs to our region.
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