TESTIMONIALS

Below please find a sampling of some of the emails we have received from our adoptive families.

Good afternoon Christina: We see that you have been quite busy over the past few weeks...they are both beautiful litters. I just wanted to give you a quick update of Jazz (pictures will follow soon when my wife uploads them from her camera). She has been a pure joy to be with and is full of beauty and brains...something I get complimented on every day while on her walk or going to pick up Gabrielle at school. She has almost doubled her weight since her first vet visit (April 4----17.1 pounds...June 1-----32.8 pounds) and loves her doctor. She recently saw another vet because her usual vet was on vacation and she told me that Dr Clark must be impressed with Jazz's demeanor and overall structure and health because there were exclamation points all over her paperwork. I never did ask you the weights of the Mom and Dad but by the looks of her front paws she looks like she will be a big girl! She still has her puppy fur on the sides of her belly, but her top coat has filled in with the adult wavy hair. She is just drop dead gorgeous and as you know could be a show dog anywhere. She is finally done with all the shots for a year and is in the 4th week of puppy training where she is usually the star attraction. We will have her spayed at 6 months. We next will get her certified in a Good Canine Citizen program offered by the AKC and then eventually agility training when she is older and has stopped growing. As she did with you as a pup, she is by my feet as I type this quick note to you. We love her dearly and could not be happier! Thanks again.

B.E. (Concord, New Hampshire)

Hi Christina, I hope this email finds you doing well. Just want to let you know that Lola is doing fantastic, she just finished staying with her Grandparents for 8 days and we can't believe how much she has grown. It almost seems like she has doubled in size. Everything is going well and she is happy healthy and weighing in at 22 lbs. Tonight she will be going to Puppy School - they use her for demonstrations all the time. Very smart and low key dog, she just can't get enough love and attention and she is always with us. I will have some pictures for you shortly.
I hope all is well,

D.S. (Burlington, Ontario)

Hi Christina - Hope you had a nice weekend....Foster weighed in at 25lbs. for his 14 week checkup and keeps getting more handsome each day...We went to our first puppy class last Wednesday. I know I am his mom, but I think he is one of the more advanced students in the class:) We worked on a walking/turning with a leash, sitting and down. At the end of class they get some play time working on some agility games.....last week was running through a little tunnel. Foster thought that was quite fun, not to mention meeting some new friends. He loves hanging out with his best buddy, Breckon, chewing on sticks, and chasing each other around the yard. He is by his side whether they are outside checking out the scenery, sitting on the back porch or laying right next to each other for nap time:) Will catch up with you later this week and let you know what new things we learned....we are off to work on our "homework"......
Have a great week:)

R.C. (Hershey, Pennsylvania)

Hi... We just wanted to let you know that Hugo is doing well in his new home. He was so well behaved on the way home and is extremely good on the leash. He figures things out so quickly. Not much seems to faze him and he's adjusting to all the action of the city. We have already heard that he is the "cutest puppy EVER" from passersbys on our walk last night.

He loves his crate and is always taking in his favourite toys (even if they dont' really fit - See attached picture). He goes in and out on his own. However, he was really upset last night to find out that he was closed in for the night. We didn't know that such a small puppy could make such big sounds!! Eventually he settled down and when we put him back in after a washroom break, he made one little bark and then went to sleep. I hope this is a good sign. Good news - He's already figuring out the word "sit", although we're still working on "drop" :) His favourite treat so far seems to be ice cubes. He loves sliding them across the floor and chasing after them. Today, we may introduce him to the other rooms in the house and maybe try out his puppy pool. It's not the lake, but it's water!

I hope all is well with Beauty, Simson, Josh, You and everyone else. We really wanted to thank ALL of you for taking such good care of Hugo. His confidence with trying new things really shows that he was brought up in a safe, caring environment. THANK YOU! We will be in touch. Take care!

J & R T (Toronto, Ontario)

Christina: Jake is doing Fabulous! He is an incredible joy! You did a great job with him. Heather, our Golden Retriever has been ignoring him as much as possible. When they play ball together, Jake pulls on her ears and bits her fur and she just pretends he doesn't exist. She's just getting to know him. They went for a couple of rides in the back seat of the truck this weekend. No problems.

The cat has absolutely no use for him though. She's snarling and making tiger noises whenever he comes around. Basically she's in hiding. We watch him to make sure he doesn't get close, because he wants to play with her. He's going to the Vet this afternoon to get signed in with his records. I'll keep you posted.

Very professional job on your part with everything! Five Stars! Thanks again.

P.W. (Southwick, Massachusetts)

Hi Christina: Maisie is doing great. We enjoyed all of last week together, as I took the week off. She is such a funny character and is starting to become more confident with us. She has been doing well in her crate at night and has been doing pretty well on her housetraining. It is so funny, she LOVES the cat and wants to play with him. He, howevever, is not so sure how he feels about her, but has been extremely patient.

Last week, she met tons of our friends and family and just loves people. I think she misses her litter mates though. I wish we had another puppy for her to play with. Once she has her shots we will enroll her in a puppy play group, which will be great for her.

She has also been doing well outside, although I have to watch her because we have plants that would not be good for her to nibble on. I think we will fence off the gardens just to be safe. She also LOVES the mulberries from our tree and tries to suck up as many as she can when she is able to find her way around the barrier we have created to keep her away from the berries (I read that the unripened berries are not good for dogs). She is so smart. In fact, she knows sit (which I'm sure you guys had a lot to do with) and she also knows down. I have been working with her with the clicker and she learns so fast. I hope all is well with you and will send pictures for you and Josh to see. Take care,

J.H. (Rochester, New York)

Hi Christina: Frisco is doing great! He seems happy, and is adjusting well. He loves Aspen our lab--they have a great time together. I tried to email some pictures, but they would not go through to your email?? He is enjoying meeting all the family, and the neighbors. He is very outgoing, and has to see everything!! Everyone that sees him just loves him. He is not only beautiful, but very smart. He is enrolled in puppy classes that will start in a few weeks. I love how you taught him to sit when getting his food--great manners already!

Thanks,

C.F. (Golden, Colorado)

Christina: Well I have to say that your advice probably made all the difference in the world. Picking her up early made it possible for her to spend the day with us and play and have a great time, so by the time bedtime rolled around she was nice and sleepy and content. Of course each night we stroke her head until she drifts off to sleep, so that might help too! I have no doubt that she would have been missing her family terribly if we hadn't gone through all those steps. She has been the best little puppy. She is such a doll. I don't think you could have chosen a better fit for us. You were right when you said she's a very special girl! I'll send more pics when I get a chance to download them from the camera. If you have any of her baby photos that you could send, that would be great!

Thanks so much!

K.O. (Bolton, Ontario)

Dear Christina: ...Our dear, special Lake is bringing us such joy! Thank the Lord that we have him and that his spirit came into our lives when it did. THANK YOU A THOUSAND TIMES OVER FOR HIM. He never ceases to amaze me with his sweet, special, funny, smart personality. Just watching him gives us joy. I've attached a few photos of him with Jackson. We'll send another one just of him so that you can see him better. We've just come inside from another adventure outside here and they are both napping on the cool tile floor in the kitchen while I write this to you as I sit at the kitchen table.

I did not work in the shop yesterday. We all went to a beautiful park nearby and took a walk along the creek, crossed wooden bridges, met some folks on their jog, saw some ducks, and heard some different bird sounds. He loved it all and walked so nicely beside Jackson. He's like 'a little man' already. I'm so in love with him and just seeing his smiling face and his joy in the every day warms me. He's got a great smile; others notice it, too, and comment about it. :>)). He's a happy, happy guy and the world is just one big playground.

.....I can just visualize all of your 'pups' frolicking at the lake and how wonderful they all are. Wish I could be there to play with them and enjoy them. They are amazing goldens.

Hugs to all,

B.E. (Mohnton, Pennsylvania)

Hi Christina: All is well here. Payton has adapted to his new family with ease. Everyone plays together and all have a watchful eye on the baby. My favorite is to watch Sophie and Payton play tug. Sophie lets him thinks he's winning. She could dominate so easily and just doesn't. Wrigley and Payton roll around and air bite. We just laugh. Their favorite time is nap time when they curl into each other and sleep. Katie, the 11 year old lets Payton crawl over her and give her kisses. That's a big deal as she doesn't adore little puppies. Klover, the 2 year old thinks she's 6 months. She wants to romp with the puppies and air bite with the best of them.

Payton has had his shots and had a bit of reaction. He just wasn't himself yesterday, but has rebounded just fine. Did he have a reaction to his first shot? He weighs 14.2 pounds (he started at 11.5 pounds when he came). He is making great strides with housebreaking, and he started obedience class. He is by far the best behaved in class, and the youngest. He is a wonderful little guy.

His appetite is much better, but not yesterday or today but that could be residual from the shot. He also has a little diarrhea again. I'm just going to wait it out for a few days. He doesn't have to get up in the middle of the night so it's not so bad. He sleeps all night in his crate in our bedroom. In the morning Klover and Sophie wake him up. They miss him overnight.

I can't thank you enough for allowing us to adopt him. He is so endearing. Everyone who comes to meet him falls in love with him. Hope all is well with your gang. Say hi to Josh for us.

P.S. Payton is snuggled with Katie as I write this!

M.L. (Highland Park, Illinios)

Hi ....Maxx is really quite amazing. He is so responsive and inquisitive....he misses nothing and learns so quickly. We have several neighbours who have adopted Maxx as their own dog and only allow us to take care of him. It is amazing how a puppy can attract the affection of kids to grandparents and Maxx is so charming yet independent.

We are also amazed on how he has taken to house breaking as well as going into his crate at night. Molson wasn't certain what he thought about Maxx invading his space but has turned into a super big brother. He likes it best when they can sleep together but has become a caring good old dog. Maxx loves cuddling up beside him when he takes nap and Molson enjoys giving him the odd lick and smile. Well that's it for today and I will write on Sunday. Thanks again.

G and J F (Shanty Bay, Ontario)

Josh and Mum: Chose not to crate Skipper last night - I want the crate to be a happy place. My kitchen/dining is much like yours therefore not an issue. So, yes, I did get sleep last night. A bit of a clean-up this a.m. My fault! Left papers by the door but didn't think to leave them elsewhere. Once those were soiled he was looking for a clean spot. Wouldn't you? Good job too as yesterday and today have been very busy. Took him with us to the gym today (Mr. H. and I weight train once/week). The trainers all wanted to take him home! One fellow, Carey walked him while I trained, He was walked before we went and then I walked him again when we got home. At that point he was very tired so I chose then to crate him. Likewise mid afternoon friends came by kayak to visit knowing he came home yesterday and wanted to see our handsome fellow. I chose again to crate him after that.

He is very smart! Great with ball and retrieving. Does the sit very well. I have softer flavoured nylabones which he gives a cursory play with. You warned me.

He did eat better today but because I didn't feel he was eating enough, offered it dry and I found he preferred it that way. He also drank much more. At the moment he is out-cold on kitchen floor. We will do another good walk later but I have yet to do anything in the park as he does not have all his shots. Don't know if it matters but that is my stand on things.

Love and hugs to you both. He is so special....

G.H. (Bracebridge, Ontario)

Hi Christina
Bella is a very beautiful Golden with a very loving disposition.
A credit to you and her parents Beauty and Simson.
Having lots of fun. Just returned from our 2nd dog training 101 session.

R.W. (Oakville, Ontario)

Hi Christina,
My little man is so smart learns something new every day. Last Monday his weight was 25lbs he is still all legs. His testicles are down now. Yesterday he lost two teeth on the top so cute. He loves to eat still on same food and K9 . He is losing the puppy fur and getting a nice coat. He sure is the star whereever he goes. The last two days he walks perfect by my side people are shocked to see such a young puppy walking and not pulling. He loves to walk so goes for many walks every day.
Just a question on the food he gets a cup three times a day is that ok ?

A.C. (Mississauga, Ontario)

Hi Christina-
I just wanted to share a few pictures of Zoey….
She is doing terrific and already has made such a positive impact in our home. We all love her so much! My sister and her husband came in this weekend with their golden doodle and they both played so well together! Also, some pictures of her at the park and of course…. One of her on our couch! She blends in ;)
Zoey is fantastic- She is smart and energetic, but has such a lovely and endearing personality. I just wanted to say thank you! She is a joy!

Thanks!

L.E. (Columbus, OH)

Good morning Christina,

Just wanted to let you know that Cooper has settled in beautifully. He is such a gentle boy with a wonderful disposition. He has slept through the entire night from the first night we brought him home which astounds me!
Here are a few pics of our kids....

Warm regards,

D.A. (Riverview, N.B.)

Hi Christina!

I am running so late right now, but I've been meaning to just jot a quick email to you and tell you how much I LOVE Titus! He is an amazing little guy. He is such a delight and remains a giant cuddler. He is growing into an extremely handsome guy and is finally catching up to his nose (we were calling him "Pinocchio" for awhile!).

I know he will be beautiful - that is a given. But he is really a special boy. Unbelievably sweet and gentle. Thank you for him!

Have a great day,

K.N. (Fresno, CA)

Dear Christina

Sorry for the delay in update but we have been busy with the flea issue.The end point is he is fine and we will now get our grass treated just in case. We saw the vet this morning for our 9 week injection and check-up. He weighed in at 18 pounds, and is in "magnificant shape'!!

Anyway really I wanted to write and tell you in our dreams we could not have wished for a more gorgeous, good natured, beautiful puppy. He is so gentle and so happy, and just likes to be by me all day.He steals the show whenever we go out. At least 20 people will stop to ask me about him and talk to him every day we trot around Starbucks, and today two people who I had never met were taking his photogragh. Of course he loves every minute and takes it in his stride.He is an absolute dream. We have two families coming around this weekend (husbands included who want to meet him in person after seeing his picture).......

Thank you for sending him to us.We are very lucky .Still have photos to send from last week but will add some on from today as soon as I can...

J.C. (Morgan Hill, CA)

....and this is an update from the same family....

Dear Christina

I have meant to write to you so many times about this wonderful boy, but something (usually he or the children !) got in the way. He is an amazing dog with some human qualities that make him the envy of all who meet him. He has been a great friend to our four boys, and he is particularly good at playing center field in soccer. Hockey is his best sport and he takes great joy in beating the boys to the puck and running off with it! He is patient, very calm ( as he rolls around the floor with the boys) and LOVES company. He is SO well suited to our family, for which we shall be always in your debt, as he is rarely on his own, out and about with me most of the time.He loves the water of course, but has only taken a couple of baby strokes at this point. He is a wonderful companion to me -and a great listener! His training is going well, each boy spends 15 mins with the trainer at home and practices individual tasks with him.

From the start he was so easy- house training in 3 days, waiting calmly if it was required, understanding so quickly what was being asked of him.He is an absolute joy to have with us and is such a part of the family, that we even miss him when he gets picked up once a week for his outdoor dog camp, where he romps around with other dogs, especially the Retrievers of course.

We will continue to update you on his progress and I know you would love to see a photo of him. I shall enlist the help of my boys for this and see if I can get one to you. He is a drop dead gorgeous lad!!

Well, I know you are SO busy with the pups and we follow their progress, as we used to follow his.
Thank you Christina , from all of us

J.C. (Morgan Hill, CA)

Hi Christina!

Just thought I would give you a little update. Wendel is doing fantastic. He's grown already! The first night as you mentioned was the worst. Now he is sleeping his nights and wakes ready to eat.

We are quickly learning his habits, as he is ours. So long as we get him outside as soon as he wakes up, we're accident free! He's even starting to ask to go out. He's amazing with the kids. It's very apparent that he came to us well socialized and excellent with little ones already. He loves to be around people. We're having lots of fun!

Hope you are well,
K.P. (Lively, ON)

Christina,

Chase is seemingly quite comfortable in his new home. Taylor can't keep her hands off him, but he's eating and sleeping just fine.

He and Cali are getting to know each other. There are occasional bouts of jealously, but Chase knows how to handle it. In fact, he holds his own quite well. Right now, they're napping right next to each other.

He's such a nice boy - very calm and sweet.
More to come once I connect the camera to the computer.

B.K. (Highland Park, ILL)

Hi Christina,

Sophie’s doing great – continuing to charm everyone she meets – I will send some pictures the staff took today at work when they email them to me.

She is perfect. She already looks bigger, and gained ¼ lb since I weighed her on Tues – she was 15.5 lb today! She is braver and bolder – exploring the house and the yard with confidence. She has met so many people – loves all of them, and is loved back in return. She is doing the stairs in and out of the house with ease, and is walking well on a leash. For the first day or two she seemed to nap restlessly, but it was my day off yesterday – and she settled in great with her naps – she played hard, and then slept hard on and off throughout the day. She is having a great time with the boys, who have made it their mission to play with her and tucker her out.

She goes most places with us and continues to be a great traveler. We are going to visit my dad near Hamilton this weekend, so she will be doing a long car ride again.

Thank you again for this lovely girl,
T.S. (Welland, ON)

Hello Christina- Hope you are well. Thanks so much for this wonderful dog. Leo is an intelligent, calm, happy, and beautiful puppy. Training has been going well - he already knows sit, down, sit/stay, down/stay, come, touch (touches hand with nose), watch (look at me), crate, mat, wait, and is getting better on a leash - and he's not even 4 months old. You have done a remarkable job selecting your dogs and raising/socializing your puppies. Everyone we meet is amazed by his calm demeanor. Thanks again for everything.

D.G. (Yarrow Point, WA)

Good afternoon from Tucker!! As you can see, he found an old tennis ball left behind by our last goldens..and like the perfect retriever he is, I actually had him running and bringing it back to me before he found a nice stick to chew on instead! Christina, handsome Tuck is just a dream boy...and thank you for his peanut butter in the kong idea..he loves it and did not make a peep when I left it in the crate yesterday upon leaving the house. We are just amazed at how long he stays clean in the crate at nite...last nite we were tired and put him to sleep at 10pm and he was still asleep when my husband let him outside at 7:30am...and not a cry during the nite..only a few minutes of whining when he is put in the crate! Thanks again and hope you do not mind all my emails and pics..You do not have to answer as I know you must have so much to do with your growing family! I know where to reach you when I have important questions!!!

S.E.B. (Sands Point, NY)

Hello Christina! How are you?

Just wanted to give you an update on Charlie. I cannot tell you how much of joy he is. He is as smart as a whip, a real cutie pie but it is his happy and sweet personality which is his best quality. He and Boomer have mellowed out (a bit) and don't play constantly anymore. However Boomer lets him do anything to him and has not yet put him in his place. I imagine as Charlie gets a bit older Boomer will put his foot (make that paw) down.

I don't know if all of your puppies are this amazing or if Charlie is just very special but we are totally enjoying him.

Thanks again.

L.S. (Iroquois Falls, ON)

Hey Christina,

We just wanted to send you a quick update and let you know that Gus is doing great! He has been such an incredible addition to the family. I know I have said this many times but I just can’t get over how well behaved he is. VERY laid back which is perfect for us. He plays outside with the boys or goes for walks with Lori and I and we never have to worry about him. He is always right by our side and we rarely even need to keep him on a leash. We don’t have to worry about him chewing or having an accident in the house. He seems to already have all of that down. Of course he is curious and will put things in his mouth from time to time but he knows which toys are his and he sticks with those. He and Lilly (our Shih Tzu) have become very good friends. She didn’t know what to think of him at first but now they are best friends.

He is growing everyday…I think he is going to be a big boy. He was 24 pounds at his vet visit on Friday. I never did ask you but how big are Steele and Lilly? We laugh every time we feed him because he still eats like he is fighting all of his brothers and sisters for a meal. He eats half the bowl before it hits the ground snorting and growling the whole time. It is hilarious. We finally got the puppy gold in the mail and he has been on that for a few weeks now.
I think his stomach may have been bothering him for the first few days he was here
but now he is doing great.

Overall, I just can’t thank you enough for sending us exactly what we were looking for.
He was worth the wait and I can’t wait to watch him grow up. It will warm up down here soon and we will start taking him to the beach with us. I know he will LOVE that. We are complimented every time we take him out in public about what a handsome dog he is. I have probably been asked 100 times where we got him by people wanting to know where they can get on just like him. I will send a few pictures of him to you soon
and we will keep you updated.

Thanks again for a wonderful dog! He is perfect!!

T & L L. (Mobile, AL)

Hello Christina,

You must be getting ready to say goodbye to your second Gulliver litter this week-end. It must be very hard for all of you.

We thought you would like to hear the latest on Chudleigh. He weighed in at 33.8 this morning and is a lovely boy. He is now completely house trained, He brings the paper every morning,he has learned to sit when out walking when he sees a car go by and he knows to shake a paw and lie down. We are having some trouble getting to stay on command but we think that is all amazing for such a young age.

He is still young but has won the hearts of all that meet him (except for Morris the cat!)

We are leaving him for two weeks while we go on our Mediterranean cruise and we are going to miss him terribly.
Hope all is well at Dreamkeeper and that you get some rest after the last puppy leaves.
Give our love to Dear Charlie,
Fondest wishes

M & D D. (Belle River, Ontario)

Hello Christina,

I just wanted to send you a quick note now that Sadie has turned 1 year old (Sept. 3rd, 2011). I am sorry that I have not been in touch recently to let you know how she was doing. When we last spoke we had been having difficulty with Sadie suffering from separation anxiety every time that we would leave the house. With your help we were able to work through that and now after having Sadie for a year we realized that the problem all along was that she didn’t require to be locked up in anyway and a cage and pen were what was upsetting her. Once we gave her free reign of the house she had no issues whatsoever (which went against everything that I had read but she just appeared to be smarter than other dogs).

Really it is difficult to describe how much Sadie has become a member of our family. Sadie is so well behaved we are the envy of all of our family and friends. Nobody can believe how well we were able to “train” our dog and everyone asks for our secret training method. In actuality the dog has pretty much understood every word said to her since she was a puppy. Very little training was involved at all. I still take credit for being a great dog trainer, nobody knows my dog trained herself :) The fact that we are able to walk along the sidewalk for blocks without a leash and have the dog sit and stay and we can walk a mile away without a problem, this was not me, it was the dog. We have a busy neighbourhood, many dogs walking around and our beautiful retriever sits on our front lawn all day long and does not budge. We did not train her to do this, as long as she is with us she is happy.

We recently brought her to our cottage on the French River. We hiked through trails, climbed hills, swam in the river and used the boat often. The dog never left our side, never a leash needed, ever.

Sadie has become a favourite amongst all of the kids at my children’s school. There is a line up to play with her each day when the bell rings and no matter what abuse is thrown her way the dog never moves. My daughter plays dress up with her often and poor Sadie can be seen with clip on ear rings, pearl necklaces and silk dresses for her to wear around the house. Never does she get upset with the kids or does she even walk away from them, she stays put and lets Hanna play with her all day if need be. We planned on registering her for obedience school but it just seemed like a waste of money. The dog does everything that she is told, there is no other training that I would want her to do. She is perfect the way she is.

Thank you again Christina for giving us this beautiful dog. We could not have asked for a better friend to the family. We love her very much and we feel blessed to have her. I am emailing from work so I don’t have a picture or I would have sent one to you. I will try to get one to you soon.

All the best
O.Y. (Niagara Falls, Ont)

And from our Guestbook....

Having been to visit goldens at several breeders we can honestly say that Dreamkeeper goldens are the most beautiful and well taken care of dogs and puppies. Christina and family have a beautiful location and home to raise these wonderful dogs. I would highly recommend this breeder to anyone. I also urge everyone to visit breeders and see the facilities and dogs prior to agreeing to purchase a golden. They are not all created equally and in our mind, nothing comes to close to Dreamkeeper.

S.R. (Toronto, Ontario)