Labyrinth Kennels - Absent Friends | Golden Retriever Breeder

Spirit was the foundation for our family of Goldens. She lived to be over 16 years of age, was a great great grandmother and the matriarch of our clan. She retired from our breeding program after she produced four terrific litters of puppies. In her younger days, Spirit earned her CDX (Companion Dog Excellent) in obedience and demonstrated her natural retrieving ability by getting a WC (Working Certificate) in field competition. After retiring from competition she was awarded her Canine Good Citizen diploma, and became a certified St. John's Ambulance Therapy Dog. And just to show that she wasn't too old to strut her stuff, at the 1999 Golden Retriever Specialty show Spirit took top score twice in the Veterans obedience class. The hardest part of sharing your life with a dog like Spirit is having to say goodbye, but she gave us so much that she will be in our hearts always. Her puppies and seven generations of descendants have brought joy to our home and many friends to share our lives.

Demi was one of Spirit's daughters, sired by the outstanding Obedience Trial Champion, Ben (Wynwood's Note Bene). She was a wonderful combination of her mother's gentle and willing personality, with her father's drive and high energy level. Demi earned her Companion Dog obedience title, Canine Good Citizen award and Therapy Dog certification. Along with Spirit, she was a regular and welcome visitor to the Port Perry Nursing Home. Unfortunately Demi only had two litters. Medical complications in her second pregnancy resulted in having her spayed and prematurely retired. Her job for many years was to teach some manners to new puppies and visiting dogs at the Labyrinth Vacation Spa. But her biggest accomplishment was to produce, among her other outstanding puppies, her daughter Tazz.

On December 18, 2004, Tazz gave birth to her last of four litters, this one by Caesarian Section. Tragically, she suffered complications from the surgery and about 10 hours after the pups were born she died, leaving seven little orphans behind. The pups prospered with the help of a foster mother and the one and only girl from this litter is another of our great Labyrinth dogs, "Legacy". Tazz was only with us for 7 years, but she was a big part of our life, a dog we could take with us anywhere, confident, outgoing and in love with the entire world. She gave us 4 wonderful litters and even though she died giving birth to her last litter, her spirit is with us in her many wonderful pups. We see a part of her every day in Indy and Legacy, but wish she was still here with us.

Nova was the the first dog in many years that did not come from our Spirit lines. Born in February 2000, she came from our good friends at Winterfair Kennel with a solid pedigree of Championship dogs. As an addition to our kennel, the fact that she is not related to our current breeding lines meant we were able to breed her back to Gordy, Tazz's brother. Her pups from her two litters have been very impressive. Nova certainly danced her way into our lives and our home in true Golden fashion. Although she gleefully assumed the role of "bad girl puppy" with her clever mind and carefree attitude, she matured into a wonderful and well mannered adult. Nova also had the true Golden temperament full of affection and willingness to please and produced some outstanding pups. She was also the ultimate grandmother, looking out for all the puppies that are born here. She became a wet nurse for Tazz's orphaned litter and also watched over and cared for every litter that came along. Her talent and spirit live on in her daughter Scotia and granddaughter Zephyr.

Indy was a dog who was always there, seldom at the front of the pack, rarely a leader, but always a happy confident presence. She was the epitome of what a Golden should be, friendly with everyone, self-assured, gentle and in love with life. She ran with the wind, swam with abandon, and chased a tennis ball with precision and determination. She was a fabulous stand-in at the puppy party agility course, willing to work with any handler (especially the kids) and happy to perform. She appeared in the local paper as well as modeling for the Sears Catalogue, always a beautiful Golden girl.

Indy gave us two great litters in 2002 and 2004, which provided wonderful loving pets to many families. Her offspring also included a few outstanding dogs such as Sampson the wonder dog with his retrieving, agility and obedience titles, Riley the stage star, and our girl Quint who carries on in Indy's footsteps with that lovely gentle Golden temperament. Unfortunately with her third pregnancy, Indy developed a serious uterine infection that required her to be spayed, but she retired from her breeding career to be a welcome and deserving family member. Although we had several offers to adopt Indy, in the end we always decided to keep her with us.

We said our last goodbye to our beloved Indy on June 20th, 2010. She is gone, but the indelible mark she made in our lives and our hearts still remains. She will always be our "elegant lady".

Heidi was a dog that challenged us and taught us so much, but she was also a dog that willingly gave us her all. Heidi gave us our very first Labyrinth puppies. She was a gentle companion to her puppies and to our young children. She overcame her nervousness and fear of strangers to become a great companion and an eager working dog.

Willow was a dog with boundless energy and unbridled enthusiasm for life. She loved to retrieve and to swim and filled our home with affection and willingness to please. She gave us wonderful puppies and new friends to cherish.

Genny was a pup from Heidi's last litter. At eighteen months of age she died unexpectedly. In winter, spring or fall she was a happy yellow bundle of Labrador summer sunshine, a welcome and wonderful part of our lives.

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