There are so many reasons to get a puppy from Spirit Goldens - I don't know if I have the space to list them all.

Bob and Gayle are first and foremost honest, ethical people who are committed to running their business that way.

Next, their business is really just an outflow of their passion for advancing the Golden Retriever breed; one gets the feeling that if it were feasible they would keep every puppy bred and still look for ways to acquire new lines to continue improving. From whelping all the way through to "puppy pick up day," their work is so transparent as you view the 24 hour puppycam and digest the comprehensive emails Gayle frequently sends out.

The constant love, bio-sensory training, noise training, and the agility play are all additional benefits they infuse into the puppies first weeks of life.

We lost our 13 year old Golden, Max in March of 2012 , and found the Spirit Golden website that spring and sent in an adoption questionnaire and asked to be put on the waiting list. We also began following the entire adoption process via the Wedding Litter of Bliss and Dublin which whelped July 2012.

That same month we lost our 14 year old Golden Sadie, and after living a very short time without the loving presence of a dog in the house, we patiently waited for the next litter. Mid March we were delighted to bring home a Faith-Dublin puppy, Miss Purple Paws, now our gorgeous 8 month old, 65 pound, Zoe. She was the favorite of the vets in her socialization class, and has been through her basic obedience classes, and is just a wonderful girl.

Not finished yet - in July we were blessed to bring home Toffer, our almost 4 month old male from the Bliss-Dublin, "A Toast to Holly" litter. Zoe and Toffer have bonded together beautifully, and Zoe has made a lot of puppy training for Toffer easier. They definitely have their individual characters, but they have so much in common. How great is it to have these puppies playing, rolling and tumbling with each other, and the next minute wanting loving and trying to fit comfortably on your lap!

When Zoe was born she was part of a litter of 11 and just a few days later, another one of Gayle's girls gave birth to 10 pups. Gayle and Bob worked tirelessly with 21 puppies and managed to juggle all the work and still give the puppies all the love and training they pour into their puppies. When Toffer was born, Gayle tragically lost her niece. In spite of all that was going on, she still was committed to infusing these puppies with love and training and dedicated the litter to her niece, Holly. One cannot go wrong with a Spirit Golden puppy!

There are a couple of things I firmly believe.....that Gayle and Bob do everything they can to offer to their extended family (customers) sound, healthy puppies; and that if you desire it you do become part of their Golden family. We value the friendship and the continuing relationship with them, and feel that if at any time we need advice or assistance with our dogs they will be there to help. As our puppies mature and age, I am confident they started off their lives in the best possible way, and for that reason we will be keeping the idea open about a possible 3rd Spirit Golden puppy in the future.

Thank you Bob and Gayle for your dedication to the breed and bringing the pitter patter of not so little feet back into our home.

Gordon and Kelly Shackelford