Trial By Jury Kennels Retired in 2022
Our dogs were so well trained, they deserved their own shotguns.
We worked with dogs and puppies for nearly 35 years before retiring. We established our Ranch in South-East Nebraska after we got married to enable our training and breeding efforts of the dogs we already owned. Our Ranch had plenty of wildlife, land, lakes and ponds to enjoy the skills and abilities of our dogs---and hunting! It grew from 6 dogs to a kennel full and we have so many stories to tell.
Fox Red Labradors
Raising Fox Red Labradors as hunters, companions and working dogs, and then breeding only our best Labs to produce excellent puppies was our focus. The highly prized Fox Red Labrador color dates back to the original bloodlines of the Labrador. Our superb quality breeding came from many generations of champion British Labs and produced all classes of working, handicap assistance and exceptional companion dogs. Their gentle temperament, with strong obedience and desire to please, made our puppies popular. Add that to their boxy build, dense bone structure, muscular tone along with the otter tail and deep fox red coat color and you can see what made our Labs exceptional. And they were so smart! Occasionally, we had litters of black and/or yellow puppies. However, litters of Fox Red Labrador puppies was our main focus.
Fox Red Labrador puppies and working dogs were occasionally for sale. We only bred when we had two exceptional dogs with pedigrees that would produce the true Fox Red Labrador temperament and conformation in an excellent litter of puppies
German Shorthaired Pointers
We owned and hunted with German Shorthaired Pointers for a very long time. Our German Shorthaired Pointers had a very keen sense of smell and we bred them to be all purpose hunters and gun dogs. They were diligent hunting dogs in all types of terrain, and would also retrieve from the water. Although their coat is not waterproof like a Lab’s, their strong desire to retrieve is what sends them into the water, regardless of the temperature.
Our German Shorthaired Pointers were very active and friendly dogs with smooth temperaments and personalities. Even though these dogs needed a lot of exercise, their energy level was easily managed with proper training and handling. Because the breed is so versatile, they are very content to be in your home, or work as a hunter, tracker and retriever. They are wonderful companions for active individuals and families. This is what we strove to produce when we had an occasional litter of puppies.
Quality was always far more important to us than quantity.
This article described me, many of my breeder friends and the best breeders in history. The Article: "What is a Breeder?", Author Unknown, and it very beautifully says the truth;
"A Breeder (with a capital B) is one who thirsts for knowledge and never really knows it all, one who wrestles with decisions of conscience, convenience, and commitment. A Breeder is one who sacrifices personal interests, finances, time, friendships, fancy furniture and deep pile carpeting! She gives up the dreams of a long, lustrous vacation in favor for helping deliver a litter of puppies. The Breeder goes without sleep in hours spent planning a breeding or watching over the birth process, and afterwards, helping with every feeding till they are weaned. The Breeder skips dinner parties because that litter is due or the puppies have to be fed at eight. She disregards birth fluids and does mouth to mouth to save a gasping or breathless newborn, literally blowing life into a tiny, helpless creature that may be the culmination of a lifetime of dreams.
A Breeder's ears are wondrous things, sometimes red (from being talked about) or strangely shaped (from being pressed against a phone), often deaf to criticism, yet always fine tuned to the wimper of a sick puppy. A Breeder's eyes are blurred from pedigree research and sometimes blind to her own dog's faults, but she is ever so keen to another dog's faults and is always searching for the perfect specimen.
A Breeder's brain is foggy on faces, but it can recall pedigrees faster than a computer. It's so full of knowledge that sometimes it blows a fuse: it catalogues thousands of good bones, fine ears and perfect heads... and buries in the soul the failures and the ones that didn't turn out. The Breeder's heart is often broken, but it beats strongly with hope everlasting... and it's always in the right place! Oh yes, there are breeders, and then there are BREEDERS!!"
I, The Breeder, decided it was time to stop selling my purebreds for less than the mutts. I decided the obsession that the back yard breeders had with creating new breeds without any consideration for medical, physical, personality traits or taking responsibility for all of the canine breed errors, was creating too many dogs and dog shelters were severely overloaded and a whole new business compared to when they were created. The Breeders that existed long before me and those today that are responsible for the incredible PURE Breeds are now a severe minority. Mutts and canines that are not registered with AKC to prove their authentic breeding are the majority, today.
I will greatly miss the awe of labor and delivery of a litter of puppies, the mother's and the puppy's natural instincts, their quick growth and development....and...even more so, knowing my puppy matures and takes every minute of my time, love and training and uses it to become a new member of someone's family and share its character, joy, and love with them for many years. For all of the dogs born with my care that have become handicap assistance dogs, I am very thankful they were able to change the life of their owner and family in such a tremendous way!
Those 35 years of memories are amazing...
