Testimonials

Hi Francis,

We were on your site the other day looking at the pics and thought we'd send you a couple updated pics of Boats who turned 7 in Dec. As you can see he is still an absolutely beautiful choc lab.

Hope all is well and thanks again! The last 7 years with Boats have been amazing! He is the sweetest dog, while being bird crazy in the woods!

Lisa & Kevin LaPlante

Hi Francis,

When it came time to think about another Lab, the idea of getting back into upland hunting also arose. For years and while the kids were growing up we had a very calm, affectionate and obedient yellow lab named Buddy. The idea for the new guy was to duplicate those traits and add in the drive, desire and smarts to excel as a field dog. After much research we came across Puddleduck Retrievers and soon were in conversation with Frances about our needs. Sure enough we ended up with Chief, a very calm family dog who can really turn it on in the field. His first hunt was at 10 months, he earned his AKC Junior Hunter title at 14 months and his AKC Companion Dog title at 17 months. Now after hundreds of flushes, retrieves and memorable days in the field he's still that calm dog that amazes people on how gentle he is around other dogs and children. In fact his day job is the "interview dog" at Puppy Day Care - the prospective new dog gets to meet and play with Chief during his interview and if all goes well the new dog is accepted.

We're so happy with Chief that when the chance to choose a puppy from the same general linage came up, we acted quick. Now we have Gunny as part our family and can already see that he's a "chip off the old block" Thank you Frances for adding such great value to our lives through Puddleduck Retrievers.

Vince & Heidi Devlin

Hi Frances,

We can't believe how much time has gone by since we first met you both and brought our new puppy home. We're very happy to report that Bailey is doing great and we couldn't be more happy with our choice. She is a great family dog and took to hunting immediately. In one of the earlier photos attached, Michael gave her a goose wing to play with only about a week after we brought her home and she went absolutely wild with it. He took her out goose hunting her first time the November we brought her home (2007) and she was very excited but also well behaved and already tried to retrieve geese that were bigger than she was. She has a great nose and has been doing wonderfully retrieving on numerous hunts since then. She was easy to train and has a wonderful personality.

Really, she is quite a character and a ham! She talks a lot and cocks her head in the funniest expressions! As much as we loved and still miss our previous dog, it's amazing to us how different Bailey is and how attached we became to her right away! She has been very healthy as well except for an abscess she got in her mouth because of her love of chewing on sticks. She weighs 65 pounds, eats well and is very active.

Take care and thanks again for bringing us such a wonderful dog!

Marie, Michael, Mark & Bailey Kissel

Frances,

Moose has been a wonderful dog for us, after losing our 13 yr. old; he filled a void that we never thought another dog could. When we saw his picture on your website we thought he was beautiful then and he has grown to be such a handsome fun loving dog that keeps us laughing all the time. He and Coco (our 10 yr. old) have been buddies since the day we brought him home. He is a very smart dog, (sometimes he we think he's human), he loves to play fetch, catch his Frisbee and go wading in the brook. We would like to take this time to Thank You for breeding such Beautiful Dogs.

Mary and Charlie
Belmont, ME

We brought home our dog, Bayler in June 2008. He was a pup from the Gage and Annie litter. Frances did an amazing job picking out the perfect puppy for us! We not only love the way he looks (very handsome!) but also his temperament and personality. He is very loyal and is always by our sides. He loves to swim and go on long walks. Bayler is an all around perfect addition to our family!!!

Thanks again
Cahill (Newmarket, NH)

Hi Frances,

I'm writing to give you an update on Brody. He is such a terrific puppy! We couldn't be happier that he is part of our family. He went on his first hunting trip over Columbus Day Weekend. We weren't expecting much, other than some fun, especially where is so young, but he truly amazed us. He was handling the birds, did some close retrieves and even did a good job releasing them.

For a 14 week old puppy, we were really surprised at how easily and quickly he took to the birds. I've attached a couple of pics of our "boys". They are the best of buds! :)

We have had so many compliments from family, friends and complete strangers about what an extraordinary dog Brody is. He's full of personality, has a great disposition/temperament and is too cute for words! Thank you so much for helping us to find the right fit for our family. We truly appreciate the care and thought that goes into your breeding program.

Thanks again for everything!

Sincerely,
Cassandra Perkins

Dear Puddleduck Retrievers:

About a year before our failing senior Black Lab passed on, I researched breeders in the state of Maine, and found 3 that I interviewed before deciding on Puddleduck as the breeder where we would get our next puppy. We arranged to get a puppy from a yellow litter that whelped in July 2009, and took 8-week old Abby home at the end of August to join our other senior Lab, Samantha. We are very pleased with our experience with Puddleduck Retrievers. Abby has been the perfect match for us in terms of personality and energy level. I would rate her as a medium energy dog, who is playful, but calm, and definitely not "hyper' like so many Lab puppies can be (think of Marley of book and movie fame).

Abby is very smart and easy to train. When she was 3 months old, we taught her to ring a bell on the back door when she needed to go out. We haven't had any "accidents" in the house since. The early training done by Puddleduck that we continued in puppy school gave us a 3 month old who understood basic commands, like sit, down, and the modified heel, "Let's go".

Now at 6 months of age, Abby is becoming the wonderful companion dog we wanted. She loves to snuggle with our senior Lab, go for walks, and play with a frisbee or ball in the snow, or just be near us playing with her toys or napping. The early exposure to routine "living" noises that Puddleduck provided resulted in a confident puppy, who is curious but not afraid of everyday noises, who will lay down on the vacuum hose and be totally unconcerned. When she sees new things or hears new noises when we are out, she often will sit down and just watch and listen, then move on once she is satisfied. Abby is a handsome dog with good conformation, and receives raves and compliments wherever we go.

I would recommend Puddleduck to anyone who is looking for a breeder who is totally committed to Labradors that are healthy, happy, and carefully bred to be free of genetic diseases or problems. The "parent" dogs that I have met all have wonderful personalities. The time spent in the early training and conditioning results in puppies that are already on their way to being housebroken and understanding basic commands, and can be easily continued and reinforced. We are looking forward to having Abby as a wonderful family pet for many years to come.

Sincerely,
Susan M. Mondabaugh, Ph.D.
Rockport, ME