Our dogs

KATIE - Sirius Dianthus Acadia Star CGC CD NAJ - May 12, 2004 - October 11, 2013

Our kennel name is a tribute to Katie - she is the reason we are so involved in the dog world today. We were living in Maine when she came to live with us so she spent a lot of time at the beach and camping at Acadia National Park. Her breeder thought she was show quality so we started showing her. Unfortunately she stopped growing when she was 2 inches short of the breed standard. She is perfectly proportioned, just too small! We had already started her competition obedience training so we continued on to her CD. Katie loves agility - she easily completed her NAJ title. Standard is more of a challenge for her. She doesn't always qualify but she still has fun! Katie passed away due to a liver tumor on October 11, 2013.

TARA - TLC's Peace on Earth CGC CD - November 4, 2004 - September 12, 2013

Tara is a laid back, easy going girl. As our foundation bitch she has produced 2 litters of beautiful, healthy puppies. The Rainbow litter of 6 pups was born March 16, 2008. Her Summer litter was born on June 25, 2009. That litter consisted of 10 busy little Flat-Coats. We retired her from the show ring and motherhood in the fall of 2010 with only 3 points left to go on her US championship. We are hoping to get her back into the obedience ring or maybe let her try agility. In the meantime she is enjoying being a lady of leisure.
We lost Tara to lymphoma September 12, 2013.

EMMA - Can Ch TLC's Heart's Dezire CGC CD - March 2, 2007 - April 12, 2018

Emma epitomizes the typical Flat-Coated Retriever. She is still very much a puppy and we don't think she will ever change. Emma greets each day with unbridled enthusiasm and is always right by our side to see what we are doing. If she's not getting enough attention she'll give us a head bump so she does. Emma started her show career with a bang. In her first match at 3 1/2 months she placed first in a group of 14 3-6 month old pups. She surprised us a few weeks shy of her first birthday when she took a 4 point major by going WB, BOW, & BOS over a special. She was close to finishing her US championship but she has had limited ring time while recovering from motherhood. Emma did much better in Canada where she earned her Canadian championship in just 3 weekends. She also completed her CD title in 3 straight trials. Emma is now retired and we are planning to do more obedience and field training with her. Like Tara and Katie we lost Emma to a fast moving cancer on April 12, 2018.

JET - Acadia's Summer Flight CGC CD - June 25, 2009 - February 28, 2022

Jet was the top show puppy from Tara's Summer litter and he found his show home with us. He is a handsome boy who knows his place in a pack of women. Jet is pointed in both the US and Canada and has earned his first major; he has filled out and is maturing nicely. John has started working towards Jet's WC and JH. Jet exhibits an aptitude for the field and has lots of drive. The boys are having fun with this activity - male bonding! Jet earned his CD in March, 2012. John is now training him for his CDX. Jet retired from the show ring in the spring of 2015. We had taken Jet into the vet for some GI issues when she noticed a heart murmur that had not been there before. An ultrasound revealed a tumor in his heart and a build up of fluid. Two weeks later he was too weak to come out of his crate in the morning and we decided it was time to say good bye.

MOCHA - GCh Ch. Acadia's Chocolate Diamond CGC CGCA CD - June 14, 2014 - November 15, 2023

Mocha is the top pick from our Gemstone litter. She is a very pretty girl and we have high hopes for her. She is our first liver Flat-Coat; it has taken some getting used to after having only black dogs. She is a smart little girl; well balanced and will work for food. She went to her first conformation class when she was 13 weeks old and stacked and gaited like she had been doing it for years. Mocha earned her American championship on October 12, 2017 after being shown completely in the Bred By Exhibitor class. We are very proud of our first American champion and home grown girl. Now we are hoping to finish her CD within the next few months. Mocha did complete her CD on June 23rd, 2018. She finished out 2018 on November 1st by earning her US Grand Championship. Now if she will cooperate and have a litter of puppies (for some reason she doesn't like boys!). March 18, 2020: Mocha blessed us with a beautiful litter of 8 puppies. She is a wonderful mother - wish she wasn't pushing the upper age limit for having puppies so we could breed her again.
November 15, 2023: Mocha earned her wings today - cancer once again took another of our beautiful dogs. We are so proud of Mocha and all that she accomplished in her short life.

CHARLOTTE - Top Gun Take My Breath Away II CGC CD CDX

We are getting older, have decided to try a smaller breed and have chosen an adorable Boykin Spaniel. Charlotte's personality is very similar to the Flat-Coat's so we and she have adjusted well. At 8 months she is doing well with her training for show, field and obedience. John is hoping to put some field titles on her and start using her for duck hunting with one of his high school buddies. Boykins have been bred for duck hunting and are known as the "little dog that won't rock the boat". They also flush turkeys, find truffles and track deer for hunters. Fall, 2021: Due to the results of Charlotte's clearances this summer we will not be able to breed her as we had planned. We are continuing with obedience and field training and are very proud of her. Over the 4 day Wine Country shows she earned her CD obedience title, qualifying 3 of the 4 days and placing 4th 2 of them. John is already getting started on training for her CDX. August 27 2023: After many trials Charlotte earned her CDX today.

MAX - Victory's Varsity Star at Acadia

After much debate we decided to add another Flat-Coat to the family in the late summer of 2023. We found out that one of the most respected breeders was planning a litter, so we asked to be added to their list. Unfortunately, there was only one puppy which they were keeping. Meanwhile one of their boys had sired a litter with another of our favorite breeders. We were surprised with an email asking if we would like a puppy from that litter. Of course, we said yes and brought Max home in early October. He was one of the top pups in the litter so we will again be traveling to dog shows. We haven't shown a dog since before the pandemic so it will be nice to see our dog friends again.