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Email: office@stillwaterkennel.com
Stillwater Kennel & Game Farm
Puppies from Stillwater Kennel
Responsible and purposeful breeding is critically important today more than ever. With the rampant and irresponsible puppy mill problems, especially in the state of Missouri, we are even more guarded in our advertisement of puppies for sale. However, we also know that there will always remain a market for the best of the best bloodlines and genetics and our bloodline is one that is to be celebrated. Stillwater Kennel has historically produced a litter no more than once every 7-8 years.
We would like to introduce to you the most recent puppies that were the result of this careful selection and eventual breeding between Lucy and Ricky. This particular line of dogs can boast an astounding 50 Hall of Fame Retrievers within this line of dogs. It is a rich heritage, full of proven field dogs that make equally impressive family pets. The owners and handlers of the past generations have made a commitment to help their dogs reach their full potential and ability which is reflected in the many titles achieved and earned (over 170 titles earned by direct descendants in the past 6 generations).
We invite you to follow along with this litter of pups and follow their story as they follow in the paw prints of their ancestors. We are thoroughly excited that each of the puppies have gone to families who are committed to the success of their new ‘family’ member. We are fully invested in the success of each individual puppy and will be sharing their 'journey' via a mini blog below. If you join our Facebook page, we will notify of the most recent updates.
July 1, 2013 - The Puppies are here!
After preparing Lucy's bed and kennel and wiring it with two baby monitors, the puppies arrived right on schedule. Previous litters within the bloodline had up to 15 puppies so we weren't sure what to expect regarding the size of the litter. Ludy did very good and was proud to welcome 9 mostly healthy puppies - 4 girls and 5 boys, all yellow. Three of the boys were much smaller than the others and Lucy couldn't quite maintain the feedings on her own so we started to assist during feeding time with additional puppy formula. We took shifts every four hours for the first two weeks to make sure everyone was doing well and getting plenty to eat.
July 29, 2013 - Time for "Real Food"
At four weeks old, the puppies started eating a mix of puppy formula, rice cereal, and very soft soaked Purina Puppy Chow. Most of them figured it out right away and loved feeding time. They really became a lot of fun at this point because they were able to really get moving and try out those clumsy paws and begin to investigate their world. They started to develop unique personalities and began to wrestle with one another. Since most of the puppies were pre-sold, it was also fun for the new owners to come visit and see their puppies at an early age, excited to prepare to take them home soon. Lucy continued to stay with them throughout the majority of the day and always at night but as their little puppy teeth emerged, she was certainly ready for a break occasionally!
August 10, 2013 - New Homes
Some of the puppies made the transition and journey home as early as 6 weeks and they were all in their forever home by 8 weeks of age. Two puppies stayed at Stillwater Kennel to join the Butler and Garringer families. One puppy traveled to New Mexico, two in Lincoln County, and four others went to live in St. Louis. However, all nine puppies will either participate in hunting or hunt tests and several will do both! Upon their departure, they received a packet of information regarding their pedigree as well as a complimentary shot record booklet from Stillwater Kennel. We also shared a helpful piece of advice for kennel training puppies overnight at another website which seemed to work amazingly well for all of the puppies as they transitioned home. Scroll to the end of the article and read Overnight Scheduling for Your Puppy.
September 14, 2013 - 1st Puppy Workshop
One part of Stillwater Kennels' commitment to the sucess of the puppies in this litter were to host a series of puppy workshops for the new pups. During the first workshop, four puppies were able to attend and participate in an obstacle course style hike where they had to walk across a slatted bridge, over large logs, through ditches and tough terrain. There was plenty of puppy wrestling along the way and the hike ended with a dip in the pond which was the first exposure that some of the puppies had to water. The workshop ended with a introduction to birds and each puppy was able to take several turns in smelling and attempting to retrieve a pigeon. They were all extremely interested and excited and they all did exactly what they were supposed to. We ended on a very high note with a retrieving demonstration by their mother, Lucy and then gave them time to play together before they all went home.