References

We got a puppy from Sally February, 2015, from a breeding of Dakota/Guage, whelped December 18, 2014. From the very beginning, we knew we had a great puppy. We've had many labs in the past, but this guy has been the easiest to train that we have ever had. At nearly 10 months and 70+ lbs., he is behaving and responding to us as well as a 2 year old. He is absolutely amazing. He stays with us, off leash, and responds immediately to recall. He is flushing and retrieving Grouse with no fear whatsoever of the shotgun blast. He's healthy, sweet tempered, good looking and very smart. He rides on our 3-man cataraft and stays in his designated spot. He loves fishing and spots the fish rising and recognizes when we set the hook and gets ready to inspect each fish caught. Sally did an excellent job picking a puppy for us. He fits our lifestyle perfectly. We really believe that all of the socializing she does with the pups while they are still less than 6 weeks, makes a huge difference. We will never buy another lab from anyone but Sally. I just can't recommend her and her kennel, Labs of Cottonhollow, highly enough.

Barb & Steve Harding
(Barb & Steve Harding, Island Park, ID)

Sally,

We are happy to share just how much we love our Miley. Not only is she a beautiful dog, but her personality is spectacular. She has so much energy and she is always excited to see us and meet anyone new. In fact the two things people always say when they first meet her is she is such a beautiful dog and she is so happy and friendly. We are very proud of her, she has learned easily. She is completely housebroken, and she responds to commands of "sit", "stay" "down" "rollover" "high five" "paw" "kisses" "speak" "what's your name" and out personal favorite "wait." She is a great companion she always wants to be close and we have nicknamed her lickey because she really loves to give kisses to everyone. She is excellent with both babies and adults, friends and new visitors. Weather never bothers her. She is fearless and fun. She doesn't mind taking baths. She very rarely barks. She loves taking trips in the car, and playing in the snow. Overall we are ecstatic with her. We could not have found a better dog. As she is approaching one year old we cannot believe how big she has gotten (58lbs) and how much she has learned. We absolutely lover her and we thank you for giving her such a great foundation by socializing her early and taking such great care of her while she was a pupp. We have a true family member in Miley and we tell everyone if they are looking for a labrador to get one from you. She is a fantastic pet.

Best,

Dave & Claudia
(Dave & Claudia Ewen, New York)

Hi Sally,

I can't tell you how incredibly happy we are with Copper who came out of Casey & Jo.

Copper who turns 4 yrs this spring if I remember that right too, is very smart and learns quickly, is a great duck hunting dog, he goes into a whole other level of energy when he is hunting. He has been the BEST family dog we have ever had, he has a wonderful personality, loves to play but can be quite mellow if we need him to be. He is obedient, loving and very affectionate toward everyone in the family. Not one of us in our family can walk by Copper without petting or hugging on him. Copper gets very light in the summer but come winter he turns this wonderful deep golden color. We can't image life without him.

Good luck on your new puppies!

Sue, Jon, Haley and Caleb Dudley
(Jon & Sue Dudley, Idaho)

Sally

As Nina noted Colter is doing very well. We entered an AKC hunt test last year and he ran/passed that started level just fine. We are mostly focused on the HRC Hunt Test, which a few of the pictures Nina sent should represent. I am not worrying about titling him since we are not breeding him. With that said, I am interested in how far I can take him simply because he has excelled thus far. When we were at the HRC Hunt Test we were running at the started level. I had the opportunity run him as a test dog for an advance test and he did it with flying colors. I moved him up to the next round the next day and he passed those as well.

All in all, he has been pretty easy to train and as Nina said it rather intense when it comes to birds. When he is playing I will note that he drops things around us, but not so when it is training time or in the field. To the hand is the only acceptable means of retrieval. He knows the difference that is for sure.

Best wishes for 2011!

Stuart
(Stuart Leidner & Nina Chambers, Montana)

Hi Sally,

I was so happy with Diogee I had to go back to you Sally to get a little playmate for Diogee and they just love each other to bits and it's very cute to see Diogee taking on the mother role with Eevee, she is very protective of her. Both are very very healthy, no hip problems, nothing; the only problem they have is they LOVE TO EAT but what lab doesn't.. I am so happy we decided to go with you again Sally for our second time around and who knows, we may go round three, that is if my husband lets me but probably not until we get a bigger house so hopefully sometime down the road. These are so smart and such a joy to have, I wouldn't consider going anywhere else. I only wish you kept an offspring of Brookie because Diogee is THE BEST. as well as Eevee; she is still in the growing and learning process but already she is very well behaved and SMART as a whistle..

Carolyn Rogers
(Carolyn Rogers, Massachusetts)

Sally,

Duke is wonderful and is such a big part of our family. He loves the water and catching the ball. He is just the best dog ever and all who meet him wish to have him, including my parents. We are so happy we got him in the best training school and he is so well trained.....that's why people love him so much. Easy to be around and so well mannered.

When we decide to move into a larger home, I will be contacting you for another pup. We would love to have one now but our space is too small for another large dog. Duke weighs about 85-90 pounds. :)

Blessings,

Sarah
(Tyler & Sarah Skarda, Virginia)

Sally,

Sprig is doing well. She is an Awesome hunter, and a friendly pup. Even though she is only two she has had two hunting seasons already, getting a much earlier start then most dogs. She is still very much a puppy, and we love her. We would love to take One of Dakotas pups off of your hands... but we have enough on our plate at the moment, maybe when Sprig and Piper and Paige are all older we will be able to welcome another pup into our house!

Megan Kreizenbeck
(Matt & Megan Kreizenbeck, Idaho)

We absolutely love our lab that we got from the breeders "labs of cotton hollow". He has exceeded our expectations. His instinct to hunt is amazing, we really haven't trained him much. He is an amazing family dog and when its time to hunt its as if this other dog has arrived.

craig and lisa verdi
(Craig & Lisa Verdi, Idaho)

Hello Sally,

Words cannot describe how truly grateful we are for our precious pups! Bogie is now 3 and Iris will be 2 in just a few months. Bogie is our energetic and outgoing pup, while Iris is the ideal house dog with her laid-back demeanor. Bogie is my running buddy. We run 5-6 miles daily. When I'm training for half marathons, she'll do the entire training schedule with me - which can mean running up to 12 miles. She has endless energy and is the perfect running companion for me. While hunting with Patrick, Bogie routinely out retrieves other dogs and has an exceptional nose in the field. Iris is our soft-hearted, calm child. She is extremely obedient and begs to please. She loves the outdoors and is quite playful as well. She is also an exceptional cuddle bug. When I take the girls to my optometry practice, patients constantly comment on their beauty and manners. We are so grateful for every day we get to spend with Bogie and Iris - they are a vital part of our family!

Mackenzie & Patrick Weir

(Mackenzie & Patrick Weir, Texas)

Sally,

My Name is Shannon we have 4 girls and we wanted a family pet. I have always wanted a Lab specially a Chocolate, love the way they look...well I came across Sally's web site LabsofCottonhollow, I was reading about her and her family & about her dogs and then I showed my husband and he also liked what he saw...so we sent Sally a message and told her we were interested in a pup :) it just felt right! Sally was so nice about everything from the beginning to now. We still keep in contact with her...She asked us to write a li'l something about us and what we are looking for in a pup and we told her...boy did she match us with the perfect dog. She is good at what she does!! I have felt very comfortable and trusted Sally from the beginning. She knows what she is doing when breeding and making wonderful pups for other people to enjoy :) We even drove to her house and met her and spent a few hours with her & all the pups...it was good :D

Now about Moose - from the get go he meshed very well with our family. He is a very good dog & as a lab he also likes to get him self into trouble LOL. He is the perfect fit for us & our girls ....boy do they love him to death :) he loves to play ball and run and play, he sits, stays & speaks & lets go & comes all on command. 90% of this was done by our 5 1/2 year old at the time. Man we love this dog so much. He literally is like one of the kids, it is so funny!! He knows when he has done something he is not supposed to and he just loves people. We get compliments on him all the time!! Mooster (Moose) Heikki is definitely one of a kind. If it wasn't for finding Sally and having such a good experience with her, we probably wouldn't have Moose!!!

We love Sally's dogs so much that we are purchasing another pup from her :) Moose will be a big Brother to a new brother this summer and we will be naming him Catcher :)

Thank you Sally for everything.

Shannon & Neil Lampinen & Girls!!

(Shannon & Neil Lampinen, Washington)

Sally-

Hello. I hope this finds you & your family doing well! I saw photos of the new litter of puppies....they are adorable & I'm certain they will make wonderful pets & great hunters! We continue to be so appreciative of your amazing ability to match dog with owner. Reese, our chocolate lab continues to be the center of our home. She is an amazing dog (we're kind of partial)! She is very loving, thoroughly enjoys having visitors, a true athlete during hunting season & a wonderful traveling buddy. She is always eager to please. We've spoiled her a bit...she has a favorite recliner & although she enjoys the outdoors, she prefers the comforts of a climate controlled dwelling. I have included some recent photos of her.

When the time comes to add another dog to the family, you are definitely the Labrador breeder of choice!

Best Regards,

Kate Gardner

(Andy & Kate Gardner, Washington)

Victoria has given me so many memories over the last 13 years. She has made me a true waterfowler. Her ability and nose has given me birds I would never had found. Many times, I have looked to her to figure out where the birds are coming in from. Training her on Wolters Gun Dog book per your recommendation was simple and easy. I blame Vic's brains over my ability. She has been a joy to watch not only in the field but at home as well. Her drive and determination, no matter how tired, is amazing to be a part of. Thanks to Brookie, her mom, and your family instilling those traits and providing a foundation that would make any dog owner proud.

Andy Bruckner

(Andy Bruckner, Colorado)

We got 2 dogs from Labs of Cottonhollow, a male and about 9 months later, a female. My dreams of breeding them went up in smoke when I realized Kayo (Cacao Rigby Ripforce) the male, could easily clear our 6 foot fencing if he wanted. Had to decide if I wanted a pet or puppies. Chose a pet. Lol. Anyhow, the first pic is of Kayo with Shay (Shale PF Riptide LaBelle) sleeping on top of him. She was the only female in her litter, and she'd climb on top of her brothers to sleep. When we brought her home and introduced them and they'd played for a bit, Kayo laid down and Shay calmly climbed on top of him to sleep. He was perplexed at first, but allowed it until she got too big. They were the best of friends.

Astonishingly easy to train overall, but also trained as duck hunters, and honestly Kayo mostly trained Shay himself. (But we didn't do much hunting.) They taught themselves tricks, like Kayo bouncing his tennis ball off the floor and then catching it. Shay learned from my daughter how to play hide and seek. She would go behind one of the trees (always the same one) and you could tell she was trying to keep the tree between herself and the line of site as you'd pretend to look for her. They both bowed to greet people- none of this offering a paw thing, though they did that. They had at least 4 dozen commands, maybe more, that they knew and always, always followed through. I even would say clean up and they would go retrieve all the toys throughout the house and put them in the toy basket. Another pic shows when we hiked (a lot) in the Wasatch Mountains off leash, which was allowed. They carried their own water bowls, water and treats in their back packs. They would wander away at times, which I encouraged, but returned once they heard the dog whistle. They barked on command, even peed on command. I had to teach them to bark when people would ring the doorbell. I wanted that security since my husband traveled a lot but generally, they were pretty quiet. Once a baby robin fell out of a nest and Kayo streaked over there to scoop him up. Flustered at first, I yelled "soft mouth" and when I regained my senses, told Shay, the female, to stay put while I told Kayo to drop. He did. He knew "off" meaning to ignore or stop what he was doing, but I didn't think of that quickly enough. Baby bird was unharmed and after retrieving gloves I got the baby back in the nest and mama was none the wiser. They learned how to open doors (I have levers, not knobs).

Kayo passed away at about 14. He kept going outside to lay down in the snow. I was really perplexed and about the 5th time, he just would not or could not stand. I raced him to the vet where I was informed to say my goodbyes as his systems were shutting down. He'd had a heart attack or stroke. Not sure but I did tell the vey he'd kept laying down in the farthest corner of the yard, despite it being so cold and snowy. He said most likely his instinct kicked in because he knew he was dying and wanted his body away from our family and Shay in case predators came. Yeah, I still cry.

Several years ago, we had a fire in our house. We were out for the day. I'm not sure why I did it, but I had taught both dogs to go outside when the smoke alarm went off. Well, that day, Shay went out but Kayo stood by the doggie door barking his head off. His protective instinct I think kicked in again. Luckily a neighbor heard the ruckus and knew it was very unusual to hear any of our dogs bark, so he came over, saw the flames coming out the roof, and immediately went to the backyard. He swore Shay was barking, trying to get Kayo out of the house. Because, when he reached him and grabbed him by the collar to, pull him out, she immediately stopped barking.

Shay who will be 16 1/2 on April 5, 2020 has pretty good health. She takes meds for some arthritis in hips and is now deaf. But, as she was starting to hear less, I taught her sign language. The little scamp when she wants to prolong her walk, will purposely not look at me because she knows I'll motion her inside. She's not leashed once we get on our property. There's another pic of both dogs, and then one of Kayo taken some months before he passed, and the last one is Shay just taken today, February 15, 2020.

Charity

(Charity, Utah)