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Never having ever been the your average "girly" girl, I grew up in the garden part of New Jersey, hunting
and fishing with my father. When I was 16 years old, we got my first Labrador, a black male named Rasputin. "Raz"
was my best friend and went everywhere with me. He was the beginning of my passion for the breed, the first dog I ever
trained and he taught me about the faithfulness of a good dog's love.
After Raz died, I was dog-less for a few years while I was doing commercial fishing. Then I got
another Labrador from a "back-yard" breeder. Unfortunately, she escaped from the house when she was about 1 year old and
ended up killed on the road.
After that experience, I did some research and found a reputable breeder and purchased a show prospect
female. "Austin" got some ribbons at all-breed shows but ended up not quite being a show dog.
About that time, in 1992, I was working for professional show handlers. I also was managing and doing
obedience training at Top Of The Bay Pet Lodge (owned by Greg and Kim Strong), in Easton, Maryland. Greg taught me a
lot, developed my love of dog training, and I have been training dogs for a living every since.
 Then I found Jeannine
Biddle of Kai Den Labradors. She had a show prospect that she was willing to send me and this was the true beginning of
my passion with Labradors. That bitch was "Belle", my love and the foundation of everything I am currently doing.
She turned me on to field work, hunt tests and conformation showing, and she excelled at all. Belle became BISS Ch. Kai
Den's Sight To Sea, JH. She was Best in Specialty Show at the 1999 Raleigh Durham Labrador Retriever Club and also took
Winners Bitch and Best of Winners at the 1998 National Labrador Specialty.
I am striving to produce Labrador Retrievers that look like they're supposed to look, have a nice
congenial temperament and are enthusiastic hunting dogs. All of my breeding stock is at least started on birds, meaning
they have had birds shot over them and will retrieve the birds. My dogs are started out on Chukar partridge or pheasant
in an upland hunting situation. Beyond that, the individual dog's strengths are accessed and will determine what
direction to go ... hunt tests, conformation and/or field work.
I am now located in northeastern Pennsylvania. I am the head trainer at DeCoverly English Setters.
I train all breeds of hunting dogs and also have an obedience training program. (There is a link to DeCoverly's web site
on my Links page.)
Feel free to contact me via phone or e-mail if you'd like to talk.
With some of my dogs
Ready in the duck blind
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