The Micah x Jynx puppies that we are expecting the first part of December is going to be an amazing litter. These puppies will have 21 Hall of Fame dogs in their pedigree.

They will share many of the same black Hall of Fame dogs that we highlighted in our upcoming Levi x Raven Litter.

Chocolate Labs have been late in joining the Hunt Test/Field Trial games at the highest levels. The first Chocolate Lab did not win a National Field Trial until 1996. The first chocolate lab was '96 NFC AFC Storm's Riptide Star (Rascal)- which both Raven and Micah are descendants.

To say he was a special dog is a bit of an understatement, and it’s hard to overstate his impact on the retriever world. Interestingly, Rascal was last pick in his litter. He was initially overlooked because of his chocolate color, and because he was perceived to have less of a retrieving desire than his litter mates at 8 weeks of age. However, it wasn’t long before his retrieving success outshined that of his siblings, and that of almost all other retrievers in the history of the sport. In 1996, he won the National Retriever Championship against a loaded field including the famed NAFC-FC “Lean Mac,” NFC-AFC Candlewoods Tanks A Lot “Lottie,” FC-AFC Chena River Chavez, FC-AFC Dare to Dream “Cosmo,” and 84 other elite retrievers. He once again made it to the final series in the 1998 Nationals and the 8th series in the 1999 Canadian Nationals handled by his owner, Marilyn Fender.

A little on Rascal's roots. The chocolate gene for both Belle's Star Emme Lou and Rippin Blue Thunder starts with the foundation dog Buccleuch Avon born 1885.  The paths separated after Banchory Bolo 1915 with his offspring Banchory Corbie and another path with Banchory Danilo.  Rippin' Blue Thunder's chocolate lines ran more with the Field events where as Emme Lou's lines combined Yellows and seemed to focus more on the bench Champion show lines through her Dam's pedigree. Eventually the two lines converged in 1991 with the birth of Storm's Riptide Star.

While the most recent titles on Micah and Levi are Hunt Test titles, their pedigrees are packed with Field Trial Champions, Conformation Champions in the US, England and International.

What does this mean for our upcoming litter? This pedigree history shows that these lines have been thoughtfully created- for almost 150 years these lines have proven to meet the standards for Field Trials, Hunting, and Conformation at the highest levels.

Our goal with our puppies is to improve the breed and preserve the historic purpose for these lines. We want these puppies to be great companions and do what ever you need. Whether you want a pet, hunting buddy, or a competitive prospect, these puppies will be capable. The genes and our socialization program will help us match you with the best dog.

This is Jynx's first litter, and she is going to be back in training once she weans the puppies. She will back training for more. We hope to get her more titles in 2022 and beyond. Micah will be going on to the Grand and continue running hunt tests.

This litter will have a lot of potential, and we can't wait to see what happens!