“Herbie”

 Provinces Returned Goods x Ch. Ghoststone Hyspire's Dressed to Impress

Whelped October 28, 2006

OFA Prelim “Good” (at 16 months), Elbows Clear,

Eyes Cerf’d Annually (3/08), Optigen Pending

Herbie is a very sweet boy we own with a lovely family that lives in Pawcatuck, CT.  Their names are Ed and Kristin Bockowski, and they have three children, Eddie, Dan and Lily.  Herbie is full sister to our Lulu.  We had a feeling Herbie was going to turn out to be a special boy, luckily he landed with the right family.  When Herbie would go to the vet or to training class, both the vet and trainer would tell his Dad Ed “don’t neuter this dog until his breeder sees him”.  Ed would tell me that and I would just laugh.  Last year at our Pawcatuck River Labrador Retriever Club specialty show, Ed and Kristin took a ride down with Herbie to watch his Momma Goodie show for a bit.  Needless to say, I was very relieved that Herbie hadn’t been neutered.  He was everything Ed said he was.   Our handler saw him, instantly fell in love with him, and showed him to every breeder she could find.  She kept saying “I have to show this dog”.  Even though Herbie was considered a show quality puppy when he went to live with the Bockowskis, he still was sold on a limited registration, as all our puppies are.   We thought about it and figured that he would have the best of both worlds.  He lives in a wonderful pet home where he is loved and spoiled, and he also goes to dog shows, (and sometimes short trips with his favorite handler Auntie Jen (Leitao).  It was a big decision for us to reverse his registration, but we had an ongoing relationship with his family from the time they first came and put a deposit down on the litter.  They were always great about keeping in touch, so we decided we would give it a try.   

Herbie started his show career at 13 months in November of 2007 at the Worcester County Kennel Club (he placed 1^st in the American Bred class his first time out).  As you can see, for a Labrador who lives in a pet home, his transition to showing went very well.  In addition to showing, Herbie also got his Canine Good Citizen (CGC ) at just 7 months old!  He has a very sweet temperament, is very mild mannered.   I have had Herbie stay with me in my home and he is always a gentleman.  He  loves to play with children and puppies alike and is always very gentle with them.  He is everything a Labrador should be and more. 

We can’t thank the Bockowskis enough for allowing us to co-own and show this beautiful dog.  They let him go on trips even though they miss him and he is their only dog.  Despite them missing Herbie when he does travel, they are always very excited for him, and are always agreeable to let us get him out there when we can.   This is a special arrangement.  Working with a dog in a pet home is not always easy.  We would like to especially thank Ed, Herbie’s Dad, for taking such an interest in his show career.  He has put a lot of work into conditioning him, keeping him fit and walks him every night.  This is in addition to working full time, having 3 children and going to school nights.  Ed tries to learn as much as he can about Labradors and showing them, bettering the breed, and he has been extremely cooperative about following all our advice down to the smallest details. 

Like his Momma Goodie, Herbie loves to carry toys around in his mouth all the time, especially his soccer ball, loves to eat his food nugget by nugget, loves the water, and just has Goodie’s easy going nature.   I want to send a special thank you out to the Hyspire girls for letting us bring Armani into our breeding program.  We are very excited to watch his children grow!  

Show Wins 1st American Bred Class, Worcester County Kennel Club, Sunday, December 2, 2007, Ms. Maureen Sullivan Gamble (Nimloth) 3rd 12 to 18 month class, Eastern Dog Club, Saturday, December 8, 2007, Lisa Weiss Nolecheck (Lobuff Labradors) 1st 12 to 18 month class, Eastern Dog Club, Sunday, December 9, 2007, Jill Ickowski, (Wiscoy Labradors) 1st 12 – 18 month class Sweeps, Big Apple Sporting Society, Thursday, February 7, 2008, Ms. McLean Best In Sweeps, Thursday, February 7, 2008, Big Apple Sporting Society, Ms. McLean 1st in Sweeps 12-18 class, Saturday, February 9, 2008, Labrador Retriever Club of Piedmont, Dan Clark (Everwood)  1st 12-18 class, Saturday, February 9, 2008, Labrador Retriever Club of Piedmont, Dr. Michael Woods (Waterdog) 3rd 12-18 Class, Sunday, February 10, 2008, Labrador Retriever Club of Piedmont under Mrs. Jackie Hodge (Niken Labradors) 1st 12-18 Class, Saturday, March 15, 2008, New England Sporting Group Association under Ms. Laura J. Dedering (Folklaur) 2nd 15 to 18 Sweeps, Saturday, March 15, 2008, New England Sporting Group Association under Ms. Jean DeGuira (Crossfire Labradors) 2nd 12-18 Class, Sunday, March 16, 2008, New England Sporting Group Association under Mr. Tom Shearer (Bonaventure) 2nd 15 to 18 sweeps, Sunday, March 16, 2008, New England Sporting Group Association under Dr. Kathy Sneider (Aquarius) RWD from the 12-18 month class under Mr. Melvin Beech at the Trap Falls Kennel Club, Friday, April 4, 2008

   

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