Goldens of Influence………I am sure for those of you who have been in this breed for awhile ……or possibly if you are just starting out…….there was/is one dog or possibly one kennel, maybe  more,  that had/has had a great impact upon you  and has been influencial in setting your goal for your breeding programs…….that one male or that one bitch that you told yourself that is what a Golden is to me.    I had such an experience and within these pages of this portion of my website I will present to you those dogs and bitches, those kennels, who set the stage for what I wanted for my breeding program as well as where I wanted to take Quapaw.  When I do not have a picture to share I will tell the short story of the dog that is ever present in my mind.

The most difficult part of this journey is where to begin. I suppose it all began when I saw the most beautiful gold dog while visiting Brown County, IN back in the mid 70’s.  I hadn’t a clue as to what he was , I just knew that is what I wanted.  This want eventually led to RoseAnn Parke of Parkewood Kennels near Indianapolis, IN through a youngster she bred who came to my college psyche class one day with her owner. This meeting brought into my life my first and third Goldens: Copper Shane of Parkewood and my foundation dam, Ch. Parkewood’s Win-Taf Kiss O’ Gold CD OD.  Through the researching of their pedigrees, back before k9data ( actually it wasn’t until after k9data came into being that I reseached Kissa’s ped even further and found that she too went back tot he Westley dogs), by sifting through old books and via friends or acquaintances and handwritten letters I discovered my “Goldens of Influence” (and those breeders who had bred or owned them) who would forever more give me the images of my ideal goldens that I now set my sights on to breed.

I will begin with Shane’s pedigree: Dual Irish English CH David of Westley. Upon seeing a picture of him Shane was the spittin’ image of his multi-great grandsire. Through David of Westley I was introduced to Westley and Joan Gill and have been in love ever since.  Upon further studying and research I came upon Camrose and Joan Tudor as well as Sansue and Val Birkin. These three icons of the breed, without their knowledge, have played a tremendous role in what I have always perceived as the correct/ideal golden in all ways.  Their males who influenced my thinking and breeding were: Eng. CH Sansue Camrose Phoenix, Eng. CH Camrose Nicholas of Westley, and Eng. CH Camrose Cabus Christopher. The bitch that has had the most direct influence  has been Eng. CH Westley Victoria.

The American breeder and dog who has played a large role indirectly in my breeding program  was Mary Luis Semens of old Golden Pines and her boy CH Golden Pines Here We Go Again “Weegee”.   I have always loved the bitches produced by Susan Brown-Leger and Synergold.

Some people like to try to categorize my breeding program but if they took the time to look deep enough they would see what I see, all of the above named breeders and dogs have one very important thing in common: the Standard for the breed. These dogs and bitches, in my honest opinion, are some of the best representatives of the Golden Retriever standard no matter which side of the Pond they resided.  So many people today seem to be blinded by color in this breed as well as which side of the Pond, when in fact they should be open minded and see the standard that is represented and be breeding to it and not worry about where the dog comes from, but what the dogs have to offer them and most importantly, the breed.

On the following pages of this section you will find photos of these dogs and either their pedigrees or links to their pedigrees, as well as some others that are related  and I would hope that once you start looking at them closely you will see what I have witnessed all these many years and that is the similarity of type and structure. In doing so, you will then begin to see the similarities of the dogs within my own breeding program.   One thing I would like to add, which I feel is very important in one’s breeding program is that breeders need to not stop at researching through the 5th generations when choosing stud dogs or purchasing a new bitch puppy to add to their breeding programs but they need to zero in on the 6th through the 10th generations to see both the positives as well as the negatives that will or can come forward.