" I live not in myself, but I become portion of that around me;
And to me High mountains are a feeling;
But the hum of human cities torture. "

Lord Byron

The Kennel is permanently registered with the Canadian Kennel Club  [based on years of membership & numbers of  champions from our own breed stock] and is directed by  the husband and wife team of Rick and Michelle Stopps.

The kennel is physically situated in the "Golden Horseshoe" area of southern Ontario, with excellent access to both the Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Ontario, and also the International Airport in Buffalo, New York.

Located on our home farm, our dogs are exercised daily in our orchards; they are exposed to cows & calves, horses (& a Shetland Pony) , sheep (+ an Alpaca and llamas), chickens, turkeys, ducks and  barn cats "Tigger", "Shadow" and "Patches"!

Our animals are well socialized, with visiting families, prospective customers, farm and kennel help, and of course with ourselves and families including grandchildren !

The love of  animals is  an integral part of who we are as people.
 

Michelle Seaborn B.Sc.Ag., M.Sc., P.Ag. (Ontario)  focused on  animal production systems.
          Her Master of Science degree majored in animal nutrition, with research in canine nutrition
          [The Incidence of Osteochondral Disease in Golden Retriever Puppies Related to Dietary Protein Intake].
          She has received research funding from major pet food companies; & is registered as a Professional Agronomist

     Rick Stopps  B.Sc., M.D., FRCS[C],  FSOGC was a zoology & applied mathematics undergraduate;
          continuing into an MD program and completed of specialty training in Gynaecology.
          He become a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons [Canada], The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of
          Canada, The American Institute for Ultrasound in Medicine, The Canadian Fertility & Andrology Society,  and
          The American Society for Reproduction in Medicine.

         Our interests include the application of advanced reproductive technologies to canines [Gamete cryobanking,
         embryo transplant, intrauterine insemination and reproductive ultrasound use]; we established one of Canada's
         first canine sperm banks (The Canadian Canine Cryobank) which was subsequently sold.

         Other mutual other interests include Silmaril (Orchards & Sheep) & Quacker Box Farms (Ducks)

       Our kennels'  mission statement  is to produce healthy, well socialized, well-rounded Golden
          Retrievers equally capable of work in the conformation and obedience rings or field.

         Of course they are well rounded as pet and companion animals and sometimes as
          special needs animals.

         We aim to apply recognized scientific breeding principles to the improvement of our
          chosen and only breed. We consider the tools of advanced reproductive technology, as
          offering both a blessing and a curse. These tools must be used prudently in an
          established husbandry program.

         We have been licensed as an independent research facility for a number of years, under
          provincial legislation supervised by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural
          Affairs [OMAFRA]; We have had our own independent 'Animal Care Committee' including
          'community' representation.  We have only ever done non-invasive nutritional & behavioural
          testing on our dogs and the care standards listed below should be seen as minimal

         We have been described as -   "As good as any, better than most ...".
          We meet or exceed the minimum standards described in  the :

          Canadian Veterinary Medical Association [CVMA]  May 2007 (" Code of Practice for Canadian Kennel Operations")  and
          The Canada Council on Animal Care  The Care and Use of Experimental Animals, Vol.1, 2nd Edn.(1993)   and
          The Canada Council on Animal Care  The Care and Use of Experimental Animals, Vol.2, 1st  Edn. (1984) Chapter IX  ~  DOGS
 

         We attempt to stimulate discussion towards improved canine care in breeding, including
          published articles both in the print media and on the web.  These articles have included
          general interest articles on Golden Retrievers, and more specific "how to" articles on :

                  Kennel Surveys of Previous Puppy Owners
                  A Standardized  Approach to Objective Kennel Inspections.
                  Dogs in the Information Age - Using Computers to Improve Our Kenneling.

         We regularly post & debate referenced monographs on common problems in Golden Retrievers.