Our Girls
The girls at Overlook are the brains and beauty of my breeding program. They are smart…very smart…too smart! They are independent and confident with an unending aim to please. Their affection knows no bounds and they provide smiles and laughs just in the simple things they do. Everything Golden Retrievers should be!
Overlooks A Long Ago September Skye "September"
(January 19, 2010)
September is a Sutton x Sierra daughter and very much pick of that litter. Not only was she pick in terms of conformation, but she was going to be “picked” given her big mouth and absolute devotion to me. It was amazing to see this adoration at 8 weeks and even more incredible now, because she is “Daddy’s Girl.
September had her first litter in the Summer of 2014 sired by the incredibly handsome, Overlooks Handsome Honcho Brown "Honcho". She had her second litter in May, 2015 and produced 11 wonderful puppies sired by "Tweed" Cross Creek Royal Blend.
September had her third litter in February 2017 sired by Golden Grahams Get Your Motor Running "Bentley." Gorgeous puppies despite another emergency c-section!
As she got older, September became less and less enthralled with being a member of the pack. As tough as it was, we let her move two miles down the road to live with close friends of ours. I see her often and every time I do she takes a sniff and suddenly the tail starts wagging as she realizes it's Bob! Nothing better than that.
Overlook Faraway Storm Clouds Gather "Stormy"
(April 28, 2011)
We call her “Crazy Ass Bitch” because she is so full of life and never seems to sleep. Our Stormy is an incredible dog that is fearless, fun and adores every creature – two and four legged.
Her sire is the incredibly handsome CH Beau Geste Poztvly Gavin @ Wildrose "Gavin" a conformation champion and agility wonder. The combination was perfect on so many levels.
Stormy started her show career with two first place wins in the Bred By Exhibitor class at Specialties just after her second birthday. She also started her career as a Mom with a litter of puppies sired by our Sutton, born in the Summer of 2013. We kept pick bitch, Schayla, who is everything her mother is and more!
Stormy's second litter to our Sawyer, was a beautiful combination of pedigree, brains and looks.
Stormy had her last litter in May 2019. We kept the adorable pick bitch, Sage. Watch for her in the future!
Overlooks As Fast As The Coming Storm
"Schayla"
(July 29, 2013)
There is so much to say about Schayla! She is ball-obsessed. She needs one 24/7 and can fly as fast as the wind when I use the Chuck It and send it way out in the field. She's incredible to watch as she sails over the grass and outruns every other dog at Overlook! But, she isn't greedy. She will always give the ball to anyone who nudges her!
She's also the happiest dog. She always seems to have a big smile and a look in her eye that is pure happiness. She's a very, very smart dog and a quick learner. She doesn't 'test' me like some of the other smart girls. She would rather do as I say without thinking about it in hopes there will be a treat! Everyone who meets her, loves her.
Schayla was an excellent Mom with fertility that was not to be believed! She had her first litter of puppies in September 2017 (eight puppies) and her second in May 2018 (eight puppies). Her third litter was just four puppies (bad timing!) and we decided to try one more time. That litter of eleven puppies (nine boys and two girls) was a complete surprise!
Schayla is a key part of my breeding program. Her pedigree is a testament to longevity and the puppies I've kept and grown (Shelby, Scarlett and Sinclair) are everything a Golden Retriever should be. This girl is one of a kind and so very, very special.
Overlook's Sailing on an Autumn Wind "Sailor"
July 14, 2016)
Like her brother, Sterling, Sailor was the pick bitch from a very special breeding that took me back to my beginnings. She has turned out to be a wonderful dog in so many ways. She was a mischievous puppy with absolutely no fear! She ran circles around her brother and was always 'busy'. Once she discovered the joys of chasing the ball...she was relentless!
I love her and she makes me laugh with her antics and smiling face. I swear she is always smiling. She reminds me so much of her wonderful Mom, Sunday.
Sailor had her first litter in December 2018 and her second in November 2019. She's a wonderful Mom. Her second litter produced the Overlook Dozen! Yes, 12 puppies from this petite Golden Retriever! She had her third and final litter in December 2020 with another Overlook Dozen! Talk about fertility! Her puppies have all grown into the most wonderful dogs with families who absolutely adore them. Just was we adore Miss Sailor!
Overlook's A Summer's Skye At Dawn "Sierra"
(11/26/2017)
This was a very special breeding that took place in Canada. The sire was a very special dog with a pedigree that was a perfect compliment to my Summer. There were four girls and five boys and everyone of them was just what I had thought this breeding would produce.
We have so enjoyed watching this adorable puppy grow and become another beautiful example of what an Overlook dog represents: good health, good temperament, good structure and a beautiful face. I think we are off to a good start. Oh, did I mention she's incredibly smart? Already giving me a run for my money!
Sierra is totally fearless. She loves running and diving into the pool at full speed. She can scale an 8 foot fence in a moment. She's always on the go and ball obsessed. She's a whirlwind of delight. We love this dog!
Overlook’s High Clouds Over Shelby “Sage
(May 22, 2019)
Sage was my absolute favorite puppy from a wonderful litter. There was something about her joyous personality that complimented her structure and beautiful face.
When it comes to being my shadow Sage is an absolute clone of her mother, Stormy, . Both of these girls never leave my side. They won’t go out in the morning with the others unless I am going out too! Stormy sleeps right by my side of the bed and will patiently wait if someone has usurped her spot. Stormy and Sage are very close. Stormy is Sage’s protector and loves nothing more than humping her once a day to keep her in her place! Ha! Seriously, I am always amazed when I see puppies bond with their Mother and stay bonded. It doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does it is magic.
Sage has a very ‘golden’ personality. She is gentle and fun and loves everyone and every dog. In Sage’s world, life is only something to be enjoyed. She can be very vocal when need be. If she is left outside when the others have gone in, she will let you know with a bark that doesn’t seem like it would come from such a feminine dog!
She has been a wonderful producer with puppies that have mirrored her personality. In her first litter, she was unable to get the first puppy out, despite hours of trying. Finally, we loaded her into the car and headed in for an emergency c-section. Twenty minutes from the hospital I saw her suddenly jump up and back in great surprise and pulled over to see what had happened. She had that first puppy, had no idea what it was or what she should do and just sat there, wide eyed and curious. Did I mention it was a very cold November day and I was only in a t-shirt because I ran out of the house in a panic? There I was by the side of the road, shirtless as I used the shirt to get the puppy out of the sack (messy placenta and all), and into my arms and the front seat. I know I must have been a sight to the commuters. The puppy was alive and well and made the drive home very crazy as he kept trying to climb up my chest as I drove like a madman. The rest of the litter was born without issue and Sage became the perfect Mom.
Overlooks Calm Before The Storm “Shelby”
(4/9/2018)
In thinking about Schayla’s second litter, I decided to combine the two lines and breed her to Sundance. I hoped the combination would yield dogs with wonderful personalities like their parents with the terrific structure of both. I won on both accounts.
Shelby was pick bitch of the litter. Before I put any puppies on a table to assess their structure, I watch them move. Puppies that move well are well put together. From there I look for the puppy who moves with attitude and catches my eye. I try to be as honest as possible to pick the right puppy. Often, this is not easy when there is a puppy who tugs at my heart with everything she does, but may not be the perfect puppy to move forward in a breeding program. Then again, with ten puppies running around, my life ins’t too difficult!
Back to Shelby…she had the movement and the attitude. I swear she was always thinking “pick me, pick me!” because she was the rockstar of the litter. She is that and so much more. She’s a very easy going, quiet dog who is as ball obsessed as her mother. She’s faster than most and has the (annoying) habit of stealing everyone’s ball before they reach it. She grabs the ball and will run to a spot where she deposits it and runs back for more. She’s very funny to watch and you always know where she’s been because there is a pile of balls in the grass.
As athletic and smart as Shelby is, when it came to puppies she had issues. With her first litter, puppies weren’t due for a few days. We came home, found Shelby with four puppies on a dog bed in the kitchen surrounded by six other dogs. Two of the puppies were dead and I knew there were a lot more to go. We were able to whelp two others, but he Doppler showed us that the remaining four were deceased. Hours later She whelped the dead puppies but was suddenly very ill. She spiked a temperature of 104.4 and was very lethargic. The four puppies were nursing but she wasn’t paying them any attention. I spent the night in the whelping box with Shelby keeping her paws in cool water and bathing the inside of her ears and belly with the same cool water. I did not want the temperature to spike to 105 which would have meant a trip to the emergency room.
The following morning her temp had declined to 103 and we were off to the vet. The day before, the Doppler indicated ten strong heartbeats, but hours later six of those puppies had died. I needed to know why and assess Shelby’s health. We ran a battery of tests and the results were those of a healthy dog. However, upon palpation the vet thought there was an eleventh puppy and an x-ray confirmed it. Another dead puppy. Shelby was able to whelp it much later on and we avoided a c-section. With some excellent veterinarian help, we’ve decided that Shelby can carry to term, but her progesterone will plummet if we don’t schedule a c-section at the absolute perfect time. We did that with the next litter, though we had very little time to spare as the heartbeats started declining to dangerous levels a day before the scheduled c-section.
Shelby brings everyone she meets a big smile and boundless affection. Despite her horrors in whelping, she’s a great Mom and a joy to live with.
Overlooks Skye of Stormy Weather “Stevie"
(7/10/2022-)
Stevie is a special puppy. She was the only girl with three brothers. These four puppies were the only puppies to survive Shelby’s terrible whelping ordeal where she lost the other even siblings.
When they say “you had me from hello” that applies to Stevie. From the start, she had a face that I adored and a personality to match. I wasn’t going to keep a puppy from this litter because I was keeping one from the litter born just 11 days later. But, I couldn’t let this one go! This was also a breeding that went back to my Shiloh by using her grandson, Diego, as the sire.
Stevie is a very independent puppy. She has a mind of her own and very selective hearing! She has been very well trained despite these faults! In fact, both she and her best friend, Scottie, are training to be certified therapy dogs with the Newtown Strong Therapy Dog group. They are each other’s best friends and can always be found on the same dog bed or on top of each other.
Stevie is very much like her mother, Shelby, in so many ways. Although they look nothing alike, they both love the chase and excel at stealing every ball that isn’t instantly claimed. She’s also a collector of bones, toys, balls etc. Stevie reminds me of her grandmother, Skylar, in both expression and looks. We have high hopes for this gorgeous puppy and will enjoy every moment of watching her grow up.
Overlooks Summer on the Isle of Skye “Scottie”
(7/21/2022)
Scottie is one half of the two-girl-duo with boy’s names (Stevie being the other). Scottie was named in honor of Queen Elizabeth II who had died shortly before Scottie was born. Being of Scottish heritage myself, Scottie was the perfect name to embrace the moment.
Scottie’s mom is the dock diving, fence climbing, ball obsessed Sierra (she is also the President of the Bad Girl’s Club). We are confident (hopeful?) Scottie will never join that club or climb fences. She does love to swim but has not yet tried out her diving skills. She is as ball obsessed as her mother, but hasn’t quite figured out that bringing the ball back is the name of the game!
Scottie is one of the most biddable dogs I've ever known. Her desire to please is all consuming which makes her a joy to live with. Like Stevie, we are hopeful she will one day be a therapy dog with Newtown Strong Therapy Dogs. She certainly has the temperament for it. She loves to place her paws gently in your lap and slowly lean in to nestle in your chest as closely as possible. I swear she has human-like qualities when she does this! And she has those big, brown soulful eyes that defy you to tell her to get down!
Like her mother and the mother’s in her pedigree, Scottie is very special and a standout at Overlook.