Great Lakes Kennel has grown by leaps and bounds! I have dedicated more than half of my life to my dogs! I can’t believe how much we have grown from my first litter being born outside on a hot summer day in a make shift kennel to a well known, highly reputable kennel with families from around the world! Nothing thrills me more than a family that comes back for a second, third, and even a fourth dog from me!
It all began many years ago with my first Golden Retriever- Smoochie. My family fell in love with a beautiful little ball of fluff! Sadly, less than two years later, she died of Congestive Heart Failure. My family was devastated! At that moment I knew that my calling was to “make” a dog that would live for many, many wonderful years with as little health issues as possible! Fast forward twenty-five years, thousands of dollars, thousands of research hours, thousands of miles driven, countless visits to other kennels and hours of phone calls with several of the top veterinarians of the United States and Canada. I have driven days only to leave empty handed because the dogs just didn’t measure up to my expectations.
Although working with dogs all day is an absolute dream come true, it doesn’t come without much blood, sweat, and tears. My days are consumed with cleaning kennels, washing bedding, delivering puppies, vet visits, phone calls, research, paperwork, and the list goes on! It is a lot of hard work but when I hand that puppy over to their new owner, it makes it all worth it! As I’ve said, it all began with our beloved Golden Retriever, Smoochie. Golden Retrievers will probably always hold the largest piece of my heart, but over the years I have fallen in love with other breeds as well, which is why I have evolved to Great Lakes Kennel. We now offer Golden Retrievers, Old English Sheepdogs, Goldendoodles, Sheepadoodles, Bernedoodles, and Yorkidoodles! By adding the doodles to my lines I feel I am producing the best puppies possible while keeping up with the demands of an ever changing world!
I would like to thank my current Veterinarian. Great Lakes Kennel wouldn’t be as successful as it is without our very dedicated, highly capable Veterinarian Dr. James McCrea. I began vetting with him when my much respected and very loved Veterinarian of 25 years retired! It was he who referred me to Dr. McCrea. Dr. McCrea was everything I hoped for and so much more. He is very good with animals – calm, patient and loving. We have built a close working relationship and I feel comfortable discussing any questions or ideas of my pets that I have with him. His assistants Tracy and Cassidy are just as wonderful. They are easy to talk to and very good with my animals. They are always so happy to see a new litter coming in.
Before being placed in their new homes, all puppies will receive a thorough wellness check at our trusted veterinarians office. We, at Great Lakes Kennel, have been working with Harbor Beach Veterinary Services for several years and have established a wonderful relationship with the staff. Here your puppy will receive an overall physical assessment, their first set of shots, worming, and anything else deemed necessary before joining your family! We are so very confident in the health line of our Great Lakes Kennel dogs that we encourage anyone to reach out to our veterinarians office to hear for themselves! This is the only place I take my animals! There are 4 veterinarians closer, including 1 just a block from my home, but it is well worth the hour drive to get the absolute best care for my puppies! I look forward to many more years working with Harbor Beach Veterinary Services!
Lastly,I owe much of my success to my family and to my retired veterinarian of over 25 years. My family is my biggest support system! They tell me yes or no, keep me in line, help with upkeep, run puppies to the vet, or stay up all night with me delivering puppies- you name it, they do it! Unfortunately, my veterinarian retired several years ago at the age of 83!! Much of my love for animals is because of him. He taught me so much more than he will ever know! He taught me to not let the world change me, and to always do the right thing- and if it doesn’t feel right than it probably isn’t! My happy, healthy dogs are a reflection of him! I spent countless hours listening to his stories and was fortunate enough to work beside him many times. Whether it was giving immunizations, docking tails, removing a fish hook from a lip here or there, or an occasional suture, I was right there gloved up beside him learning and taking it all in – and for that, I am forever grateful!
Contact Great Lakes Kennel if you want to learn more about our puppies or be added to our waiting lists! Our puppies go very quickly and some litters may have a wait time. A deposit will hold your spot and put you in line to receive one of our puppies. We do hand deliver our puppies whenever possible. Our delivery man, Stan, has over 40 years of safe, accident free driving! He is a retired truck driver and takes wonderful care of our puppies and our families always comment how kind and gentle he is when they meet him! We also offer air delivery whenever hand delivery is not feasible and also offer a puppy nanny that will stay with your puppy from the time they leave my hands until the time they reach yours! Call, text, or email Great Lakes Kennel today to find out how to adopt one of our puppies!