Black Lab, Yellow Lab, Fox Red Lab and Chocolate Labs Puppies and Dogs  by NH Dog Breeder:

Testimonials

Dear Priscilla,

Yesterday, I had the unfortunate event of putting down Kozmo, my faithful, dedicated and trustworthy companion, after more than 13 years of full life.  He was a symbol of strength and was stoic to his last moments.

I'm not sure if you remember, but I adopted Kozmo a man from Milton, MA in 1999, after he and his family could no longer provide Kozmo the attention he deserved - which was so selfless and respectful.  At the time, I was in graduate school at UNH getting my teaching certificate.

Since that moment, Kozmo has been the most constant figure in my life - I have spent more time with him than any other being in the last eleven years.  His presence made a lasting impact on so many adults, children and other dogs.  I just thought I'd share a few of Kozmo's experiences with you, for I know how important the future of your dogs' lives are after they leave your hands.

Kozmo has spent the last six years living on the banks of the East Branch of the Saco River in Intervale, NH - just north of North Conway.  We live on 100 acres of woods with 1/2 mile of river front.  Kozmo has indulged in all of this - swimming in the river, hiking and camping on the land and protecting the front of the house when I leave for school - his dog door was always flapping - opening and closing like a revolving door.

In fact, Kozmo's last breathes were taken by the side of the river, where he would help himself to a drink whenever thirsty.  The sun was shining - the breeze was dry and soothing.  It was a peaceful moment for a dog who dedicated his whole life to pleasing others.  I remarked to my fiancé yesterday, who was fortunate enough to love Kozmo, as well, that he was the most selfless dog - He never growled at a person or instigated a fight with another dog - only kindly redirected a puppy who may have been incessantly bothering him.  He shared his food and only indulged in what was needed at the moment - he was a self-feeder (well, until there were other dogs in the house).  Although retrieving inanimate objects was his passion, he would compete with good sportsmanship and allow other dogs to attain the ball or stick and wait patiently until they dropped it - Kozmo would bring things back and place them at your feet, but was not pushy about continuing the game - if you said "go on," he would happily amuse himself.  One game for Kozmo, was to climb onto a large rock by the swimming hole in the river that has a gradual face on one side.  He would drop his stick in the water, and let the slow current carry it downstream.  Once it got too far for Kozmo to accept, he would slide down the rock into the water, retrieve the stick, swim to shore, roll around in the sand and continue the process again - this could go on for minutes on end.

Kozmo has hiked the Presidential Traverse in the White Mountains, taken a road trip from NH to FL stopping at numerous beaches on the way, boarded the ferry to Martha's Vineyard, frolicked on my parents' 100-acre farm in VT (where he lived all last year while I was on sabbatical to Costa Rica),  crossed the Saco on a Tyrolean Traverse, been to several music festivals and parties and camped in every season - he even has his own sleeping bag.

Kozmo was a loyal and reliable friend.  I never felt bad leaving Kozmo with a family member or friend, for I trusted him completely - he was so present and constant.  He never ran away and trusted me to make decisions for him, although his instincts may have said otherwise.  Kozmo was a hard-worker and stayed with me (or whoever was watching him) while I split wood, tended the garden or yard, built my house, boiled maple syrup or taught school (he was allowed in the public school for about two years of his life).

Kozmo has been with me through so many life changes.  He's seen me go through tough emotional and physical times, and has always been there to hold my hand, listen to my problems and celebrate my joys.  I will always cherish my life with Kozmo and know that I breathed easier because he lived.

Thank you for suggesting I contact the man in Milton and for breeding such a wonderful dog - I am so fortunate my life has been fulfilled by his presence.  His memory, spirit and soul will be with me forever.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Marshall

Hello There,

You may or may not remember me, or at least my wife Fawn. She bought me one of your puppies for a present 2 years ago. She is the one that is in the center of your photo gallery, we named her Guenevere (I use to have a King Arthur).

Anyways, Guen is the 4th dog of I've had in my adult life and my 3rd gun/hunting dog. I have been hunting upland birds for roughly 20 years and have had the opportunity to hunt over many, many dogs of all different makes and models, some that cost thousands of dollars to the owners. With that said, I can tell you with 100% honesty, that I have never had the pleasure of hunting over a dog that is as wonderful as Guen!! I wont bore you with details but for a dog that is not even 2 years old yet, she has not skipped a beat and we have at least seen multiple birds on every trip, both last year and this year so far.

Aside from her ability to hunt upland birds, she has become such an incredible part to our family. Loyal, highly intelligent, protective, WOW, to name just a mere few of the words I use to describe her.

For a few years I had lost the desire to walk through the Autumn woods behind a dog but Guen has renewed that love affair. Whatever you have done with these dogs, keep doing it!

Please feel free to use me as a reference to any hunter or dog lover that asks.

Once again, thank you for everything.

Sincerely,

Geoff

PS: I will try to take a camera with me the next time I'm in the woods and send one to you. It is a beautiful site!

Priscilla:

We all want to thank you for the newest addition to our family. Although we adopted Donovan just two weeks ago, our family wouldn’t be the same without him! He’s a loving little guy who gets into his share of mischief, but that comes with a puppy. Donovan is very affectionate, playful, and just loves to be with us…..every night he loves to curl up on my lap to fall asleep. He is also very curious, loves to be outdoors and he especially loves to go exploring around the yard. For only being a couple of months old, he’s actually quite smart and already understands a lot of what we say to him. He’s great with my children, who absolutely adore him. They cannot wait for him to get a little older so he can sleep in their rooms! We are looking forward to many great years with him.

It was a pleasure to meet and get to know you and your husband. I will HIGHLY recommend you and Canterbury Kennels to anyone who is interested in adopting a puppy, mainly because I was most impressed by how much you really care about your dogs, the care they are given while still at Canterbury Kennels, and the importance you give to making sure all the puppies go to safe and happy homes.... (and also because Donovan is a beautiful and loving puppy)!

Donovan is just a joy, so again thank you, thank you, thank you!

I will keep in touch.

Sincerely,

Nancy Miller and family