Old Mission Retrievers

11/29/2025

Lovely photo update from Pippin and Bauer (formerly Ash). Hi boys! 💜🐾

11/21/2025

First fire of the season and Tess is having her usual reaction to something new. Can I eat it? No? Boring.

11/20/2025

Grandpuppies! 💜🐾

Information about companion mix puppies , ready to go home January 2026

11/15/2025

This is the first time we haven’t had any boys in the pack. Not sure it’s going to stay that way but for now- we’ve got a lot of girl power vibes going on.

11/14/2025

The grandpuppies are here!

11/11/2025

Handsome Duke (Cortland) enjoying our first Michigan snow.

11/10/2025

Be still my heart.

11/06/2025

Late fall means nobody else on the beach and we can lose the leash.

11/06/2025

Breeding is incredibly difficult - like farming - and other pursuits that rely on nature.

You can do everything right, work as hard as you can - and still- drought, flood, or unexplained bad luck can come along and foil your best effort.

At the Apples 7 week vet visit, this little girl had a grade 1-2 heart murmur identified. This could be absolutely nothing- just a temporary benign sound- or it could indicate a minor defect of some sort.

Both her parents have normal hearts. No other puppies from any of Rose or Valors litters have had any heart concerns. We did have a puppy with a significant heart defect in one of Lucy’s litters- the Apples’ great grandmother. Is this connected? No one knows. Sometimes things just happen.

We won’t know for a few months whether this is even a problem or not.

In the meantime she will stay here. She is a beautiful, thriving active puppy and has been effortlessly integrated into the pack.

As I write this I’m listening to her run laps around the living room chasing Charlotte. It’s hard to imagine anything is wrong with her.

We are praying- literally- that she will be part of the future of the program. She carries the legacy of all our foundation dogs and has the loveliest brave and friendly personality I could hope for.

We will reap what we have sown, and we await the verdict of Mother Nature to learn what that is.

She is officially Old Missions Sweet as Honey Therese- for the Greek Therese “to harvest”.

Welcome Tess. (Also- Charlotte is doing a walrus impersonation. )

11/04/2025

It’s been an exhausting week. Valor and Ginger and I have been road tripping. Both were great travelers! Valor is safely in the hands of his original mom and will soon be home in Texas. Ginger is at her new home in Kentucky. Cortland was picked up here and is now Duke and enjoying his new family in the Detroit area. Phew. Mission accomplished. The Apple litter is in the books and we are on to the next chapter for the breeding program and our little dog family. After a couple days off to rest! 😵‍💫

10/29/2025

Valor is earnestly hoping you all appreciate his slightly crooked diy hair cut. Yes, his mom did cut his hair. 😂 He got a vet check up today in preparation for his big journey home to Texas. We are trying to get used to the idea that he’s leaving. He’s such an amazing dog and I am forever grateful to his wonderful breeder for trusting me with him and contributing his genetics to the Bearded Retriever goals. Couldn’t ask for a better foundation boy to bring solid temperament and great inherent health.