Paragon Retrievers and Gun Dogs

  • Home
  • Paragon Retrievers and Gun Dogs

Paragon Retrievers and Gun Dogs We are a family owned and operated full service training, breeding and importing kennel. Training in

04/07/2025
🧡 We’re excited to welcome Zolo into our training program!Zolo isn’t your typical retriever or hunting breed—but did you...
20/06/2025

🧡 We’re excited to welcome Zolo into our training program!

Zolo isn’t your typical retriever or hunting breed—but did you know Dalmatians actually have a history in the field? Originally used as hunting companions, carriage dogs, and even guards, they’re known for their strong instincts and bold personalities.

While our program is designed for British Labradors and other traditional gun dogs, we’re always open to helping dogs outside the norm. Training a non-traditional breed as a gun dog is a bit of an experiment, and there’s no guarantee it will stick—but we’re giving Zolo our full effort and cheering him on every step of the way.

Here’s to the journey ahead—and to the dogs who like to break the mold. đŸŸ

Some families just leave a mark on your heart—and this one definitely did. Their story is full of love, strength, and re...
04/06/2025

Some families just leave a mark on your heart—and this one definitely did. Their story is full of love, strength, and resilience. We’re so honored they chose one of our pups. Our biggest hope is that sweet Jett brings them endless joy and becomes a bright light in their lives. đŸŽŸđŸ’™đŸŸ

Winnie is off to her new home!She’s the first pup from our Gracie x Scout litter to head out—bound for a beautiful life ...
30/05/2025

Winnie is off to her new home!
She’s the first pup from our Gracie x Scout litter to head out—bound for a beautiful life on the lake in Minnesota! We can’t wait to hear all about her adventures in the Northwoods.

We still have a few of her sweet littermates available and ready to join their new families!
If you’re looking for a loyal companion with great pedigree and a lovable temperament, now’s the time to bring one home.

📍 Pickup in SE Missouri

Message us for details or to reserve your pup!

Ezra is getting his snuggles in before his siblings start leaving him. Just about a week and the litter starts getting a...
22/05/2025

Ezra is getting his snuggles in before his siblings start leaving him. Just about a week and the litter starts getting a little smaller.

I wonder where Ezra is going to find his perfect home? Will he end up in Minnesota like one of his sisters? Or maybe in Florida or Oregon like his half aunt and uncles? The possibilities are endless! And where ever he ends up, he is going to a really good boy and make someone REALLY happy!

https://www.facebook.com/100083391022117/posts/668720122584349/
19/05/2025

https://www.facebook.com/100083391022117/posts/668720122584349/

He sniffed out six bombs. Saved twelve lives.
Then a jungle snake took his — one day before freedom.

Fifty years later, the man who held him as he died still keeps the collar.
Some names never made it to the wall.
And some soldiers walked on four legs.

Clayton Ridge wasn’t much for ceremony. He didn’t talk about the war. Didn’t wave flags or wear veteran ball caps. But every year, on the first day of February, he’d climb up into the attic, kneel before a steel ammo box with peeling green paint, and open it like a priest revealing a relic.

Inside: one faded photo of eight soldiers, all grinning. A rusting dog tag not his own. And a collar. Leather, cracked and stiff. On the inside, barely legible:
“Smokey. 458-K9 Unit. Do Not Separate.”

Clayton was 84 now. His knees clicked like knuckles when he stood. But he didn’t cry. Not since ’73. What he did do, this year, was finally sit down at the kitchen table, crack open a yellow legal pad, and write the first line:

“You wouldn’t know his name — he wasn’t allowed one. But he was the best damn soldier I ever served with.”

It was October, 1972, in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

The monsoon had been relentless, flattening bamboo and morale in equal measure. Clayton, then Staff Sergeant Ridge, had just transferred from a mechanized unit after catching shrapnel to the thigh near Huáșż. They gave him a desk job at Camp Holloway, but he begged to stay active. So they sent him into the jungle — with a dog.

His name was Smokey. A Belgian Malinois, they said, though he looked part coyote. Lanky, yellow-eyed, and scarred on the muzzle, with a streak of black down his back like a scorched rope.

“I’m not working with no devil dog,” one of the other handlers muttered.

“Too late,” said Lieutenant Dorman, handing Clayton the leash.

Their first day together was a standoff. Smokey wouldn’t sit, wouldn’t look at him. Just paced in the wire cage, nails tapping like a typewriter. Clayton sat cross-legged outside the kennel for two hours, humming Merle Haggard and tossing bits of salted pork jerky through the bars.

By nightfall, Smokey had curled beside the gate. The next morning, he let Clayton put the leash on.

The missions started simple — short-range patrols down muddied supply lines. Smokey was no ordinary bomb dog. He didn’t bark. Didn’t panic. When he smelled something wrong, he stopped cold, planted all four feet, and stared forward like a stone idol.

By week two, they were calling him “Private Smokey.”

By week four, he’d saved three men.

There was a strange grace to how he moved. Silent. Precise. Like the war never scared him — only disappointed him.

One night after patrol, Clayton was cleaning his rifle under the tarp when Smokey padded over and dropped something on his lap. It was a half-buried combat knife — not American.

Clayton blinked. “Where’d you—?”

Smokey sat and stared.

They found a Viet Cong tunnel forty yards from their last position.

Smokey didn’t wear medals. Couldn’t speak English. But the men saluted him anyway. He slept beside Clayton, nose twitching in dreams. Some nights, Clayton would wake to find the dog staring at the stars, ears twitching at sounds only he could hear.

“You’re not just a dog,” he whispered once.
“You’re something else.”

Smokey licked his hand.

But the war didn’t play favorites. It didn’t care who saved who.

Near the end of November, just after a brutal ambush on Highway 14, Smokey disappeared. One moment he was tracking ahead. The next, gone. No sound. No trail.

Clayton’s gut went cold.

They searched for two days. On the third, they found a village.

And they found Smokey.

The dog was tied to a post, legs trembling, fur clotted with dried blood. Around him, a group of North Vietnamese soldiers were preparing firewood. One had a cleaver. Another was boiling water.

Clayton saw red.

He didn’t wait for permission. Didn’t wait for backup. He charged.
Full story 👉 https://petmaximalist.com/smokeys-last-day/

The new guy showed up yesterday afternoon. He’s here for a few months for some training, but first things first, getting...
17/05/2025

The new guy showed up yesterday afternoon. He’s here for a few months for some training, but first things first, getting to know each other. So we are enjoying a cup of coffee while Finlay takes in his new surroundings.

02/05/2025

And the insane ninja moves today are brought to you by our black collared male. đŸ˜‚đŸ„·

08/04/2025

Owner update on the SHR Paragon’s Esther 4:14 x FTCH Tamrose Aragon pup that we had in for training. We were the first ones to hold Hondo on the day of his birth and he spent the first year of his life with us. He just went home on March 8th. He has adjusted quite well to his new home and has transitioned to training from us to his owner seamlessly. We get regular updates on how the change has gone and it’s like Hondo hasn’t skipped a beat!

That being said, we have limited board and train options currently available, in addition to puppies born last week that could go through a similar training program. Contact Kris and/ or Dawn to find out what the best route is for you!

248-912-0012

Thank you, Allen, Travis, and Jason, for taking the time to support us by writing a Google review! We appreciate you!
21/03/2025

Thank you, Allen, Travis, and Jason, for taking the time to support us by writing a Google review! We appreciate you!

Address

MI

Opening Hours

Monday 07:30 - 18:30
Tuesday 07:30 - 18:30
Wednesday 07:30 - 18:30
Thursday 07:30 - 18:30
Friday 07:30 - 18:30
Saturday 07:30 - 18:30

Telephone

+12489120012

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Paragon Retrievers and Gun Dogs posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Paragon Retrievers and Gun Dogs:

Shortcuts

  • Address
  • Telephone
  • Opening Hours
  • Alerts
  • Contact The Business
  • Claim ownership or report listing
  • Want your business to be the top-listed Pet Store/pet Service?

Share