Our Story

We are a small, family-run kennel now located in Townsend, Montana, originally founded in Picture Butte, Alberta in 1975. Our journey has taken us from Alberta to Saskatchewan — where we attended graduate school at the University of Regina and worked with the Saskatchewan Parks and Renewable Resources Wildlife Branch for a decade — and finally to Montana in 2008.

After a five-year break from breeding, we resumed our program in 2013, and today three generations of Olivers are involved in hunting, training, and raising Labrador Retrievers.

The relationships we’ve formed along the way are among our greatest blessings. Friends and supporters such as Gunther Rahnefeld, Lyman Turner, Al McKean, Ray Koskinen, Marcy Wright & Kenny Trott, Tom & Marg Murray, and Corky & Marcia Krollman have all had meaningful influence on our dogs — and on us.

A Commitment to Improvement

As our involvement deepened, we found that the rigors of Licensed Field Trials provided the ultimate selective process. Success in this arena requires intelligence, drive, soundness, and impeccable temperament — traits we aim to strengthen in every litter.

One of the most defining moments in our journey happened during a visit with our friend and mentor, Gunther Rahnefeld, in Brandon, Manitoba. I mentioned my dream of one day breeding a dog like his legendary NFTCH FTCH AFTCH Call Me Mister Independence (“Spook”). Gunther turned to me, tapped me in the chest, and said:

“Your responsibility as a breeder is not to match Spook — it’s to breed better dogs than Spook.”

That wisdom has guided us ever since.

There are many Labradors in the world. The last thing the breed needs is more dogs just to have them. If we cannot improve the breed, we have no right to produce more. With my background in biology and Gunther’s influence as a genetics researcher, every litter we produce is the result of thoughtful study, careful planning, and uncompromising standards..