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I first met Lorne and Joyce Love in 1985 when I purchased my first Labrador Retriever, Ch. Rickways Sandstorm(Blake).Blake was an outstanding hunting and companion dog. Since that time we have welcomed another four Labradors into our home, three of which have been Rickway Labradors. Our second was a female, Rickways Midnite Magic(Riley 1).Riley was a beautiful bitch with a unique personality. She whelped a couple of litters of which we kept a big black male out of the first litter, Ch. Rickways Solar Wind (Teddy).Ted was a majestic dog who excelled in the show ring with numerous best of breeds and group placings. Ted was also proved his worth in the field, he was my hunting partner in the marshes and uplands for 13 years. Our fourth Labrador Jennie came to us 12 years ago. She is the favorite target for our three year old son, she can't move fast enough anymore. But she is quite content to sleep on the couch and be mauled by the kids. During this period of time I got married to Jacqueline and we had a family of our own, Danielle and Matthew. With the passing of our old dogs, the average life of them being about 14 years. We thought it was time to get a new puppy and besides I needed a new hunting dog. In the fall of 2005 we brought home Rickway Lunar Eclipse (Riley2). Our daughter Danielle wanted another "Riley dog", the first Riley was her favorite dog. We forgot what the energy level was like for a puppy Labrador...but it was certainly welcome. Riley is an intelligent dog and a quick learner. With the limited time I have to train dogs these days, I put Riley through a few week blitz course, prior to the 2006 fall hunting season. To my amazement, he pulled it off. He showed a remarkable amount of drive and instinct in both the marsh and the upland. By the end of the season he was showing real promise. The picture you see of him is in Delta Marsh, at the age of 14 months retrieving a Canvasback drake.I should note that it was a freezing October morning with ice forming on the marsh and Riley did not balk at the thought of entering. Hopefully, I can find time to fine tune him and I look forward to working with him in the field. Richard Smith...
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"Riley" |
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