Dyna is doing great! She weighs 23lbs even. She still talks alot, and loves to play & eat! She is a blessing to have, she's been easy to potty train , she sits, shakes, stays, & lays when told.Yes her best friend is a yorkies :) she thinks she is as small as him, when we got her home she was the same size as him & now she towers over him, it's adorable the way they play. She has been alot of fun, we love her so much! Thank you for sending us a true addition to our family! I will be in touch.

Tami Benson- Texas

She is laying with her buddy Gizmo (fixed male yorkie)

Briscoe is a huge but charming pup. He is now sitting to greet. People. Learns commands so quickly but forgets them when it isn't fun to remember. He is so bonded to me that he has some separation issues. He has a lot of fun at Metrodog where he gets to play with someone the same size and craziness and comes home pooped and cuddly. He loves Old Ella and is more respectful of her ears and face and wants out of crate at nite to cuddle and sleep w her. Briscoe is the best puppy. Hope u are all doing well and thank the children for their playing with the puppies and making the puppies love people so much. Joanne

Hello Lady, Hank has turned out great. I cannot thank you enough. He has not chewed on one thing, we take him everywhere. Has a great disposition. My kids consider him there brother and they both have great control of him. Looking forward to hunting him this fall. If you got a place for pheasants let me know. Hope all is well with your family. Talk to u soon. Gil

Biscuit is doing great.  He is almost 90 lbs now.  His fur is really soft and fluffy.  He has the sweetest eyes and is very muscular.  His favorite thing to do is go swimming; he is a great swimmer.  His second favorite thing to do is go for a walk or run.  He is a great running partner.  He is a great cuddler too!  He is still very sweet, very smart, very patient, very loyal, very energetic, very playful, very eager to learn, very alert to what is going on outside, and still very much a silly puppy.  He will do any trick for a treat. He loves meeting new people.  He ADORES children and is very gentle with them.  He makes us laugh every day with the goofy things he does, like growling at the couch, or chasing the sprinkler water, or inspecting the vacuum cleaner.  He likes to steal socks from the laundry basket and run around the house with them.  He likes to chase bugs and flies outside.  He never leaves our side.  Everyone in the neighborhood seems to know him as "that cute puppy over there".   We are really lucky to have him in our daily lives.  He is a dream dog.

Janine Broadway

Our dog Honey is a beautiful yellow lab we purchased from Sterling Labs.  One of my goals in purchasing a lab was to train her to be a therapy dog.  Honey has a great outgoing personality, loves people and is very trainable.  Currently, Honey has completed a course in obedience and is now working on her second class to improve her skills.  We are working with a certified therapy dog and handler to teach Honey what she will need to do once she becomes certified.  Once a week we visit a local rest home for her training.  Our goals are to pass the AKC Good Citizen Test, Therapy Dog Certification test, and to compete AKC trials for obedience.  Honey has been a great dog to train and have as a companion.  Cindy

Leslie K. Emery

Hi Mary Anne

Just wanted to say "hello"  We love our puppy she is a good girl named her "SADIE" she attends puppy day care twice a week and is a quick learner.

Everyone always ask me what kind of dog she is because of her color! I have strangers take photo's just for fun when we our out because she is so pretty!

Anita Main

Baja Limos

      Our Dog “Sam”,

We chose Sam because of the breeder, she was so nice and friendly, her family made us feel welcome, inviting us over and viewing all of the puppies, she was not pushy at all.  She allowed us several visits in making our choice, the whole family was great. We had a yellow lab for 12 years and last year he recently passed and our daughter has been ill for about 2 years and I think Sam lifts her spirits, he makes her feel good, when she isn’t really feeling well, he will lay with her for as long as it takes her to feel better, he wakes her up everyday, he makes her laugh.  Sam is very smart, at 4.5 months he sits, lays, stays, heels, and loves to learn, he even knows what his ball is. He does love to sleep (and is a bed hog). But he never means harm; I would say he is a calmer lab pup. Our other lab was very active as a puppy, Sam has never chewed anything that is ours, and he does have toys and a blanket that he loves. I would highly recommend Mary Anne Sterling puppies; Sterling Labs are everything we hoped to find in a breeder. She is very knowledgeable with the breeding and what type of breeding and the different types of labs and delivering a wonderful dog, great personalities, I loved visiting her kennels because we could actually see all of the dogs, and interact with the puppies.

One day we hope to get another and she would be the one we would call.Thank you, so much   love to all     TheWatson’s

     Loomis California

Here's our Sterling Lab "Nellie," when she and her Shiba Inu friend were babies. Nellie's one now, loving life on 15 acres in Sonoma, with our 3 year old yellow Lab Sea Biscuit, our next door neighbor's 1 year old Golden Retriever Bene, a feisty Pomeranian Lobo, several cats, squirrels to chase and a pool to swim in. She is SWEET!    Erin Collins

Here is our dreamy-eyed charmer. A really social guy who won't be separated from us. Comes every time to his name. Not a ball guy yet. Smarty who can and will open child-proof gates and French doors. At just 5 months we are still crating him if we are not home to avoid redecorating our home! Metrodog is a blessing for daycare some days and the next day he is mellow. He still learns commands in just a few tries. If only we can have the patience to continue reenforcing them! Our trainer is smitten by him and everyone he meets enjoys Briscoe. I would reAlly love to know what his litter mates are like! What a special guy. My bad--- i'm spoiling him and I am trying to do better. Regards. Joanne

Mary Anne and family,

We adore our "Sophie" she is such a joy to have around and loved by all.

Our vet breeds labs and is continually infatuated with her beautiful coloring.

He knew of "dad" and is impressed with our treasure! Way to go Rita!

We plan to take a Holiday photo of the girls and Sophie in the next couple of days, will forward a pix

with a more detailed update. Your web-site is great! 

Much thanks for a wonderful experience. 

You, your family and your labs are truly a treasure.

Chris Gray 

We just celebrated our 1 year anniversary with our boy, Luke.  Throughout this last year he has become such a wonderful part of our family.  He’s funny, gentle and loveable.  We love to take Luke to the river where he is so happy to run, play, and swim, yet always has a protective eye on the kids.  We’ve received so many compliments from others on what a good looking dog he is and we can only agree.  He is wonderful to work with and so eager to please.  We couldn’t have asked for a better companion for our family. 

Thank you so much! 

The Naso Family.

Hi Mary Anne,

I wanted to let you know we're really having a good time with Buddy. We've got a dog trainer coming over once a week to train us, I mean the dog. We've installed a doggy door, which he likes. He's pretty much potty trained. We've got him sleeping in a kennel at night. He's a really good dog, the whole family loves him. 

How's his brothers and sisters doing? We have some friends that may be interested.

Thanks for sending us his papers, we did register him. 

Bryan and Shelby Fairchild

A note from the Weber family.

We have hit the jackpot choosing Mary Anne for our breeder at Sterling Labs.  Hank is just the most amazing puppy (what parent would not say this :-).  He is incredibly smart, he listens well, sleeps through the night and is fully potty\crate trained at just three months old.  He is a great puppy, loves the kids so much and learns very fast.  He already knows how to sit, stay, and lay down.  He goes everywhere and is well adjusted.  We are such a lucky family to have him in our lives and are grateful for the Sterling kids spending so much time with him when he was a newbie...many thanks to Sterling Labs for producing great puppies.

I'm not sure what Buddy weighed when these were taken just this week but he weighed 90 lbs about three weeks ago.

Geoff

my name is kelsey and i got   a female choc lab from you in august. i just wanted to send you some pics and let you know she is a very awesome dog and we lover her so much we named her Kabella bear star thompson she is almost 55 lbs already.  She is healthy and very very active she loves all the other dogs and gets along very well thank you so much for my puppy!!

Mary Anne:

I write to thank you again for providing such a wonderful dog to our family.  We registered him with the AKC and his full name is Augustus Pliny Walker aka "Auggie."  He is a beautiful dog with a great disposition.  And, he seems to grow between morning and night getting bigger every day!  Here are a few photos of him taken in the last week.  We'll check back with you again in the coming weeks/months.

Gratefully,

The Walkers

Hello Mary Anne,

Here is Frodo; photos as promised!

Thanks,

Geeta

Dyna is in Christmas stocking heaven this morning! Have a Merry Christmas!

The Benson Family

from Texas

I just wanted to give you a heads up on Molly’s progress.  She has been excellent.  I already have her fetching, sitting, shaking and going to her crate when I say “bed”.  The kids have really taken to her as well.  I have attached a few pics for you and your family.  Let your kids know that she is very well loved and in a great home.    Take care. Steve Brown

Hi Mary Anne,

I just wanted to thank you again for providing us with the best possible companion we could have ever asked for. She's a total goof, a loyal sweetheart, and a kind soul to everyone she meets.

Funny thing happened the other day, and that is that we met a half brother to Honeybear. His name is Leo and his dad is Jeb from Sugar Pine. It was so funny! I was at the dog park, and up comes this adorable little puppy. I was half in shock because he had the same markings and sweet face as my dog. The owner came up we realized that our pups are related. How cute is that? They spent an hour playing together.

I really don't know what I did before I had HB. She is such a blessing and I love her so very much.

Thank you.

Irene

Thought you would like to see Sam he was 7 months at the time of the photo's, he is now 8 months and we will be sending more photo's time to time, he is achieving a great personality and learning quickly. He is very spoiled. However, he does have training classes and so far he has graduated from both and is getting ready to go into advance. He is rather large, but doesn't realize he is a big dog, so he is very powerful when he tries to get close to some. He loves going to the dog park, and he loves to nap. He gets so excited when he gets to go on walks. I think he is very smart, but that could be because I think he is very cute. Take care love the pics and all of the puppies....I read your blog, I was sad, take care and if you ever need anything call me.....love the Watson's and Sam of course...... 

Rhonda K. Watson

Hi Mary Anne,

The family is really enjoying our new edition: Maya.

Hope you and your family are well. - Javier  

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Mary,

These were taken on January 2nd at the Sierra Buttes - he was only 10 weeks old.

I have more recent photos of him.

Now Sutter is probably close to 40 pounds.  We just got back from a 3 mile walk.  

What an amazing dog he is.  Heels perfectly on the leash and follows me nicely off it.  Completely house broken. Sits on command. Loves to run.

And so beautiful.

I don't know much about show quality, but Sutter must be close to it.

Enjoy the photos.  And if you know of anyone looking for a wedding photographer...

Sutter is the most amazing dog that I have ever owned.  He fills a very big hole in my heart.  So smart. So beautiful.  So perfect in every way.

Thanks, Gary

I had heard of dogs that visit people in rest homes, hospitals and disabled children but it wasn’t until we got our dog Honey from Sterling Labs that I began to research just exactly what Therapy dogs do.  The more I learned the more I felt that Honey would be a good dog to do that type of work.  There is a lot of training involved and several steps to be accomplished before a dog becomes a Certified Therapy Dog. 

My husband and I picked up Honey on January 18, 2009; she was a cute, big brown eyed, yellow lab.  I began training right away with potty training, crate training, basic commands and some tricks.  Honey was eager to please and very treat motivated.  She would sit there and look at us as if to say, “What do you want me to do now?” 

At four months I enrolled Honey in a puppy class.  Mostly it was for socialization and some training.  At six months we began more formal training.  In this class she learned her basic obedience skills, as well as, heeling on and off leash.  We did a total of 20 weeks of class ending when she was 11 months old.

During this training time, I tried to find someone who had a Therapy Dog that I could train with.  One day the paper featured a woman who has a Therapy dog and told what she does.   I contacted her and she was very supportive.  I now meet with her once a week at a local care home to train Honey on learning her new job.  She loves to go and see the people and they love her.  The Alzheimer’s patients look forward to her visits and they have a chance to pet her and talk to her,  she also entertains them with her tricks.  She brings a lot of joy to both the patients and staff. 

Honey has also had the opportunity to go to a Harvest Festival at a school for handicapped children.  They also loved seeing and petting her.  My hope is that she will work with both the elderly and handicapped children.  

Just short of one year, Honey passed her Canine Good Citizen test.  This was the first step toward Therapy Dog Certification.  Our next step is for Honey to get her Companion Title from AKC.  She will need to pass three shows in Obedience.  She will be doing this in April and May.  After that, it will be a matter of when she is ready for Certification.  A Therapy Dog tester will observe her three times in various care homes to see if she is ready to be certified.  She has to pass everything on the test; if she fails any of it she will not be certified.

Another part of training Honey is taking her places in public.  She wears a vest that says she is in training and I take her around town to various stores.  While in public, she needs to heel and match my speed whether it is fast or slow.  She has to watch for turns and sit automatically when I stop.  She also needs to sit before going through a doorway.  I have met many nice people when I am out and many ask me questions about what I am doing.  The store owners and employees have been very supportive and are always asking about her progress.

Currently, Honey is almost 15 months old.  My goal for Honey is to get certification sometime between 18 and 24 months.  Then I will decide where Honey will go for her Therapy visits.  As we go along, we will see what best fits Honey and her personality.  Another opportunity we have is for Honey to become a Red Cross Therapy Dog, there she will bring joy and comfort to those in difficult situations and be a representative for the Red Cross.

It is important when training a dog for a job that they get time to be a dog.  She gets to play with other dogs and have time off leash in a field or orchard to run and sniff.  She likes to play fetch and  hide and seek with her toys.   She loves to be with us whether around the house or working around in the yard.  The main thing is that when the vest is on it is time to work and she needs to be obedient and do what I say.  They need to know the difference between playtime and working time.

Training a dog to be a Therapy dog has been a lot more work than I thought it would be.  It takes time, patience, consistency and a lot of love.  The rewards are huge; you have an obedient dog that is a pleasure to take places with you, and you have the opportunity to bring joy and happiness into people’s lives when they are in a difficult situation, depressed or lonely.  Honey and I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything else in the world.    

MADDIE AND GUS PUPPY IS STUDYING TO BE A CERTIFIED THERAPY DOG

Hi Mary Anne,

Bailey is doing very well. She visited my parent's ranch, met our labs and ran around the hills. We will be going back to Sonora this weekend to visit and get her last set of shots. She is adjusting well to San Jose and is doing very well in her house training. She just adores playing with her toys, but most of all I have found she loves to sleep! I have also found she loves to watch the T.V! Thank you so much for such a great pup, she has not cried a single night and sleeps through without any accidents, I am enjoying her immensely. I hope all is well at Sterling Labs. I included a few pictures for you of Bailey.

- Becky Macedo

Hello Mary Anne

Syrah is doing very well she has adjusted to our family and friend greatly.

Loves walking and camping. Took her to the vet for her procedure and she is doing well calmed her down a bit but she is still very fun to be with.

Thanks for a great friend.

Archie (Adpoted a retired silver female)

Pictures to follow

Hello Mary Anne, 

Thank you so much for our puppy. Duke has been a wonderful addition to our family. He has been full of energy and happiness. Each day he has discovered or learned something new; his new thing is sitting by the door waiting to come back in after he has gone out.  Duke is almost 9 weeks old and he is already getting big he loves to play with all the toys and loves to sleep right on our feet.  I cant thank you enough for Duke we love him so so much! He has been full of love and excitement. Heres a few pictures I thought I would share.

Take care 

-Amanda & Bob Apgar

Dear Mary Anne , Briscoe remains the light of our household. At 80 lb and 10 months he is lean, tall and beautiful and still evokes frequent compliments from strangers. He is smart and likes to render his opinion melodically especially If waiting is involved. He helps my husband do his back exercises on the floor each morning chewing a bone next to him--or sometimes he puts it on his tummy. I hear frequent chuckles which I never heard before. I am still having to walk to dog park twice a day for over an hour if I Mean to have some time to do tasks or errands. This remains the most effective diet I know. Our Briscoe is so social that he stops to study each new person that passes and he personally greets every dog and person at the park. We feel so lucky that we have "Brisky" every single day. Hope your family and dogs are doing well. Joanne

Dear Mary Anne,

We would like to thank you, your family, and of course Parris and Buddy for our wonderful puppy, Houdini. We (or rather he) decided on his name after he managed to wiggle the latch to his pen open the first day he was with us.  He's very obedient and extremely inquisitive. Houdini is extremely easy to train and hasn't "destroyed" anything he wasn't supposed to.  He has brought immense joy to us since becoming a member of our family.

I have attached a few pictures of Houdini. He's growing up so fast that it's hard to capture him in all his stages of growth! Currently he weighs 48 pounds and he is just shy of his 5 month birthday.

Thank you!

The Singh Family

 Hey Mary Anne,

I just wanted to thank you so much for Charley, he is the best puppy ever!! He is about to be 5 months old now and is doing great. He knows how to come, sit, down, give us his paw, and lovessss to run around the orchards. I couldn't ask for a better dog. I have attached a couple of pictures for you,

Thanks again!!

Best,

Jen Driscoll

Greetings Mary Anne and troops,

Sophie is now ten months and again we say Rita you have done GOOD!

She is by far the best, smartest, loving and behaved dog we have ever

had.  We went away on a week long college tour and my dad and his girlfriend

watched Sophie for us and they are in LOVE! I will be contacting you soon or they will.

Love to send business your way it was so easy and a joy to work with you and your children.

Hope everyone is well.

All the best

Chris Gray and gang!

Hi Mary Anne,

My Dad and Houdini are best buddies. Since my dad is retired, he and Houdini spend every waking moment together.  On the weekends he's been accompanying me to my boyfriend's rugby games. All the spectators and guys on team adore him.  I will send more pictures as he grows!

Hope you and your family are doing well!

Aziza

(Houdini is a black male from Tonka and Buddy)

Hi Mary Anne!

Sorry we haven't sent you a note in a while to let you  know how Jane Austen is

doing!  I hope you had a wonderful Easter and that everyone is healthy and

happy.  We absolutely love our puppy.  She is so much fun!  She turned 5 months

on the 10th and we can't believe how big she is getting.  It will be interesting to

see how big she is when she is full grown!

We took our 10 day vacation to Florida and she and Ruby (the Corgi) stayed at

home with a 20 year-old housesitter, who spoiled both of them royally!  So,

there was no need for us to worry about leaving her.  

We took her to the river for the first time yesterday and today.  She had a great

time and was so much fun to watch.  We're going to make it a family outing

every weekend now that the weather is better.   She is doing great with her

training, especially lease training.  We take her for an hour walk everyday

(well...we TRY to get out for that long everyday).   She loves hanging out with

Paul in the backyard and the girls in the house.   She is getting much better

house manners too!

Thanks again and have a great week!

Brenda Saldana

(Parris & Buddy Puppy)

This is Sutter he is a Buddy and Tonka puppy at 7 months old.

Mary-Anne:

Just wanted to drop a note saying hello and to let you know that Hank is growing up and is about to hit his 1st Birthday in August.  He is an amazing dog and has all of our friends and neighbors amazed at his demeanor, smarts, and overall good charm.  He's been the perfect pup.  I hope you, your family and your businesses are all doing well.

Thanks again

Sam Weber

--

This is a Bella puppy

Hi Mary Anne, 

I just wanted to pass along some pictures of Pepper. She is a great little companion and having a great time! Thanks again for raising a great little pup! 

Keep in touch!

Kerstyn 

Mary Anne-

Week 1 with Guinness feels like he's been with us forever.  He's sleeping with his favorite toy, a stuffed Mallard, and doing great. Crazily enough, he's slept through the night every night!  

Take care.

Scott.

Hi Mary Anne,

Thanks again. We love the little girl.

Here's a couple pics.

Cheers,

Roy

Honey is doing very well.  I will be setting up some places to visit this month.  We are going to do a couple of Rest Homes and hopefully get started visiting a school with either autistic or handicapped children.  I have a feeling once we start checking we will find many places that would like a Therapy Dog.  We are going to limit it to three places to start.  I am sending a picture I took of Honey that is on her Therapy Dog ID card.

Hope to see you soon!

Cindy Pitter

Hello Mary Anne,

I've attached some pictures of Mariah taken on our rafting trip of the Salmon River in Idaho.  She is a delight - but a pistol - all rolled up in one.  We sure forgot the demands of raising a puppy!  (She's GREAT when she's asleep!)

Hope all is well.

Rand and Susie Dericco

Hi...i hope all is well. I wanted to send some more pic's of Abe. This

is at our place in Tahoe. We are looking forward to his last shots soon

so we can let him out on the beach. Sorry we missed you at the fair I

hope your kids placed well in the show. Talk to you soon. Just so you

know Abe is the king of our little world we love him like crazy.

Mary Anne-

Just sending a recent picture of Guinness. He's 4 months today and doing fantastic. He can't get enough of the pool, but he's a good boy and only goes in when given the ok.

Hope all is well with you.

Scott Campbell.

The Williams Family would like to express our deepest gratitude for putting your time and devotion into breeding your amazing Labradors. On July 9, 2010, we brought home Molly and Gray Bear’s son, who we named Kai Kala. From that day forth, he has won all of our hearts and hearts of many strangers as well. Kai did not take well to his crate but he has now taken over our bed. He loves people and is so eager to meet everyone he sees. He plays with our Chihuahua, Peanut, all day long and we feel Kai thinks he is a lap dog like Peanut is. He verbally argues with our old dog Roxy, over toys. It is the funniest thing to watch. After he got all his shots, we go everywhere with him. He absolutely loves the beach and loves the water. We went to the Foster City Waterfront and he learned how to swim watching another dog dive into the lake for a tennis ball. He retrieved his first ball swimming today. He learned to sit on command the week we got him. He plays fetch just as long as we don’t throw it too far. He has grown to love the beach. He will run into the waves to retrieve his tennis ball. We have bought him so many toys but he is far more fascinated with empty plastic water bottles, little plastic candy canisters and the tags on his toys or rather on anything. I confess, we spoil Kai. He is an amazing dog. At his young age he is so smart and growing oh so fast. So many have told us that our puppy is so well behaved. He has mirrored our old dog's calm demeanor and our Chihuahua's fiesty demeanor. He is now 18 weeks old and weighs 45lbs.

I would like to share with you that not very many people know that Silver Labradors exist. So many have asked us if Kai is a Weimaraner. I didn’t even know what a Weimaraner was. Everyone comments as to how beautiful Kai is. Many have asked us where we got him and we speak highly of you.  Thank you again for breeding such gorgeous Labradors.

We are absolutely and irrevocably in love with our new addition to our family.

I have attached some pixs of Kai. He loves to be photographed...he sees a camera and he poses for it.

We go to the beach at least 3 times a month. It is our time to unwind and play with our dogs. The new house is alot of work with two big dogs who love water. We installed dog doors and it has been a godsend yet a nightmare at the same time. Thank goodness we have tile and hardwood floors downstairs. We had to install a mechanical pool cover so Kai doesn't decide to go swimming whenever he wants. When it was first installed he jumped in thinking it was water and it was the funniest thing to see. He cocked his head to the side and had a very confused look. We all couldn't stop laughing and he came running to us barking like he was telling us that there is something wrong with the pool. He is such a character. When we go out to the beach and park people request to take pictures with him and the little guy loves it. The kids say, "He's like a celebrity". I had a typo in my last message. Kai is 55lbs. We absolutely love Kai and thank goodness for people like you and your family to have such dedication in these beautiful dogs. I love love love  website. No other breeder website compares to yours and we have surfed the net for many breeders not just labrador breeders. Sterling Labs, you guys are the best by far!!! I love to see how your family is doing. I am so in awe at how you do so many things.

Take care.

Always,

Bryan, Rena, Leilani, Adrianna, Frankie, Roxy, Peanut and Kai Kala

MaryAnne:

Toule is probably around 90 lbs right now. Her color is really silver and beautiful yellow eyes. She is being trained to hunt. She is the ultimate actually for her age. She jumps into the pond and probably clears around 12 feet before she hits the water to fetch. She even goes under water if a stick goes there. She has a really funny personality. Good watch dog too.

I have pictures I will try to get them to  you.

Thanks,

It is hard to believe but Honey will be two next month.  We continue our visiting the rest homes, haven't had an opening in a school yet but I'm sure it will come.  I also am getting opportunities to share about Therapy Dogs in several different places.  We are still competing in AKC Rally Trials.  Last weekend we got a second place (I am enclosing a picture).  This weekend we will do a trial at the show here in Yuba City.  Honey has her Rally Novice Title, we are working on improving some other areas so we can move up to Advanced.

I hope that all goes well for you.

Take care,

Cindy

Mary Anne,

Just wanted to say hi and give you an update on Shelby.  She is amazing and everything we hoped for.  She is growing good and we have already been potty trained, and know our commands.  The only one we are still learning is lay down and stay for longer than 5 seconds.  Anyone that sees her is like what kinda dog is she? or how pretty she is and as proud parents we just nod yeah, we know!  She is spoiled and worth everything to us.  Chris and I are going to vegas for thanksgiving and she is going to stay with Grandpa who adores her and cant wait to take her for a couple days.  I think i will count the days until i can get back to her.

Anyways, Happy Thanksgiving!  Talk to you soon.

Chris, Desiree, and Shelby!  (and her snowman, her favorite thing)

Hi Mary Anne,

We just wanted to give you an update on Jane Austen, now that she is almost a year

old!  She has been a wonderful addition to our family and we all love her very

much.  She is smart and eager to please.  She is active, but overall, she is generally

a pretty mellow girl.  

Her favorite activity is swimming (no big surprise) and fetching (again, no big

surprise).  So, I'm sending you a picture of her swimming and fetching.  Her friend,

Sand (the yellow labrador), is in the background.

I hope everything is well with you and your family.

Brenda Saldana

Hi Mary Anne,

Sutter is doing wonderfully.  A very athletic dog, as you can plainly

see.  He runs.  He plays.   And is very quick to learn. He loves Susie

almost as much as I do.

It was about a year ago that we lost our Pete.  So glad that we found

Sterling Labs.

Life is good.

Labs are great.

Thank you very much.

Gary Swenor

Nevada City, CA

Mary Anne,

Happy Thanksgiving!  I have a picture that is really cute of my oldest Jordyn that I wanted to share with you.  She absolutely loves the dogs.  They are young here, and I have some recent updates as well to send you later.

Here is one for the Loved by Others section.

Hope your foot is on the mend and that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Kristi

Hi Mary Anne,

I wish I can send you all the pictures and videos we have taken of COFFEE (we decided to name him that because of his color- well that's with the creamer of course). He's 4 mos and 13 days old now. Last week we were with his vet to get all his shots done, and he weighed at 32.4 lbs and vet asked us to reduce his food.

He knows some basic commands now like sit, down, come and stay, although we're still going to start with his basic obedience class early Jan with spca. I was hoping he could sleep beside me in bed but he snores really loud so he sleeps in my son's room. He loves to run around the house and still likes playing fetch. He loves being around with people especially kids.

He's a very smart, lovable puppy and would certainly recommend sterling labs for breeding good dogs. Thank you very much and happy holidays......

Abdon Family

Mary Anne,

Here are a couple of pictures taken this morning with my new puppy, "Bella Rose". She is so smart! She has been home for 3 1/2 days and is so comfortable here it is as if she was born here. She is such a cuddler, especially after waking up and then the puppy play starts, but I would not have it any other way! Bella Rose has the sweetest face and personality to match. I am so glad I found your website and your puppies. She is going for her 3rd set of puppy shots on the 22nd. The grandkids have seen her on skype and are really looking forward to playing with her. Hope all is well with you and your family. Have a happy and safe holiday!

Kathie

Mary Anne,

Some more pics of my baby. She lays down to drink her water but stands up to eat, that is just one irresistable thing she does. She sleeps like that most of the time. We got alittle bit of snow this morning and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it (you can see her hair standing up by her tail). She 98% housebroken. When she has to go out she immediately goes to the front door and sits in front of it. As you know we have had many labs and we truly believe she is the smartest and catches on really quick. She truly amazes us everyday. Thank you again for such an incrediable puppy and and we are so looking forward to introducing her to the boat a lttle bit at a time this summer.

Kathie

Hi Mary Anne:

We hope all is well with you and your family. We've been meaning to send photos of Porter to you for months now and have finally gotten around to it now that it is almost Christmas. He is doing really well at 7 months, gaining weight (80 pounds) and charm (off the charts) with every passing day. He has brought a lot of joy to our home; we are all totally in love with him! We are met with compliments everywhere we go with him regarding his appearance and personality.  He just came back from training with Dale Roberts. That was the longest 2 weeks for us waiting for his return, but it was well worth it as we can now take him for a walk rather than him taking us for a walk! Dale commented that he is a puppy full of happiness and a desire to please.  Anyway, hope you enjoy the pics, although they don't begin to capture his beauty in our eyes. Thank you for raising and breeding such wonderful pups!

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you and yours,

Laura, Sean, Colin, Gavin and Porter

Mary Anne,

Hope your Christmas was awesome and your new year is filled with happiness, good health and is all you want it to be!  Just a quick update, Bella Rose did not get to see the grandkids yet, my husband came down with the flu the Thursday before Christmas so it was a 1 nite trip for me to the bay area to drop off presents on Christmas Eve.  Ed stayed with Bella Rose.  She had her 3rd set of shots on the 22nd and she weighs 25.3 lbs at 11 /1/2 wks.  She received a glowing report (but I did not expect anything less) on her health, her awareness and her everyone said she has the most beautiful coat they have ever seen.  I sure came to the right breeder to find my Bella Rose.  Her coat is getting a redder tint to it everyday and it bears repeating she is the smartest lab.  She is completely housebroke and sleeping thru the night.

Kathie

Hi Mary Anne,

I apologize for not keeping in touch sooner.  We hope you and your family are doing great.   We named him Sgt. Sterling and most of the time we call him "Sarge".  Our littlest, Emily loves to call him by his full name though! We absolutely love him soooo much!

Sarge has the perfect temperment, he is sweet,  loveable, and playful.  We have crate trained him and that worked great.  He loves his space.  He still sleeps with his blue blankie that you gave him and the racoon that we first gave to him.  Although he is 51 pounds now, his cuddling hasn't stopped.  He still loves to be held and always has to be near us, especially laying at our feet. He is excellent with all people especially kids. He is soooo cute.  We are having so much fun with him, when he gets lots of excersise he seems the happiest!  We also are the happiest, he has a thing for anything paper; napkins, towels, newspapers, etc.  He takes them from anywhere he can find them and shreds them into a million pieces!!!!  Carl and Tyler can't wait to have him trained for hunting, to take him on their hunts!  He also gets along very well with other dogs.  He is everything we wanted in a dog, and we a forever grateful for your dedication and passion in breeding.  We think you have the perfect labs! We could not be happier.  Sarge has been an excellent addition to our family and are so blessed to have found both you and Sarge, Thanks!!

Take care, and I will send more updates soon.

Carl, Ann, Alessa, Tyler, Emily and Sarge  

(

Hi Mary Anne,

I'll send a photo as soon as I can get one of her in focus - she's pretty quick in that snow. She's quiet through the night and seems to have accepted her new surroundings and family. She's doing great at training to do her business outside. We brought her with us to Oakley's weekly training yesterday, and the trainer commented on how well behaved and relaxed Willow is, she looks like a really great puppy!

Thanks and I'll send a snow photo asap, Thom

Mary Anne,

We had a couple of inches of new snow yesterday here in Colorado, and Willow was hanging out by the patio door waiting to go out and play in it. She's quite a puppy, very smart, easy to train and a terrific personality. I have attached a couple of photos of her in the snow.

We love her very much! Thom

Hi Mary Anne,

FYI: Rusty is the best dog ever. Very gentle personality. He is 95 lbs. Gets lots of exercise and has a great personality around young children, adults, and other animals. Like I said he is the best dog ever and very handsome. Will send you a picture on his second birthday.

Debi Gage & Family

Hi Mary Anne~

Thought that I would share some pictures with you of Brodie.  Brodie was from your August 2008 litter…can’t remember the exact litter at this time.  He has been such an amazing addition to our family and has really turned out to be a great upland and waterfowl partner.  Hope all is well.

Brett and Melissa

This is a little girl out of Lacy and Buddy that now lives in Colorado.

I have attached the latest pics of "Teddy" for your website.  Would you have any pics of his siblings?  Teddy is an amazing puppy; gently, loving, trains well.  Thanks so much!

He was born on Nov. 16th., I think to Buddy and Lacey.

Kind regards,

Sumeet

This is a Buddy and Lacy puppy a full sister to Teddy born on November 16, 2010

Mary Anne -

Jake is slowly but surely making the adjustment to City life.

He will be getting his 3rd round of vaccinations on TUES.

Also, he starts Puppy Kindergarten / Training on SAT.

We have a healthy, energetic, and smart puppy.

Hope things are going well in Yuba City.

- Francis & Tracey

Mary Anne,

Would you mind putting this pic in the Loved by Others? I really want everyone to see what beautiful and smart labs you raise from 2 different breedings. Please word the pics however you want.

Bella Rose, a yellow 6 month (almost) pup from Buddy and Abby and Maggie, a black 4 month old pup from Buddy and Lacy. They are best friends!

kathie

Dear MaryAnne:

My name is Paula Sifferd and I purchased a female Golden from you over a month ago.   I just wanted to touch base with you and let you know how much we love her!  We have named her Elsa.  She is such a smart, beautiful and loving girl!

Elsa and I are currently in puppy school, and she is learning fast.  We love her so much!  I have taken a ton of pictures and I will send you some soon.

She of course has been to the vet for her shots and check-up.  I have to tell you that the vet said that you were wonderful breeders because you could tell she was so very well taken care of with her shots and all.  Thank you for taking such good care of my little one. 

Elsa is our joy and we plan of many, many years together!

Thanks again!

Hi Mary Anne,

We have attached a few pictures of Barrington, our sweet boy from the Ruger-Tucker litter of February 2011.  He's almost 13 weeks old now and probably near 25 lbs.  His loud (but perfectly adorable) snoring and dreaming does occasionally keep us up, but he now sleeps through most nights.  He's 99% housetrained, 100% charmer.  Barrington catches the eye of everyone who sees him; those who don't stop simply haven't noticed him!  He loves people, doing tricks for food, napping, eating, and playing with other pups.  He's the smartest and cutest puppy in his class, and is completely unselfish about hugs and kisses for all.  Barrington radiates love, joy, and comedy. 

We've turned into those people who can't stop talking about their dog, but honestly, we didn't know that we could love a dog so much.  Thank you for making us proud and happy puppy parents. 

Hoping all is well on the ranch,

AC and Kim

Hi Mary Anne!  Here is a snuggly one! He loves this little rabbit for some reason.

My new baby is seriously cutting into my computer time, that’s for sure! lol How do I edit with a labrador at my feet or in my lap?? lol

I love him... in only a week. I have a million photos I’ve taken so far ha ha ha

Thank you so much for the encouraging words about my work, it means a lot...I love my job! I meet the nicest people and they send me the best referrals.

Dash is doing very well. I have to say he’s very smart. He’s going to the door to be let out to potty. I taught him how to sit a few days ago. He waits for his food, which is really hard for him, but he’s doing it! lol He’s working on knowing his name from Jetta’s and yesterday we practiced “down” and he’s starting to get the hang of that! The vet LOVES him. All of the staff went nuts over how cute he was and how mellow he is. They call him the little polar bear.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s got his little wild side that comes out for about 20 minutes or so around 8:30 pm. ha ha Jetta is finally realizing that he might be someone to play with now. She’s had to “remind” him a couple of times that she’s the boss, but he seems to take it in stride. It’s been fun watching them play first thing in the morning.

Dash is doing well in his crate, seems to like it there all night with Jetta next to him. So, yeah, he’s a whopping 12 lbs. as of today & everything looks good.

I think I chose the right puppy...

My new screen saver...ha ha

Cheryl Phillips

Elegant Reflections Photography & Design

www.elegantreflectionsphotography.com

Mary Anne, Dyna is growing up so fast, we just love her. She enjoys hunting, swimming, playing with cats & other dogs. We enjoy her so much!

Dyna at hunting and retrieving school! She looks so much like her daddy (Buddy)

Here's some pictures of our new white lab puppy. He turned 2 months old on April 7th. His name is Axiom.

Hi Mary Anne, 

I am sitting on my bed working on a bunch of emails, etc on my computer. Pepper is stretched out on my bed and I had to just share my gratitude for her! She is my bud and I can't imagine not having her! 

Just had to share with you and thank you, yet again, for a great puppy! :) 

-Kerstyn 

Hi Maryanne,

What a great companion Cooper’s turned out to be. He is a shinning star of a dog with the most gorgeous green eyes. He is very popular with the staff of the complex where we live. Everyone wants to get some puppy love from Cooper (including me). He graduated his first round of obedience training which was a cinch since he is very intelligent. We are going to put him in the next round, “Intermediate” class at the end of April. At 8 mos. old, Cooper is going to go on his first chucker hunt. I am excited for him since he loves being out with Mike and he has a strong drive. He is not yet “besties” with the kitty Maisie but she tolerates his existence. Maybe when Cooper gets a little calmer they’ll be able to snuggle together. I’m not holding my breath though.

Cooper has a pet nanny that picks him up and lets him hang out with her pack of pups all day long. She returns him to me tired and happy. She is a God send! He has a best buddy at her house named Cash, a big blondish standard poodle pup that is a couple months older than Cooper.  They romp and frolic all day. I couldn’t ask for more for him.

Cooper is a pretty mellow little dude as long as he is exercised. We take lots of walks together and are looking forward to some spring sunshine so we can go hiking. Cooper has a little bit of a sensitive tummy so we’ve been working on getting his guts back to normal. The vet said he’ll outgrow it more than likely. Other than that he is a growing boy. He was last weighed in at 50 lbs at 7 months old but he was having his tummy troubles then and had lost some weight. He now is around 60 lbs. At 8 months old. I think he’ll top out around 75 lbs. Mike and I have a bet going. He’s really long and lean, well proportioned with a beautiful gate. He retrieves very well and sits and waits for the ball to be thrown. He is totally enamored with us and us with him. He gets very sad when he has to be left at home by himself which breaks my heart. He is kennel trained however Mike lets him sleep on our bed with us.  Last night I told Mike that Cooper needed to sleep in his kennel and Mike said, “I know but I can’t help it. I just love him so much!” He spoiled but not rotten!

Thank you so much for providing such a great addition to our family. Cooper and Maisie are our fur children. We love this little guy and are so thankful to have the opportunity to be his parents.

Karen & Mike Sutter

P.S. Maybe when we buy a house we’ll get another addition to the family from you. Perhaps a little silver lady?? One never knows…

Hi Mary Anne,

I just wanted to write and tell you how much we are enjoying our black lab puppy, Gus.  He is from a Buddy and Lacey's litter of November, 2010.  I have to tell you that he has been the most wonderful dog so far!  He is cuddly and affectionate and also, sweet and gentle with children.  Actually, he loves people of all ages.  We already completed puppy kindergarten with him, and we were impressed with how smart and easy to train he is.  He and our son, Ryan, are best buddies (as you can see by the picture).  We are convinced that English labs are the greatest dogs ever!  Thank you for the hard work and love you put into your litters.  We have been the happy beneficiaries of your dedication and commitment to the breed.  Thank you again, Jeanette

Hi Mary Anne,

I meant to send this email last week.  I can’t believe it has already been a week.  We so love our Chester and Oliver.  They are sleeping through the night in their crate.  We are still working on the house training .   Still have a few peeing accidents, but going well.  They are wrestling all the time – Oliver seems to be the instigator –  (Oliver is higher on Rick’s chest and Chester is on Rick’s legs.) 

I attached pictures of the boys –as you see there is balance in our home again. 

I hope the other little guy found a home.  It really upset me that we had to leave him.  The boys slept all the way home.  We only needed to take one potty break.

We will let you know how things are going – take care.

Debbie Gravely

The little white pup is a Lola and Newman puppy.

Hi Mary Anne!

I wanted to send you a picture of our two four leggers Jack and Ruby!  They turned 1 year old on April 21 this year.  They are quite a pair and were hanging over the gate looking at us as we were hiding Easter eggs today for our girls!  Hope you are doing well, and I think of you often.

Kristi Bennett

Hi, Mary Anne!

I hope that you and your family are doing well and enjoyed a wonderful Easter.

Boulder is doing absolutely fantastic!

We could not ask for a sweeter puppy!

He has not had an accident for a full week and now rings handbells to indicate that he needs to go out to go potty.

He has been my best friend the past two weeks as I work on getting my dissertation off- there is no therapy like puppy therapy, in my opinion.

Boulder has been my constant companion as I work on finalizing these projects.

It is hard to be frustrated with a happy puppy SNORING on your feet.

:)

Jeremy and I absolutely adore him!

The Easter Bunny visited last night and brought him a basket with Easter Eggs filled with Charlie Bear treats and a few new toys.

I think we had more fun watching him crack open the plastic eggs to eat the treats than he did finding them.

He has been a busy boy with playdates at my parent's house to play with his cousin dogs, and trips to Jeremy's parent's house for Sunday dinner with the whole family.

Everyone is impressed that he is learning so quickly, with the commands sit and come down to a science and stay, lay down and shake about 70% of the time.

He loves the hose and instinctively knew how to fetch- and how to use those big brown eyes of his to get us to spend the majority of  our time on the floor with him.

In fact, Jeremy commented the other night as the three of us were lounging on Boulder's giant dog bed that he spends more time on Boulder's bed than any of his other furniture now that Boulder has moved in. :)

Boulder goes in for his third puppy shot on Friday and then Jeremy and I hope to take him on the boat in the next few weeks.

We have already been exploring the boat by sitting in the garage- we plan to take the real boat experience slow, but he doesn't mind the vacuum and loves car rides and so I doubt that the sound or motion will trouble him.

I promised an email detailing our Puppy Shower the week before we picked up Boulder.

We decorated our house with "It's A Boy" party supplies, such as banners and streamers.

Our menu included:

A PuPu platter with Quiche on a Leash, Pupcorn Shrimp and Loaded Pup-tatoe skins

Hot Dogs

Pupcackes (Buttercream frosted cupcakes decorated like a puppy with NutterButter Ears, Junior Mint noses and black frosted eyes)

and of course, Puppy Chow (Check mix with peanut butter and chocolate)

We wanted to expand and include Pupperoni Pizza (with Pupercini, of course), Pupernickle Finger Sandwiches, and maybe Pupkin Pie, but there were not enough of us to warrant such a large menu.

:)

If it were a younger crowd (A family with children getting a puppy), I would suggest fun games like "Pin the Tail on the Puppy" or "Doggie Doggie Where's Your Bone?". 

Everyone brought the new puppy dad lots of toys, puppy pads, carpet cleaning spray, training treats and everything else a new puppy might need.

It was so much fun to throw and to be a part of, and better than that, Boulder had everything he could possibly need all ready to come home to a week before we picked him up.

We absolutely adore our little Boulder- he is simply the sweetest dog we could ask for.

Thank you so much for everything- he has truly completed our little family.

:)

Spreading Smiles in HIM,

Jeremy and Robyn

Dear Mary Anne,

We just wanted to update you on KaiKala. He has grown so much. He just celebrated his first birthday on May 6. He still thinks he is a celebrity. He sees a camera and poses for it. It is amazing how smart he is. Everyone he meets is so amazed at how well behaved he is. We take him to my girls' soccer games and he cheers for them as if he knows that they made the goals. The funny thing is when other kids make goals he is quiet but when mine do he is their loudest cheer leader. He is so animated. When he barks, he throws his head back. We call him a drama queen. He is definitely convinced he is a celebrity. He is now a little over a year old and weighing 98 pounds. He is so very loved in our family and again, we want to thank you so much for breeding such great additions to families. 

Always,

Bryan, Rena, Leilani, Adrianna, Frankie, Roxy, Peanut and KaiKala.

Mary Anne,

Maggie and Bella Rose playing in their pool (Bella is trying to pull it). We took them to a small lake near our house and could not keep them out of the water. We keep watching the weather and are waiting for a calm day when the winds are not blowing and the water will be smooth to take them for a ride in the boat. Bella Rose is now 7 months and just beautiful. Maggie at 5 1/2 months is still growing and just as beautiful. They certainly keep us going all the time and we love it! Kudo's to you!!! You raise such amazing puppies all the while raising awesome kids too.

Kathie

Hi Mary Anne! We survived the trip back to San Carlos. Wilson was tired and slept most of the time!

He’s doing really great. A lot of barking in his crate the first night, but I slept nearby so he knew I was there. Then last night, he went right into his crate, right to sleep. Woke up once each night to go to the bathroom and then slept until 6:00. He is full of energy and Logan and Savannah are loving him! They’ve already had a couple of friends come to visit and are so happy with their new brother.

Here’s a link to all of the pictures we’ve taken so far, and I attached a couple of the cute ones! Have to get some better ones with my kids with him.

We’ll continue to send pictures and update you on how the trip to Maryland goes!!

Thank you again so much for all the time you spent with us. It really made a difference for our family.

Lynn, Max, Logan and Savannah

Hi Mary Anne,

A couple of pics for you of your Sterlings Coppertone Tan.  Copper is a really happy puppy. 

I swear I can see him growing daily.  He is already bigger and taller than he was less than a week ago!

Copper is truly a beautiful pup and his temperament seems to be the ideal lab temperament = spunky, confident and full of it, but also a very sweet and mellow boy!

He is *not* hyper as far as I can tell (usually the hunting lines are more hyper).  He has tons of energy and an amazing presence!  He is just an ideal lab as far as I can tell at this stage!  Yay!

We have lots of beautiful grass for him to roam about (with my constant attention). He loves Bailey's old x-lg. kennel in the master bedroom to sleep in at nite with a nice comfy sheepskin pad and his blankie you sent us home with!  They love their kennels.  He is getting used to "da pen" or the large exercise pen.  haha!  He is lucky that I am here 24/7 and only have to leave him for a couple hours at a time max... 

I am feeding your kibble (+ mine) with boiled boneless skinless chicken breast, rice and chicken broth like I always have...he loves his food!

He is such a happy boy, and he and Bailey are bonding more and more every day!!   He loves to climb on her. It's labrador love..

Thank you so much.

Hi Mary Anne:

Stella is almost 8 months now! She is from Molly and Tucker (12/19/10) and is a wonderful dog. Very smart and willful but doing a great job at training. She learned to retrieve the newspaper at 9 weeks.  She is very affectionate and wants to please. She goes to work with me every day so she gets lots of attention.  We keep her tired with lots of exercise to control her chewing tendencies. She plays vigorously with other dogs and is a very happy girl. She is about 55 lbs so far.  She has been to Tahoe several times -- enjoying both snow banks and mountain lakes. She is an enthusiastic swimmer. She is admired and adored. Thanks for raising a great puppy.

The Smith Family

Hi Mary Anne and family,

We recently returned from camping in Yellowstone and Auggie saw his first buffalo. He was quite excited. He recently turned 2 and I thought 

you'd like to see him today. He is from Jeb and Maddie's litter, and has turned out to be very strong and big. He has the most gentle disposition and

loves kids and other dogs.  He's got a great deep bark, but only barks when appropriate. Otherwise he is so quiet and watchful. He is absolutely

the smartest dog we've ever owned. We did quite a bit of traveling this summer with him, and he travels better then the kids! Anyways, just wanted

to share his birthday picture (we threw him a party) and a few of him camping and having fun. Thanks again for Auggie. He's the best and I can't

imagine our family without him!

The Walkers

Hi Mary Ann,

I thought I would send you a picture of Libby so that you can see how much she has grown.  I'm sure at some point you lose track of your pups.  Libby is from Newman and Parris' litter back in April.  She is 4 months old now.  :)  In between her last 2 vet visits (3 weeks) she gained 8 lbs.  Wow! She is now 25 lbs.

As I am sending this picture I have a question for you too.  After having her home just 3 weeks she was sleeping through the night and was potty trained.  She is just now already sitting on command.  Good dog!  :)  However, we are having a big problem with her nipping at us - not just the usual mouthing/chewing that pups want to do.  She's nips sometimes in a playful way and other times it seems it's just her way of getting out attention.  We have tried everything under the sun to try and stop this behavior.  We've read different ideas on the internet and in books, but have not come up with the solution.  Some ideas we have read and tried  are "yelping" when it hurts (like a pup would), putting our thumb under her tongue and finger under chin (pinching a bit), popping her on the nose, walking away and ignoring her/not playing anymore.    Of all the behaviors to break in a pup this is definitely the one we want fixed as she sometimes draws blood on visitors.  I feel so bad when they are just trying to pet her.  It's not meant in a mean way, just her way of greeting people - not good.  Any ideas you may have would be greatly appreciated.  :)

I hope you and your family are doing well.

Sharon Ruswinkle

Hi Mary Anne,

Willow made her first trip to the river with us on a fly fishing trip this past week. She was off leash the entire time and stayed right with me in and out of the water. She couldn't be any easier to train, and she loves to swim. She is quite a dog, very intelligent and cooperative. At night in the camper, she was completely worn out, sound asleep on her back and snoring, it was pretty funny. Here is a link to some pictures.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.268701386490318.84928.100000513767162&l=f81c377af6&type=1

Thom

Hi MaryAnne,

We just wanted to send you a few photos of Rex (from Paris and Newman litter - born Easter Sunday). What a JOY! We are having so much fun with him and he is having so much fun with us! He has settled in very quickly. He loves to stay by our side - helping me with everything - from letting the chickens and goats out in the morning to watering the garden to helping Dan wash the truck! He enjoys the farm life - spending a considerable amount of time each day trying to figure out a way to get into the chicken coop! The kids are in love with him - and he is so good and sweet with them. He is an absolute lap dog. We tried to keep him off the couch but that is his favorite place to be - up on the couch with us. He even loves his crate - at about 9 p.m. each night - he walks back to our room and goes in to go to bed - all by himself. We’ve started to leave the crate door open at night (trial run) - and last night we woke up at 4:30 a.m. to find him not in there. He was sound asleep on the couch in the living room! He just had his 4th puppy shot (final parvo vaccine) so we have started to take him on local hikes - which is a lot of fun for all of us! As you know from our conversations - I did so much research over several months on finding a labrador puppy to suit our family and we couldn’t be any happier that we found you and ultimately Rex. Thank you! The McCulloch Family

Good morning ,

It is nice to have you in my contact data base. I wanted you to know that Buddy has turned out to be a wonderful dog. He is huge and is about 130# lbs. and is solid muscle, he has the run of 100 acres and a large pond to swim in everyday. He climbs to the top of stack of hay to lokout over his property, he chases everything ,but our sheep. I’ll have to forward you some recent pictures.

Regards ,

Mike

Sorry for my delay in sending you an email regarding sweet "Auriel". We named her Mabel. Or her full name of Mabel Flora Fauna Merryweather. She is such a delight and we LOVE her so much. She has been an amazing puppy. She has lots of people to love on her at our home in Austin, TX. We have a blended family of 9….some are in college! I wanted to send you a couple of pictures of her with the kids and our family. She had her 11 week appt today and is a healthy little Miss. She loves being inside because it is much cooler but also enjoys outside and really liked the cooler weather we had last week. She shares the house with four inside cats. And, they all have learned quickly to get along. Our big Himalayan George will even play with Mabel giving her a few swaps across the face with clawless paws! Of course, Mabel feels cheated when George jumps up on the table to safety!

Anyway-We are so blessed to have found you all and Miss Mabel. I look forward to her sleeping through the night - its like having a newborn again. Ha!

Again, Thank you very much for sweet Mabel.

Best,

Suzanne Freid

Hi, MaryAnne...Hope all is well.

Copper is doing great.  (Newman x Natalya - 19 wks. old)

He still loves the water and we are at the river every morning and the beach atleast once per week...

I love that we have such amazing, long, white-sand beaches here in Northern Cali...

Amazingly beautiful, and you can have much of the beach to yourself which is great with dogs.

Valerie Harris

Mary Anne, this is a flashback of my Briscoe Roberts.  My son Ben is putting him to sleep by rubbing his jowls! Is it any wonder why we are so in love with this Dog even if he is 120# and nearly 2 and a half. Joanne

Hi Mary Anne, our mom was surprised and very happy. She is quite, but very playful and very cute. Thank you for all your help and we will keep in contact in case we need you. Here's a picture.

Mary Anne,

Bella Rose turns 1 tomorrow so here is a pic for your "loved by others" page. She is such a sweet, mellow, easygoing girl. She is so athletic and smart too! Also here is her buddy Maggie, now 10 1/2 months old. She also is sweet, but definately likes things her way! Hope all is well at the ranch.

Kathie

Dear Maryanne:

Hello from Africa.  We just wanted to send a picture of Indy, a pup from Rita's last litter.  We dressed her up for Nigerian Culture Day at the American School.

Indy arrived here almost two weeks ago,  and she has adapted quite quickly to her new environment.  She loves that she can chase the birds on the back part of our compound.  There are many dogs for her to play with, and she is very social.

From the day we brought her home she has bonded with our two boys.  She follows them wherever they go and loves to just lay at their feet.  People who see her are so impressed with how smart she is, she has understood sit since the day we brought her home. 

We thank you very much for the care and love you put into breeding your labs.  It was a big decision to get a dog, and bring her overseas, but it has made a huge difference making our house a home.

Thanks again.

Helen McCloy

Hello,

Just giving you an update on our precious puppy KeeKee. 

She is officially a Bay Area Pup!  The weather hit 90 and she was hot, tired and miserable just like the rest of us born and breed bay area brats. J

She just loves her big sister and her new toy.

 

And we just love her………………..

She’ll go on her first camping trip this December (South for the winter).  Hoping she’ll adapt to the Trailer.

Thanks again,

Cathy Domon

Good Afternoon Mary Anne -

This email is long overdue, but Darien and I wanted to share an update with you regarding Roscoe.  We adopted him in February 2010 from Sterling Labs.  His parents are Buddy and Parris.  Roscoe has been a great addition to our family.  He adapted very well to our cat and kids.  What we thought would be Darien's dog has ended up with him favoring me.  This is very different for me as I have been more of a cat person.  Then came Roscoe and he stole my heart.

Roscoe will soon be 2 years old on November 10, and we are starting to see him settle down (a/k/a grow up).  He is long, lean and tall and weighs 73 lbs.  He loves swimming, chasing any type of balls and his daily walks.  While he is quick to learn, he doesn't like to follow direction....of course, that might have to do with his owners being consistent with his training and discipline!!!  

We are seriously considering getting Roscoe a brother and have been checking your website regularly.  Don't be surprised if you get a call from Darien!!

Wishing you and your family the very best -

Amy, Darien, Kaitlyn, Brian and Roscoe Patterson

Hi Mary Anne,

Honey and I had a great weekend!!  Honey completed all of the Novice Obedience levels and now has her AKC Companion Dog Title.  She did a super job getting first place both days!  I am so proud of her!  We are now going to have some fun and take Agility classes.  We also will begin training for AKC Open where she can earn a Companion Dog Excellent Title, our hope is to complete that next year.  We also continue to do Therapy Dog work visiting three different facilities each week.  Hopefully, sometime in the future an opportunity will open up at a school for us. 

Thank you for raising such super dogs.  Sterling Labs is getting recognized in the Obedience rings!

Cindy Pitter 

he is doing so well..i love him. he is such a big helper his learning to go get things by name and bring it to me. last night he brought me the news paper.

This is a Parris & Newman puppy, being used as a service dog.

Mary Anne,

Lexi is doing great! She already barks at the door to go out potty, and has slept 4 hours during the night without any accidents. She loves to fetch and play with the kids, and sleeps a lot. She loves sleeping by her food and water!! Thanks again for a great puppy!

Mike

Roxy & Downtown Brown Puppy, only 8 weeks old

Mary Anne,

  Lexi had her 9 week check up and did great. The Vet loved her and she was so well behaved. She always is by somebody at all times. helping my wife Ana outside or playing with the kids. I have been training her for a week straight. She knows sit, stay, and can fetch when she wants to. Here are some photos for you, some are from the back yard where she loves to play! Have a great weekend.

Mike, Ana, Sylvia, Jacob, and Lexi

This Kona she is a Tonka and Buddy girl

Hello MaryAnne

    My name is Erin Thomas and I called you today.  We named our lab Tazzie and we registered her with the AKC and all that good stuff.  She has completed a basic manners class with 4 paws obedience training and she is closing in on 6 months as she was born 5/8/2011.  Kiley Clark and I came to the farm on 7/30/2011 and picked her up.

I have some fun pictures of her to share with you.  She has a great personality. The vet has told us more than once, "It is too bad that all people who get a lab don't get one as calm as yours.  If they did they would not encounter behavioral issues and other problems."  She is potty trained and sleeps in her crate each night. We have a lab mix that is 8 years old (black female) that loves her and they play and have fun.  She is great at sitting and is learning to lie down upon command.  

We thoroughly love her and we are so glad we have her.  I have attached four pictures.  Two of which feature her playing with and loving her new sister Skates (our lab mutt), we got the Lab mutt from the SPCA a little over 5 years ago.  She is sweet, and often slips around on hardwood/tile floors so we named her Skates.

Tazzie holds her footing on hardwood floors and conquered jumping onto the bed (which is pretty high) this past Friday.

I will let you know how nose training goes and if she proves to be worthy of search and rescue or anything else.  No matter what, she is great and I will be glad when she has healed from her spay surgery and the silly parasites she has encountered. Giardiasis was diagnosed in late August, then Coccydia, and now the (hopefully final) Sacrocystis will be treated with pancrasafe (sp?) starting Monday if it doesn't have any adverse effects with her current Rimadyl (for inflammation of the spay incision). 

Obviously we have had rabies shots and also her DA2PP-L vaccines. Besides the ones you finished off for us the day we purchased her.  She is a wonderful dog and is learning more and more each day.

We will send you more pictures of her with the new baby once he (the baby) arrives in March.  

Thanks for all the advice you gave me and may find in the future,

Erin Thomas

Mary Anne. Just thought we would send a picture of Rocco he is now 7 months old he was one of Rita's and Fuzzy's puppies

Hi Mary Anne! I just wanted to update you on Gretchen (from your Parris & Newman litter born on Easter Sunday 2011). She has grown to be such a wonderful puppy and a great member of our household.

My plans to go back to school in Southern California and take her with me fell through for a variety of reasons, but that's ok because she is so attached to my parents, my siblings, and her 9 year old Sheltie big brother. She really is a part of the family. She used to be an absolute terror when she was younger, but she is such a sweet and cuddly girl now at 6 months old. Granted she still likes to destroy things sometimes if she hasn't gotten her morning play time in at the dog park, but we are working on that. She is so smart and she knows her daily routine.

She follows me everywhere I go in the house, and she likes to sleep next to me on the couch when I'm watching TV. And when it's bed time, she'll follow me upstairs and park herself at the foot of my bed. I've tried bringing her up on my bed before, but for whatever reason she is more comfortable on the floor. She has also started to go in her crate less and less (and she used to love it). I think it's because she is getting so big and there is hardly enough room to stretch out in it anymore, despite being a large size crate. She weighs 48 pounds at the moment. She is my big baby and I can hardly pick her up anymore! She is such a beautiful girl too, and everyone who meets her tells me she is gorgeous. One dog park mommy even said Gretchen looks like one of those puppies on toilet paper commercials.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you again for the work you do and for having such wonderful puppies. Gretchen is a special girl and we are so thankful to have her.

-Debbie Powers

Mary Anne,

  Lexi is doing so good! She sleeps through the night with no accidents, over 7 hours for almost a week straight. She learns so fast, and we just love her. here's some photos..

Mike & family

Joe and I wanted to just send a quick hello and give you an update on maggie, she's 16 weeks tomorrow and doing amazing. She retrieves her bumper, sits and stays. He's eating healthy and has a great personality. Her, tig and our kitty have a great bond. Attached are some pics, hope all is well

Hi Mary Anne,

Sounds like you'll have your hands full in a few weeks with all the new pups coming! Just wanted to give you a quick update on Gus.

We absolutely love him! He is the star of his puppy class as everybody pretty much stops training to give him hugs! He has learned sit, shake, and is trying very hard to be a good leash dog. He is doing great with the potty training, but we might give it a few more weeks before we get the carpet cleaned, just in case. With the colder weather he has become quite the cuddler, snuggling up at our feet while he works on a bone or chew toy or our fingers, as he still loves to bite our hands with those razor sharp puppy teeth!

He has also decided that he loves the fall season. He loves it so much, that he wants to make it autumn inside by bringing in all sorts of leaves, twigs and branches into our home!

We have submitted him to dailypuppy.com. You can check him out here:

http://www.dailypuppy.com/profile/dog/62738

I'll let you know if he makes it as a featured dog. I can't imagine why he wouldn't!

Oh, and false advertising on the mellow part! He is far from it! I think he's just excited to be in such a loving home!

Thanks again for such an amazing puppy!

Chris Melhus

Hey Maryanne! Long time no talk! I just wanted to update you on Charley as he is turning 2 years old today. He is the most amazing dog I have ever had in my life and I am actually expecting a girl Jan 5th. I am excited to have a new addition to my family and Charley is as well. I just had my first maternity photoshoot and of course I had to include Charley. They are being edited so I will share with you as soon as they are done but wanted to say thanks again and let you know how happy I am!

Best,

Jen Driscoll

Every morning here is beyond words....redwoods, ocean, river...such a great place to raise a puppy, Mary Anne.

My little Copper aka Coppertone Tan is quickly turning into a *big dog*, haha!  Look at that confirmation.  Gorgeous...

He's beautiful, smart and responsive...aims to please (for the most part, ha!).

Swims great already and a true retriever.  I love his dark markings.  And his smile!!  He still has a "natural" smile which accents his personality..happy boy.

Thanks for him.

xoxo

Hi Mary Anne,

Just thought I send you a couple of recent pictures of the "girls".  They are growing sooooo fast.  Truth is, I did not realize they grow so fast.  Cally is about 21lbs and Chloe is about 27lbs.

They are a lot of fun and learning a lot fairly quickly.  They are pretty much potty trained.  As in they know to walk to the end of the wall, about 30 feet down the driveway, to the dirt to to their business.  It is fun to watch them expand their world.  At first anything 5 feet out of their view was a world away.  Now they climb up and down the hill (about 40-50ft) to visit each other in the morning.

We are enjoying them quite a lot.  As are our extended families.  The girls went to my in-laws for puppy sitting, for a few hours today, as Greg & Paul both had to work.  Ridiculous!!! :)

Cheers!

Linda Lee

Hi Mary Anne:

Our beautiful chocolate, Stella (from Molly and Tucker 12/19/10), celebrates her first birthday in a few weeks, so I thought I would give you a progress report.  Besides her stunning beauty, she has the sweetest disposition and is too smart for her own good.  She is a demanding member of the family, requiring daily vigorous walks and playdates with her doggie friends.  Her jaws of steel continue to leave a path of destruction, but that can be avoided by keeping her well exercised and not bored.  There is nothing cuter than following her on her morning routine of getting the paper and then running down the hall to wake up our 11 year old by jumping in bed with her and licking her face.  She graduated from two sessions of obedience school which has fortunately made a lasting impression on her behavior.  Needless to say, she is hugged and kissed all day long, and she returns those favors in kind. 

Elisabeth Jewel

P.S.  I noticed on the website several posts from Joanne who owns Briscoe.  It looks they live close to us, and Joanne was asking if there are any siblings close by.  Any chance you could hook us up?

Mary Anne,

  Hope all is well with the family. Lexi is doing great and we had her last shots and are now able to let her play with other dogs. My brother brought over his yellow and his black labs to visit with Lexi. She immediately started playing with them as if they were her littermates from 2 months ago! She is completely housebroken and can hold for 7-8 hours a time. So smart and just a sweet addition to our family. Knows all the basic commands and is excellent on leach. Everyone that meets her cant believe how mellow she is. Thanks for the wonderful dog! Happy Holidays to you all! ( she is 43lbs at a week shy of 4 months old)

Mike And Family

This is a Maddie and Newman girl sleeping by the Christmas tree.

This is a Pippi and Newman puppy keeping his buddy company while he sleeps.

Mary Anne, thank you so much for the visit today! We are so excited to surprise the boys with Cali Rose for Christmas! I'll wrap up this collage and a collar with her name on it and knock the socks off of them! You both are so kind and patient! We are THRILLED to be taking this journey with Sterling Labradors!!! THANKS A BUNCH!!

Wishing all of you a happy, healthy and peaceful holiday season.

With love,

Kim, AC and Barrington

Hi Maryanne,

I wanted to give you an update on our sweet little Cooper. (Roxy and Greybear August 2010 litter). Oh how we love him! With a face like his how could you not? He is a charmer and he loves to be around people. He is naturally gentle with children and I love to see him interact with my nephew who is 3 years old. The two of them “rough house” and play fetch until they both pass out. He is almost 17 months old now and weighs about 60 lbs. He hasn’t grown much in height lately but is starting to fill out. The vet said he is not going to be a very big boy, but she said about eight times, “He looks GREAT!”.  He out grew the sensitive stomach and we are slowly weaning him off of the prescription diet he was on for the last few months. So far, so good.  He is absolutely gorgeous now. We call Cooper the ”blue dog” because his coat is so shiny it almost looks blue in certain light. He still has those beautiful green eyes, one of his most complimented features. I hear all of the time that Cooper is a fine specimen of an American Chocolate lab. I think he is beautiful inside an out! He is a total goof ball and I love it… you’ll see in the pictures.

Cooper has gone through three rounds of training, Beginner and Intermediate (twice), don’t worry he passed both times. He is not quite ready for the Advanced class yet. He’s still a little young in the mind for that. The trouble with Cooper is that he is VERY smart. He can open all of the doors in and out of the apartment which means nothing is safe or off limits. ).  We drop in to the Intermediate classes often to do reinforcement training for him as it is free. He sometimes needs the reminder. He’s like a teenager right now and his brain is full of testosterone. I think this summer he’ll be ready for the advanced class and to test for his CGC (Canine Good Citizen award.) That’s our goal any way. I would love for him to be a canine companion to work in classrooms with kids that are learning to read. He would love that and so would the kids.  He and Maisie (the cat) still aren’t great friends but I think that is mostly for show. I catch them nose to nose under the baby gate to Maisie’s room almost every day. He waits by her door to say, “Good Morning” every day too.  I think Maisie just antagonizes Cooper to get him in trouble ( Lady and the Tramp style.)

According to Mike Cooper is a ROCK STAR of a hunting dog. He took to it naturally and has done great on all of the hunts he has gone on. He’s out-hunting the pointers. His long, lean body style is great for upland game hunting. Mike thought that he would need an ECollar to help train him but Cooper just knows what to do.

We had a great spring and summer this year! Cooper got to go hiking every weekend and when it was too hot to hike he got to go hiking to the lake. I never saw a dog swim so much! He loves the water, and living so close to Lake Tahoe we have prime hiking and swimming country to explore. He is so well behaved off of the leash that I don’t even worry about him.

I take him to the dog park when I’m off of work and let him romp. He is not “fixed” yet so sometimes it is a little more hectic than others. Who knew those things would cause so much trouble? He still goes to daycare every day that I work. He has his pack of dogs over there. The pit bull Oreo is the dog Cooper loves the most, but Oreo is older and could care less about Cooper. Good thing Cash the Standard Poodle is around to keep Cooper entertained. Julie, his pet nanny, tells me the stories about their maniacal games of tag. Like I said before, she is a God send and we love that we are able to send him to her house every day. She loves him as much as I do, which is a lot!

We are looking to buy a house this year so we will be ready to get Cooper a buddy in the near future. I’ll let you know when we’re ready so we can get another dog from you.

Also, we are wanting to breed Copper and I wanted to talk to you about it first. 1. Is it ok with you if we breed him? 2. Do you know of any great dams to breed him with or of any connections that would help us find him a good dam? 3. Would you be interested in using him as a stud? I know that you take pride in your breeding and you know where his lines come from. I also know that you have retired Greybear so Cooper is last of his line concerning his father’s blood line. If you would not like us to breed him that is ok too as it will just answer the question, “when to get him fixed?”. One way or the other he is getting bred and fixed or just fixed. I can’t stand his little hairy bits staring at me anymore. J

Thank you for your responsible breeding and for the lovely companions that you have made for so many of us. We love our little brown dog and thank you for him. Pictures are attached! The one with Cooper and the birds is from his first hunt. The one with the hat is his birthday!

Karen & Mike Sutter

Hi Mary Anne, hope you and your family had a nice holiday! Just wanted to forward you a picture of Wilson from the holidays. He still continues to be the mellowest of dogs and wonderful with the kids. He’s about 65 pounds by now (we haven’t weighed him in a couple months, so he is probably more). And still has lots of skin to grow into!!!

Happy New Year!

Lynn, Max, Logan and Savannah Meadow

Not long!! She had him sitting and staying before we even took him to puppy classes! He is definitely very easily trainable and puts up with all the kids stuff!! Sometimes, they like to lay toys on top of him when he is sleeping. He just opens his eyes and lays still!

Hi Mary-Anne

We LOVE our little puppy Kona from Ruger & Tucker's July 2011 litter. He has such a wonderful personality and LOVES to meet new people & dogs. Kona stopped going to the bathroom in his crate 3 days after we got him & was housebroken in about 2 weeks!  He is so smart ... actually best one in puppyclass (I know all moms would say that but he just listens so well!).

I love to take Kona in the car with me ..... he falls asleep every time we go for a ride. He loves his cookies, toys & loves his balls!

He is so excited to see us when we wake up in the morning & when we come home from work ...he just makes us smile!!

Kona is so beautiful I have had people pull their cars over & get out to come pet him when we take walks and he gets along so well with my brother's 95lb boxer & my brother-in-laws two 25lb pugs!

We had a freak snowstorm in Connecticut in October (about 10 inches!) and Kona LOVED playing in the snow ... I can't wait to see him during the next few months!

I put up our Christmas tree and Kona's favorite place to lay now is under the tree like a gift!

Even though Kona is about 5 months old & maybe 45 pounds (& still growning!!!!) he loves every night to cuddle up with me on the couch & falls asleep .... & man does he snore HA! but he is just the sweetest little guy & if we ever think of getting him a little sister ... we know where we are going to come for her!

Enjoy the picture - we will send more soon!

XOXO

Jenny & Craig Garvey

Hi Mary Anne,

Just wanted to update you on our most loved Kaikala. We moved to Manteca, CA to be closer to my kids during my cancer treatement. Kaikala is now 1 year and almost 8 months old and he is just a joy to have around especially during a physically trying time. It is amazing how our dogs just know when something isn't right even before doctors tell you. He was so needy and wouldn't leave my side. Kaikala has by far been closer to Bryan but since my cancer him and I have been inseparable. After my chemo treatments he knows to approach with caution and he just lays with me for a day or two. He even refuses to go and play at the park with his papa Bryan. When I first got diagnosed I cried alot and kaikala would just be there giving me his doggy hugs and licked my tears off my face. He is just a godsend. Now that I am better I spend alot of time at the park across the street with him and he has become the neighborhood dog that everyone loves. He has friends knocking on our door...of course it's the doggy owners that come and ask, "Can kaikala come out to play with my doggy?" He has been an inspiration to many fellow neighborhood dog owners. They are in awe as to how well he retrieves and how focused he is on the ball. He follows commands. Fetch, sit, lay down, speak, come and play dead. When we are done playing at the park he sits at the curb as I cross the street he lays down and waits for the command to come...When i say "come" he looks both ways and crosses the street. My neighbors are so tickled by that sight..they say he is almost human...I say he sure thinks and "feels" like he is. Attached are more recent pixs of Kai. Our 2011 xmas pix. Pic of our three dogs Kaikala, Roxy and Peanut and another of Roxy and Kaikala. Kai is now weighing 120 lbs.

Hi,

We bought Bones from you in August and just wanted to send you picture of him now that he is 6 months old.  This is our son Dalton and Bones on New Years.  We bought Bones for Dalton's birthday and these two are inseparable.  Bones is the perfect dog, he loves to hunt (took him dove hunting just two weeks after we got him), snuggle, play in the water, and sleep. The last time we weighed him he was already 60 pounds but its been awhile I'm sure he's heavier. So we just wanted to say thanks from our family to yours,

Chase Bowman and family

Bella and Maggie live with their loving family in Northern California