Radford Retrievers

01/01/2026

Happy New Year, may 2026 bring health, prosperity and lots of furry love.

01/09/2025

Happy 6th birthday Axel.

01/01/2025

Happy New Year from Roxanne, Terry and ZuZu and Axel

12/17/2024

Happy 3rd Birthday to our ZuZu X Axel Litter.

09/15/2024

Putting out some feelers for this adorable matching pair of Flat-Coated Retrievers. Joyful and Django's lovely owner is doing her best, but struggling to be able to find enough time in the day, having gone back to work full time now, and raising 2 kids on her own. She is feeling guilty having to leave them all day while she is at work, and then sometimes in the evenings also when the kids have activities. It is safe to say that she has her hands full!

As you can imagine this is an incredibly hard decision for her, but she would like to explore the possibility of finding a new home for these two beauties. They are a bonded paid. Joyful is 3 (and from the Dyffryn's H litter) and Django is 4 and from Radford Retrievers (ZuZu X Forrest litter). They are both neutered/spayed and excellent with kids. If you, or someone you know is interested and would like to learn more, please message me. Dogs are located in BC.

08/14/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/BaoG4HtxhP9BhniD/

New Information On The “Hunger Gene” In Labs And Flat-Coats
By Caroline Coile

Researchers have unraveled more information about the genetic POMC mutation that makes some Labrador Retrievers perpetually hungry. For one, the mutation has an allele frequency of 12% in Labs and of 60% in Flat-Coated Retrievers. These are the only two breeds in which the mutation has been found despite surveying more than 40 other breeds.

Dogs with one copy of the mutated gene have increased weight, body condition score, and food motivation. Dogs with two copies of the mutated gene have even higher weight, body condition score, and food motivation.

Because only 4% of Labs are homozygous for (have two copies of) the mutated gene, no homozygous dogs were used in the study. In a comparison of wild type (no mutated POMC genes) and heterozygous (one mutated POMC gene) in which the dogs were allowed to eat as much as they wanted, the heterozygotes ate more than the wild type dogs, but the difference was not statistically significant. The wild types did regurgitate the huge meals significantly more, however...continue reading: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=297067

07/29/2024

Axel earned another BOB. 5 shows 5 BOB. 1 group 4. Now time for some relaxing at the lake.

07/08/2024

Having lots of fun doing dock diving and just relaxing at various lakes in the area. ZuZu has earned her Advanced Rally title after being away from it for 4 years. Axel has earned his first title in long jump at the National Dog Sports Assoc.'s dock diving event.

05/15/2024

Today's pictures of Axel and ZuZu.

04/07/2024

Please share - Lincoln & Louie are coming up for adoption, they are at the Richmond SPCA. They are from the litter that was seized by the SPCA. They had a very bad start to their lives. You can check out Lincoln & Louie and another sibling. Pickles, who is at the Burnaby SPCA at https://adopt.spca.bc.ca/type/dog/?breed%5B%5D=flat-coated-retriever&weight=any&age=any&gender=any&bonded=any&pet_name=&animal_id=&filter=search
Below is the information given to me by a person who used to own a flat-coat and visits them.

I was told by a staff member today that they are going to put the boys, Louie and Lincoln, up for adoption. They are quite the challenge still, as they won't let most people touch them (I think one staff member has been able to pat Louie briefly) - however, being retrievers, they are VERY food motivated and will take treats from your hand. If I sit down on the ground and put treats on my body (e.g. my legs), they will quickly come in and grab them. I am going to try slathering my whole hands with gravy-ish dog food and see if I can get them to lick my hands.

They still have no collars and have not been on a leash. Also, they are not used to the indoors (given that they were left outside on a run - in their own p*e and p**p - for their first 10 months; I think they're about 1 year now). They definitely need an outdoor space, with a gradual introduction to indoors. They obviously were handled at the very beginning, when they were seized from the owner - they would have had a bath at the SPCA - but were probably so terrified that they just froze. They have never bitten anyone and, although they can be VERY bark-y (esp. at the gates to their kennel/outside area), it's all show. Obviously, they have not been neutered yet.

I dearly love these boys. They really should go as a pair, as Lincoln is much happier when he is with Louie; Lincoln is short on confidence, but I suspect is the smarter of the two. He seems more play oriented that Louie - he will drop into that puppy-let's-play pose, whereas I've never seen Louie do that. I gather Louie may be better suited to hanging out with other dogs - we're not sure about Lincoln, as he seems to bark more at other dogs (when he sees them through the fence). If he was separated from Louie, it would likely help a lot if he had another dog pal. If you look at the Burnaby SPCA site, you'll see that Pickles, the other male, has bonded with another dog, and that has helped with his confidence.

I believe their photos will be up on the SPCA website soon. I do think they will eventually be excellent dogs; they do seem to have that pleasant, youthful flatcoat nature and I believe are very biddable.

Re the photos - Lincoln is the one with the curlier coat. The photos that include Louie aren't great - he seems to never stop moving! - but if you enlarge the one of him at the gate, you'll get a better idea of what he looks like. They are both very handsome dogs, although clearly not purebreds

07/16/2023

Roxy - Radford Don't Ya Think I Rock, co-owned with Daesha Towle had a great week at this years Flat-Coated Retriever of Canada's National Specialty held in Saanichton, BC
Roxy earned her 2nd leg towards her CD in obedience and won HIT (High in Trial), she then went on to place 2nd in the bred by class in conformation. Daesha and Roxy also competed in the hunt test and earned her WC title. What a very successful specialty. Very proud breeder.

06/16/2023

For Radford Flat-Coats that are looking to meet up at the Flat-Coated Retrievers National Specialty being held in Saanichton, July 13-15, 2023. I think the best day to meet up will be on Thursday the 13th. Still have to wait on the schedule but it looks like this might be the best day. I will be doing obedience - I believe in the morning and hoping to attend the AGM around noon. That should give us a chance to meet up somewhere later in the afternoon. Let me know if you will be able to make it. I'll confirm date and time once the schedule is out. (near the end of June).