Newfound Retrievers

10/12/2026

EOW 11/7/2015 - 10/10/2026

SCH EN HR UH Newfound Retrievers Eternal Evergreen SCN CGC "Cedar"

It's with a heavy heart that I make this post about this very special girl.

It's the dash between the dates that make all of the difference and Cedar's time on this earth made an impact on so many people. She raised 22 wonderful pups out of 4 litters. Her pups went on to become working detection dogs, service dogs, hunting dogs, and pets. She was a UKC Elite Nosework dog and had her UKC Upland and Hunting Retriever titles.

Cedar was often referred to as the "little fireball" at hunt tests. Her "over the top" drive made her an awesome Upland and Nosework dog but it could be a big problem when we it came to steadiness and handling on blinds at a hunt test. We were just one pass away from both her HRCH and SH titles. She came so close to passing a few Finished tests and we would fail at the very end with just a few more whistle refusals than the judges would allow. She was an awesome marker and could run practice set ups with the best of them!

Cedar was an incredible mama and she raised some wonderful pups. I have 4 generations of her progeny living in my home, and they all have great temperaments, high biddability, good looks, and exceptional working drive.

If you have a pup from my Cedar X Niko litter, please post photos in the comments below.

09/17/2026

Autumn was back in her element at Bronson Cancer Center providing love and support to patients, doctors, and staff at the Survivor event last night.

My own post cancer surgery milestone is 6 years now while my friend, Margery DeRuyter-Smith, is celebrating 9 years cancer-free!

Congratulations those who are celebrating surviving this formidable foe. It takes faith, fortitude and resilience, love and support, to overcome the side effects of surgeries and treatments, while dealing with emotional, work, and financial concerns to keep moving on in a positive direction. I've been there several times over and I know well the daily struggles.

08/31/2026

Happy 2nd Birthday to the Honey X Dino 2024 litter! This litter produced a working explosives detection K9, a detection research k9 for Penn Vet Working Dog Center, wonderful pets, and some Therapy Dog prospects!

Gunner
Sam
Dakota
Cody
Murphy
Pivot

08/16/2026

We are so proud of Cody (Honey X Dino) and the work she is doing at PVWDC!!

Cody (Newfound Retrievers) puts her nose to work as part of our research program. Her bubbly personality makes her a fantastic ambassador for the Penn Vet Working Dog Center - and she loves nothing more than showing off her stuffed animal collection to anyone who'll admire it with her.
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PC: Kristen Ciccone

08/15/2026

Banks passed his final Junior Hunt test today at MI Flyways AKC test to earn his title!

Paul Grimm and Banks' cousin, Caesar, passed his first Junior test so it was a perfect photo op for the two dogs.

08/11/2026

Autumn and I traveled to the Southern MI HRC hunt test at beautiful Leaping Water Farms on Sunday to run Seasoned.

It's been a long time since I've run anything but Started level so it felt good to be back at it. Autumn did an excellent job on her marks, diversion, walk up and water blind. The land blind started a little shaky but we worked as a team to get the job done. She is so calm and steady on the line. It's a pleasure to run her and I look forward to finishing her title and working toward Finished and Master tests next year.

It was fun seeing so many friends and watching Laurie Witucki and Buzz run.

Thanks to the club members and judges Greg Emlinger and Greg Montgomery for setting up some nice tests and keeping everything running smoothly.

07/31/2026

I believe it!

Anise is sometimes called “dognip” because it generates excitement and interest similar to the effect that catnip has on cats.

07/24/2026

Gram, our Oakland County Sheriff's K9, has his own wearables. Check it out here. They also have a very cool challenge coin for their unit if you are a collector. https://www.bonfire.com/vesting-oakland-county-area-k9s-1-1-2-1/?productType=bacf6cd6-b53d-469c-ab96-02afe5b15f71&fbclid=IwVERDUATQT2pleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR4dgysYcNFvL9FPvynrF0drYegKtHHu6k_5DMVTljHtO64UH3AbS9qSgg7MVw_aem_qX_WIE0tHvTyQyw8wTjCZg&utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=store_page_share&utm_campaign=vesting-oakland-county-k9s&utm_content=default

Gear featuring one of our local K9s— all proceeds fund life saving ballistic vests!. Dear Dog lovers, My name is Allyson Dale, and I am the granddaughter of a retired...

07/19/2026

Banks earned two more Junior Hunter passes at MI Flyways Hunt test this weekend! One more to go for his title. Autumn tagged along on Saturday to run as test dog.

Saturday's test Banks earned 10s across the board for a perfect overall score and some nice compliments from the judges. This special boy is from my Honey X Dino breeding.

06/21/2026

Premier 2026 was filled with fun accomplishments and challenges as usual.

Due to a storm on Wednesday causing a downed power line to block our road and cause an outage, Autumn missed her Rally All Star Master Trial on Thursday. Power was restored and the power line removed in time for me to make the afternoon dock diving time where Autumn jumped in both the Junior and Senior divisions.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Banks and Autumn both showed in Conformation. Banks won his Champion class with no competition all three days but did not get BOB. Autumn won her Altered Champion class on Friday and Saturday. Saturday's win earned her Total Dog Award allowing her to participate in Total Dog Altered group. We missed the Altered Group on Friday night but made it on Saturday night along with Total Dog. No love in groups for Autumn but we had fun and were honored to qualify.


Both dogs got their performance qualifications in Nosework. Autumn placed 3rd in Superior Exterior in Trial 1 and qualified in Trial 2 to earn her Total Dog Award and titles in both elements. She also earned her Superior Nosework title!!

Banks qualified in both Superior Container trials and both Superior Interior Trials to earn his Total Dog performance qualifications and titles on both elements.

Banks also showed in Rally 2, 3, and Master on Saturday and Sunday earning two perfect scores of 100 (one was a first place in Rally 3). He also earned 4 scores of 98, one being a second place in Rally Master.

Thanks to Stephanie Pinkster for hanging out with me on Friday and taking some awesome photos and videos. Also to my friend and fellow Labrador lover cohort, Paige Spitsberg. Congratulations on her Award of Merit and Dash qualifications with her gorgeous dog, Gus. She also got some great videos and photos of the dogs and hung out with me through the Total Dog group which made a for a very late night.