Buck was a full grown dog when he was given to Troy almost 30 years ago. Buck’s owner was unable to take proper care of him and Buck looked more like a greyhound than a labrador retriever. Troy nursed Buck back to health and lavished him with love and attention. In return, Buck would move heaven and earth for Troy. Troy loved Buck and Buck loved Troy.
The duo had a reputation for being a stellar hunting team. Buck would swim through thick muck and mire, and power through thistles and thorns just to retrieve the intended game. Hunting clubs from all over would contact Troy so Buck could trail their wounded deer. Buck’s payment for locating the deer was always a cheeseburger. Troy’s payment was the pride and admiration he received from owning such a phenomenal dog. Sadly, Buck passed away from cancer, but not before Troy had the opportunity to acquire a beautiful chocolate female named Katie.
Katie, too, was a fantastic hunting partner. Calm, quiet and very loving, she was a great mother to her pups and to our kids. Katie became the foundation dog for Troy’s kennel, Dean Creek Kennels. Although small with just three dogs, his kennel produced some amazing pups that were placed throughout the Southeast and Midwest. Katie lived with our family for almost fourteen years. She was completely deaf and almost blind when she passed away. We were already grieving the loss of our middle son in a farming accident and her passing only added to that heartache. It seemed we would never own another lab.
Some years later, we attended a national hunting festival. There were literally hundreds of beagles, coon dogs, and other hounds there for sale. Our youngest son, who just a baby when Katie had passed, was heartbroken when we left empty-handed. All he wanted was a puppy to hold and love. On the way home, as if by divine intervention, we pulled into the home of a breeder whose stud Troy had bred Katie with years before. A few hours later, we left with the most beautiful black male Labrador puppy.
That day we welcomed Prophet into our home and into our hearts. Prophet has brought so much joy and laughter into our lives. He is gentle, compassionate and patient, and loves to retrieve and hunt. He adores our family and our family adores him. Because he is such a remarkable dog – both in looks and temperament – we knew we had to share him with others. So after much prayer and discussion Green Acres Labradors © became a reality. We have since added other labradors to our family, keeping the focus on acquiring extraordinary working lines with nice pedigrees, prioritizing temperament over everything else.
As a family, we enjoy participating in AKC and UKC Hunt Tests. When not participating, we travel to watch and encourage our friends and past clients who run their dogs and share our passion. We also enjoy gun dog training. And because we believe everyone should have the opportunity to own a remarkable dog, we occasionally have a litter of puppies for sale.
Simply put, we hope everyone can one day own a Buck, Katie or Prophet of their very own.
~ John 3:30 ~