The Laurelin Story
The Laurelin story starts back in 2015, when my husband and I were deciding when to get a dog and which breed(s). We decided to get a Golden Retriever for him and a Pembroke Welsh Corgi for me. We made the “mistake” of getting the Golden first… and well… here we are with a website for breeding Golden Retrievers. Don’t get me wrong, I still love Pembrokes (had one when I was a teenager), but the moment we brought sweet, precious little Rocket home, we were both hooked.
Rocket came home with us in October 2015 and our lives have never been the same. He catapulted us right into the Dog World. I had so much fun training him as a puppy that I decided to try out AKC Rally (you can read about our journey here). That was my second “mistake”. Next thing I know, Rocket is three years old and I’m driving to St. Louis for the Golden Retriever National Specialty.
One thing led to another, and suddenly I was getting a show puppy. Eevee came home in April 2019, and Laurelin Goldens was born. She is an absolute dream of a foundation bitch. She is everything I ever wanted in a dog, and I am eternally grateful to her breeder, Marissa Hendrix of Arkgoldens, for letting me have her! Check out the Our Goldens pages to read more about Eevee and Rocket!
When I was brainstorming kennel names, I was trying to think of a word or name that both meant something to me and was related to the word “gold” in some way. I couldn’t think of anything that wasn’t already taken.
And then one day, it hit me: Laurelin. I quickly checked k9data and the GRCA page to see if it was taken and lucky for me, it wasn’t! The name “Laurelin” comes from Tolkien lore. I’m a huge Tolkien fan, so here’s the story of Laurelin:
In the beginning – before the Ring was even made – two trees gave light to the world: a golden tree and a silver tree. The golden tree was named Laurelin and the silver tree, Telperion. They each gave light for about 12 hours per day and their light mingled in the morning and in the evening. The tree in the logo is inspired by illustrations of Laurelin and the dog is of course, Eevee.
About Us...
I suppose that if you’re thinking about getting a puppy from us, you might need to know a little more about us as humans. So, here goes!
Our names are Maegan and Bryce Nunley. We currently live in Chicago, Illinois, but grew up in small towns in Arkansas. Bryce and I met in college while pursuing our engineering degrees. We love good food, good beer, sports, cycling (outdoor and Peloton), hard rock/metal, and the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Like a lot of responsible breeders, Bryce and I have a full time jobs: I own and run an engineering firm specializing in hydrology and hydraulics and Bryce works in the energy and finance industry. I am also the author and creator of The Canine Chasm. If you’re serious about getting a Laurelin Goldens puppy, read my blog article on contacting reputable breeders.
Additionally, I love showing in conformation and obedience. I got Eevee to be an obedience dog, but she has ended up being a fantastic show dog too. I also enjoy rally, dock diving, and lure coursing. Agility and field work are on my radar, but we haven’t tried them out yet.
My love of Goldens and involvement in sports also led me to get further involved in the breed. I am a member in good standing of the Golden Retriever Club of America and the Golden Retriever Club of Illinois. I am also a founding board member for the Natural State Golden Retriever Club.
Also, please don’t ask me if you can have Eevee when she’s retired. The answer is and always will be NO. She’s my heart dog.
The History of Golden Retrievers
Golden Retrievers were developed by a Scottish Lord in the mid-1800’s. He wanted a “yellow” retriever suited for the type of game and the intense environment of the Scottish Highlands. If you’ve seen photos or movies set in the Scottish Highlands, then you know that the terrain is steep and unpredictable, the weather is wet, and the ground cover is heather, grasses with burs, briars, etc. The retriever’s job in the 1800s was to be out with hunters all day (who walked or rode horses), retrieving whatever was shot.
Lord Tweedmouth needed a dog with the structure to stand up to the terrain and a coat to both protect the dog from the environment. He owned a liver Tweedwater Spaniel (now extinct) named Belle and a yellow Wavy-coated Retriever (now called Flat-coated Retrievers) named Nous. Lord Tweedmouth got Nous from a cobbler in Brighton in 1865. He was the only yellow puppy in a litter of blacks (most retrievers were black or liver in those days). These two dogs are the foundation of all Golden Retrievers. Nous and Belle produced several yellow puppies, and their descendants became the Goldens that we know today.
We are lucky to know the exact history of our breed. Thanks to Lord Tweedmouth and his kennel master: they kept meticulous records of all of the breedings.
Health Testing
Despite Lord Tweedmouth’s exceptional job developing the Golden, the breed suffers from health issues. If you are looking for a Golden Retriever puppy, you should only consider breeders that do all of the health testing recommended by the Golden Retriever Club of America. Any breeder that is not doing the proper health tests is unethical. Period. No excuses.
We take health testing extremely seriously at Laurelin Goldens. Therefore, all of our breeding animals are tested according to GRCA’s recommendations. Additionally, we only choose stud dogs with all required health testing. Our dogs receive annual eye exams by a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist, cardiac exam by a board certified veterinary cardiologist, hip and elbow x-rays evaluated by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), and Golden Retriever DNA panels.
Stacking the Deck in Each Puppy's Favor
These health tests are necessary to give each and every Golden puppy its best chance at a healthy, pain free life.
- Annual eye exams allow us to catch a disease that can cause blindness called Pigmentary Uveitis as early as possible. Eye exams also diagnose things like cataracts and retinal dysplasia.
- Cardiac exams are required because Goldens are prone to a hereditary heart condition called subvalvular aortic stenosis (SAS). When this disease goes undetected, a young Golden can literally drop dead unexpectedly. The difference between doing the test and not doing it can literally mean life or death for a puppy.
- Hips and elbows should be tested for dysplasia, which can be extremely painful, and also extremely expensive to treat. Goldens are a sporting breed – they need proper joint construction to do their original job.
- DNA is not currently required by GRCA to be in compliance with their Code of Ethics, but it is encouraged. Golden Retriever DNA panels include several eye diseases, two variants of a skin condition called ichthyosis, and a deadly neurological condition called Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (NCL).
The Laurelin Philosophy
Our breeding philosophy revolves around my idea of the perfect Golden Retriever: intelligence, beauty, confidence, drive, health, longevity, and biddability. Not necessarily in that order. Most of those attributes can be summarized with one word: versatility. The best way to achieve versatility is to breed to the standard. Furthermore, we want to breed dogs that can go in the show ring and win then go straight into the Obedience ring and qualify in that too.
You can’t achieve these ambitions with a couch potato and I do not believe that a Golden should EVER be considered lazy. If you are looking for a couch potato Golden, you’re barking up the wrong tree. If you’re looking for your next adventure buddy or Obedience/Agility/Rally partner that is also really pretty, you’re in the right place.
Since Eevee is our only breeding female at this time, I’ll talk about her some more. Eevee is confident, intelligent, and there is a special connection between us. I can teach her individual skills, then ask her to combine them and she’ll do it on the first try with enthusiasm. That doesn’t mean she gets it right every time, of course, but she is super fun to train. Honestly, if I could safely clone her and make a couple of conformational tweaks, I would. She has the ideal Golden temperament to me, and I have lofty goals for her. Any stud chosen for her will be chosen with temperament, conformation, health, and longevity in mind.
Laurelin Goldens Puppies
In addition to health testing, I believe that healthy puppies start with a healthy momma. This means feeding her an appropriate diet for a pregnant and nursing mother, keeping her in ideal body condition for breeding, and keeping her happy through the entire process.
As for raising the puppies, they will be born and live their first 8 weeks in our home. We will start with handling our puppies from the moment they are born and continue with age appropriate socialization until they go home with you. Our puppies will learn to solve problems, handle appropriate stress, and will be exposed to many different sights, sounds, textures, people, and animals (as available). When we can, we will introduce them to birds at an early age as we want to keep the “retrieve” in retriever.
All Laurelin Goldens puppies will be dewormed multiple times and will be given their first set of puppy vaccinations between 7 and 8 weeks during the well-check at the vet. They will also be evaluated for conformation and temperament tested so that we can match each puppy with the best home. Keep in mind that at least one puppy from each litter will kept by us, a co-owner, or the stud dog owner.