Steve and his family are avid hunters and always have had a retriever of some sort in their home as he grew up. When we married and bought our home, we decided we wanted to share it with a dog. Of course, Steve insisted on a retriever. I was not keen on the idea of having to groom and pick up after a Golden, so we've been in love with the breed since got our first Labrador Retriever in 2005.

I grew up with several horse friends and, therefore, had an extensive knowledge in horses. So, after we fell in love with Labradors, it only seemed natural to become involved in every aspect of the Labrador community. Therefore, for about the last 5 years, we have been very active in performance events (Hunt Tests, Obedience, Rally, Agility, etc), and more recently started showing in Conformation. It is for this reason we highly value dogs that conform to the breed standard who have the hallmark work ethic, as well as are physically and genetically sound. We have found that the Conformation or "English" style of Labrador meets these goals the best.

We chose the name "Kinderwood" because we felt it embodied the child-like temperament that is so much a hallmark of the breed. When I think of children, I always remember those numbered and lettered blocks we used to build with. I have never known the proper name for them, but we always called them "kinderblocks" and they were always made of wood- hence, "Kinderwood".

We were fortunate enough to be awarded our first Championship last year (2009) when Piper finished her International & National BA CH in style by going Reserve Best In Show Puppy. Piper also became our first UKC CH earlier this year. A Huge Thank You goes to our dear friends, Sherry & Michael Geurts of Hayshaker Labradors, for allowing us to have such a beautiful girl! We look forward to many years with her & our new addition, Faith!

Sadly, we lost our girl Blue earlier this year to IMHA (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia). She taught us so much in her short life and it won't ever be the same without her, but we know she's watching over us from the Rainbow Bridge...

-Darcy Litzinger

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