Tuesday 11 December 2007

About Me






Hi, my name is Penny Stephens, and I live at Barnsgold in Cornwall with my husband Brian, (who supports me tremendously in all I do with the dogs,) and my amazing Golden Retriever family. I have adored animals all my life, and have never lived without them, but Goldies are absolutely the tops for me. They are everything anyone could ever need for a complete life....loving, loyal, gentle, fun, welcoming, non-judgemental, and they love unconditionally. I always think that humans could learn much from them. They make superb Mothers, and know the true meaning of devotion to duty. I have some rescued Goldies, and I also breed.....very carefully. I take my breeding very seriously and do everything in my power to ensure the Mother and pups are cared for as well as it is possible to be. My pups are always born indoors, and I sleep in the whelping room with them for the first 4 weeks, partly to support the mother, and partly to ensure the pups don't get rolled on by her. My girls tend to have large litters, and therefore seem to appreciate the extra help I offer them. I absolutely adore my dogs.... they mean so very much to me. They make life complete for me, in a way that only they can. I like to think that by breeding these dogs carefully and putting so much into them, I am able to bring some of what they give me, into the lives of others. My aim is always to produce fit, healthy, well adjusted dogs who experience, and give many years of enjoyment to their owners. I am always happy to hear from anyone who has lost their precious Goldie and needs to talk to someone who understands the devastating impact this will have had on their life. Sometimes it just helps to talk to someone who has experienced the same feelings through their loss, and understands how heartbreaking it is. Equally, I love to hear from anyone who would like to discuss Goldies for any reason, or is maybe thinking about getting a puppy and needs some advice and support in this big decision. My Phone number can be found on my main Champdogs page.










Keweras Boys - Barney


Barney is 3 years old. He is a big baby really...but just wonderful. He is a large dog, pale cream in colour with a lovely full coat, and has tremendous dark pigmentation. Barney has sired many very beautiful litters, and occasionally pops into the whelping box to check on his pups' progress! He is such a big softy and buries his head in me for a cuddle on a regular basis. He adores his canine companions, and looks after them all like a mother hen! He can be very excitable, but in a lovely way. We are just so proud of him, and love having him as part of our wonderful family.

Keweras Boys - Tamar


Tamar will be 4 on Christmas day (2007). He is the most friendly and loving Goldie you will ever meet. He loves nothing more than sitting on my lap...or anyone's really!He even leaps on my lap when I'm on the computer!! He has sired many beautiful litters...and all have been large litters too. He adores his pups..and pups in general, which is somewhat unusual for a male dog, but which reflects his nature completely. Tamar enjoys cuddling up under the quilt in the middle of the night...and makes a great hot water bottle! He is a very much loved member of the family, and makes life a great place to be. He loves having visitors, so come and say hello to him if you are thinking of having one of his pups in the future. He will greet you with a toy, a very wiggly bottom and a lot of friendly dog talk!

Keweras Boys - Bili


Bili is 2 years old. He is a very special boy as he was born with a cleft pallette. He didn't have the skills to feed from his Mum, and therefore I bottle fed him every 2/3 hours day and night until he was six weeks old. I eventually got him onto soft solids, and he went from strength to strength. When he was 9 months old I took him to Newmarket, and had his cleft pallette repaired by Dick White, and my own vet Rob Kellagher, who flew up to assist. Bili is now thriving and enjoying pushing everyone else around! He is very much a 'people' dog, due to his hand-rearing, and stays close by your side when out and about. I am so proud to have got Bili this far, as at times it was touch and go, but he wanted to live and I wanted to help him..and between us we made it!

Keweras Boys - Chaz


Chaz came to me as a rescue from an elderly couple who were struggling to cope with a young dog. He has an incredible amount of coat and wonderful dark pigmentation. His head is very proud and handsome, and he is turning out to be a truly stunning dog. I am hoping to start his stud life with Maddie in the Summer of 2008, when I hope he will prove himself. He has already proved himself as a gorgeous, cuddly, sweet and loving dog - now we just need the pups! I adore this lovely boy and I am very excited about delivering his first litter and watching them develop into miniature Chaz's!

Keweras Girls - Maddie


Maddie was 5 in January. She has had 2 beautiful litters, and is a superb mother. Her first litter was by caesarean section, due to the fact that all 8 pups were on one horn of the womb...a relatively unusual situation. Thankfully both she and all the pups survived. Two boys from this litter have gone on to become very handsome and successful stud dogs. One of her girls (Tekka) remained here with us. Maddie has since had a lovely litter of 11, and had a natural birth which was wonderful. She can only be described as a superb dog...fit, healthy, loving, comical and very much the head of our canine family! I hope to have pups from her with my new boy, Chaz, during July/August 2008

Keweras Girls - Tekka


Tekka is 2 years old and is a poppet. She had her first litter of stunning pups in November 2006, and was the world's most protective mother. We expected her to allow her Mum (Maddie) to share the task of raising her young, as they are very close, but she would simply not allow anyone except us near them, until they reached 5 weeks. She nurtured and cared for her beautiful pups as an experienced mother would, and I am so proud of her. She is very pale cream, and is extremely pretty. She has a truly loving nature and is a joy to own. Tekka should produce my first litter of 2008. If they are anything like her last litter, I can't wait to see them! Choice of stud not yet decided.