About Us

About Fireflys

We are small by choice, so we can focus on the quality of our dogs & puppies, rather than the quantity. Our specific goal is to produce healthy, happy, great-tempered Show, Sport & Service Dogs, and of course also makes the perfect companion pet for you! Our dogs are our family, and lives inside our home where they get all the love & attention a dog could possibly want, and they get socialized, desensitized, potty trained & love their very large 3,200 sq ft play area. Our dogs are sweet, loyal tempered. This loving temperament is something that we have searched long & hard for, as it will be passed on to their puppies. We are EXTREAMLY picky with the health of our dogs, and go the extra mile through GREAT LENGTHS/EXPENSES to assure that their physical as well as mental health are well taken care of. We have highly qualified veterinarian & specialists to oversee the health of our dogs. 

We only have 1-3 litters a year, which allows us to focus on the quality of raising our puppies, and they are whelped & trained inside of our home on a daily basis. We start basic training at 4 weeks. We start potty training our puppies at 4 weeks old, along with crate training. We also work on desensitizing them to thunder sounds, loud noises, textures, levels, and water. We also temperament test our puppies, using the “Volhard Method”, which is the method the military uses when selecting which dogs might be suited for Service Dog work, sport or a great companion. The Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test (PAT) is a temperament test that evaluates a puppy’s social attraction, following, restraint, and other traits to help match it with the right family: Social attraction: How confident or dependent the puppy is, and its level of social attraction to people Following: How willing the puppy is to follow a person Restraint: How dominant or submissive the puppy is, and how easy it is to handle in difficult situations Social dominance: How well the puppy accepts social dominance Elevation: How well the puppy accepts dominance when it has no control, such as at the vet or groomer Retrieving: How willing the puppy is to do something for you Touch sensitivity: How sensitive the puppy is to touch Sound sensitivity: How sensitive the puppy is to sound. Before we decide which dog gets to be a “Firefly’s puppy”, copious amounts of time are spent in researching their pedigree, health scores, longevity, & temperament, and only the best gets to be a part of our little family….After all, choosing a canine companion should NEVER be taken lightly as it is a commitment for life! Fireflys always welcomes back a Firefly’s puppy/dog if for any reason the owner is unable to care for it, whether moving, life or illness.

Please browse around on our website and enjoy the pictures, as well as the writing we have provided you to hopefully assist you in deciding if the Firefly’s Retriever will be a good fit for your family. If you have any questions always feel free to call or text us.

(816)582-9798

About Me

 I grew up on a small hobby farm and raised many bottled calves. I had a love for all animals from the time I was walking. At the age of 8 I begin 4-H and had a love and passion to train and show horses. I went on later in life to show horses along side my granddaughter at the American Quarter Horse world and NSBA world shows. I am now retired and have since hung up my spurs. I am a Christian lady and love my beautiful family who I adore and consider myself blessed. I have been married 44 years to Lance; he is my rock and puts up with all my shenanigans, and honey-puppy-do-list! Along side me is my son and his wife, my daughter and her husband, and have 3 beautiful grandchildren! My life is truly blessed. 

I started breeding dogs with standard collies from 1989-2002. In 2002 I began breeding Golden Retrivers, along with my daughter, who loved Retrievers. The Golden's name was Lucy and in 2002 the story started. We trained Lucy to lead out a rescue Labrador, whose name Desi, to cover and play over 6 acres of land... You would have never known he was blind. Our true love for the Golden Retriever started. My sister showed professionally in NY, and helped me find my first AKC Golden Retriever named “Ethel,” who is still living today as a Great-Great Grandmother! She loves spilling her love and gentleness onto the babies. Ethel is the shine of perfection. Today, we continue to breed her line into our puppies. We look forward in competing in many sporting events in 2025 with Firefly’s puppy, "Bernice." 

Something New!! I have since wanted a Flatcoat Retriever for many, many years, and it took many years to find my perfect Flatcoat, "Daffy." We are having a blast! She is earning many sport titles in obedience, rally, she loves to Urban, track, search and rescue and loves to dockdive. I am so excited for this Her future. We will start our Flatcoat breeding program in 2025. We are excited to continue sporting, showing, and training these amazing breed. My goal is always to better the breed, by aiming to breed my puppies for health and longevity.