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Feedback and pictures from new puppy owners
If you would like to leave feedback,
please e-mail me a letter and pictures or sign the guestbook.
Brandon 605-530-0746 bkinsley20@hotmail.com.
11/30/11
I thought you might like to see a picture of Cooper, my lab that Kahne
sired.
I
have been hunting him on pheasants and waterfowl all fall & Cooper is
truly an amazing dog.
Your profile on
Kahne matches Cooper to a tee.
Such a great disposition, so eager to please, a dream to train and all
of the natural
instincts & heart you could ever hope for.
I get a lot of compliments about Cooper & have let many people know
about your kennel.
Hopefully it will help send some business your way.
I got Cooper from Lee in Rapid City.
Please feel free to ever use me for a great reference & thanks again for
your great blood lines.
Pat
Hello Brandon, 10/3/11
This is Mike over in Lower Brule, I bought a
yellow pup from you last November. He was from the Kahne/Macie litter. I just wanted to let you know he's grown into a
big, strong, good looking dog. I named him Rocco and he just hunted opening weekend for pheasants here in Lower Brule. He
works close and listens to me, we hunted in hot dry weather so I didn't expect much but he found birds and he marked the
ones I hit well and was on them in no time! I'd had him out twice on grouse before this weekend and he's learning
fast and once he put the gun shot with the dead bird it was pretty much done. Sunday I hunted with a buddy, his dad, and brother.
They had 3 female labs so I thought it would be a disaster but Rocco did fine. After the customary introductions he got right
to business and stayed pretty close to me even with the female dogs around! I was very happy with his manners and he only
had to be reminded a few times during our water breaks to leave the girls alone. I'm attaching a picture of Rocco with
his first pheasant, I think it will definitely be the first of many. Thank you for raising such nice dogs, I can assure you
Rocco will be in the field any chance I get.
Mike
7/25/11
We purchased a chocolate lab from you back in February. His parents are
Smokin Barrel and Camouflage. I wanted to let you know how wonderful the interactions were with you through the process of
adopting our new puppy. You were informative and pleasant through it all. We couldn't be happier with Crown. He is a picture
perfect dog; smart, happy, and wonderful family dog. He has learned many commands already, is not gun shy, and loves water.
We can't wait to take him hunting this winter. We have gotten many compliments on him. I hope you enjoy the pictures. Thank you so much for breeding wonderful
dogs. Marie
Brandon 7/10/11 Hope all is well with you and yours. As you are aware, we left your place on Monday June 27 with
Gabe (the Babe), and made the long drive to Dallas @ 1000 mile. On the way, we stopped in Wichita, Ks. to spend the night
with my Mom. We got home on Tuesday @ 1:30 p.m. As for Gabe, "your pup" was an exceptional travel partner for being
only 51 days of age. I was very impressed with how well Gabriel handled the traveling and the confines of the vehicle. He never exhibited
any fear after separation, and he did a lot of sleeping both in my lap as well as in Rita's lap (He would not have anything
to do with the makeshift kennel). I noticed that he began the bonding process almost immediately. We stopped when necessary to
accommodate him, and to let him run and investigate. I guess that is when
I started to notice his exceptional adaptability especially at gas stops where there was so much noise. Given the fact he
was from a farm, to see how well he absorbed all the new stimuli amazed me. In Grand Island, NE. we stopped
for dinner at a Taco Bell that was next to an open field. We fed Gabe and he chowed down, which surprised me. It was here
that he exhibited his retrieving instincts when he brought back an empty water bottle after it was thrown. Since Gabe has been at home,
I have noticed many things about him... he is not afraid of water ...he is courageous for his age i.e. he is always investigating...he
is exceptionally persevering...he has even temperament...he
is very very smart....and he has bonded to us...he has taken over the household. I could go on but I reckon by now you have learned I am impressed with the pup. I know you were upset by the coloration
anomaly, but I can tell you that all the desirable Lab traits are otherwise there and then some. I expect great things from
him. You should be proud of your breeding program. I will
be in touch down the road. I have attached photos (as of today, July 10,'11, he is 17 lbs.). Thanks for everything. Ric
7/5/2011
Hello, Dakota Wind, Brandon. Just a quick update on Bear our Lab from one of
your breedings 2 years ago. The breeding was Nikki and Slash. We had Bear's hips x-rayed this summer.
We Just received the report and they were "GOOD". Both Kathy and I are very impressed with Bear. He
has a willingness to learn and retains it for everyday training. He doesn't need a lot of corrections, just a stern
voice and he remembers.
Thanks again for everything regarding Bear from pick stage to your
health guarantee.
Gregg and Kathy
Hi Brandon,
Just wanted to let you know how Shadow (6/4/10 litter from
Camo & Kahne) is doing.
As you can see she instantly became very attached to Dozer and that's how she got her
name. She follows him everywhere!
She got her 1st retreive when she was just 3 months old. Made me very proud and made
a big impression on the 2 diehard Lab owners we were hunting with that day. And she just keeps getting better. Just last weekend
she flushed, marked and retreived a pair of sharpetails on her own. Dozer wasn't very happy about being left out
on that one but I was curious to see how she would do by herself at 6 months of age and I couldn't be happier!
You
can kinda tell by some of the other pictures that they love to fish as much as they love to hunt. They don't miss out
on much since they get to go just about everywhere I go. She also has the sweetest personality! It must be true, we hear it so
often.
It's usually; That'a a great looking pup and what awsome personality WHERE did you find her? And
I'm always happy to tell anyone.
Thank you very much!
Mike M
12/30/10
Brandon,
Just thought I would
update you on the progress of one of your pups (Diamond) who is from Kahne and Chole's June litter. I received Diamond
through the Black Hills Chapter of Pheasant Forever. I have to admit I am a loyal Springer Spaniel owner for over 30 years.
I currently have three great springers who I field trial, hunt test and are a delight to hunt over. I would put any of these
three springers up against any dog in South Dakota on wild birds. However to make a long story short, I went to the Pheasant
Forever banquet in September hoping to bring home a new gun. During one of the auctions I mistakenly raised my arm (four or
five times) and wham I was rewarded with a new yellow lab puppy from your kennel. Now my spaniels are wondering what in the
heck that new dog without spots is doing in our home but they are getting along fine. It is now the first part of November
and Diamond has been part of the family for only two months. In that time we have gotten the basic obedience down pat as well
as retrieving live and dead birds to hand (over 100 pigeons) This past weekend after two months of pigeon training (see photo
of Diamond's first pigeon) and getting used to gun shot, I took him out with one of my spaniels in the field just for
exercise. Little did I know he would flush a bird. I shot and downed the bird and although he ran to the down bird and he
wanted to pick it up but was to heavy for him yet. I gave the command that allowed my spaniel to fetch the bird and bring
it to hand with Diamond proudly helping her out. Anyway I believe we are well on our way to a great hunting dog and family
companion. Thanks for the opportunity to own my first yellow labrador.
Sincerely
Jerry W. C.
P.S. I would have never bid on Diamond or even thought about taking him home without knowing about your mission
statement and philosophy for your kennel which the banquet people shared with the audience . Thanks for being a responsible
breeder. I hope to visit your operation sometime this winter when I am hunting in your area.
| Diamond In The Rough |
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Hi Brandon,
Just wanted to give you an update on Harley - one of the the yellow males from the Kahne/Camo litter born June 4,
2010. He is 5 months old now, and weighs 44 lbs. He is absolutely gorgeous! We get compliments on him all the time. He loves
people, kids, and other dogs and is a great indoor, family dog. He is extremely mellow, and has been so good since the moment
we left your yard. He slept the entire trip home to Colorado. We decided to crate train him-we put him in his crate the first
night and he whined for about 5 seconds but then has been very happy to sleep there ever since.
Jeff took him hunting last month. For only being 4 months old, he did great. He
LOVES birds, and did show some pointing tendencies on pheasants. Harley retrieved pheasants, grouse, ducks, and a couple
of geese for us and was so proud. The goose he brought back was bigger than he was and he happily carried it back through
snow, dragging his leash, through a barbed-wire fence. He did take off once though to jump in the lake and swim after some
ducks.
Thank you for such a wonderful dog! We have told others about you and will definitely be back in a few
years to find Harley a brother or sister. Maybe we'll stop by in the future if we are in the area.
The picture
is in North Dakota after an excellent day of pheasant hunting, with Harley's step brother Moose.
Lisa and Jeff
J.
Colorado Springs, CO
| Harley |
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Hey Brandon, this is Trever from vermillion, SD. I bought Cheyanne from you out of Macie and Khane. The litter that was
born Feb. 6th 2010. So she is 9 to 10 months. This is the second time I have taken her out and cheyanne and my dads chocolate
lab flushed two for us. We are very happy with herand how quick she caught on to hunting at such a young age. Thanks for the
great dog.
Another thing I forgot to mention is in the picture I thought it was really funny because I told her
to sit and she was so tired from the long day she just laid down next to the pheasants.... So I told the person taking the
picture, "well, this will have to do!"
Cheyanne is a nice, big and lean female. Not sure if you can tell by
the picture or not but she has been mistaken for a male. And I think that is great!
Again thanks for the great dog and
we couldn't ask for a better dog. I will be sending you more pics as she gets older
| Cheyanne |
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Hi Brandon, It
has been quite some time since I spoke to you last…a few years now that I think about it. I have one of
your black labs named “Kash” that I picked up when I flew home from California a few years back. You were
kind enough to meet us half way from the Sioux Falls airport and your home. Anyway, Kash is doing wonderful and still
AMAZES everyone with her retrieving skills and how long she does it…no stop in her!!
Kind regards,
Jesse S.
| Kash |
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10/7/10
Brandon;
In May of 2009 we purchased a pup from
your Slash and Nikki breeding. We picked up our Black/male/white collar from you and returned to Yankton. Kathy
and I were very impressed with your Website, and immediate responses we had over e-mails. Your photos up-dating the
puppies was very helpful in our decision making along with the notes letting everyone know how the litter was doing.
Just the photos of the litter and then of each pup showed the wonderful condition they were in. From the first
week or two we had made a choice to pick when you contacted us over the phone. I was brought along in the Lab world
of picking a pup in person on the 49th day, but when we arrived at your Kennel and saw our choice, there was no question.
We had already picked a call name for this guy, Bear, and what a choice it turned out to be. Our trip
back home was uneventful. We planned numerous stops and time to play but this little guy was a little scared.
Once we got home he really loosened up. We planned for a long night expecting a sleepless night but he slept
straight through. It took a week to let him get accustomed to the house and us.
Bear took to training the
first thing. Basic obedience was everyday twice a day. I do not know how the other puppies trained, but Bear wanted
to learn. I would train him during the day and when Kathy came home she would work him. The attitude was always
very good. Even during the evening hours after supper he would want to do things, so instead of force breaking
we worked on fetch. I have never had him return from a retrieve and drop anything.
His
desire to learn is outstanding. We keep his attitude very high as he aims to please he does get down if he is scolded,
but he learns from the mistake and pushes on. During his first month here, we went to Devils Lake fishing so he was
exposed to a boat and fishing tackle. He never bothered that stuff but he would watch where we casted to or the birds
flying overhead. While we were retrieving, I noticed him watching everything. He really has a great set of eyes.
Bear sits and watches where training dummies fall and pretty much nails them on his lines. If he should overrun or come
up short he stays in the area and uses his nose.
I did take him with a couple of times hunting last fall,
he needed to run and play, but on the first area he worked back to me and kicked out a nice rooster. He did not see
it fall but we located it and he liked the feel of feathers. He also took to water right away. We exposed him
to as much stuff as possible. I have had other people watch him and they are very impressed with his abilities,
eyes, and willingness to please. Your breeding of Slash and Nikki was a very good success. I can't wait for
this fall to really expose him to different hunting conditions.
Kathy and I thank you for an outstanding
companion. We also thank you for all your help over the phone and on-line as we worked out the arrangements for the
pick and delivery dates. Our Vet was very impressed with the shot record we took in for his first visits. They
said having everything listed with the dosages made their job easier. We do let people know your Kennel
name and web-site when they ask about Bear. Hope you continue with the same breeding as we are impressed with the final
outcome. Hunting season should be fun this fall.
Again, you have a very clean and neat set up.
Thank you for this wonderful pet/buddy.
Gregg and Kathy
Brandon,
Here's some pics of Buck I thought you'd like. He sure had a real good first season!
Mike
| Buck |
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| Buck |
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2/15/2010
Thanks for the wonderful dog. Bo is now a year and a half old. He
hunted for the first time last hunting season. He did great. He retrieved all of the birds we shot even the live ones. He
is also great around the yard. gets along great with the kids, other dog and the cats. Great breeder, would recommend to anyone.
John S.
Brandon
2/16/10
Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. Tuff, our yellow lab puppy, is a wonderful
addition to our family. At his last vet visit he weighed 62lbs and is in great health. He and my
son Mark have become best buds and Tuff is such a loyal friend. Mark took him hunting a few times this past
fall and Tuff definitely has the natural instinct. He wasn't quite sure about picking up a live bird for Mark, so
he kept his paw on it till Mark got to it to ring its neck. I am in the process of getting a new camera, so
i will be sending you pictures of him. I just looked at the pictures of the new litter of puppies that you have
and it makes me want another one, but I need one that I can breed with Tuff, so that won't work.
Roxann
Hi Brandon, 2/15/10 Molly is doing great! She has been such a joy to have. Shes all girl and has such
a sweet personality! She loves the big boy dogs here. Plays endlessly with one and
the older lab she worships. Molly is a very smart dog, no problems at all with her or training
her. She travels great too. We went to Texas to visit over the holidays and stayed about a month. In that time we made our rounds staying at each of my kids homes and back again, etc.
She did great, no problems anywhere we went and just adjusted at each place. Of course when she
was around my grandkids I didn't exist to her, she loved them so and they really enjoyed her. My
son wanted to know how long before Molly would be having puppies.... ;-)
She's wonderful to
have Brandon, she all lab and going to be such a great dog for me! Thanks again, Sharon
Oh, I should have explained, she loves sitting there in the corner
of the couch. Always has. She watches everyone in the kitchen, or just naps, its so cute!
| Molly |
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We absolutely LOVE her! She is such a perfect addition to our family! She fits in perfectly with our Chocolate Lab, Ruger...they
act like a little sister/big brother...very fun to watch them every night! She basically has taken over as the alpha dog...Ruger
is very submissive to her and she is great with our 16 month old son, Easton. We couldn't have found a better dog and
Ryan can't wait to take her hunting this year! I am attaching some "typical" pictures of her. She seems to get
into all sorts of trouble with our son...our Christmas card this year, cuddling with Ryan on Halloween and the last is where
she is right now as I am typing this!
Thanks again Brandon, I hope all is well with you!!
Melissa
| Ryza |
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Hey Brandon,
We have been meaning I don't know how many times to send you a picture of Atlas! He is now, almost 7 months old,
and 54 lbs!!! He's getting big! He loves his little sister Bailey too. He is so good with her.
We brought him out deer/pheasant hunting with us this year, just to get him to walk. He picked up on a couple trails!
We were very impressed! He loves snow too!! Thank goodness since he's a North Dakota dog now! Kara taught
him how to shake and do "High Fives" already. He's too smart for his own good :) We have him is
puppy classes also. He's doing pretty good in those. Gets really excited around other dogs though, but is
really good with them. In all, I think we got a pretty awesome dog from you! Thank you so much for everything!
Nicholas, Kara, Bailey, and Atlas
| Atlas |
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Hello Brandon,
I thought that I would give you an update on
the Black Labrador that I received from you nearly a year ago. Boone is his name and he is nearly a year old now.
His current weight is 65-70 lbs, nice and lean. I am completely satisfied with
the selection that I have made to buy from Dakota Wind Labradors. I am also very satisfied on the selection of Boone
in particular. This dog is great. His temperament is outstanding.
He is not extremely hyper around the house (until you pull out his Pheasant dummy).
His training ability is great, as you would expect with great Labradors. The retrieve drive on Boone is amazing. He never tires out; he
will outlast you all day. You can have him fetch anything, and he will do it. As for his great looks,
I am sending pictures, very beautiful Labrador. He has a nice blocky head on a lean black shiny coat; I could not ask for any better. My
wife and I would just like to thank you for operating a great breeding facility that produces wonderful Labradors.
Thanks
again,
Preston
| Boone |
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Just dropping you a quick note to let you know that Kash is doing well, and that I took him Pheasant hunting
on saturday. He did a good job and seemed to figure it all out quickly. He is in good shape and went hard all afternoon. I think
that the more experience he gets the better he will do.
Thanks for the great dog!
Hope you
have a good hunting season,
Matt
Hi Brandon, Well Moose just turned one year old on September 6th, so I thought I’d send
a picture & let you know how he’s doing! At his last weigh in, he was about 86 lbs which was
about the time this picture was taken in July. He’s all muscle like Slash but closely resembles Nikki
in his facial expressions and the wavy hair from his neck to his tail! He loves to fetch and splash around
in his pool when it’s hot. We took him down to the creek last weekend and he had a blast!
Moose sleeps in his crate at night but he’s an early riser and ready for a new day. I just
need to figure out how to stop him from carrying off the firewood after I get it stacked up! He’s
a beautiful lab and a credit to a great breeder! Fred & Cyndi
Hey Brandon, bought a yellow
female from you back in October 2007 and just wanted to give you a little heads up. She is doing great, just finished
training and is an all around great dog. The trainer I took her to in Spearfish had nothing but good things to say about
her from the day I dropped her off till the day he finished with her. Last weekend he also told me that he had another
pup coming in that was also from your kennel. My pup came from the litter born on 19 Sep 2007. The pup he has
coming in is 2 weeks older then mine so it must have been from the litter just prior to when I picked up mine.
Anyway, just wanted to drop a quick note to let you know Kyla is
doing great. I plan to take some current pictures and send them to you so you can see her. She is currently at
about 65lbs, a big girl, but we love her.
Thanks Brandon!
Todd
Hey Brandon,
I wanted to write
you and say thanks again for everything you did for Cash and I on my trip to South Dakota. Cash has not stopped amazing
me since you dropped her off on Thanksgiving Day. My parents could not believe how well she rides in a car for an 11
week old puppy. I thank you for taking her on car rides to get her used to the motion and as a result she did awesome
on the flight home to California. Cash went hunting with us every day and you weren’t lying when you said she
was used to the sound of a shotgun. One evening I did some pass shooting in a fence-line and she didn’t even wake
up the first couple of shots… Can you say RELAXED! We had a great snow goose hunt one morning and when we got
back to the farm I threw one of the snow geese about 10 feet away to see what Cash would do… To my surprise she ran
over and without hesitating she grabbed the goose by the wing and brought her back to me. This was only the second day
I had her so I thank you for all your prior work with her…I owe that retrieve to you. I have attached some pictures
of her in action retrieving the snow goose and a pheasant. This impressed my dad so much that he is thinking about getting
a dog from you guys sometime down the road. Cash has been incredible and I look forward to start working with her.
Cash and Maddy are getting along great and it’s fun to watch them run and play in the back yard. I just wanted
to write and let you know how happy I am with her and how grateful I am for everything you and your family did for us.
I will stay in touch with email and pictures. Have a great Holiday.
Thanks Again,
Jesse S.
Dear Brandon,
I have been intending to contact you to let you know how much we love Laney. She is 7 mths
old and has all the features that we appreciate. Her head is quite blocky for a female, and her eyes are golden.
Laney is a carbon copy of Drake our nine year old male, they look like twins. It's quite comical to look at them together,
it's as if she is his miniature version. She has the sweetest disposition, and is smart. I knew she would be.
She is quite petite. I don't think she 50lbs as of yet, although, she is well proportioned for her size. I wanted
to wait until hunting season got underway to let you know how she did her first day in the field. I wish that I could
have been there. John had shot a Hun and Drake was unable to find it, which is unusual for him. John was
calling for Laney, he looked down and there she was sitting by his side with the bird, holding it precariously by the wing
tip. Later on in the dayJohn let Laney retrieve on her own and she would not chop down, and was very dainty how
she carried the birds. There are a few other interesting things that she does that is so much like Drake.
She rolls on toys etc to cover them with her scent. She did that the first day that we had her. We have had several
labs, and the only two that I have ever seen do that so instinctively is Drake and his Mom Nugget. She listens well,
and is not timid. Drake and Laney are in the house with us in the evenings, and she sleeps in her crate at night.
I will never forget her first night at our house. She adjusted immediately. For some reason I woke up at about
4:00am and there sat Laney by the bedside starring at me! The door must have not been locked and she had to
go. One more little thing that I have noticed about her is how lightly she steps. Drake is a lummox, but adjile.
You barely feel her feet if she steps on you while playing or fetching. We fully intend to breed Drake and Laney in the
future. It is evident that she is "all that" and will be a good Mom. I have a cute picture of them
that I will print and mail for you. What I will try to do is take the digital camera from the office this weekend and
get some hunting photos to e-mail you.
Well we are most pleased (and relieved) that she is a jewel.
Sincerely,
The Bidlakes
Brandon,
Just an update---wish
I had some pics to send, but have none recently loaded...Hank is doing great. Other than licking like he's got a vitamin
deficiency, his mannerisms and demeanor appear to be like his dad's....which Jenny and I were impressed with when visiting.
Took him out a few
times to follow around our yellow lab, and he loved the hunt and followed our yellow around for the day. His first pheasant
he tracked and even retrieved to me...a dead one that had been there a few days, but...he found it on his own, retrieved it,
and you could tell he was very proud of it....I think we have a hunter!
When getting vaccines, Oahe vet noticed your name
on his records and complimented your business. Just thought I'd pass that on.
Thanks
Nick
I just thought I send some pictures
of Shelby. She's turned out to be an excellent hunter. Some of the pictures are a little old. She's up to
about 58 lbs now. This year she started pointed every now and then, especially when there's snow on the ground.
I couldn't have found a better dog! Thanks,
Jerry
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