Owners' stories
From the families
We asked owners from the last ten years to write a few lines, and printed what they sent, including the one about Moose's hips. Every family that takes a Ridgeline puppy is invited to our owners' Facebook group — about 140 members — and to the reunion we hold here every June: a fun hunt test in the morning, burgers by the pond, and the year's photos.
In their words
Moose's hips came back Mild at two. We emailed Matt the OFA letter on a Monday, he called that night, and the refund was in our account by Friday. He still asks about Moose every fall.
Dan & Mel Ostrowski, Billings, MT — Moose, 2023 litter (Skye × Tucker)Ranger went Qualified All-Age in April 2025 with me handling, and I'm an amateur with a day job. The Kesslers told me at seven weeks he'd be a lot of dog. They were right about that, too.
Kyle Reinholt, Bismarck, ND — Ranger QAA, 2022 litter (Skye × Hammer)We are not hunters. We said so on the questionnaire, and they matched us with the calmest pup in the litter and sent us home with a training plan. Pepper did her Junior Hunter this summer anyway.
Sarah & Erik Haugen, Bozeman, MT — Pepper, 2025 litter (Hazel × Tucker)Cocoa came to us at fourteen months through Jodi after her first family was posted overseas. She arrived with her whole file, her OFA prelims and a list of what she was afraid of. She retrieved her first goose that November.
Tom Bracken, Boise, ID — Cocoa, 2023 litter (Skye × Tucker), with us since 2024Hank is nine now and still hunts sharptails with me in October. When I called about his hips getting stiff, Jodi had the names of three things to try before I'd finished explaining.
Gary & Sue Lindgren, Spokane, WA — Hank, 2017 litter (Maple × Rolling Thunder)Brandon had never trained a dog past sit. Matt spent an evening on the phone every month that first year. Rip finished his HRCH at two.
Brandon & Kelsey Hart, Great Falls, MT — Rip, 2023 litter (Skye × Tucker)