Koa

Koa is a moderate and classic girl with an athletic body.  Her movement is breathtaking as she covers ground effortlessly with clean and balanced gait. She fits the standard's 12:11 ratio beautifully and has balanced front and rear angles. She has a lovely headpiece with soft expression and dark black pigment. Her coat is correct and water repellent, tightly wrapping her body with moderate feathering. Koa finished her AKC championship in the summer of 2024 and has all three majors and 13 points toward her grand championship. At the 2024 Golden Retriever Club of America National Specialty, she made the first cut under breeder-judge Rich Anton as a move up. She has won multiple Best of Breeds and has taken group placements over top winning specials from the classes. She ended 2024 as the number 23 golden retriever bitch all breed. Potentially even more impressive, she has achieved all of this completely owner-handled as our very first show dog. She shines in the AKC owner handled ring where she recently won the sporting group. At IABCA shows, she is undefeated in the breed ring, has multiple sporting group wins and placements, and has earned a Reserve Best in Show over numerous AKC specials.

Koa is just as smart as she is beautiful, excelling in multiple performance venues as well as service work. Picked for her outstanding temperament, she works daily as a medical alert and response dog for Jon, helping him navigate various chronic illness diagnoses. She was owner trained for scent work and a handful of other tasks with the help of Helping Hounds USA, a testament to her intelligence and eagerness to work.  Koa is incredibly biddable and has a phenomenal off switch that allows for her to go from working hard as a service dog to relaxing at home with ease. She has the ability to work all day for multiple days in a row or spend multiple days on the couch relaxing. 

If asked to describe Koa in a story it would be this- we spent five days in Disney World, exploring the parks from open until well after close. On the last day, we headed to the Orlando airport, all of us completely exhausted. We sat at the gate waiting to board our Southwest flight and I looked over at Koa who was practically asleep sitting up. I watched her begin to air scent and with closed eyes, began pawing at Jon to alert him to an oncoming sleep attack. Despite being completely exhausted, nothing mattered more to her in that moment than helping her handler. She truly exemplifies everything a service dog should be- intelligent, handler oriented, and focused with a strong desire to work.

A true retriever, she loves to chase a ball or bumper on land or in the water.  At only one year old and with only 20 feet of dock, she was jumping well into the senior division of NADD. Now three years old, she is well on her way to earning her dock elite title with three of the five legs needed. At her first dock diving competition she easily achieved her dock junior title. At that same competition and with absolutely no prior training, we decided to enter her in air retrieve and hydrodash where she earned qualifying legs in both events, a true testament to her athleticism and intelligence. As evidenced by her variety of titles, Koa easily and happily excels in countless venues. Most recently, she has been training for agility trials with hopes of one day achieving her MACH. Whether competing in sports, running in the backyard, swimming after her pink ball in the lake, or cuddling on the couch, she is happiest when she gets to spend time with her people (and her Cali).

We are incredibly grateful for Nancy Sherick of Firehouse Goldens and Danielle and Tim Kidwell of Fisherman Cove for breeding and entrusting us with this very special girl.