​Brand new official Canine Good Citizen! Lucy was a favorite in class and such a natural, with her calm and sweet demeanor.

I have been to many obedience classes in my life. Being in class with Lucy is a true joy and privilege. She is the dog in class that all of the other owners wish their dogs acted like. I constantly get asked, "where did you get her?"

Next step: Therapy Dog Certification
I am signed up for their orientation session mid June.

​We were very blessed to welcome Charlotte into our home this past February. Her gentle, patient nature made her acclimation to her new home so seamless. 

Charlotte immediately become part of our family. Delighting in both playing alongside her (annoying) little sister Esther, as well as solo time with mom, Charlotte exhibits excellence in trust, patience and adoration in everything she does. We love our daily walks (and talks), and we survey the garden out back each morning together. She patiently observes squirrels, rabbits and neighbors out doing yard work, happy to stay by my side as a constant companion. We take opportunities to socialize on patio dinners, and with children on the nearby playground each day (her favorite I think, but she doesn’t discriminate). 

The inherent adoration and love we feel from Charlotte is unmatched. To think that we were chosen as her forever family, now the recipients of this pure joy, is incredible! We’re in basic obedience now (checking that box) before moving on to therapy dog work, for which she was absolutely born to do. She is a lover! As we started classes, I wish I could take credit for a fraction of the disposition and manners so firmly in place (as I watched the other class participants go through that familiar obedience struggle - we had none lol); the truth is we cannot. She came to us as perfection! We’ve had so many conversations with folks about how we came to acquire Charlotte - not many know that retired breeding mom adoption is an option! But the response is always the same - besides jealously, it’s  adoration and excitement! This includes our vet :) to have met Charlotte is to love her and she will bring her sunshine to so many in her therapy work!

Thank you thank you thank you for the gift of Charlotte, the light in our lives. She is: Sheer joy and perfection. We love her more each day!

With thanks and more appreciation than we could express,

Jena and Patrick Stebly

​Hi Rhonda!


As we are coming up on a year and a half with our best boy, Otto, I was reflecting on what makes him different than all of the other goldens out there, and thought you might enjoy my thoughts. 

He is SO people oriented. He will choose interaction with people as a reward over any treat, any time. He especially loves little kids, he will immediately sit then lay at their feet and be immobile (except for that ever wagging tail!) and wait for them to interact with him. 

He is in tune with our family’s emotions. If a kiddo is crying or upset, you better be ready for this big dude to lay directly on top of you to make you feel better. It works 100% of the time. 

He very rarely barks, even if other dogs are barking at him. The one exception seems to be when I pause something on the TV, he gets very afraid of the humans in the glass box  Must protect mom!

He loves adventures. He thrives on being out and about and generally enjoying life with our family. Hardware store, sporting goods, even shopping for clothes, he’s down for it. He’s also an absolute saint in the car, even a 10 hour journey to the mountains!

He’s passed 3 of his 4 classes needed to become a therapy dog. He will take the final one this fall and then be tested. We can’t wait to be able to take him into schools to volunteer. 

A Snitker Golden is unlike any other dog out there, and we’re so grateful to you and your program for the gift that he is to us.       - The Lang Family

​Fannie Mae has completed her CGC test, therapy dog training and service dog training at just 14 months old!  She is a gluten detection dog for me & to watch her work is just amazing. It’s been life changing for me to have her! 

Fannie Mae is also my therapy dog partner.  We’ve been busy visiting schools, nursing homes, businesses for employee appreciation days, post prom parties, Camp Courageous & hospice patients to name a few. She absolutely loves everyone she meets especially children! Her personality is so loving, gentle and kind! She’s 70lbs of pure joy!

We LOVE our girl to pieces! She’s brought so much comfort and joy to our life & to be able to share her with others has truly been a blessing! Thank you so much Rhonda for matching us with the perfect pup! 
Kris & Steve Kleiman

​Our puppy, now 13 months, is a wonderful addition to our family. We have an 11 yr old golden and knew the day would eventually come when he wouldn’t be with us. So, we decided to get a puppy. Snitker Goldens came highly recommended from family friends. I saw the puppy available on the website and called Rhonda. We spoke for over an hour about our family and lifestyle, and Snitker’s philosophy and breeding program. The available puppy was in the Gold Select training program already. We decided it was worth it. He has a mellow disposition but personable and happy. He is an excellent dog and fit right in to our family. It was a quick adjustment for both dogs and all family members. I can’t imagine life without our beautiful and loving new dog! He is a joy.

Rhonda was extremely helpful and full of great advice and suggestions both before we brought the puppy home and even afterwards! I continue to keep her updated on our dog…they are like her children.
 

Margaret
Colorado 

Rhonda,

I just have to show you a video of Molly watching your video from last summer’s puppies. lol, she’s watched it multiple times. She watches the whole thing and perks up every time. It’s adorable. Hope you’re doing well.

Thank you for all you did for this amazing pup. She’s truly the best dog ever. 

Her whole goal in life is to sit next to me and eat peanut butter. 

- Annie

Hi Rhonda! 
I just wanted to give you an update on Fannie Mae(Miss Yellow)from February 2024 Bella/Henry litter. From the day we brought her home she has been such a lover. Her gentle, kind, silly, loving personality is making her not only the best dog EVER for us but also the sweetest therapy dog partner. She absolutely loves everyone she meets. She is definitely a thinker and very smart! I also decided to make her a service dog for me to detect gluten. She learned the scent in our first training session and has been 100% right ever since. My trainer said she’s one of the smartest dogs she’s ever worked with! You matched us with the perfect puppy! Snitker Goldens are the best!  
​
Kris and Steve Kleiman

"Happy Birthday to Harper!  Such a sweet little love!!!  Hot dogs for all!! "    - The Kludt Family

left to right)
Bucky (Coco/Bart, 2019), Boomer (Maggie/Silas, 2014), Harper (Fabi/Silas, 2018)


Harper is a burn survivor.  Though she has four legs and is a dog, she seems to understand what that means to survive such a difficult time. Here's her story:



One special day, on January 20th, 2018, a little girl was born to two of the most endearing Golden Retrievers who ever lived . . Fabi, whose father is a World Champion, and Silas, son of a two-time World Champion.  "Wow!" you say, but it's really not the genetics that make this girl so very special. . . it's that she had a place in this world from the very start, and that she has a story to tell.

Harper was born and raised on a farm in Northeast Iowa, along with her three siblings.  Reaching the age of 2 years old, Harper became a mom on March 20, 2020.  Five little girls and five little boys made their way into the world!  This journey was not so easy for Harper, though, and she found herself traveling to the veterinarian to have surgery (Cesarean section) to birth all of the new furry kids.  While this surgery is not uncommon, the procedure took a little longer than normal.  The veterinarian worked hard to bring all of the puppies to safety, and Harper came out of surgery well, as expected.  It was only days later, though, when we learned that everything was not fine.

Harper had suffered what we would call third-degree burns on 70% of her back and down the sides of her body, due to a malfunction of the heating pad used during her surgery.  Though the veterinarian checked her body often during the procedure, Harper's skin became too hot, and the burn was very deep.  Her flesh began to weep, and soon the evidence was seen by all.  Harper's burn was so severe that she lost a great deal of her hide - this was the hair and thick flesh that coated her entire back.  The same veterinarian had to cut away the dying flesh to prevent infection for Harper, if she was going to have a chance to heal well.   Of course, we knew this was very painful for her.  Her body had to be wrapped and changed daily to protect the area where the hide was removed.  

This, alone, would be very difficult for a dog to endure! . . . but Harper had newborn puppies to care for. . . and TEN of them!  These puppies needed to eat and be cared for in a way that only their mama could do!  And so we watched this very special girl, Harper, even in the midst of her great pain, feed her puppies milk and wash them with her tongue, giving them a bath throughout the day, keeping her babies fed, warm, and clean.  Though she was in so much pain herself, she cared for her puppies so that they could be safe and healthy.  

All this time, the veterinarian came to see Harper every single day!  He carefully changed the bandages and cared for her.  And what did Harper do?  She gently looked at the veterinarian, as if he understood, and reached out to touch him with her nose - even while the painful injury was being treated.  Day in and day out, the flesh had to heal on its own.  The area was too large to be grafted, and we all had to wait for the new flesh to granulate in. Little by little, days turned into months, and then into a year.   Harper's babies were now much older and living with their new families, but Harper was still healing from that day they were born.

At first, we wanted only for Harper to heal safely.  And when her flesh began to heal, we then hoped the area would not be so tender for her.  And to our surprise, as Harper began to heal, the area became smaller, and smaller, and SMALLER!  We do not know how this happened, but the new hide grew in, and the scar tissue became smaller as the months went by.  She even gained some of her hair back!  Truly, a miracle!!   And to our great surprise and delight, the area is very small now!  While her flesh still remains covered to protect it from the sunlight, she dons beautiful clothes to keep her comfortable.  :).  And one more sweet thing. . . . her small remaining scar is in the shape of a bone!  And dogs LOVE bones!

We think God cared for Harper every day. . . and we are thankful that He helped Harper endure the pain for so long.  She cared for ten babies, giving so much of herself, even though she was hurting so.  But the really amazing thing is that she almost smiled at us, almost seeming to understand that what happened was an accident, and that we were doing our best to care for her.  Harper's attitude was truly amazing.  And though some days, Harper looked tired and seemed sad, she had so many happy days!  We think that is what helped her get better and stay strong.  :)

Harper is a special gift to all who know her.  She demonstrated such love and trust when she was hurting, and she still continued to be kind.  What a gift that was to behold, watching her every day!