Imagine a sea of fluffy puppies all gathered together in a hidden oasis of green grass, sunshine and flowers. That is the exact welcome committee I had greeting me for my trip out to create branding material for Katrina Post, owner and founder of Griswold Goldens. They are a small breeder of F1, F1b and multi-generational Golden Doodles and Bernedoodles located in Bergen, New York.

Katrina had reached out in early 2022 looking for quality branding photos for her new website along with updated family portraits. We talked about what she had hoped to use her portraits for, what her brand was all about, and how she wanted to decorate her home with artwork.

Working with Katrina and her husband Peter was an absolute delight not only because you could clearly see the love and support they shared for one another, but also the commitment they had when it came to Griswold Goldens. From the moment I stepped out of my car and met the crew of dogs followed by Katrina, it was clear this was an animal person through and through.

“Growing up, my family always had a dog. When I was five years old my mom started raising Golden Retrievers. I remember when I was little I would spend hours on end in our old farm building where the puppies were born helping my mom nurture the newborn puppies, and playing with them daily when they were finally old enough to go outside. Experiencing this as a young girl gave me quite a bit of the knowledge and instinct I use when it comes to my litters today.” -Katrina Post

As we began their branding session, I knew I wanted to showcase how Katrina’s program was so much more than just a breeding program, it was a loving home for each and every puppy. Griswold Goldens program currently has two Goldendoodles, five Bernedoodles, four Bernese Mountain Dogs, and one poodle boy. Five of those live in Katrina and Peter’s home and the rest are a part of their Guardian Home Program!

couple-with-two-goldendoodles-one-bernedoodle-one-german-shorthaired-pointer

What is the Guardian Home Program?

In order to give breeding dogs the very best life possible, it is important to limit how many dogs are personally kept in a home. Approved homes assist in the goal of keeping breeding dogs out of the kennel environment and in a loving Guardian Home, where each dog is a cherished family member. Approved Guardian Families will have their pick of a puppy that will qualify as a future member in the breeding program in exchange for providing their dog with a happy home. Griswold Goldens still handles all breeding related expenses and covers spay/neuter expenses with an ownership release once the dog has completed their time in the program. Learn more about Griswold Goldens’ Guardian Home Program HERE.

Throughout the beautiful Summer evening into Golden Hour, we adventured around their hidden oasis of a backyard and captured some of my favorite portraits I have taken. As we got started with Katrina and Peter’s portraits, we naturally had to include Ava and her mom Lexi (Goldendoodles), Reya (F1 Bernedoodle), and Arrow (German Shorthaired Pointer) in the session! As you can imagine with multiple adult dogs with entirely unique personalities and attention spans, we had a boatload of hilarious blooper content. The joke was on them however, as I have an unwavered patience when it comes to photographing animals and will gladly snap candids until I know I have what we were aiming for as well. But I have to admit, Reya sitting front and center for the group shot makes me giggle and the many faces of Ava while Lexi posed like the queen she is.

We also had to show some love to Arrow, the odd man out of the litter and while I don’t have footage of it, we had a good laugh as Peter made noises and moved around in an attempt to get Arrow to show that signature point we wanted!

Once we finished up the branding portraits we moved onto the puppies and there was one image Katrina knew she wanted right off the bat and that was a bouquet of puppies! Between Peter and Katrina, we were able to safely photograph a bundle of 8 out of the 10 puppies in their arms that day which quickly became a favorite! I mean come on, how can you not feel warm and fuzzy looking at this pile of floofs?

As the sun began to set and golden hour was starting to peak, Peter and I quickly snuck in a few last minute puppy portraits before Katrina returned in her final outfit and I am so glad we did because it truly showcased how social their puppies actually are on their own as they came over to sit in my lap and get all of the loving! Finally, in the peak of golden hour we began to create the artwork we knew we wanted to display in their home which was a simple creation of authentic moments shared between this power couple as their dogs candidly surround the background. To see the love and support they share for each other not only as Griswold Goldens but also a husband and wife was absolute goals for anyone.

As we finished up and gave out a celebratory cheer, we released the little of puppies to follow the adults back down to the house and laughed about the total and utter chaos that comes with owning dogs and yet how much fun we had in creating this one of a kind content that would brand their business further into the future. It was my absolute pleasure to work on helping Katrina bring her branding vision to life and I can’t say the puppy kisses weren’t a perk too.

So what sets Griswold Goldens apart from other breeders? It is simple, her program is constantly evolving with the health, comfort and safety of her dogs in mind. Katrina takes health and genetic testing serious with every dog entering her program including OFA Hips, Elbows and Cardiac testing to avoid producing at risk puppies. Not only do they cover health testing, but they also schedule regular vet visits and ensure all adults and puppies are up to date on their vaccinations and overall health. But let’s talk about how Katrina ensures that each adult and puppy in the Griswold Goldens program is well loved and set up for success.

In spring 2022 they built the puppy nursery, a space where puppies can be whelped and raised that is completely dedicated to the health and safety of their dogs and puppies. Mamas are given the best care throughout their pregnancy from vet visits, extra nutrition, vet services, and a happy home life to ensure their moms are well prepared to bring their puppies into the world. Once puppies are born into the world, they begin ENS (early neurological stimulation) and ESI (early scent introductions) at 3 days old. This is performed on days 3-16, including gentle handling and daily weights. ENS is known to improve cardiovascular performance, stronger heartbeats, stronger adrenal glands, more tolerance to stress, and greater resistance to disease. ESI improves nose awareness and confidence. At 3 weeks of age they start their 10 step handling exercises to ensure their puppies are exposed to various types of touch, handling and sensation. This includes eyes, nose, inside mouth, around collar, tummy, down back, pull tail, tug on ears, and tapping nails. Early Socialization is also a crucial step in creating perfect companion dogs. Puppies are handled and played with on a daily basis and they are intentional in the way they socialize and play with puppies to help them learn that people and other dogs are safe and loving. Finally, in maintaining a clean puppy and environment, Katrina begins potty and crate training with all of her puppies!

I don’t think life could really get any better than that!

Interested in learning more about Griswold Goldens? I decided to take things a step further and invited Katrina to answer a few questions I thought my readers would like to know!

Do you have any local pet business' you love?

Woodrow Grooming in Batavia, NY
Thornell Brook Grooming in Byron, NY
York Animal Hospital we use for all our adult dogs and puppy vet checks and everything in between -- they're the best!
Hilton Veterinary Hospital we use for our health testing

What breeders have you worked with to build your program?

Lovely Doodles in Warsaw, NY -- My mom who was and continues to be a mentor.

K Brand Poodles & Doodles in Spanish Fork, Utah -- This is where our latest Poodle stud Beau came from.

Badass Breeder Program -- I have read their book as well as taken some online classes with Jeanette. A lot of my program is based off of her teachings, including sound exposure, puppy curriculum, handling exercises, and more.

Do you breed your dogs with specific homes in mind?

Lots of our puppies go to pet homes with young families or couples. I love both of these senecios as the puppy is so loved and gets lots of attention. However, I have had several of my puppies go on to do service work, including therapy dog in a classroom, a diabetic alert dog, a hospital therapy dog. Both bernedoodles and goldendoodles do incredible with service work, I love seeing my puppies succeed in these roles.

How would you describe the experience potential puppy owners will have working with you?

In order to start the journey for a Griswold Golden puppy you will need to submit a puppy application on my website. If approved, puppy families will submit their deposit to get their name added to a litter list. Once a litter is born puppy families are contacted and are advised of their selection number. I take individual puppy pictures weekly for my puppy families so they can see the puppies grow! Puppies go to the vet at 7 weeks old and get their first puppy vaccinations, are dewormed, and get a health check and certificate from the vet. Puppy families can always meet the mom. As of now all of our dads are outside studs, so it not always an option to meet the dad as quite a few we use are out of state. Beau is our first up and coming stud and will be a hopeful future dad summer/fall 2023!

Do you offer out of state sales? If so, how do you handle that?

Yes, I have puppies that go out of state with almost every litter. I do have a ground transportation delivery service who I work with, as well as a flight nanny service.

”Jamie is incredibly easy to work with! Photographing four dogs and a litter of puppies sounds like a stressful time, but Jamie made it fun for all of us and we had such a good time! She was there every step of the way, helping us choose outfits, bandannas for the dogs, artwork for our wall, all the things. She was so good and patient with my four dogs that were included in our photos. They didn't make it super easy but she was willing to work with them until we got the perfect shot! Jamie exudes a love for animals that shows in her photos. My favorite part was probably the photo reveal! I was so excited to see them and the magic that Jamie created was just incredible. Schedule the session, you won't regret it! I couldn't be happier with Jamie’s dedication, compassion and quality of work.” -Katrina Post