Our names are Grant and Shari Hatch and we want to say, "thanks for taking a look at our website and considering one of our puppies". We still can't believe how one little yellow dog changed our lives!
Not long after returning to live "The Good Life" in Nebraska my son Garrett said ... "Dad, why don't you get yourself a dog to hunt with?" ……..and so our story begins.
Honestly, I didn't really do much research and Shari and I bought a puppy out of the second litter we looked at. When we went to pick her up the people were over joyed as we were there to pick up "the naughty one". I can't believe how lucky I am sometimes!
I worked with her every day that spring and summer and she absolutely loved training. Hunting season arrived and I couldn't have been more proud of this little pup! Her drive, stamina and nose where incredible! At six months of age I had the best hunting dog I could have ever imagined, and she keeps getting better. I had never really hunted with a dog much and I truly was enjoying my new pup and with less than an 10 minutes remaining in Sugars first pheasant season I watched my puppy chase a bird down and grab it out of the air. That bird I now proudly displayed on my wall.
Unfortunately the season came to an end and as I watched T.V. one afternoon , the show I was enjoying (BDC) kept talking about a certain dog who's name sounded familiar. As it turned out it was her Great Grandfather GMPR-MHR Rik's Risky Raider 2001 U.S. Open Pheasant Champion and APLA Hall of Fame. See, told you I was lucky!
Fast forward three years and we had our first litter of Labradors as a result of my brother and I wanting puppies out of his dog Cuss and my dog Sugar. It was a huge learning experience and very rewarding. So much so, that we sold our house in town and moved to the country where we have plenty of room to raise the puppies that bring joy to so many people and families.
Our pups are raised in a home environment as part of the family. We are firm believers this helps develop a more well-rounded dog. Before they leave for their new homes they will have their 1st set of vaccinations, wormed and are nearly potty trained. After much research, we no longer offering dewclaw removal. We believe this is more harmful than good. Dogs need their dewclaws to climb. Imagine your new best friend falling through the ice while hunting and having no way to pull themselves out... We can't allow that to happen.
We do our best to get them well socialized and we try to introduce puppies to other dogs, children, water, gunfire and birds. Weather plays a factor and in some cases we can't make introductions. Make no mistake though! We treat everyone of them as if we were keeping them.
Not long after returning to live "The Good Life" in Nebraska my son Garrett said ... "Dad, why don't you get yourself a dog to hunt with?" ……..and so our story begins.
Honestly, I didn't really do much research and Shari and I bought a puppy out of the second litter we looked at. When we went to pick her up the people were over joyed as we were there to pick up "the naughty one". I can't believe how lucky I am sometimes!
I worked with her every day that spring and summer and she absolutely loved training. Hunting season arrived and I couldn't have been more proud of this little pup! Her drive, stamina and nose where incredible! At six months of age I had the best hunting dog I could have ever imagined, and she keeps getting better. I had never really hunted with a dog much and I truly was enjoying my new pup and with less than an 10 minutes remaining in Sugars first pheasant season I watched my puppy chase a bird down and grab it out of the air. That bird I now proudly displayed on my wall.
Unfortunately the season came to an end and as I watched T.V. one afternoon , the show I was enjoying (BDC) kept talking about a certain dog who's name sounded familiar. As it turned out it was her Great Grandfather GMPR-MHR Rik's Risky Raider 2001 U.S. Open Pheasant Champion and APLA Hall of Fame. See, told you I was lucky!
Fast forward three years and we had our first litter of Labradors as a result of my brother and I wanting puppies out of his dog Cuss and my dog Sugar. It was a huge learning experience and very rewarding. So much so, that we sold our house in town and moved to the country where we have plenty of room to raise the puppies that bring joy to so many people and families.
Our pups are raised in a home environment as part of the family. We are firm believers this helps develop a more well-rounded dog. Before they leave for their new homes they will have their 1st set of vaccinations, wormed and are nearly potty trained. After much research, we no longer offering dewclaw removal. We believe this is more harmful than good. Dogs need their dewclaws to climb. Imagine your new best friend falling through the ice while hunting and having no way to pull themselves out... We can't allow that to happen.
We do our best to get them well socialized and we try to introduce puppies to other dogs, children, water, gunfire and birds. Weather plays a factor and in some cases we can't make introductions. Make no mistake though! We treat everyone of them as if we were keeping them.
Shari and I really enjoy just about every aspect of raising puppies. One of the things that gives us the most fulfillment is the families that we welcome to Big Cottonwood. We have formed some great friendships because of Man's Best Friend! We do our best to keep up with all the puppies and it's fun seeing where they all go! So far we have pups in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennesse, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. We are also excited to see our first puppies going to British Columbia, Canada. We love hearing about our puppies and their accomplishments so please keep in touch after you become part of the Big Cottonwood Family.
