Testimonials

Finnegan of Twin Harbors

The 2 year old boy laughed as Finnegan rested his head on the hospital bed. The young patient, hooked up to monitors, was put on the floor and instantly wrapped his arms around Finnegan's big neck. Finnegan showered him with "kisses". A nurse spoke to me later. She wanted me to know how Finn's visit had positively affected the young boy. She explained that he had a very rapid heartbeat before Finnegan arrived. As the young boy hugged and petted Finnegan, his heart monitor showed a return to a normal beat.

"I just love that dog!" exclaimed the Alzheimer's patient when he saw Finnegan. He went on to tell me about his life in NYC and the dogs he had many years ago. As he spoke he rubbed Finnegan's head and stroked his velvety ears. At an Oncology Fusion Center, Finnegan has made many friends. They tell him that just the sight of his "smile" and wagging tail helps them to relax.

Finnegan, son of Sampson and Nell, will be two April 9, 2012. He is 100 lbs of joy. He is also a "Pets on Wheels" therapy dog. His job is to visit nursing and assisted living homes and the local hospital. There he gives out kisses and unconditional love. He allows patients to pet him and listens attentively when they tell him about their own dogs. Finnegan's calm personality has made him a wonderful Therapy Dog. He is also smart, loving, playful, self-assured, patient and happy. He is a friend to everyone and every dog he meets.

Thank you Jeanette and Steve for such a wonderful dog!

Update: Just wanted to let you know that Finn won his first title in NACSW: National Association of Canine Scent Work, NW I We were at a trial this past weekend in Manassas VA. So not only is he a super Therapy guy, but he is awesome at searching containers, vehicles and rooms for a “hide”. Update: Finn just won his second title; NW2.

Jeannette and Steve,

Wow! It would be impossible to ever thank you adequately but here comes my attempt!

Brutus and I so appreciate the act of love and compassion that you displayed by taking him back under your loving care during my health problem . Your keeping him for the month during my return back to health speaks volumes as to how you honestly feel about the puppies you offer. I have heard other breeders say to call them if you ever have a problem but I now know for positive you really mean it.

He is almost 5 months old, weighs 63 pounds and is very healthy and happy. He loves swimming and rules over the farm like the Alpha male that he is. He loves to retrieve from both land and water and will do so until I run out of arm. He has done a great job of training me. He is house trained, walks well with the leash that I only use when I feel necessary which is not very often. He sits and stays and is a real gentleman in public. It is such a joy to take him out in public as the comments about his beauty and demeanor are never ending and make me feel so proud. As you know, I was concerned about getting another puppy at my age (64) from the standpoint of being able to care for it as it deserves but it was positively the right decision. He is a great companion(son) and brings such joy to my heart.

As you know, I have had 4 Golden Retrievers over the last 45 years and feel my opinion should be respected when I say he is the smartest, most healthy I have ever seen. I must say I was concerned about raising him with “holistic” approach but the education you gave me has proven beneficial. Using Orijen puppy chow was a great start but I have now converted him over totally to the raw diet and it shows well in him. Brutus and I both thank you for putting us together as we hope to have many wonderful years together. Should you ever need for one of you potential owners to talk to a proud father, please don’t hesitate to put them in touch with me. Again, thanks,

Bob and Brutus Byrd Wytheville, Va.

I hope you and Steve are doing well! I haven’t talked to you in a while and thought I would drop you an email and say hi.

Everything is great up here in the DC area. Hatteras is living the good life too! Hard to believe that it was this time 2 years ago that I had just picked him up and he was only 8 weeks old, amazing how time flies. He is about 85lbs now and is the star around town. You were right about how you said he will only get better looking as he gets older. I was walking him the other day down to Georgetown (place across the river where I take him swimming) and I just had to think to myself how lucky I am to have him. He is the perfect dog, he is always wagging his tail and happy as can be. I also just started to look at him and think to myself at how good looking he is. I’m not the type to brag or boast about things, but I couldn’t have asked for a better dog.

This past Saturday we went for a long walk to Georgetown again to walk around and check out some markets and everyone was stopping us or staring at us (him, not me. I’m jealous of his good looks) We also ran into a couple other English goldens and they looked no where as good looking as Hatteras. His personality is perfect too, he is just a laid back and easy going dog. He loves the attention as well. Since we were only a few blocks from the place were I take him swimming, I decided to walk down there and let him hop in the water. But there was a big crew race going on and the waterfront was packed with people and dogs on leashes. I was tempted to just say forget it and let him go for a swim, but I didn’t know how all the crazy people would react or do to my dog, so we decided to go hop in fountains instead.

One of his favorite things to do besides swim, is go for car rides. I always put the windows down and when I look back, he has his head out the window and the look on his face is priceless. He is just a happy dog. All in all, I just want to say thank you for giving me the best dog anyone could of asked for. He is so well behaved too. When I take him off leash and walk around the monuments in DC, he is always by my side and when people ask how old he is, I tell them he is 2. They are stunned at how well he behaves at such a young age. Well, I’m about to go to a meeting, but just wanted to say hi. I’ll keep the pictures coming. Might be time for some good pictures too. Maybe I’ll give him a good bath this weekend and take some GQ pictures of him for your website!

Take care, Andrew and Hatteras

Steve and Jeanette -

i have been so busy with him and enjoying every minute, what a great puppy, and proof to me that he had the best start with you. He is eating well and loves my yard. He loves to push his face in the grass. He sleeps all night and has not cried at all.

My complements to you as a breeder. His temperment is so gentle and sweet. I just love him. We have posted alot of pictures. Hope you can see them.

Thank you again for choosing him for me he has brightened my days so much.

Darjee is one of the happiest puppies my Mom and I have ever known. She loves every cats she has ever met, almost every dog, walks in every puddle she comes across, rolls and summersaults in grass and mud, monitors the birds and squirrels she sees and observes all the geese and ducks that come into sight. All in all – Darjee is perfect. I wanted to give you a full update on Darjee.

She was accepted into the Morris Animal Foundation’s Golden Retriever Lifetime Study. The study says, “It is the largest observational study ever undertaken to improve the health of dogs.” The Goldens have to be under the age of two years old and in good health with three generations of pedigree. The study hopes to understand why more than half of Goldens die from cancer. Additionally, it will focus on identifying genetic and environmental factors and how diet affects the dog’s chances for cancer. The study will also give insight into other major health problems for all Golden Retrievers and help all Goldens for generations to come. One of the most important things for the study is to obtain clean and accurate samples. Our vet called Morris to go over everything she had to do with the samples package they sent us. Since, Darjee was going to have to fast the night before and the samples needed to be taken first thing in the morning we had her spend the night at the vets. After her appointment where they took her the hair, nail, urine, fecal, blood samples and measurements, she came home to her daily apple and banana. Measuring quality of life is a big part of the study. The intake form asks about how much time you spend with your dog, other family members, other animals and how much time they spend alone a week. Dog food, feeding habits, environmental exposures and behavior is also asked. We also have to list all her activities. Darjee’s nature walks, snack time and three playgroups were included.

If your dog is over two years old or you don’t want to enroll your Golden in the study, you can always sponsor a dog. By participating, we all help a very important member of our families.

www.caninelifetimehealth.org/

Steve and Jeanette - thank you! For ALL you do with such love and passion, to bring joy and companionship to so many families and individuals - you all are incredible. I have a friend who has a beautiful 2-year old golden and there are 'issues.' When the family came to our home a few weeks back they commented on how wonderful our boys are, and they wish their dog would be this good and well behaved. And how do we get our boys to not have that 'doggie smell' and ... and ... and. Now clearly some is nature and some is nurture. And while we started with two great boys from a great breeder, the things YOU have taught us about the benefits of feeding raw, of interacting WITH our veterinarian (not blindly being guided BY our veterinarian) and making the best decisions for the well being of our pups - just thank you!

We promised Jeannette our new puppy was going to a good home and a family who really loves her, and Jeanette said, "You'll never give her more love and joy than she gives to you!" …. she was right! Our whole experience with Jeannette & Steve has been wonderful! They love what they do and it shows. They are down-to-earth, good people with the utmost integrity. They truly care about the breed and their dogs and do everything possible to ensure each puppy is healthy and well socialized by the time he/she goes to their new family. They do not inbreed or crossbreed their dogs. I also like the fact that they won't sell a puppy to just anyone - they want to make sure the puppy is going to a good home. We have a Flat Coated Retriever we got 5 years ago from another breeder and the experience was like night and day. Jeannette & Steve are experienced and have a wealth of knowledge on the breed, diet, care and training. Jeannette gave us loads of helpful advice on diet and care, not just for our new puppy, but also for our adult dog. She should write a book! She has kept in touch and is always available to answer our questions. We would not hesitate to recommend White Oak Retrievers to someone looking for a great family pet. Below is the story of our Bailey, daughter of Sampson and Tootie.

I knew within the first few minutes of talking with Jeanette, we were going to purchase our next Golden from White Oak Golden Retrievers, even if it meant we had to wait for the next litter. We had recently lost Jake, our 14 year old Red American Golden, and were all heart broken, including our 5 year old Flat Coated Retriever, Beau. We came across this wonderful website looking for another male Red Golden. After a long conversation with Jeanette, we thought we would consider a White British Cream. The only problem was that our 3 sons really wanted another male and Jeannette & Steve only had one puppy…. a little girl. She was 10 weeks old and had remained with them longer than her siblings. She was a twin born in a litter of 10 puppies. As Jeannette explained, each puppy is usually born in its own sack, but twins share the same sack and both twins together equal the size of a single sack puppy. Unfortunately, her twin brother, the larger of the twins, did not survive birth and our puppy required lots of extra care from Jeanette & Steve. Steve would get up for 2am & 4am feedings. They nicknamed her "Tinkerbell." All it took for our sons to agree on a girl is one look at the adorable picture Steve emailed to us. Now, who could say no to this??? Now, I'm no longer the only girl in the house. The boys even agreed to let me put a pink collar on her, although they use our black leash instead of the pink one when they walk her. And, we did rename her "Bailey." (Bailey Belle to be exact) Bailey was obviously loved and well taken care of before she ever came to us. From the first day we got her she has been gentle, well-mannered and confident. She already knew to sit & give you her paw, to wait at an open door and to sit while waiting for her food. She is a perfect fit for our family. She loves Beau and he loves her. We have a home business, a Women's Wellness Boutique, Fittings By Michele, and she greets the patients who want to meet her by sitting at their feet, tail-a- wagging and without jumping (she's even teaching Beau some new manners!). Our boys have her swimming in the pool and she loves to lounge in the lawn chair in the morning while we're having our coffee. While she'll never be able to replace the whole in our hearts from the loss of Jake, she is a joy and a true blessing to our family. We thank God for bringing us to you and we thank you for taking such care to give us such a kind, loving and cooperative new family member!

There are not enough words to describe the wonderful experience that we had purchasing Sampson from you. You are always eager to help with any questions that we have had, I would have to say that dealing with you and your family in the purchase of Sampson was one of the best experiences of my lifetime. The first time we spoke you treated me as a friend and like we had known each other for years. I felt honored that you sold us one of your pups. He is the most lovable and happy golden that I have ever met.

Greetings Jeannette & Steve, Steve, you were correct in saying he is a handful. Not in a bad way, but so very smart. I remember you said he could have a vocabulary of ~300 words. Terri & I are not sure how many words he knows, but he does not forget anything. Everyone in our neighborhood loves him. I’ll give you an example of his intelligence. We had “Invisible Fence” installed a few weeks after we brought him home. He learned the flag boundaries so quickly we started removing the flags the first week. It was impossible to install the invisible fence around our koi pond, mulch beds, and some flower beds. So, we thought why not put the flags around these areas and he should stay out. Within a couple days Max pulled these flags (and metal stakes) out of the ground and chewed the flags up. So much for that theory. He loves stealing our shoes, gloves, pants, shirts, etc. But, has never destroyed anything. He was crate trained in a few days. When he sees us getting dressed to go out, Max automatically goes into his “house”. Never a problem. Something very unique. We have a very large back yard & like to keep it clean of his business. When he goes out at night, we can’t always see where he does his business. Not a problem; Terri just goes out with him in the morning and asks “where’s your poo Max”. He takes her to it every time. If Max takes one of our shoes out in the back & leaves it there, I just say “Max, bring Terri’s boot back in.” He’ll run out and bring it back to us. He loves his raw diet & chewing ice cubes. At 14 months Max is ~80 pounds. As you suggested, we will wait the full 18 months before he is fixed. And talk about vocal. I’d have to send you a recording because it is so unique. Not barking; just talking. I’ve had goldens before, but have never seen a dog that thinks he has hands and fingers. He will retrieve anything from under tables and chairs with his paws. We vacationed with Max last year in Virginia Beach. He loved the sand, water, birds, & people. Not a day goes by that someone will ask “what kind of dog is that” because of his white fur and perfect black eye liner. Commands (sit, stay, down, etc,) were a piece of cake. When he runs in the back yard with the neighbor kids, he will run to retrieve something and then goes down like a herding dog. I’ve never seen a retriever do that. Our sincere thanks to White Oak Golden Retrievers and to Max’s parents Sampson & Dolly for a wonderful member of our household. Thank you again Jeannette & Steve. Best Regards

We cannot express in words the happiness that Cricket brings to our lives. She is bright, gentle attentive and extremely loving. She is such a wonderful companion and friend.

Steve was gracious enough to meet us half way to pick up our puppy, that was more than we could ask for. I could tell with talking to Jeannette before purchasing our new member of the family, that she was so passionate about her dogs. I spent a lot of hours on the phone getting to know her. I can't believe he is almost a year old, on Feb 15, he is truly a wonderful dog. He is half English/half American, he is so smart and loving. He is more independent than our previous Goldens, but so loving. We had actually went to pick up another puppy from someone else, two weeks previous to getting him. We went and picked him up and I just knew it was not right,we turned around and took him back. I felt really silly, but I knew that puppy wasn't for me. Tressel loves everybody, and everybody loves him. I would have more if my husband would let me. We have a couple acres for him to run and play, and I think he uses every inch. The neighbors all love to watch him play, he loves to go to splash camp and swim and play with the other dogs. I could go on and on about how wonderful he is.

I had the good fortune of discovering www.whiteoakgoldenretrievers.com very late one night while roaming around the house grieving the loss of our beloved 15 year old British golden retriever, Jenny. I sat down at my computer and did a search, it had been about a month and I was feeling a huge void at not having a dog in my life. Several different breeders came up, but then when I clicked on White Oak and saw the beautiful dogs, read their credentials, and viewed the photos of the current litter of available puppies....I knew I found the perfect place! I emailed Jeannette; we spoke at length the next day, and totally 'clicked' on our approach, philosophy and love of dogs. Since we live about 9 hours away, visiting the farm and interacting with the puppies wasn't an option. We wanted a male puppy and coincidently enough one was still available....I looked at his adorable picture, thought yes, that's our new puppy. When we planned our drive to pick up the new dog, I was both excited and apprehensive....never purchased a dog before from only viewing a small picture. But when we saw that little ball of fluff- Jeannette put him in my arms and he licked my face, that was it !! Our Griffin is now 16 months old, so handsome, so great, such a love, so entrenched in our lives, that we couldn't imagine him not being a part of our family. Thank you White Oak Golden Retrievers...

Hey Jeannette, I hope you and Steve had a great Christmas and the puppies are all healthy and doing well! I thought I would send you and email and let you know that Hatteras is turning out to be quite the dog!! I am sure you have heard this from all the owners of your dogs, but every where we go we get numerous compliments and how great Hatteras looks and behaves. This past weekend we were walking through town and there was this couple with a little toddler and Hatteras just sat there and their 4 year old daughter came up and gave him a hug. The husband was just stunned at how good looking Hatteras was as well as behaved too. I think he may have said the nicest compliment to me since I have had Hatteras. He just stood there with his jaw dropped and said he has never seen such a gorgeous dog and everything about Hatteras was perfect. He said he had the perfect head and demeanor, and his composition was perfect. He asked me where I got him from and I told him White Oak Golden Retrievers, in West Virginia. I told him I couldn't be happier with Hatteras!! He is everything I could ask for and more. Plus, he LOOOOVES the girls! I took off work last Friday and we walked over to Georgetown and we were sitting on the stairs watching the ice skaters and there were two girls sitting about 5 feet from us. I have been working on our off leash training and he has been doing great, so I let go of his leash and he walked over to the girls and just sat there as if he was their boyfriend. It was funny because he acted like he knew them and everyone was laughing and just enjoying the moment.

He is probably close to 80lbs now and still has a lot of growing to do still! If his feet say anything about how big he will be, I can easily see him being a healthy 100lb dog! :) I can't believe he turned 10 months this past weekend, but I can honestly say that the last 8 months have been nothing but a joy. The best part of day is coming home and seeing him and taking him outside and playing fetch. One of his favorite things to do is go hiking and swimming. One of our favorite places to go is Roosevelt Island (the pictures of him swimming and in the woods on facebook is from Roosevelt Island) He go there on the weekdays when no one is there and we have a 200 acre island all to ourself and he just loves it!! Well, I just wanted to drop you and Steve a line and let you know that I couldn't be happier with how Hatteras is turning out! I told him in about a year he is going to be a big brother, so expect a phone call from me sometime this time next year :)

Hope y'all have a Happy New Years!!!

I just took these photos today of our beautiful Luke on our patio in NC. We celebrated his first birthday on October 26th. We have been blessed with a gorgeous, loving, spirited, and intelligent pup who loves people and other dogs. He is pretty sturdy and runs like the wind during morning playtimes with neighborhood furry friends. He is everything we hoped for and so much more. We were fortunate to find you and to benefit from your expertise. Luke was a perfect match for us. He has adapted seamlessly to travel between two homes. He responds very well to training with praise and treats. David and I are the ones who need to work on our consistency! Another thing about Luke is he loves, loves the outdoors. Whether he is running the soccer field, hanging out on the grass by the pond or in the garden, walking on the beach. He is simply in heaven. He is just so observant and tuned into his surroundings. He probably would have thrived on your farm just like Samson. So thank you, again, for this very special new addition to our family.

I would love to introduce you to Shebah, daughter of Sampson and Tutti. Shebah loves people and is gentle and intelligent. She received her Canine Good Citizens certification at the young age of 18 months. Trained off lead she loves going for long walks through the woods.

I’ve continued to raise her holistically on the recommendation of her breeder, Jeanette Cormier. She enjoys a diet of high proteins, fruits and vegetables and most importantly, only federal mandated shots. Shebah has recently became a big sister to a mini golden doodle, and continues to impress us with her amazing personality and love of life.

WHITE OAK GOLDENS OWNED BY JEANETTE AND STEVE COMER HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST GRATIFYING EXPERIENCES OF OUR LIFE. ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO WE HAD TO PUT OUR BEAUTIFUL GOLDEN SAVANNAH TO SLEEP. SHE HAD MANY MEDICAL ISSUES THRU HER 11 YEARS BUT HER TIME STARTED TO RUN OUT WHEN HER KIDNEYS WERE FAILING AND WE HAD TO GIVE HER INTERVENIOUS FLUIDS EVERY NIGHT FOR 9 MONTHS PLUS MANY MEDICATIONS. ABOUT 2 WEEKS BEFORE HER PASSING WE WERE LOOKING THRU THE INTERNET TO SEE ABOUT ANOTHER DOG AFTER RESEARCHING SEVERAL BREEDERS WE CAME ACROSS WHITE OAK GOLDENS. IT CAUGHT OUR EYE BEING IT WAS IN W.VA AND THAT IS WHERE WE WERE FROM ORIGINALLY. THE FIRST TIME I TALKED TO JEANNETTE I KNEW I HAD A FRIEND FOR LIFE SHE WAS ONE OF THE MOST COMPASSIONATE PEOPLE I HAD EVER TALKED WITH . SHE KNEW RIGHT AWAY THE HEARTBREAK WE WERE FEELING WITH THE LOSS OF OUR BABY GIRL WAS TO BE AT ANYTIME. SHE WOULD TAKE TIME WITH ME ANYTIME I CALLED HER DURING THOSE 2 WEEKS AND WOULD SPEND HOURS ON THE PHONE WITH ME. AFTER OUR LOSS OUR HOME WAS SO EMPTY AND WE KNEW IT WAS TIME TO BRING SOME HAPPINESS BACK INTO OUR HOME. WITH JEANNETTE AND STEVE'S HELP WE PURCHASED 2 SISTERS FROM DIESEL'S AND BERRY'S LITTER. WHEN THOSE TWO LITTLE PUPPIES ARRIVED AT OUR HOME THEIR EYES WERE AS BIG AS SAUCERS WONDERING WHERE DID WE JUST COME TO. IT WAS QUITE A TRIP FROM W.VA. TO FLORIDA. SINCE THAT DAY OUR LIFE HAS NEVER HAD A DULL MOMENT. THE LITTLE PUPPIES HAVE GROWN TO BE TWO OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LADIES YOU CAN IMAGINE. THEY ARE BOTH OVER A 100 LBS AND THANK HEAVENS HAVE BEEN HEALTHY SINCE THE DAY WE GOT THEM. THEY ARE THE LOVES OF OUR LIFE EACH WITH THEIR OWN PERSONALITIES. SELENA IS THE PERFECT LADY AND GIA THE TOM BOY OF THE TWO BUT THEY LOVE EACH OTHER AND OUR BEST FRIENDS. SO AGAIN WE BOTH WANT TO THANK JEANETTE AND STEVE FOR MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE HAPPINESS BACK IN OUR HOME AGAIN AND FOR THEIR FRIENDSHIP THRU THE LAST COUPLE YEARS. THEY ARE THE BEST.

I hope all is well up in West VA! Just wanted to bring you up to date on Ripley, he has been such an awesome addition to our family, your pick for us was right on! Ripley and my 11 year old, Logan are best of friends! His temperament and his personality is one of a kind! He is totally off leash and trained and everything.

I hope this email finds you both well. I've included two pictures of my dog Huck (Diesel & Nell) who I bought from you all in April of 09. He is a wonderful dog and companion. So handsome he rarely goes for a walk without getting compliments. More than anything he's a love bug, cuddling up against complete strangers, napping with me on the couch, and playing well with other dogs. He's brought so much joy into my and my family's life. Thanks very much. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Dealing with White Oak Golden Retrievers was easy and pleasant. You answered all of our questions, stayed in touch as the puppies grew and provided great information for first time puppy owners. As for Winston, he had very large shoes to fill that belonged to our former Golden, Thunder, but he is well on his way. He is a beautiful, loving and intelligent dog. He trained us very quickly and also responds to most of what we ask of him. Katherine calls him scary smart but occasionally he can also be silly stupid. People love to meet him. He is fun and a joy to be with. We have, and will continue to recommend you to people searching for a Golden.

"My experience with Jeannette at White Oak's Golden Retrievers, has been an absolutely wonderful one! I first spoke with Jeannette 1 yr prior to purchasing Diesel. We talked at great length about this special breed and she shared a wealth of information on puppies and dogs in general. When my family decided the time was right to get a dog, I knew White Oak's was the place for us. Diesel is by far, the most wonderful dog we have ever owned. He was very easy to train. He is smart, gentle and a lot of fun! He has been absolutely wonderful with the kids, whom have thoroughly enjoyed his company no matter what they are busy doing. Diesel recently swallowed a kitchen cabinet knob. He was very close to death. I was in constant contact with Jeannette throughout our horrific ordeal. While we were in the emergency hospital waiting for blood and urine sample results, Jeannette was on the computer trying to figure out what might have happened to him, based on his symptoms. It was absolutely wonderful having her and her husband's support. I can't even imagine what my family would have gone through if we would have lost this beautiful dog!"

Hey Jeanette,

I know i told you i would write months ago but life just seems to get so busy. I just wanted to share with you and all your readers what a wonderful gift Bubba has given to our lives. Bubba was born on 2-24-09 and will turn 27 months old tomorrow. When Bubba first came to us at 8 weeks old , it was both a wonderful moment and a sad time as my Chesapeake retriever was 13 years old and dying of heart disease. Bubba brought so much love to our family and I truly believe helped Dreamer to live a extra 6 months. I can not begin to even tell you how much love he has given not only to us, but also all the kids in the area other pets and his buddies the Wild horses in Corolla,NC. His gentle manner with all of life is just amazing, from the very beginning he just has always had this sweet heart to love all things. He loves the water, has his own pool so it seems since we call it Bubba's pool. He will sit in the seat of the pool with his head on the side and take doggie naps, so cute. We have owned many dogs,but have never owned a dog that is so easy to train,listens so well and just wants everyone to be happy. I think the British Cream Golden Retrievers are by far the smartest and most gentle dogs I have ever seen. And we feel blessed everyday to have him in our family. Thank you so very much for a gift of a lifetime.

With much love, Jim and Steph