Three generations on the river.
Every dog in this program is health-tested, AKC registered, and raised in the home. Here's who they are.
Sprague River Lisa Marie
Yellow female. Born November 10, 2020. Lisa is the heart of the program — a working hunting dog with a brain to match her drive.
Lisa came up the same way her daughter is coming up now: on the river, around the pack, learning the rhythm of the place. She's the dog Jim tells stories about — the one who can tell whether a duck on the water is alive or dead, and who'll pick her moment for the cleanest retrieve.
- AKC RegistrationSS23077105
- OFA HipsExcellent
- OFA ElbowsNormal
- EyesExamined
- DNAAKC DNA on file
- Dam ofWillow · Current litter
Sprague River Willow
Black female. Born June 30, 2023. Lisa's daughter and the future of the program.
Willow is the third generation of females raised on this property — Shadow, Lisa, Willow. Each generation has come back with stronger health clearances than the last. Willow's OFA Excellent hips, completed in July 2025, continue the pattern. Her temperament is quiet and steady; she watches her mother work and learns by being there.
Willow's sire is Thornwood's Always Prepared — called Ready — an English-type chocolate male from Thornwood Labradors. The connection to Thornwood runs back through generations of this program.
- AKC RegistrationSS42789903
- OFA HipsExcellent
- OFA ElbowsNormal
- EyesExamined
- DNAAKC DNA on file
- DamSprague River Lisa Marie
- SireThornwood's Always Prepared ("Ready")
Good. Excellent. Excellent.
Hip dysplasia is the breed's most well-known problem. Across three generations, this program has moved from OFA Good to OFA Excellent — and held it. Shadow earned Good. Her daughter Lisa earned Excellent. Lisa's daughter Willow earned Excellent. That's not luck. That's intentional pairings, generation after generation.
Noble — Thornwoods Designed to Inspire
A Best of Breed winner from Thornwood Labradors — an AKC Breeder of Merit kennel in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
The sire for the current litter is Thornwoods Designed to Inspire — called Noble — a yellow male from Thornwood Labradors, the kennel run by Kevin and Cheri Conway. Thornwood is an AKC Breeder of Merit with decades of experience producing champions, gun dogs, and service dogs.
Noble took Best of Breed at an AKC show when he was just seven months old, from the puppy classes. His pedigree contains four CHIC-certified grandparents — a depth of health clearance most breeding pairs can't claim.
He's also DNA cleared for the four major Labrador health conditions: PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy), EIC (Exercise-Induced Collapse), CNM (Centronuclear Myopathy), and HNPK (Hereditary Nasal Parakeratosis).
This isn't the first time Jim has bred to a Thornwood sire. Willow's father — Ready, Thornwood's Always Prepared — was also from Thornwood. The connection runs back years, and it's part of why every litter from this program carries pedigree depth that goes well beyond what's visible on a single registration certificate.
- AKC RegistrationSR94232104
- OFA HipsGood
- OFA ElbowsNormal
- DNACleared: PRA, EIC, CNM, HNPK
- TitleAKC Best of Breed (7 months)
- Pedigree4 CHIC-certified grandparents
- OwnerThornwood Labradors
Note: Noble's last eye examination was in 2021. A re-examination is being scheduled per AKC recommendations. We share this openly so buyers know what is and isn't current.
Noble at his Best of Breed / Best of Winners win, 7 months old. Handled by Ellen Cottingham. Photo: Roberts Photos.
Want a puppy from this lineage?
The current litter is out of Lisa and Noble. Call Jim for availability and litter details.