Ziggy Comes Home

Ziggy’s First Portrait

The Blizzard

For months, we had been searching for the perfect Golden Retriever puppy, speaking with countless breeders but never finding the right fit. Then, one morning while browsing puppies.com, I saw him – a pair of eyes looking out into the world. I knew instantly he was the one. We immediately contacted the breeder in Nebraska, but being in Colorado, we needed to plan for the long drive.

After a two-week delay, we were finally ready to set off the next morning in an unfamiliar car. The forecast mentioned potential snow, but we felt prepared. Come morning, we awoke to an early blizzard. The radar showed the storm clearing about 30 minutes into our drive, so we decided to brave the harsh conditions. As predicted, the weather improved around the town of Simla, and from there, it was smooth sailing.

The journey through unfamiliar parts of Nebraska was enjoyable. We glimpsed Chimney Rock from afar and passed "Car-Henge," but we were too excited to stop – those puppy eyes were waiting for us.

The First Picture We Saw

Those Eyes

We arrived at the breeder's on a beautiful day, a stark contrast to the morning's blizzard. Blue skies and green grass welcomed us, along with a horde of adorable Golden Retriever puppies. They scampered between the breeder, Karl, their mom, and us. The breeder gathered up his sisters so we could focus on the boys.

Two puppies continued to linger at my feet. One danced and slapped, and the other tugged at my shoelaces. It was clear that one of these two was coming home. Finally, the dancer stopped and looked up at me. It was the eyes from the picture and the same blue collar. His brother continued to tug on my shoelaces, and it became apparent I was not the subject of his interest, but he was very much a fan of tug of war.

I picked up the blue-collared puppy, and it was love at first hold. After a whirlwind of paperwork, we were suddenly on our way home with our new family member. Karl quickly bought a blue collar from the closing K-Mart (the last one we ever saw open). As he placed it on our puppy, the little one closed his eyes and leaned into it. He was ours, and we were his.

Those Handsome Brown Eyes

No Gas In Gurley

Karl noticed the gas tank would need attention within the next couple of towns. We pulled toward the town of Gurley, but there was no gas station. We should be okay, after all, the next town wasn't that far up the road. We continued on. Suddenly, before we reached the next town, the gas light turned on. This would be the day we discovered a unique quirk of this particular vehicle: the tank is empty when it reads ¼ full.

We could see the gas station sign at the top of the next hill. Karl was being careful not to waste any fuel, but one hill before the Knapp Bros? The engine quit running. We were coasting towards the outskirts of Sidney, Nebraska, without enough fuel to get us there. An eccentric local stopped and offered to ‘shove’ our car with his push bars up the hill. We politely declined their offer, but they continued to press. Thankfully, a kind female police officer arrived. We explained our situation to her as the local shouted before driving away laughing, “Can you believe they thought they could get gas in Gurley!?”

The officer offered to drive Karl up the hill to the gas station and help us get on our way. Through all of this, the puppy slept on my lap, exhausted from his biggest day ever. I waited with him and stroked his ears until we filled up with the most expensive 1 gallon of gas we have ever purchased. We returned to the road and were able to properly fill up the tank to resume our journey.

The Town of Gurley, Nebraska

The Colorado Border

We hadn't chosen a name beforehand, wanting to meet him first. But before crossing back into Colorado, we knew: Sigfried, nicknamed Ziggy – meaning "victorious protector." He settled contentedly in my lap as we passed through each Nebraska town.

Ziggy woke up and watched the road for awhile. Every power pole was fascinating. He found himself being silly, and then he crawled over into Karl’s lap for a bit. Keeping his head down, we were surprised when, moments after crossing the Colorado border, Ziggy reached over towards me like he wanted attention, only to suddenly hork all over the middle console of the car.

Oh no, we had no paper towels, one fabric towel, and one shopping bag from a convenience store. We were unprepared for this. Although both of us had been around animals our whole lives, this was our first puppy experience. We pulled over and cleaned up what we could.

We resumed the trip, laughing at the nature of the incident occurring just past the Colorado border sign. Not long after this, he whined and refused to sit still. We carefully chose a spot and set him down to go. He pottied in the grass, and our journey, outside of one more hork-ing experience, was uneventful until about 30 minutes from home.

Ziggy Resting On the Drive Home

Snow=Home

As we approached home, the weather changed dramatically. The sunny skies gave way to heavy snow, with accumulations over 6 inches. We carefully navigated the last stretch home.

Ziggy had been whining to get out of the car for about 20 minutes. He NEEDED to go. We put him on the ground, and he stood frozen, his legs unsure of what to do. Never before had he seen snow. He patted around in it. He dropped his face into it and sniffed it. It stuck in his nose, and he recoiled back. After that, he dove his head at it before stopping to finally do his business.

We took him inside and introduced him to his new room. He met our cats, and before we knew it, he was asleep on the floor. We snuck away and marveled at our day before going to sleep. That morning, he was whining at the door and waving his tail in a stiff fashion.

We let him out, and he drifted over the snow. Running as fast as he could with his lower jaw just slightly open so he could scoop the snow like a whale before tumbling over onto his back and rolling himself in the cold.

Ziggy had found home, and it meant SNOW! Still to this day, he loves snow. Fresh snow is the best; he rolls himself, eats it, digs it, scoops it, and lays down. He loves to find that inner puppy who is still rolling in his first snow, and I adore watching it as much now as I did then.

Ziggy Discovering Snow

An Introduction

Welcome to Stardust Acres!

We're Lori and Karl, Colorado natives who've been happily married since 2011. For over a decade, we've run Virtually Vintage Studios, our laser engraving and crafting business. But our true passion lies in our hobby homestead, our furry friends and the service quality Goldendoodle and Golden Retriever puppies we raise here.

Both Karl and I have deep roots in animal husbandry. From general farm living to veterinary shadowing, our love for animals has been a constant throughout our lives.

Our journey into breeding puppies was gradual. It began with us working as a handyman team for a specialty hypo-allergenic kennel. We tackled everything from patching chewed fences to fixing broken gate latches. Over time, we gained invaluable knowledge about whelping, puppy care, and grooming. We also fell in love with Golden Retrievers, Poodles, and their delightful mixes.

The turning point came when we brought home Ziggy, our Golden Retriever. Karl had a back injury that required him to find a service companion. After an 8-month search and a blizzard-filled journey from Nebraska, our puppy Ziggy came home. He became the inspiration for our breeding program. His brilliance and joyful nature made us realize we wanted to raise puppies with his traits.

When the kennel we worked with had to downsize due to an injury, we welcomed their Poodles into our home. We knew these dogs and their lineage well, making the transition natural.

Today, we're proud to be on our second generation of Poodles, with our first mother dogs now enjoying retirement. We have only a few litters each year. We're continually amazed by our dogs' unique personalities and the puppies they produce. Every day brings new lessons and joys in our life with these wonderful animals. Some are born to hike, some want a couch, some need a family filled with kids and most are looking to connect with their home with the commitment of a service animal.

At Stardust Acres, we don't just breed dogs – we craft companions. Our Goldendoodles and Golden Retriever puppies are more than pets; they're family members we've nurtured from birth. We pour our hearts into raising intelligent, healthy, and loving puppies that bring joy to families across Colorado and beyond.