Welcome to The Weatherdeck! Our love of sailing on the Chesapeake led us to the ultimate water dog, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and there has been no turning back. Thomas is a ship's carpenter in Annapolis, Maryland. And, Gina teaches at the neighborhood elementary school. We share our home with 3 Chesapeakes who enjoy hiking, camping, and sailing with us. We also enjoy retriever and obedience training, in addition to dog shows. We are proud members of the American Chesapeake Club and Gina serves as a Maryland Regional Director for the club. In addition, we've been actively involved in rescuing Chesapeakes for many years and have fostered and placed over 40 Chesapeakes through Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief & Rescue. 

Over the years, we have immersed ourselves in the study of this breed with the help of many wonderful mentors. We find it difficult to define our work in this breed without acknowledging those who've influenced us. Our primary mentor and great friend, Jane Pappler (Redlion Kennel), took us under her wing years ago and, for that, we are very grateful. We've spent countless hours sitting next to her at hunt tests, field trials, and dog shows as she has schooled us on the breed. We've  spent late nights evaluating puppies on the bench in her kennel or mulling over breeding decisions. We have co-owned dogs together and have co-bred a number of litters and, every step of the way, Jane has been our mentor, our partner, and our friend. 

And, because we feel that a broad perspective is important, we have also taken every opportunity to learn from many other knowledgeable people in our breed who've been kind enough to answer our questions and show us the way. Becoming a breeder means becoming a custodian of one's breed and we consider that a solemn responsibility that involves an in-depth understanding of the history and purpose of the breed.

Beyond the in's and out's of breed type, conformation, structure, working ability, etc., the big lesson that we've learned from those who've paved the way before us is that the breeding decisions we make today will determine what we have left to breed to in the future. 

With that in mind, our goal is to breed Chesapeakes that possess the structure, drive, intellect, good health, and courage to be your partner at home and in the field. And, we believe in supporting our puppies and their people for the duration of the dog's life.