We are a small family kennel located in Clovis, California (halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco in California's exquisite Central Valley). Our English Golden Retrievers are raised on our 3 acre farm, where they have a seasonal pond and a yard built just for them to swim and play.  They hold a precious place among horses, chickens, an abundant garden, and most importantly, many children. All puppies are hand raised in our home, from the moment they are born until the moment they go to their furever families. In short, our English Goldens are an integral and essential part of our family!

       We have carefully researched English Golden Retriever pedigrees and are always learning more about how best to promote the Golden Retriever breed and grow specifically as English Golden Retriever Breeders. While English Golden Retrievers are distinctive in their conformation from their American counterparts, they are not English Cream Golden Retrievers or White Golden Retrievers. They are Golden Retrievers! We therefore proudly support the American Kennel Club and strongly encourage all of our Nicholberry families to register their puppies with the AKC. At Nicholberry Goldens, our focus is on temperament and health, with a particular passion for raising puppies who are suitable for doing therapy work.

       Before becoming breeders, we suffered great heartache at the early loss of our American Golden Retrievers due to cancer (the last was our sweet Daisy girl, pictured here with our boys), and to the degree that we can, it is our mission to spare families from such a painful experience. We believe that an English Golden Retriever can and should live a long, healthy life and it is our goal to produce puppies who do just that.

 

 

 

 

 

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

   

      It is also our belief that much of the illnesses which plague the Golden Retriever breed go hand in hand with a poor temperament. Inbreeding has done much to damage the Golden Retriever, resulting in dogs of poor health and who often don't possess the hallmarks of the Golden temperament. We are ecstatic about the demeanor of our English Golden Retrievers and are delighted that our dogs are not only gorgeous and healthy, but wondrously mellow and intelligent. Brian and I both come from a family of green thumbs. Brian grew up in the Great Lakes region, where the 6 children in his family were responsible for maintaining the Nichols Garden. I grew up in the beach town of Ventura, California, where my mother’s obsession with plants and gardening rubbed off on me. When Brian and I got married, we dreamed of owning our own little farm, where we could grow a gigantic garden, as well as raise children, horses, dogs and any other kind of animal that came our way! In 2004, our dream came true and even now, we pinch ourselves that we actually get to live in such a wonderful home. It’s not fancy, but it’s perfect for us. We simply love it! As for “Nicholberry,” the name is very dear to our hearts. For years, Brian’s father and step-mother sent us homemade jam at Christmas. Our family rejoiced whenever the box arrived from Oregon, because it contained the coveted little jar bearing the name, “Nicholberry Jam.” When Brian’s father lost his fight to diabetes in 2006, we both felt convicted that we should name our little farm in his honor. Thus, “Nicholberry Farms.”

     We love our life on the farm and are always delighted to meet new people, so if you are in the Central California area, please come visit us! We are about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles and the drive both ways takes you through stunning farm land. We promise a fresh cup of coffee, home grown produce, the sound of children playing and of course, our wonderful English Golden Retrievers!