The ‘Nicks and her nine (puppies)’ story began when Angela Shellene lost her mother to cancer on December 19, 2019. Grieving, Angela and her husband John's last-minute decision was to buy their daughters a Golden Retriever puppy for Christmas. “They are loyal, friendly and smart dogs,” her husband John confirms. 

“We wrote a letter to the girls, asking them to find a puppy. They were over the moon!” John explains. McKenzie, then 21, and Sydney, nine, found a breeder they liked - and who, coincidentally, had a litter of puppies born on December 19 - the same day Angela’s mother had passed away. Four days after Christmas, the family drove 50 miles to choose their new pet – and John continues, “one of Angela's mom’s favorite performers was Stevie Nicks, so we named our puppy Stevie Nicks Shellene.” 

Ready to breed (once) from Nicks, the couple gave their daughters the challenge: find a sire. "We really wanted a field golden, which are dark golden to red in color," Angela continues, and we chose Oakley, a beautiful field purebred with a great build and affectionate personality.” Neighbors heard about the breeding plan and expressed interest in a puppy.  With Nicks pregnant, the family built a whelping box in their sunroom, where Nicks went into labor on May 13, 2023 (Mother’s Day) - her first puppy appeared at 10.38pm, with eight others born at intervals until 3am: six boys and three girls. Over 30 neighbors were respectfully present for the births! 

McKenzie and Sydney cleverly used colored collars to identify each puppy, while the neighborhood interest continued. “Kids came over every day to help by playing and socializing with the puppies,” Angela enthuses, “because while this was a wonderful experience, it was a lot more work than we imagined!” The family created a waitlist, and when the puppies were eight weeks old and ready to leave Nicks, all had new families - seven living within a five-minute walk. The first choice went to McKenzie, who chose collar ‘Blue’ - and kept the same name. 

“Nicks and her puppies are now Lake Highlands urban legends,” says Brigitta Black, proud owner of Nicks’s son Archie. “Nicks’s pupsare the center of our neighborhood’s society: we meet up for happy hours and play nights on our cul de sac – the pups all recognize their siblings, and their mom,” she continues, “and we have a puppy mom thread where we share details and photos. We are proud, beaming Golden Retriever puppy moms (and families).” 

The Lake Highlands Golden Retrievers, with their names, original collar colors and happy families!

Archie (yellow) – The Black Family 

Blue (blue) – The Lubs Family

Butter (red) – The Foust Family

Boudreaux (green) – The Sweazy Family

Chief (orange) – The Foster Family

Nala (black) – The Erickson Family

Penny (white) – The McCleese Family

Rosie (purple) – The Barfield Family

Sunny (pink) – The Heinz Family