Born: April 7, 2002
Died: August 9, 2013
Dakota was our third dog. He was born just outside of Flint, Michigan at
Woodhaven Labradors (now Kelrobin Labradors). Dakota's breeder Laura Michaels
warned that he was the alpha male and most difficult of the litter and that
our lab experience would make us good owners. She wasn't kidding. Head strong
and assertive, he was also smart as a whip which didn't necessarily make things
any easier. He had a great personality though and turned into an incredibly
loyal adult dog. He was also the first dog Rasa trained to hike off leash and
has served as teacher to the dogs that came after. In the summer of 2013,
Dakota developed cancer. We took him north so he could romp in the woods and
swim while he still had the strength. Just before we returned home he died
peacefully in Suttons Bay.
The first two photos below are some of the early photos that Laura posted
on the Woodhaven website and kindly granted me permission to re-post here.