Veterinary Reproductive Services

04/09/2026

Congratulations to Kylie Kertz and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers “Chester” (CH Church Creek Point-Blank JH) and “Billie” (Big Medicine Choot ‘em in da Beak JH DS) on their long awaited litter! After no success with two tries of frozen semen and several tries with attempted natural breeding and fresh side-by-side vaginal AI, Kylie came to us for help. We identified the fertile period exactly with appropriate ovulation timing and did fresh semen vaginal inseminations, and Billie whelped the litter right on the due date! They are adorable!

From Kylie: "Thank you so much! This litter is wonderful and everything I’ve hoped for."

12/26/2025

11/09/2025

Congratulations to first time breeder extraordinaire Deidre Philpot and Tibetan Terrier “Fable” (Kumuda’s Deep Forest Fable by RockSteady), stud owner Regina Stier and distinguished 13 year old sire “Jonah” (CH Malishar’s Bo Brokethe2dogrule Morada), bred by and co-owned by Ron & Margie Pankiewicz, for this adorable group of 5 puppies! We provided meaningful but minimal support because it was all the old man needed! We identified Fable’s fertile period exactly with identification of the LH surge and then did two vaginal inseminations. Perfect timing meant the eggs were ready when the inseminations were performed to maximize fertility, which resulted in a normal sized litter without invasive or expensive procedures. We even got to see 4 out of the 5 in person and can confirm they are irresistible!

From Deidre: We traveled all the way to Philly from Washington DC to see Dr. Goodman on the recommendation of my friends and breed mentors. From the first time I met Dr. Goodman and Krysti I knew I was in good hands. Dr. Goodman explained everything down to the basics as this was my first litter. At the end of the road she helped my dog and I produce a lovely litter of 5 healthy puppies. No too bad for using a sire who was nearly 13 years old. I’m grateful beyond words. Thank you!

Enjoy photos of Jonah, Fable, pups and both parents with their "keepers" from the litter! We enjoyed them too!

10/06/2025

Congratulations to Connie Hackenburg and Standard Poodle “Sparkle” (LCM Sparkle and Shine)! After having a lovely litter of 11 pups via shipped chilled semen from Standard Poodle “River” (LCM Santiagos' Pebble In The River) earlier this year, Connie decided to try it again! This one was more of a challenge, since after one successful litter Sparkle had three misses with a combination of side-by-side AI and natural breeding, with assistance from a veterinary hospital closer to home. We did accurate ovulation timing with identification of the LH surge and two vaginal inseminations with shipped chilled semen and the result was 6 beautiful pups! Below are photos of both litters sired by " Rookie" (CH Patriot's Rookie of the Year) owned by Jean Urban.

From Connie:
“Amazing litter thanks to Dr Melissa Goodman. We tried for 3 years to have puppies by Progesterone alone. As a last effort, we went to Dr. Goodman. She discovered Sparkles LH Surge was coming much earlier than expected. She was ready to breed at a Progesterone level of just 1.9 ng/ml. Thank you Dr Goodman, you made it possible.”

07/07/2025

Happy Independence Day!

Thank you Kathy Lupinacci for sharing this photo of "Henry", Honeybee's It's Good To Be King (Tom x Sparkle), enjoying his first July 4th celebration!

07/31/2024

Better late than never with the official photo, a big thank you to Breeder Judge Cindy Price Weaver for recognizing Persey (Honeybee's Persephone JH,JHU, major ptd) and rewarding her with Best in Gun Dog Sweeps at the GRCA Eastern Regional! This is my favorite dog event because it rewards both the conformation the standard requires as a hunting dog, as well as proven ability in the field. Persey also won Best in Gun Dog Sweeps earlier this summer at a Garden State GRC Supported Entry in New Jersey under Breeder Judge Ree Smyth. Special shout out to Margie Sarkin for Eros' contribution!

06/25/2024

To finish our weekend in western PA for the GRCA Eastern Regional, on Sunday we went to the Greater Pittsburgh Labrador Retriever Club's Retriever Hunt Test where Topper (Honeybee's Turn The Team Around passed a nice challenging Junior test with flying colors to finish her JH just 2 weeks past her 1st birthday! Great grounds, good judges and it was nice seeing some old friends!

05/07/2024

Congratulations to Karin Bystol and Newfoundland “Essi” on this Miracle Litter sired by Andi Ottey’s “Jonah”! Karin came to us after working with a different reproduction practice and several unsuccessful tries both driving to a stud for fresh semen vaginal AI’s and doing TCI’s with a second stud’s chilled semen, treatment with antibiotics and a drug to increase blood flow to the uterus. When surgical insemination with chilled semen didn’t work she was more than ready to give up, but after careful consideration we decided to go ahead with one more try. Instead of more invasive techniques and nonspecific treatment, we kept it simple. Precise ovulation timing with identification of the LH surge and two vaginal AI’s using an older but normal male resulted in a successful ultrasound! Not all the gestational sacs looked healthy, so we instituted uterine monitoring with WhelpWise and treated uterine irritability successfully. Welcome to the Apple litter: Honey, Monte, Pippin and Tango! Dr. Goodman even got a visit during their first (and very successful) show weekend!

03/31/2024

Happy Easter from all of us at VRS!