Our Story
Kelsey fell in love with Black Labs in high school when her family got their first lab, Jayden’s Allen ‘Carter’ Black from family friends. She met Carter when he was two days old and has adored Black Labradors ever since.
When she left Texas after college in 2009 and moved to Madison, WI, her mom got her a stuffed animal Black Lab to take with her so she wouldn’t be too lonely. For years, she dreamed of having a dear friend at the door to greet her again, but working 80+ hour weeks and traveling weekly made it impossible to provide a good life for a canine companion.
While on a sabbatical from constant work travel and living in Park City, UT, Kelsey was finally ready for a new best friend, and on August 8th, 2016, Big Bays ‘River’ Runs Forever arrived. Born May 28th, 2016 in North Carolina to four + generations of master hunters, River was custom-made for Kelsey and they became instant best friends. Even River’s digestive system challenges and allergies were similar to Kelsey’s, necessitating a holistic approach to health and a sensitive diet that only Kelsey could understand.
While River & Kelsey were an instantaneous pair, it took a bit for River to warm to his distant Labrador Uncle Carter… while Carter loved early mornings, River adores sleeping in. Where Carter hated baths, River loves them. And as Carter adored hard surfaces, River always finds the softest pillow to snuggle with. Food, play, and love were shared commonalities. Despite their differences, the two dogs forged a sweet friendship during the summer of 2018, and remained close until Carter’s departure at 14 – Labor Day of 2019.
River has always been special, caring for Kelsey through significant life traumas. In spring 2022, his professional career was formalized. With Kelsey’s health and well-being requiring formal support, River officially became a trained service animal. He adapted easily and fluently to his new job.
Kelsey always kept River intact, knowing that he was meant for greatness. But she didn’t want to breed him just to produce more hunting dogs. Upon her own need for far greater support, it became clear that his calling was to procreate on behalf of future generations of service animals in support of the handlers who required their care.
When chatting one day with River’s trainer, Nick it was evident that they shared a goal of breeding and training service animals – and thus, the idea for Lemonaide Labradors was born.
Only having one half of the equation for breeding, Nick set out to identify a qualified female… which turned into the identification of a pair of sister puppies – Cedar Swamps ‘Lake’ Runs Forever and Cedar Swamps ‘Sea’ Runs Forever, born in South Carolina, July 7th, 2022 – as Labrador royalty (4+ generations of master hunters on both sides of their lineage and bred for service). Obviously, it was impossible to separate the twins, and Kelsey went overnight from being a single dog mom, to being a single 3-dog mom. She is forever thankful to Nick and Anna, who provide the necessary home space to raise and care for the new puppies. Once they are grown, the process of nurturing and raising the next generation of life-long service companions will continue.
Kelsey is deeply passionate about Lemonaide Labradors. Sharing a deep connection to River, who has helped her through many painful losses of loved ones and other traumas, Kelsey is driven to transform access to, and awareness of, the life-changing benefits service animals offer.
Along with her co-founders, Nick and Anna they strive to provide the industry’s best service animals, service animal focused education, products, services, and experiences. By creating educational content, honing their approach, and advocating for the industry, they are working to enact the changes they wish to see.
Together, they envision a world where the general public understands how to interact with Service Animals, where Service Animal credentials cannot be misrepresented, where there is compassion and consideration for all people working towards Pro-Ability, and where everyone who needs the support of a Service Animal can obtain it.
Lemonaide Labradors | Love for Life
Our Story
Kelsey fell in love with Black Labs in high school when her family got their first lab, Jayden’s Allen ‘Carter’ Black from family friends. She met Carter when he was two days old and has adored Black Labradors ever since.
When she left Texas after college in 2009 and moved to Madison, WI, her mom got her a stuffed animal Black Lab to take with her so she wouldn’t be too lonely. For years, she dreamed of having a dear friend at the door to greet her again, but working 80+ hour weeks and traveling weekly made it impossible to provide a good life for a canine companion.
While on a sabbatical from constant work travel and living in Park City, UT, Kelsey was finally ready for a new best friend, and on August 8th, 2016, Big Bays ‘River’ Runs Forever arrived. Born May 28th, 2016 in North Carolina to four + generations of master hunters, River was custom-made for Kelsey and they became instant best friends. Even River’s digestive system challenges and allergies were similar to Kelsey’s, necessitating a holistic approach to health and a sensitive diet that only Kelsey could understand.
While River & Kelsey were an instantaneous pair, it took a bit for River to warm to his distant Labrador Uncle Carter… while Carter loved early mornings, River adores sleeping in. Where Carter hated baths, River loves them. And as Carter adored hard surfaces, River always finds the softest pillow to snuggle with. Food, play, and love were shared commonalities. Despite their differences, the two dogs forged a sweet friendship during the summer of 2018, and remained close until Carter’s departure at 14 – Labor Day of 2019.
River has always been special, caring for Kelsey through significant life traumas. In spring 2022, his professional career was formalized. With Kelsey’s health and well-being requiring formal support, River officially became a trained service animal. He adapted easily and fluently to his new job.
Kelsey always kept River intact, knowing that he was meant for greatness. But she didn’t want to breed him just to produce more hunting dogs. Upon her own need for far greater support, it became clear that his calling was to procreate on behalf of future generations of service animals in support of the handlers who required their care.
When chatting one day with River’s trainer, Nick it was evident that they shared a goal of breeding and training service animals – and thus, the idea for Lemonaide Labradors was born.
Only having one half of the equation for breeding, Nick set out to identify a qualified female… which turned into the identification of a pair of sister puppies – Cedar Swamps ‘Lake’ Runs Forever and Cedar Swamps ‘Sea’ Runs Forever, born in South Carolina, July 7th, 2022 – as Labrador royalty (4+ generations of master hunters on both sides of their lineage and bred for service). Obviously, it was impossible to separate the twins, and Kelsey went overnight from being a single dog mom, to being a single 3-dog mom. She is forever thankful to Nick and Anna, who provide the necessary home space to raise and care for the new puppies. Once they are grown, the process of nurturing and raising the next generation of life-long service companions will continue.
Kelsey is deeply passionate about Lemonaide Labradors. Sharing a deep connection to River, who has helped her through many painful losses of loved ones and other traumas, Kelsey is driven to transform access to, and awareness of, the life-changing benefits service animals offer.
Along with her co-founders, Nick and Anna they strive to provide the industry’s best service animals, service animal focused education, products, services, and experiences. By creating educational content, honing their approach, and advocating for the industry, they are working to enact the changes they wish to see.
Together, they envision a world where the general public understands how to interact with Service Animals, where Service Animal credentials cannot be misrepresented, where there is compassion and consideration for all people working towards Pro-Ability, and where everyone who needs the support of a Service Animal can obtain it.
Lemonaide Labradors | Love for Life
First Litter Available 2025/2026