Meet the Family
David and Lee Ann founded this kennel in 1990 and have since grown it into a small, family-oriented, licensed breeder of golden retrievers. Now, everyone works together to keep the dogs happy and healthy. In January of 2023, Lee Ann retired and gave the business to her two daughters, Amanda Hartshorn and April Graves.
Lee Ann Heldt
Lee Ann is the founder of Hunter’s Goldstrike. She built this wonderful kennel with her loving husband, David Heldt. Together, they are working to train the next generation to uphold the same values they have worked so hard to demonstrate and uphold.
Amanda Hartshorn
Amanda is one of the co-owners (Lee Ann’s oldest daughter), and she, like April, is working hard to follow in her mother’s footsteps. She has five children who are all invested in various aspects of the dog breeding business, from training and hunt tests to background care and management.
April Graves
April is one of the co-owners (Lee Ann’s youngest daughter), and she and her sister are doing their best to ensure the fundamental development and well-being of the business and our dogs. She has two children who both love working with the dogs and furthering the business as well.
Maycee & Ryan
Maycee and Ryan work behind the scenes to get all the puppy paperwork ready. They create the contracts and litter booklets, update the website, take the puppy photos, and communicate with you along the puppy purchasing process.
(photos coming soon)
Dog Chore Minions
These are the hard-working caretakers who maintain the cleanliness and smooth operation of the AKC-inspected and approved facility/home where the dogs live. There is a lot of work involved here! These workers are Kurt Hartshorn, Bill Graves, Ryan, Dom, Clayton, and Brad.
David & Kylee
Kylee has been doing some excellent work training Maverick and running him in hunt tests. With David as her teacher, she will surely go very far! As of March 16, 2025, Kylee and Maverick earned their Started Retriever Title and Upland Hunter Title!