Tealbrook Kennels: A Legacy of Labradors + Love
If you need an inspiring story today, this is it. Meet 86-year-old Barbara Genthner of Tealbrook Kennels, a woman whose lifelong dedication to Labrador retrievers built a legacy of love, training excellence, and deep community roots. Image: Tealbrook Kennels
In Monticello, FL, down a quiet road lined with pine trees and pastures, Tealbrook Kennels is the lifeβs work of 86-year-old Barbara Genthner β a devoted breeder, trainer, and Labrador enthusiast. What began decades ago as a modest kennel has become a legacy shaped by thoughtful breeding, expert training, and a deep respect for the bond between dogs and people. Barbara has guided Tealbrook through change and loss, quietly building a national reputation while honoring the memory of her late husband, Paul. Today, families, hunters, and field trial fans look to her for guidance and gorgeous pups.
This is the story of Tealbrook Kennels and the remarkable woman who built it β¦ one dog at a time.
Growing up on Duval Street behind the Governorβs Mansion in Tallahassee, Florida, Barbaraβs love of animals was practically stitched into her childhood. βAs far back as I can remember, we had dogs and cats,β she recalls. βThe first one I can remember was a Collie.β They also had a Pekingese, and Barbara took it upon herself to teach him tricks.
βThat was the earliest I remember having my hand at teaching or training a dog,β she says. That early connection blossomed through high school and into her college years at Florida State University, which had transitioned to co-ed in 1947, not long before she arrived in 1956.
After losing her first husband, Barbara returned to her roots with animals. βMy dad got me a German Shepherd β¦ I went to an obedience class, which helped teach me the basics,β she explains. It wasnβt long before Gypsy, a black female Labrador, became her prized pupil. βShe didnβt like the obedience classes; she liked retrieving,β Barbara chuckles.
From those humble beginnings, Robinhood Kennels was born in 1965. βMy neighbor did the boarding stuff and I did the retriever training,β she says. Together, they laid the foundation for what would later evolve into a major success story.
Barbaraβs life shifted again in 1973 at a field trial. βI was actually competing against Paul,β she remembers, βwho at the time had Cotton and Bandit, who were brothers β¦ I was running Junior against some of his clientsβ dogs.β
There was a mutual respect between the competitors, one that quickly deepened. They married in 1974, and their honeymoon was spent traveling to the National Field Trial championships in St. Louis with a dog named Casey.
Paul, a seasoned trainer from Maine, brought with him a legacy of his own β Tealbrook Kennels, established in 1950. βThere was a little pond on his property that had a brook that ran to it. He had Green-winged Teal ducks that would come in, so it became Tealbrook,β shares Barbara.
And Barbaraβs love for Paul, the dogs, and the operation is undeniable. βI canβt express how wonderful it is to look back to when Paul and I had our first litter of puppies together, and revisit all our records of puppies and families that have been with us from 1974 to today,β she says. βThere are people whoβve seen their children and grandchildren carry on with our Tealbrook dogs.β
If Tealbrook had a patron saint, it would be Cotton. βHe was the first yellow (Labrador) out of his breeding,β Barbara says. βNo one running field trials would even look in a yellow Labradorβs direction. Paul proved them all wrong.β Cotton defied expectations in a field dominated by black Labradors, becoming an AKC Field Champion, Canadian Field Champion, and Amateur Field Champion.
βCotton was so sought after and gained so much attention that we sold him to one of Paulβs clients,β she explains. βBecause you had to be an amateur for the amateur field title.β And it didnβt stop there. Cottonβs legacy endured in his son, Cash , who carried the torch for Tealbrookβs line. In fact, the current stud at Tealbrook is his great great great grandson!
In 1979, the couple moved their operations from Tallahassee to Monticello, FL. βI wouldnβt say it was too hard. But one thing that did wear us out was that the very first thing on the new property was driving 45 minutes each way to build the kennel, and make it ready for the dogs,β Barbara remembers. βThe dogs were our livelihood; the house came last.β
They built the lodge in 1985, and as clients stopped sending dogs south for training, Barbara and Paul shifted their focus to training the owners. βWeβre so proud to be able to train owners and watch that evolution and true bond,β she says. βThe happiness that radiates from both owner and dog during training or that first retrieve β that makes me smile.β
As Barbara reminisces, she highlights some of her favorite belongings. The kitchen table is what she treasures most, and itβs so much more than furniture β itβs a sacred archive. βPaul and I would sit at our table, looking out the big window at the deer,β she shares. βPaul carved decoys; I painted them. We both loved to paint. We loved to talk. Under our kitchen table, there are years of the sweetest little puppy teeth marks.β
More than 800 puppies are accounted for across six handwritten books she and Paul logged together at that table. And some of those pups have traveled as far as Alaska, Nova Scotia, and Ecuador. One unforgettable memory? βOne of my owners trained his Labrador Oscar for search and rescue β¦ he aided in the Ground Zero, Twin Tower rescues of 9-11.β
But not all of the memories are easy. When Paul passed away, Barbara was uncertain of Tealbrookβs future. βWhen he died in 2007, I didnβt think anyone would come back to me, being a woman,β she admits. βA lot of clients stayed. A lot of new clients came.β She focused on breeding, though training was harder alone.
Despite the sorrow, Barbara found joy knowing she could still bring happiness through her dogs.
If you ask Barbara what defines a Tealbrook Labrador, she doesnβt hesitate: βGentle, loyal, and loving,β she says. Beyond their field abilities or accolades, itβs the disposition that matters most. βThey become great family dogs and loving companions,β she offers.
Her biggest hope is that the legacy will continue. βThe thing that makes me so sad is the lack of females to carry on the line,β she says. But thanks to clients and friends, sheβs working on preserving the lineage through selective breeding and even freezing genetics.
Thereβs a reverent simplicity in Barbaraβs words when she sums it all up: βIf I could say one thing to any dog owner, itβs that the best thing to do is think like a dog β to understand what they understand or donβt. Donβt punish them for stuff they havenβt been trained for β¦ They arenβt people, as much as we want them to be.β
And to the families, clients, and friends whoβve walked this journey with her?
βThank you for being so loyal to me and loving my dogs like I do,β she says. βThat is the most important thing to me.β
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Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Editorial Operations Manager and Lead Content Editor. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.