Greetings to all and thanks for the excellent site! My beautiful yellow passed last July 2017 from a chronic liver condition and I'm starting my research for another girl. As I recently retired, I will have all my time to be with her. I'm from the central valley of California and surprised how few breeders I have seen listed online here considering that there are a lot of hunters in this area. My last girl was found in Arizona. Short story long, where can I look for lists of breeders, not just in California but also in surrounding states? I understand that specific breeders cannot be recommended. I'm partial to yellow females and would like to get another. Best regards to all!
There’s a few Californians on here that might point you i the right direction but you can google this and find what’s around. From there I’d do my due diligence and check the references and medical records of the parents. A lot of breeders are good at bluffing their lineages so do your research. If your path takes you out of state, so be it. Worth it in the end. It’s late in North America so the pros will be up soon to help you with what to look for in a good breader soon. There’s actually a sticky in the thread called breaders and generics. Have a peek and good luck. Labs are great.
I'm from California but haven't lived there for a while. The last search I did for a breeder (not a Lab) was so long ago as to be pre-internet! But applying what I did over here (Europe) for my search, I'd suggest going to some shows - conformation as well as gundog events (depending on what type of Lab you are looking for) and getting a feel of what dogs you like the best. Even in the age of everything online, I really don't think there is any substitute for meeting the dogs and breeders in person. So get out to dog events, don't be shy about walking up to people whose dogs you like the look and behaviour of, and ask them where their dog came from, what lines they are from, etc. If you are not in a huge hurry, definitely check out the Golden Gate Kennel Club show in SF (Cow Palace) in January - one of only two benched shows in the US. 'Benched' means the dogs and breeders are actually sitting there for the two days of the show in a public area so you can go up, meet the dogs and talk to the breeders. This is how I found my first Rottie and his amazing breeder. You might also want to consider breed-specific rescue - lots of great ones in CA. A reputable rescue using fosterers can tell you a lot about their dogs because they are actually living in a home situation. Good luck and let us know how you get on!
