Hi everyone I am enjoying reading through some of the threads while we wait for our yellow Labrador august to join us in 4 weeks. We haven’t chosen which puppy we will take yet, but it will be one of the 2 yellow females as our position on the reserve list should ensure this I will post a pic of her once we have confirmation.
A quick update: puppies are almost 6 weeks old and I have been getting daily updates, photos and videos as well as progress on crate training, weaning and personality/temperament. The puppies seem to have developed their behaviours in line with what they displayed in the first weeks, and my choice hasn't changed. There is one person before me on the reserve list who also wants a female, but she wants one of the quieter puppies whereas I would love the the one who loves scrapping with her brothers. We will make final choice in week 7 and once I know who will be august I will update my avatar with a pic of her.
Thanks Evee Last update for hello thread before I start posting about august - puppies are 7 weeks old today so selection day I got my little lady but would have been happy with any of the little guys. 1 week and we bring her home
We get all our animals, a black lab and two cats, from shelters. There are so many animals needing homes, why wouldn't anyone wanting a companion animal get it from a shelter? I guess I will never understand.
A few reasons: Labradors can suffer from various hereditary issues. Buying a registered pup from a respectable breeder means that you can check back all of the DNA tests, eye tests, hip and elbow scores back through many generations to significantly reduce the risk of these issues. If you wish to compete (eg in gundog tests/trials), your lab needs to be registered. If you intend to breed, you can use the pedigrees to match your dog with a suitable partner to improve the breed. You can get a clear insight into the likely personality of your pup based on it's parents, grandparents, siblings etc. Aside form these reasons, if people only bought pups/dogs from shelters, there would be no responsible breeders breeding to improve the breed and eventually the only pups left in shelters would be from back yard breeders who are happy to stick any two dogs together without any thought of potential health/behaviour issues. I have nothing against rescue dogs and have had a fair few in my time, but there is also very good reason to buy a registered pup from a reputable breeder carrying out full health testing.
For me personally, I won't risk having a rescue with the age of my children (my youngest is only 5) and many shelters won't actually place an animal in a home with young children.
