We're Buying from a Breeder

[moosmom]

Ugh, I know, I should be adopting from a shelter

You COULD'VE done a little more research and looked in Yahoo under Lab Rescue. There are hundreds of labs in foster homes waiting for a furrrever home.

I hope you'll reconsider. For every purebred that is BOUGHT, another stray dog goes without a home. Sad but VERY true.

[Logan]

Labrador Retrievers are a wonderful breed and I hope you will be very happy with your puppy. My daughter was raised with an older Lab and we never had a problem. Of course, he was 7 years old when she was born so we didn't have a puppy and a baby at the same time. They are exuberant dogs though, and I have found my Goldens to be much "calmer" than the Lab was, but still, a perfect choice for a family dog. Get ready to walk, and walk, and walk. He/she will need lots of exercise, for sure, especially if you live in an apartment.

I have 3 Goldens now. Two of them, I bought as puppies, and the first did come from a backyard breeder. I know better now, but I didn't 7 years ago when I bought her. She was a gift for my daughter's 8th birthday, on January 29, 1999. Good heavens, my "baby" is turning 15 years old this coming Sunday!!!!! She's a lovely girl (the Golden, Honey) and I wouldn't trade her for the world. BUT, we also have a rescue boy and he is the greatest gift I have ever received. I will always adopt in the future, I think, because we have had such good luck with him, and I don't want to go through raising a puppy again.

We lost our elderly Lab, Murphy, in December. She was almost 16 years old and was a very laid back, lovely yellow girl. My daughter's dad has a Chocolate male and he is so well behaved and such a couch potato! The only problem I can foresee with a puppy is that you don't know what kind of personality will develop, but I'm sure if you go with a reputable breeder, you'll be fine.

Do some research and ask lots of questions, using the ideas proposed by some of the others. You don't want to buy from a breeder who is not working hard to better the breed. The testing of the parents should be done and the results should be available for your review and you also would want to know that the parents were both at least 2 years old at the time of breeding.

Good luck to you! Get ready! You're going to be busy with a puppy and a 2 year old. I don't envy you!

Logan

[caseysmom]

When my daughters were babies we had a shepard mix, had no idea what she was mixed with but she was excellent with the babies. My neighbors were set on having pure bred goldens and they are very aggressive, I know this is unusual for goldens, my point is you just don't know even with a purebred.

Most shelters will allow a trial period also, of course it would need constant supervision.

One good thing about buying from a breeder is a puppy brought up with a toddler may be more tolerant of the sudden movements of a small child.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I haven't looked at all of the links you've posted, but here is something I noticed...

Compare the "frequently asked questions" section of these two kennels-
Terrarust gives nicely detailed answers.
Gainspride's answers were very short, most just yes or no answers. That was a big turn off to me.

[RobiLee]

Just make sure you are prepared for a puppy. Labs need LOTS of exercise. You are going to be quite a busy mom chasing around a 2 year old and a puppy. Have fun! I wish you all the best. Can't wait to see the new family member when the time gets here

[Vela]

You COULD'VE done a little more research and looked in Yahoo under Lab Rescue. There are hundreds of labs in foster homes waiting for a furrrever home.

I hope you'll reconsider. For every purebred that is BOUGHT, another stray dog goes without a home. Sad but VERY true.

This is very true, but at the same time some people prefer a certain breed and prefer to get it as a puppy from a breeder who has done extensive health testing and breeds for type and temperament. Shelter dogs can be wonderful, but so can purebred dogs. If there aren't people out there breeding type specific purebreds of each breed, pretty soon there won't be any individual breeds left because only those breeding poorly bred dogs, like BYB, and accidental breedings will be left. I think it would be a great loss if people truly took that to heart and never bought purebred dogs
so that truly honorable and GOOD breeders stopped breeding because they couldn't sell their dogs. I don't want to be reduced to having to have a mixed breed or poorly bred dog if I want a certain breed. We NEED good responsible breeders to keep breeding healthy dogs. I have nothing against rescues or pound dogs or anything else, but I think there is room for both. There is an overabundance of dogs in shelters but that is not because of proper and responsible breeding practices, that is because people refuse to spay and neuter and there are lots of BYB. By not buying purebred puppies or dogs ever, it would eventually cause the only dogs to be left to be mixes or poorly bred and/or sickly specimens of each breed. The stray problem is the result of carelessness by people, but a bigger disservice would be to allow healthy purebred dogs to cease to exist by never buying them. I would gladly pay for a puppy and help support a truly responsible ethical breeder to insure healthy specimens of that breed continue. I would also rescue a stray, but that doesn't mean I want to be limited to only being able to own shelter dogs in the future if nobody ever bought purebreds. It's great in theory, but pratically speaking there needs to be support of ethical breeders, or else who would be left to do the breeding and where would our future dogs come from? That would only further the irresponsible types to continue and that's all that would be left.

[BC_MoM]

Oh well........best of luck to you. I can see you really want a puppy instead of adopting an adult Lab, knowing it's personality.

Can temperments be 100% guaranteed? I didn't know they could. Puppies love everything and everyone, so of course they will love kids.. but they can change as they grow older.

Good luck to you whatever you do!

[dab_20]

I am happy you've decided to get a puppy, and are going about doing it in a responsible way. I'm not much of an expert on these things, but Vela, Karen, .sarah, and others have given you good advice.

I woulden't put you down for not adopting from a shelter, because if I did, then I would be a hypocrit! I can understand adopting from shelters is much harder then it seems sometimes...

Good Luck, and can't wait to see what you've chosen!