Labs are recognized as the number one family dog.

Why?

1. They are specifically bred to have an even temperament.
2. They are bred to have a high pain tolerance.
3. Their desire to retrieve and drive to please makes them easy to train for so many useful things.
4. Though they are classified as hunting dogs - they are not hunters, but rather retrievers.

Dogs that are specifically bred to hunt are much more likely to bite children and become aggressive.

Labs are specifically bred to have their laid back temperament. They are eager to please. They are highly tolerant, which means that when the young child is pulling on the dogs ears, it is much less likely to snap. They make excellent family guard type dogs as their size alone is often enough to make strangers wary. Yet the likely hood of them attacking unprovoked is slim to none, though many do show fierce loyalty when members of their own family are threatened.

What does all this mean? It means that the Lab is as close as possible to being the ideal dog. What this means is that Labs are worth a lot. And so begins the problem. In recent years the price of a good Lab has risen along with everything else, but what opportunists see as "a quick way to make a buck" is spoiling the breed.

When you start looking for a Lab to purchase you will quickly see that the price from a reputable breeder is $500 - $1500 for a puppy. What you will also see if you look in your local paper is a lot of ads advertising "purebred labs" for less than half of what the reputable breeder charges. What is happening with the breed is that indiscriminant people are buying two dogs that are sold as purebreds - the parents may or may not be papered. Then they are breeding these two dogs for the sole purpose of making money with them and selling them as purebred Labs. Because their ultimate goal is to make money they are taking shortcuts to cut costs. The first place the consumer sees this is in registration. The pups are offered for a cheaper price because they are unregistered.

The second place this shows up visibly to the purchaser is identification. Pups can be offered at a cheaper price because they are not tattooed or micro chipped.

The third place this shows up, and the most heartbreaking is in physical defects. Because Labs are large breed dogs, they have a tendency toward hip dysplasia. Hip Dysplasia is a conformational defect in any large breed dog. It comes from breeding dogs that are not conformationally sound. To avoid this, a reputable breeder will have the breeding pair X-rayed at 2 years of age or older and will only breed those with a good or excellent hip rating. This is an expensive one time procedure which obviously must be reflected in the price of the pups. The more non-x-rayed dogs that are getting bred, the more likely that this problem will turn up in that cheap puppy you are thinking of buying.

This is just one health problem that shows up, the heartbreaking thing is that it usually only shows up when the dog is about 2. At which time the dog will often become so dehibilitated that it must be put down. Anybody who has trained a Lab Puppy through its first two years (which are lots of fun but can be VERY trying) and is then expecting to have an excellent companion and family pet for the next 10-12 years but then has to go through the heartbreak of putting their puppy down, realizes that the extra money they would have spent for a quality pup would have been well worth the investment.

So if you are seriously considering buying a Lab Puppy, first realize that they do take a lot of time and effort the first two years. Second only buy from someone who is going to guarantee the pup.

• Registration may not be important to you in that you have no intention of doing anything with the dog other than having it as a companion, but registration papers are part of your ticket to seeing that the dog you purchase is a true Lab, and they are an indication that the breeder is responsible.

• Tattooing or Micro chipping may not be important to you - but Labs are the #1 stolen breed also. Due to their eager, friendly nature they are easy to entice into vehicles by strangers. Your tattoo/microchip on your pup is your proof of ownership as well as a way to find your dog if it is ever lost.

• You may be willing to take the chance on buying a cheap dog that it might not have health problems, but if you've had a Lab pup before, you know how much goes into its training. Also, the more disreputable breeders there are - the higher the odds that you are buying a ticking health bomb. Just check your paper and see how many non-registered pups there are for sale.

Whether you choose to buy a Birch River pup or from someone else, I urge you to look at more than just the dollar figure when you choose.

What you get when you buy from Birch River Kennels

• A healthy puppy
• Vaccination of pup at 6 weeks of age
• Worming
• Micro-Chip
• Puppy food sample
• CKC Registration of pup
• Knowledge that the pup is the result of the breeding of two Purebred Labrador Retrievers that have had their hips x-rayed and been given a good or excellent rating.
• A health guarantee that the puppy is sound from major genetic health defects until the age of 24 months. (No Cash back value - Limited to a replacement pup.)

To View Customer Testimonials - CLICK HERE

Home • Our Labs • Litters • Past Puppy Photos • Lab Info • Contact us

Copyright © 2007 Birch River Kennels