Safest place to buy a labrador pup?

Larna

I'm looking to purchase a purebred black labrador puppy, and I'm wondering if anyone could recommend the best place to find one.

Our dog of 17 years died just a few months ago and I've been on the search for a labrador pup for over 2 months now, but have had no luck.

I've spoken to my vet about this and he strongly recommended against buying through donedeal or buy-and-sell. He advised me to contact the IKC, so I did.

The IKC put me in touch with the lady at the Labrador Retriever Club of Ireland [don't want to name names] but I felt a little let down by the lack of info I was given.

I requested a list of reputable breeders from the IKC but they simply passed me onto the Labrador Retriever Club and the lady at the LRC told me that it's really show dogs they deal with and she didn't know of any pups anywhere in Ireland for sale at the moment that matched what I was looking for [black and under 10 weeks old], and unless someone called her up to let her know they had one, she wouldn't know about it as she doesn't ring every breeder in Ireland up regularly to see if their dog is carrying pups..

So is it a case of me calling her every few weeks to hear if there have been any black pups born? At the moment that seems to be my only option. She told me to ring her again in a couple of months and perhaps something would turn up.

I was under the impression someone could provide me with a list of reputable breeders who I could call directly but no such luck.

I'm in the West but willing to travel to most parts of the country for a suitable puppy.

I'm not looking for a rescue dog.

I know we can provide an ideal home for a lab pup, but is there anyone out there supplying a pup that has been IKC registered, micro-chipped, vaccinated, wormed and vet checked, with the sire and dam hip scored, their eyes tested and have them available for inspection?

We've had 17 years of a wonderful relationship with our last dog and are now ready to start afresh with a labrador pup, but it seems our requirements are just too specific. Is it a case of just taking our chances and settling for what is available in donedeal? Or am I just looking in the wrong places? Is there a list of recommended breeders (not puppy farms) out there?

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

andreac

Hi there. You have done the right thing by contacting the IKC and getting information off them.
The way it works is, that breeders only breed every now and again so its a case of waiting for the right pup, it could take months.
She was right in the sense that breeders will only let her know if they have puppies available when they have them, so there are obviously no litters around at the mo.
I suggest you pop along to a show and talk to all the breeders there and enquire when they will be planning their next litter and then you can put yourself on their waiting list.
There is a show on in Dublin on St Patricks day, one of the biggest of the year so you can chat to breeders/exhibitors on the day.
If i can be of anymore help just ask:)

http://www.copperbirch.net/default.asp
http://homepage.eircom.net/~fernross/index.html

Cherry Blossom

OP -your best bet is to go along to a few IKC shows and talk to some of the owners there about where they sourced their dogs. This breed is really a complete mine field and has been massively ruined by puppy farmers and back-yard breeders. You will not find any reputable lab breeder advertising anywhere, they have no need to as they have waiting lists as long as your arm, 2 months is absolutely nothing and very few decent breeders would have considered putting their dog in pup over the winter. They have limited control over how the pups are kept when they leave them and there is always a chance a pup could end up being kept as an outdoor dog in this weather. From now onwards is really the time of year most suited for breeding as the pups then get the best start in life. I had a puppy farmed lab for 14 years that was dumped on us and the poor fella had basically every genetic condition going, so absolutely go down the route you first intended, just bear in mind that it may take a long time but will definately be worth it in the long run. You could always investigate the possibility of extending your search to the UK as well.

This is the only decent looking breeder of labs I have found online and I want to stress that I know absolutely nothing about them and in general terms always get any test results, IKC registration etc from any breeder varified.

http://homepage.eircom.net/~fernross/

Larna

Thanks for your reply, andreac.

I will definitely try to speak some breeders at shows.

I guess I was feeling a bit fobbed off by the IKC and LRC, I'm happy to wait for the right pup but it wasn't explained to me that there are certain times of year where there are puppies available.

I'll wait for something to pop up. Thanks

Larna

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

OP -your best bet is to go along to a few IKC shows and talk to some of the owners there about where they sourced their dogs. This breed is really a complete mine field and has been massively ruined by puppy farmers and back-yard breeders. You will not find any reputable lab breeder advertising anywhere, they have no need to as they have waiting lists as long as your arm, 2 months is absolutely nothing and very few decent breeders would have considered putting their dog in pup over the winter. They have limited control over how the pups are kept when they leave them and their is always a chance a pup could end up being kept as an outdoor dog in this weather. From now onwards is really the time of year most suited for breeding as the pups then get the best start in life. I had a puppy farmed lab for 14 years that was dumped on us and the poor fella had basically every genetic condition going, so absolutely go down the route you first intended, just bear in mind that it may take a long time but will definately be worth it in the long run. You could always investigate the possibility of extending your search to the UK as well.

This is the only decent looking breeder of labs I have found online and I want to stress that I know absolutely nothing about them and in general terms always get any test results, IKC registration etc from any breeder varified.

http://homepage.eircom.net/~fernross/

Thanks for your advice, it all makes a bit more sense now.

I was beginning to feel a bit disheartened as there doesn't seem to be any decent way to locate a registered pup that meets our requirements.

My vet gave me much advice on the dangers of puppy farms, genetic disorders he's seen in such labs, etc. I absolutely don't want to go down that route and am glad to hear there ARE other options. Perhaps the recommended breeders need to be publicised a bit more so people are aware that there are options other than donedeal.

Whatever pup I end up finding, I'll be buying him on the grounds that my vet will first check him over thoroughly. I think that's the best I can do.

ISDW

Larna wrote: »

Thanks for your advice, it all makes a bit more sense now.

I was beginning to feel a bit disheartened as there doesn't seem to be any decent way to locate a registered pup that meets our requirements.

My vet gave me much advice on the dangers of puppy farms, genetic disorders he's seen in such labs, etc. I absolutely don't want to go down that route and am glad to hear there ARE other options. Perhaps the recommended breeders need to be publicised a bit more so people are aware that there are options other than donedeal.

Whatever pup I end up finding, I'll be buying him on the grounds that my vet will first check him over thoroughly. I think that's the best I can do.

The thing is, as has been said, with buying a pedigree pup, reputable breeders don't have an endless supply, so the breed club didn't fob you off, they just told you the truth. You may have to wait up to a year for the right pup, but as this dog will be with you for a very, very long time, I think its worth waiting:D

You need to check that the parents of the pup have had the relevant health checks done for the breed, not just checked over by the vet, but been hip scored etc, and the breeder will have documentation to prove it.

You will also need to get to know the breeder a little bit, as they will also have questions for you about the kind of home you can offer one of their pups. A reputable breeder won't just sell you a puppy, they may carry out a homevisit to ensure you have a secure garden etc, and they may have a questionnaire for you to fill in before you even get to view the litter.

I believe that show labs and working labs look very different, do you know which 'type' you prefer? Even if its a working lab that you go for, the parents need to have the genetic health tests done.

Best of luck with it all:D

Cherry Blossom

If you'd be inclined to look further afield this is a site that could be a great help to you, fair few decent breeders on there in mainland UK.

http://www.champdogs.co.uk/