Labrador owners...help me find my next dog

[bocefus78]

Today I laid my best friend of over 11 years to rest. I rescued him in 2012 at a little over a year old from a person who chained him up outside for over a year. I brought him inside, trained him, loved him, talked to him like a human and I swear he understood me. He taught himself how to bloodtrail deer. So gentile. So smart. I was floored. Whether inside or out, he never ceased to amaze me. Many people told me to get him therapy dog certified but I didn't. Pro dog trainers included. Probably should have looking back but damnit, he was MY therapy. He taught me ALOT.

When the time is right, I will take in another lab. I'll have that bond again. I'll pass on knowledge, and gain some doing so. I'd love another yellow but personality and timing will tell me ultimately. Hell, I may end up fostering labs...wouldn't bother me a bit. Time will tell.

Where should I be looking when the time comes? Name your breeder and rescue connections please. I'm a labrador for life kinda guy so please no other suggestions.

Ingo lab owners....let's hear where you got your dog, your best lab stories, etc. Everything lab....In memory of Bentley. Love ya buddy.

 

[tmschuller]

Sorry my friend.. good looking pup and in time you will have that again and what a lucky dog it will. Keep the good memories close and in time you will find another. There are many here that feel for you and know that it’s all the time and love that you have spent together that hurts.
I am sure many more condolences are on the way. Prayers for the hurt. Tim

 

[Creedmoor]

Sorry to hear that, thats tough news.
Did you like the hardheadedness of the male Labs? I love that in them, I went to having Chesapeake's years ago and they can act like that there entire lives, I got mine from a couple Ive known for decades out of Md.
I worked with this man long ago and his wife and him are awesome breeders.
. http://weatherdeckchesapeakes.com/puppies/#upcoming-litter

You also have the option of the rescues across the nation. Great dogs, you just have to be dominant with them. Have fun in your search.

 

[dvd1955]

If a rescue is okay, check Pals For Paws in Kokomo. Mary, the owner has placed over 20,000 dogs that she rescues from all over the country. Our half golden retriever half gsd that we got from her two years ago is an awesome dog.

Dogs for Adoption Near Kokomo, IN | Petfinder

Search for dogs for adoption at shelters near Kokomo, IN. Find and adopt a pet on Petfinder today.

www.petfinder.com

Her inventory is always changing

 

[mike4sigs]

May your pooch rest in peace.

 

[jerrob]

So sorry for your loss.

If rescue got ya him, and he taught ya so much, maybe rescue is the way to go.
So many great dogs there just waiting for someone to show up.
Good luck Sir.

 

[femurphy77]

Our most recent addition, Kona, came to us when we responded to a Craigslist ad. She was supposedly papered, came from a respected kennel, etc. with the cost of only $200. I suspected it was a phony ad but responded to it with our situation of having lost our senior lab and the 3-year-old was lonely. I explained that we weren't looking for another dog but another family member and that she would have a 4-acre fenced yard etc.

I never heard back from my response but about 3 weeks later I received a response, so we talked on the phone and arranged to drive to north central Ohio for the meet and greet. The rest as they say is history.

I asked the lady why she chose us and why it took so long to respond and she was having trouble letting go but when she decided it was the right thing to do she appreciated the fact that she "knew" us from our email and conversation.

I can't help you with your original question but don't leave any stone unturned when it's time.

By the way, we received all of the documentation on Kona, and she was as represented although we aren't really too concerned about that.

I'll have the boss dig up the kennel info and add it later.

 

[kawtech87]

Sorry for your loss.

My brother has a chocolate lab and honestly we all think something is wrong with him. He's not like any other lab I've ever been around. He's aggressive, territorial and just down right crazy, sometimes unpredictable. We all suspect he's likely inbread from a puppy mill. He considered re-homing him but decided he'd just keep him and do the best he could. He's never really been aggressive to my brother's family so that's good. The only reason I bring it up is to say vet your breeders. Not all are on the up and up. Most labs are super sweet and highly intelligent.

 

[armalitesheepdog]

Sorry for your loss. I know the pain the loss of a good dog can bring. My wife and I are convinced dogs are better than most people. I'm sure the right dog will find you.

 

[two70]

My first lab was a Dudley that a coworker found while walking her dog. I wasn't really looking for a dog at the time but was getting into duck hunting and a free lab with strong retrieval instincts was too hard to pass. That was one of the better decisions I ever made.

After that first lab passed in early 2020 it took us a little over a year to be ready for another one. Unfortunately that still put us in the work from home and get a pet phase of Covid and it took some looking to find a reasonably priced lab that didn't have ridiculous and onerous restrictions on purchase. As appealing as a rescue can be, neither of us were willing to risk potential heartache with a rescue so recently after the passing of our first. Although I wanted a working lab from good working lab lines, my wife was impatient about finding a new dog so I grudgingly looked at show and pet breeders in addition to working lab breeders and it was almost always the first two that had the most restrictive "ownership" requirements.

Eventually we found Trinity Oak Labs in LaGrange, IN and they had reasonably priced dogs from good hunting stock. We placed a deposit for a male from an upcoming chocolate litter and ended up getting the only male of the bunch. I highly recommend them if you're looking for a lab to hunt birds over, retrieve sheds, or train to trail deer.

 

[IN New Guy]

I'm so sorry to hear about your BF. I know it hurts. You gave him a great life after you got him, and I know he loved you for it. Hope you find another lab soon. They are great dogs.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Sorry for your loss. Pets are like kids and their passing leaves a hole in your heart.

But I can hopefully put a smile on your face today. Being a gun site I read that title as "LabRadar owners... help me find my dog."
My knee jerk reaction was "Um, I dont think thats how those things work."

 

[aclark]

My first lab was a Dudley that a coworker found while walking her dog. I wasn't really looking for a dog at the time but was getting into duck hunting and a free lab with strong retrieval instincts was too hard to pass. That was one of the better decisions I ever made.

After that first lab passed in early 2020 it took us a little over a year to be ready for another one. Unfortunately that still put us in the work from home and get a pet phase of Covid and it took some looking to find a reasonably priced lab that didn't have ridiculous and onerous restrictions on purchase. As appealing as a rescue can be, neither of us were willing to risk potential heartache with a rescue so recently after the passing of our first. Although I wanted a working lab from good working lab lines, my wife was impatient about finding a new dog so I grudgingly looked at show and pet breeders in addition to working lab breeders and it was almost always the first two that had the most restrictive "ownership" requirements.

Eventually we found Trinity Oak Labs in LaGrange, IN and they had reasonably priced dogs from good hunting stock. We placed a deposit for a male from an upcoming chocolate litter and ended up getting the only male of the bunch. I highly recommend them if you're looking for a lab to hunt birds over, retrieve sheds, or train to trail deer.

We rescued a lab/pit from Tippecanoe animal shelter sometime around 2010-2011, Nova was with us for quite a long time until June 2022.

I waited a bit because I didn't really want to get another dog with all of life going on around us, but finally relented to my family's constant requests at Christmas 2022. We ended up with a black lab from Trinity Oak Labs as well (Wake x Kallie). Parker has been a great dog over the past year, turning 1 Jan 9th. She shows great potential for hunting pheasant and I hope to be able to work with her this spring/summer to get her ready since some family and personal things got in the way this past year. Can't recommend Trinity Oak enough.

 

[ghuns]

Sorry for your loss. Labs are the best.

Sadly, with two allergic grandkids and a wife sick of dog hair, I've jumped on the doodle bandwagon.

I prefer my labs to be of the English type. Shorter, stockier, and block headed.

This was Peyton. He was the best boy. In spite of being an utterly worthless hunting dog that was terrified of flapping birds, dead ones were fine, and he was scared of water. Well, clean water anyways. He'd waller in a mud puddle like a pig. He was also the world's worst watch dog. I don't think he ever even barked. But he was still the best boy.

And a PSA I always give out to lab owners in Peyton's memory: Most Dogs Do Well on Rimadyl, Except the Ones That Die

 

[Shadow01]

So sorry for your loss.

I’m of no help. I’m partial to Siberian Huskies. I’ve had 4. They keep you active and to the uneducated appear to be a bread to fear when in my experience they are lap dogs.