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Where to buy my Lab?

1K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  Guest 
#1 ·
Hi im looking into buying a labrodor puppy, ive seen alot of puppys adverticed in the local paper. I have spent alot of time researching the best way of buying a pup. Ive been told that good breeders dont need to advertive and that they often have long waiting lists. I have contacted many breeders in my area (Devon), but none seem to heve any litters available at present. Of courses i will not rush into buying my pup and would check out parents, hip scores etc, but am thinking about buying my dog from the local paper. Could anyone let me know if they think this is a good idea. :? :? thanx
 
G
#2 ·
Hi there

Glad to see you're doing your homework before you take the big plunge.

Personally I would not buy a puppy from a breeder that needed to advertise in their local paper, question why they have the need to do this.

Have you had a look on this link:

http://www.labradorforums.co.uk/showmatching-breeders.html

Be prepared to look outside your area, sometimes travelling to get your labbie is necessary after all it will be just the one journey to your home for your new puppy and at least this way you can be sure of a healthy happy pup.

I will not be getting my new puppy until the new year as he is not even born yet but I wanted certain bloodlines in his pedigree and I had to wait until the right labbies are ready. The wait is frustrating but it will be worth it.

Good luck with your search and let us know how you get on.

Michaela
 
#3 ·
Hi *****, please do not purchase your new pup from a local paper. Very few reputable breeders would even consider this option of advertising. Yes you are correct, most good breeders do not need to advertise, and have waiting lists. But there are many good breeders who will have pups available. There are also a few good breeders in your area.

(The Labrador Retiever Club) whose members must abide by a strict code of ethics eg minimum age of breeding, maximum number of 4 litters per bitch, offer assistance etc etc. Members are also recommended to have their stock hip scored. They have puppy lists available.

If you choose to get your puppy from a breeder who is not a member of either of these clubs you must ask yourself why they are not. There are a number of breeders who breed from unsound stock, do not hip score, breed a bitch at every season and do not have their litters KC registered; a great many of these puppies end up in rescue.


The Labrador is the most wonderful of dogs! OK, maybe I am a bit bias but there it is! But this very fact does bring with it a down side and that is that so many people breed them solely for money. The papers such as Adtrader and loot do seem to attract puppy farmers because it is cheap mass advertising. I know there are sometimes nice puppies in there but it is risky. A better bet is to look at the list of breeders on here or to contact the breed club. Another source of info is to chat to people with Labradors in your area. If you like their dog it could be worth ringing the breeder, even if they have nothing they often know what's going on in the area. Owners of stud dogs which you like can often tell you who has used their dog recently.

As to health tests; Eyes is a pass or fail. Make sure the certificate is up to date, a dog should be tested each year because some problems can occur later in life. Hips should be tested. It is a once only test and can only be done after the dog is at least one year old. The lower the score the better but should certainly not be much higher than the breed average of 15 (the total of both hips added together. So a score on the certificate of 6/5 would be a total of 11) More breeders are now testing for OCD, and the score is from 0 to 3.

www.thelabclub.org New website up and running at the end of March
secretary@thelabclub.co.uk The secretrary of the Labrador Retriever club
http://www.labradorforums.co.uk/showmatching-breeders.html
 
#4 ·
hi *****,
i am totally in agreement with what has been said. max was bought for me by my daughter. she saw the advert in a local paper, went to see the pups (2of them) was appalled at the conditions they were being keep in and was going to buy the 2 of them. some one else turned up while she was there and took the bitch and julie took the dog. dont get me wrong i wouldnt be with out max as he is a smashing dog. my vet went over him with a vengence and said he was a very sound healthy pup. but as i have no knowledge of his parents i have no idea what the future will bring for him. the breeder did tell my girl that there had been 7 pups. they were sold for £200 each. so £1400 for very little effort.
 
#5 ·
Hi Jane, glad that it all worked out for you and max, you really are one of the lucky ones. And so is Max :D

What I did omit from my previous post, is that we all feel for these poor pups and the conditions that a lot of them are suffering. BUT I would advise not to purchase 'just to get it out of there' All you are doing at this point is condoning the breeder and simply making room for more pups. Please don't be governed by your emotions. It is hard but you HAVE to walk away.

Kay & The Exelby Clan
 
#6 ·
hi kay,
you have said exactly what i told julie but her heart ruled her head. im sure a lot of these back yard breeders use the fact that people will feel sorry for these pups and im afraid as in julies case, it works. yes i am one of the lucky ones but i do worry that some thing nasty could rear up later on. i know you can never be sure even with a good breed but at least you have the breeder to fall back on. its a big risk taking on the unknown. hopefully my lad will continue to flourish. it wont be through lack of trying :D
 
#7 ·
*****
As the others have said, steer clear of the adverts.
In addition to what has already been said, you will be perpetuating the trade. If everyone stopped buying from these 'breeders' they would stop breeding as there would be no one to sell to.
Have you tried your local labrador retriever club, this is the best place to start.
http://www.thelabclub.co.uk/otherbreedclubs.htm
As Kay said, even if there are no puppies available straight away breeders tend to know who may have a upcoming litter in the area.
Your new pup will be part of your family for many years to come, so it really does pay not to rush into it.
You also mentioned that you will be starting a family soon too, so you really cannot afford to have a dog whose temperament you are unsure of.
good luck :)
 
#8 ·
i have to say i have bought all 3 of my labs from adverts in the local paper and everyone of them have been excellent dogs

tessa my choccy lab i went to see her parents and saw her aunt aswell the conditions were excellent and all labs came with complete family history kc registered wormed insured the lot :)

brandy not so good..lol..although we did get her kc papers and she had all her injections (she was 7-9mths i think when we got her) but again another healthy dog checked over by vet :)

rosze this time her owner contaced me (she is 7mths) she came with insurance, full, family history, micro chipped ,kc papers, all her injections, and she has been fully checked by the vet again in excellent health


i suppose i have been lucky as i do know ppl just want to make a quick easy buck but if you want to get a puppy from adverts then they should be happy to show you were the puppy comes from parents conditions insured kc registerd

the only place i wouldnt buy from is them puppy farms :(:(

but were ever you buy from check thougherly there background if you can
 
#9 ·
Thanx for all your help guys :D . Ive been in touch with several breeders today, and think i may have found the one. The breeder was very keen to know my interests and what i do for a living etc. It feels right that they want to be interested in you, to make sure their pup is going to the correct home. Their dog isnt in season yet but she has put me on a waiting list. The breeder also wants to meet me when the pup is three weeks old. A three hour journey (But like one of you guy said well worth it to get the dog you want). I just want to make sure i get a happy and healthy pup with a good family history

P.s Im not sure if you guys remember but I wrote not long back saying that I was worried about buying a pup as it would be left on its own for eight hours two days a week. Well thanx for all of your advice, I have looked into two dog sitters in my local area whom are available the two days i work. A bit pricey, but I cant let my Job rule my life, and i so want a puppy. My brother has also offered to help outThanx again will keep you all posted.
 
G
#10 ·
Hi *****, well done finding a good breeder and taking the time to look about, ask questions on here etc.

For anyone else who might be reading this as they are looking for a puppy, here's another reason to avoid ads in papers/free listings etc.

My 7 year old choccie girl was a brood bitch, rescued last year from what can only be described as one step up from a puppy farm. She was bred from at every season, and most likely from a very young age. She has the hugest saggy tummy and will more than likely suffer health problems in later life such as mammary tumours, back problems and hip problems as a result of a life of constant breeding. She has never played with toys, was scared and handshy when she came home and had never known what it was to be loved, only a life of being kept in a kennel raising her pups and then having more over and over again. Even now, she will 'round up' toys and lay with them.

Her pups were sold to a dealer on the other side of the country, most likely someone advertising in the paper. During my work for Labrador Rescue South East & Central, last year I went to collect two 12 week old chocolate pups from a lady who had bought them from the free-ads. When I asked whether it was a breeder she said there were 2 other litters of pups in the house, but no adult dogs. I can only assume that these puppies all came from either a puppy farm or 'breeder' like where Poppy came from (I use the term breeder lightly as no genuine, reputable and responsible breeder would sell their dogs in such a way).

So the point of my post is this. While people will respond to free ads or classified listings rather than going to a reputable breeder, there will be brood bitches being overbred time and time again and if they are lucky, once they can no longer make money, they will be passed on to a rescue.

Wendy x

www.lrsec.org.uk
 
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