I recently found this article and also found out this person still has many SAR dogs, they are certified and I am sure she has washed out a ton between now and then. NOT any of mine!!!

IN 2002 I donated two pups to a gal that wanted to raise them for search
and rescue work. This gal did not really belong to an organization and I
made an agreement with her that I would donate half the cost of each pup and
that I would not charge her for the deposit on the hip x-rays. I charge $800
for my pups at the time (now $1200) and with the rebate of $100 when they x-ray hips the cost to
this gal was $350 per puppy. She begged me for the yellow pups- she had to
have yellow and so did the other handler who had previously had a German
Shepherd and now wanted a yellow Lab so he would not think about his
previous dog.

I was not friends with this gal and basically took her word
that the homes and work she was going to do would be in line with search and
rescue. She had a FEMA dog and was training another. Well- the male was
placed first with a handler that did not understand Labradors or dogs at all
and did nothing with him for 16 weeks. He did have basic Veterinary care. He
was placed in a different home with a fire-fighter who wanted to raise his
own search and rescue dog. This next handler took good care of the dog but
never showed up for training. I finally signed the dog over to him when he
was a year old- he was neutered and x-rayed clear by the fire-fighter. He
was a nice guy and I know the dog has a good home but the original agreement
as to what the dog was to be raised and trained for was not kept and the gal
that took the pups did not have a system to deal with non-compliance.

The pup she kept we co-owned so if she turned out we could also show her.
She had let me know that she really was looking for a foundation bitch, and
this pups lines would be great. (That turned out to be a complete lie) Again, she had to have yellow and there were
ten pups in the litter, she did not choose the highest drive pup-there was
only one yellow bitch, this bitch did not ultimately have enough drive for
search and rescue. They tried her at cadaver and other work- still not
enough interest in the toy- two litter mates are at the end of their SAR
training (both certified now) have wonderful drive but with working dogs the odds are 50/50
that they will work out.

The pup came to visit at 7 months and had pano- was
limping in the front. I took her in for x-rays, she cleared both hips and
elbows. Again, the gal said she (the dog)was too ill to train and that
interfered with her learning to be a search and rescue dog.

Here is the best part: In reality she
was also raising about 7 other pups at the same time she had mine, not a
recipe for raising a dog with high drive and I did give her feedback about
that and other topics such as diet and exercise, we kept in touch for the
whole year. I counted a total of 200 emails that I sent and received from
this person. She asked that we sign-off on the dog due to a disagreement about
the male and what had transpired and I signed a copy of the registration,
she never sent it to AKC and as of Aug 6th I was still the co-owner of the
dog. I signed off and the agreement in writing we had was for a pup back if
she was ever bred- it was too far and too messy to continue to co-own this
dog.

NO- this is the best part! Because she did not make it in search and rescue she decided to place
her. AND SHE GAVE , she gave her to a guide dog organization- the pup that
we co-owned with out calling me or telling me first and said that I had
signed her off. When she donated her she was still in my name. Guide dogs is
going to use her as a brood bitch- she passed her clearances and they loved her temperament.

So what exactly is the moral to the story here? I think what I learned is
that folks will say anything to get what they want. There is no general
“ethics” in this hobby and if there is a falling out- the rules of the game
change. I assumed a level of ethics that just wasn’t there- really who do
you know when they place a dog that is co-owned would NOT call the co-owner
and offer the dog back? This gal knew better and decided to screw me over
for her own needs. She did not want me to have the dog- fine- well now you
get to have know the story and watch out- she is looking for more dogs for her
program. She did not do anything illegal but I wanted to put my experience out there
to let others know about this person. It is not about the money as I don’t
really care about the donation- but now I have lost this dog and she is
about the farthest from Guide material that I can think of- wait till they
see what they get out of her!? I do not breed couch potato Labradors and
somehow this dog came out that way. I wonder why? Gee- could it be that
you get what you train for? That is what Jack Godsil would always say- the handler
blamed it on the dog, she did not have enough focus. How could she? She
never really learned how to learn. I never get away with this excuse- why do other folks? There are trainers that get to blame it on the dog? I agree she did not have enough drive with the methods this person used ha!ha!.

So if you are thinking of donating a puppy to an individual or an
organization get everything in writing- I feel very stupid. I am not a
victim here, I had some red flags but damn- I wanted to believe that someone
doing search and rescue and who was a firefighter would not harm me in any
way. I was wrong, luckily the dog is fine and now living in CA in a great
home. Guide dogs gave her up (I bet they did not want to be in the middle of co-owners) and I had to PAY to get her back. MY OWN DOG. She was born here and my responsibility. There are always two sides to every story- I bet this person is
giggling away each time she goes to pick up a new baby Lab, you might want
to make sure it is not one of yours.

“The primary qualities required in a retriever are, in my opinion, nose, brains, determination and mouth; without these he is of little use except as a house pet.”

Vincent Routledge, 1929, Hallingbury

I ran across an internet site with quotes and writings from famous Labrador breeders of the past. The site looks a bit old (no recent posts) so go if you are interested, I am not sure how long it will be there! http://www.sprucedell.de/html/trove.html

The quote above describe the primary qualities we need to be breeding for in every Labrador. Many are great pets that do not have the qualities above, we also call this “type” service dogs. But they are not the original temperament of the breed from what I have been able to determine. Granted, most folks do not hunt any longer and don’t want to live with or have to train a determined Labrador with brains.

So what is our obligation to the past? Are the hunt tests enough of a test of working ability? What is the future temperament of our Labradors? I know it when I see it, that perfect blend of working ability and sensibility and it is very tough to get in each and every puppy. I do know that there is the perfect home out there for each dog and type. My tactic is honesty- I will always be honest about what I am breeding. I have bred both types, the crazy, non-stop working fiends as well as the more laid back. I prefer the wild child as they are usually workaholics too. That dog that won’t stop until it figures out how to earn the reward, so fun to work with. They do grow up- often by three or four and they are the ones you wish you could clone!

Every dog fancier has to make decisions periodically regarding who is staying and who is going so each dog has a great life and has the chance to fulfill their potential. Most of us make great pets out of each show dog so regardless of their status in the show ring they are also our companions so it is very tough to move a dog on when they are no longer being shown. Many folks just give up the hobby, it is a hobby that lasts for many five years, that is the average number of years a person stays in the dog fancy. I have now been breeding and showing dogs for 34 years, starting at age 16 so yep- that makes me errr- an elder at this. Somehow turning 50 and talking about it seems okay this month. Maybe because it has been another year full of surprises? Age doesn’t matter in this hobby and experience should matter- but some years are harder then others. So this is what I now have in my house:

One VERY large male black Lab with beautiful conformation and a sound but somewhat whimpy mind, Bart is now three and 24.5 inches at the shoulder. - Too big for my taste although still in the standard- he is huge- I worry about small females being bred to these over sized males, it is too much sexual dimorphism- our males are not supposed to be so much taller and heavier then the girls, Bart should go- but he is my husbands dog!

One 18 month old that x-rayed fair at 10 months, I don’t breed fairs, just don’t and after another x-ray she is dysplastic. She is doing fine and I will take one more picture of her hips at age two but she is now spayed and will likely go live with a family member, my first case of hip dysplasia in 18 years in Labradors (and over 10 litters).

One VERY tiny black female, Becca is now a year and measures 19 inches at the shoulder, too small for showing. It is a great size for agilty or any dog sport although I bet she would have trouble carrying a big goose- they need to be a little bigger for those big birds!

ONe VERY nice healthy six month old puppy that I will run on.

The dog fancy isn’t called the heartbreak hobby for no reason- it will be hard to place three of four dogs but that will allow me to continue in the hobby, show the pup and perhaps add a new blood line or pup eventually. This hobby for me is about improving the breed with each generation, if a dog I am keeping is not going to do that and will not be worked or given enough attention here then it is only fair to sell them. It is very hard to tell with a pup if they will turn out or not so I make my best guess but sometimes they need homes as adults. Labradors make the adjustment easily (I can’t imagine having to rehome Chow-Chows for instance!) and the good news about all of this is after seeing how well they adjust I know there is always the perfect home out there for each dog. The benefits of an older dog are many, they are easier to train and you know the health status as well as temperament! Each dog is unique and so is each family, if you are interested in an older dog to add to your family please contact me at harward@ojia.net.