Need Advice Buying a Puppy

Hello All,

Looking into buying a female Chocolate Lab puppy and would love some suggestions about who and where to buy from. Contemplated adopting but would like to find a good breeder. I've heard some horror stories about people buying from pet stores so I don't think that is in the cards for us. I've looked into a few breeders around VA and it looks like it'll be around $1000 for a puppy. Any suggestions about a good breeder in the VA, Maryland, West VA area would be greatly appreciated. Any other helpful advice would also be welcomed. Also, please don't hesitate to tell me about an adoption or pet store that has a good reputation because I am up for any suggestion. Thanks again for all your help and advice.

-Mike

 

We bought our dog here. He is 13 years old and in very good health and always has been.
http://www.belquest.com/labs.html

 

When we got a boxer a few years ago, I found her on www.puppyfind.com. I did drive to Harrisonburg to meet the family because they were from SWVA. Our current family member was rescued from www.foha.org; you could always contact them and see if they know of anything!! Good Luck

 

Or check with a Labrador rescue group.

http://web.labradors.com/chocolate-labrador/?source=PPCSEEKRESCUE&gclid=CKzsuPW11bYCFQVV4AodQVEA-A

http://labs4rescue.com/index.shtml

http://www.lab-rescue.org/adoptalab

http://adopt-a-labrador-retriever.adoptapet.com/

http://www.luckydoganimalrescue.org/adopt/adoptable-dogs

There are many more if you look. Screen carefully as some websites are set up by puppy mills trying to lure folks looking for rescues. Many need forever homes.

 

Rescue a dog. Legit rescues put the dogs in foster homes, and you can get a lot of info about the dog's behaviors and personality. And they come fixed and house trained for about $300-$500. We have rescued twice, and both have been amazing.

 

please consider the lab rescue - they are wonderful and have beautiful pups!

 

Please don't buy one , when you get get a beautiful choc lab from a rescue

 

My suggestion is to do whatever is best for your family and situation. Make sure you have researched the temperament, energy requirements, and things like grooming and shedding to make sure a lab is compatible with your family. Labs have some heritable health issues that can be tested for before breeding by a reputable breeder.
Commonly Available Screenings:
•Hip Dysplasia
•Elbow Dysplasia
•Heritable eye disease (CERF)
•Progressive Retinal Atrophy (prcd-PRA)
•Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC)
•Centronuclear Myopathy (CNM)
•Heart Murmur (TVD)
•Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)
•Retinal Dysplasia/ OculoSkeletal Dysplasia (RD/OSD)
•Cystinuria
•Narcolepsy