Can anyone reccomend a rescue ?

[Tinglesnark]

I have decided to get a labrador retreiver. I want a chocolate pup but am astounded at the prices these dogs are going for!! one or two have asked for more than i pay for my mortgage! :eek:

I dont mind if i have a rescue (id prefer it) but it has to be a puppy for various reasons :thumbsup:

Does anyone know of someone that could help me? I am having awful trouble locating a puppy! Oh, naturally if the dog is a rescue then colour isnt an issue but i really would prefer a girl :thumbsup:

thanks in advance

:thumbsup:

RESCUE! NOT BREEDER!

[miss mopple]

Where abouts are you?

We got our puppy (golden retriever cross) from here:

www.poundpuppy.org

they were fantastic. They rescue dogs from being destroyed in Ireland and bring them over here, where they stay in foster homes until rescued. We don't live nearby so travelled to collect her. They organised for our local dog warden to come and do a home check first and once that was ok'd we were free to meet our pup and bring her home. They were fine with the fact I am a childminder, in fact they thought it was perfect as I am home all day. They would only let us have a puppy as that way there is no issue with the dog having unknown history.

If we ever got another dog (DH is trying to convince me now and they have some rather gorgeous puppies on there at the minute but I must stay strong :laughing: ) we would go to them first without a doubt.

Good luck, hope you find the perfect doggy for you :D

[AnnieM]

You could have a look on the Many Tears Rescue site. I haven't been on for a while so don't know what they have in at the moment. Or what about labrador rescue? I do know someone who is going to be having a litter of lab puppies in a couple of months, but they are show puppies and will not be cheap. :o

[PixiePetal]

Where abouts are you?

We got our puppy (golden retriever cross) from here:

www.poundpuppy.org

they were fantastic. They rescue dogs from being destroyed in Ireland and bring them over here, where they stay in foster homes until rescued. We don't live nearby so travelled to collect her. They organised for our local dog warden to come and do a home check first and once that was ok'd we were free to meet our pup and bring her home. They were fine with the fact I am a childminder, in fact they thought it was perfect as I am home all day. They would only let us have a puppy as that way there is no issue with the dog having unknown history.

If we ever got another dog (DH is trying to convince me now and they have some rather gorgeous puppies on there at the minute but I must stay strong :laughing: ) we would go to them first without a doubt.

Good luck, hope you find the perfect doggy for you :D

The mum of our pup came over from Ireland where she would have been put down as a pup herself. The owner had 2 of their dogs from the same organisation :thumbsup:

My sister got a choc lab - about 4 yrs old, from a breeder. She is an ex breeding *****, had her full allocation of pups for her lifetime and was sold on - much cheaper although you would like a pup. An idea for anyone else thinking of one. She is fab and great with kids and other dogs - way more tolerant than any other dog I know!

Our neighbours choc lab - cookie - had 9 this year! all went to homes except for the one they kept:)

[caz3007]

We got ours from Lab rescue, she was 4 years old, but we wanted a *****. We had to drive quite a bit to collect her as they tried to rehome them straight from their existing homes if possible. Ours wasnt ill treated, it was just the woman had a new partner and Jade didnt get on with his dog and as the woman had to labs, it was Jade who had to go. Best thing we ever did as far as taking her on

[Tinglesnark]

thanks folks! ive been on most of those sites already :thumbsup: i found a lab rescue that i hadnt seen before and they are south east and central which means that they cover more of the country and are more likely to be able to help.
fingers crossed!

[Ticktoria]

Im an experienced lab owner and know alot about my breed and its problems. Lab Rescues are a great place if your open to giving a dog a second chance, but if you want a pup you should expect to pay alot of money, labs have big potential problems - eye, elbow and hips. Both parents should be tested and scored before being able to breed, a good breeder wont put two dogs together with high scores, and a good breeder only breeds to add something to the breed whether working or show, so you're paying for good breeding and good genes.

As you want a Choc good breeding is even more important as they can be a bit loopy! The guy Ive always got mine from breeds them to work so they have very calm temperments and aren't as stocky as the show line dogs.

I dont want to sound like Im banging on but I love my Labs . The www.labradorforums.co.uk is a brilliant place for advice and they can give details of rescues or breeders locally.

[Dare4Distance]

You'll have to be quick if you want a rescue. Most rescues tend to stop rehoming dogs in the Christmas run up to prevent them being bought as gifts and then dumped :(

[Tinglesnark]

im in no rush - i am not after a christmas present :D . I am a very experienced dog handler, trainer and groomer :thumbsup: but i am not in the financial position to spend a lot of money on one, we can afford to keep a dog but who has £800 sitting around in these times to spend on buying a puppy? You dont HAVE to spend a fortune to guarantee receiving a "good" pup, what you do have to be is savvy. You have to make sure that you know what you are doing when you go to choose your pup - luckily for us, i do! :thumbsup:

thanks ladies

:D

[Ticktoria]

Sorry dont want to get into a bun-fight but I volunteer with Puppylove, so I know what Im talking about, there are lots of ads about for labs for £150-200 but if you get a £800 dog for £150 it is going to have bad breeding end of story :panic: Getting a bargain when buying a puppy means spending a fortune down the line!

[Tinglesnark]

Sorry dont want to get into a bun-fight but I volunteer with Puppylove, so I know what Im talking about, there are lots of ads about for labs for £150-200 but if you get a £800 dog for £150 it is going to have bad breeding end of story :panic: Getting a bargain when buying a puppy means spending a fortune down the line!

ive asked for a rescue :thumbsup: nevermind :rolleyes:

[kindredspirits]

i think its quite sad that you can label a puppy as bad or not because of its breeding - you wouldn't say the same about a child. it smacks a bit of the hard sell i'm afraid.

good luck finding your pup Tiggle! :thumbsup:
Have you tried the Dogs Trust? I know they rehome but not sure about area wise.

[Tinglesnark]

i think its quite sad that you can label a puppy as bad or not because of its breeding - you wouldn't say the same about a child. it smacks a bit of the hard sell i'm afraid.

good luck finding your pup Tiggle! :thumbsup:
Have you tried the Dogs Trust? I know they rehome but not sure about area wise.

I agree lovely, it's all to do with the owner and the amount of time they put in to the animal as far as im concerned :thumbsup:

I have found a lovely rescue and i have just asked that i get a pup, sex and colour mean nothing but i really want a pup so that i can teach ds1 in particular how to train dogs from grass roots (socialising) and also i want a baby in the house :thumbsup: plus we have numerous dominant dogs in our family so i wanted to bring a youngster in that would slot in towards the bottom of the pack rather than storm in and upset the apple cart :thumbsup:

I miss Max so desperately, i keep thinking of him in his younger years and how close he and i were - so in tune to each other :) I am so looking forward to being able to rehome another doglet that needs a loving home :thumbsup:

[LOOPYLISA]

I hope you find your perfect puppy soon x

[Tinglesnark]

:thumbsup: so do i :D

[Ticktoria]

i think its quite sad that you can label a puppy as bad or not because of its breeding - you wouldn't say the same about a child. it smacks a bit of the hard sell i'm afraid.

Not the same thing at all :mad: and again I apologise to the OP as Ive gone off the original subject. When I say bad breeding I mean dogs that have litters with poor physical and mental health.

Cheap puppies come from bad breeders who breed sick, bad temperament animals, and until people stop buying cheap dogs this sick trade will continue and puppies and dogs will suffer. Backyard breeders and puppyfarms breed dogs for profit not because they're 'nice' people, they breed inappropriately selling off pups to people who think they're getting a good deal.

My friends mother bought a cav from someone who claimed to be a home breeder but the dog was £100!!!!! :rolleyes: This dog has so far cost them over £1k and has suffered greatly, the poor thing is a mess. They have researched and behind the facade of a nice lady simply breeding pets is a large scale puppy farm in West wales - What makes me so cross is she knows what I do and she still bought this dog thinking she had a good deal. :angry:

If you think Im meerely promoting the hard sell, rather than responsible pet buying call the Kennel club for their advise or just google PUPPY FARMS!

[Bear23]

just to change the subject :)

I bought a lab puppy, for 450, worth every penny, although he is a bit mad!! I've had a trainer come in, who says its my fault :blush: . with all the other goings on in my life, i didn't train him right... He's getting there now tho. He's very clever... and i soon hope to have a fabby dog!!

[Tinglesnark]

I did not start this thread so that people could hop on to their soap box. Whilst i do appreciate everyones input i must stress that if you dont have anything nice to say, just dont post!

I will NOT buy from a puppy farm as i am NOT an idiot. I will NOT buy from an uneducated breeder as again, I AM NOT AN IDIOT :thumbsup:

i just wanted some advice on rescue centres and by adding the breeder bit i did rather hope that one of you sidelined in breeding labs...apparently that is NOT the case...

Please let this be an end to the whole subject

:rolleyes: