
Labrador Retriever Puppies for Sale
I’d like to start off thanking the stranger who decided it was their place to tell me what my child needed. At the time I was completely irritated with them sticking their nose in my business. I even replied with a glare and a comment I am too embarrassed to repeat.
I had been shovelling the sidewalk when it happened. My daughter was sitting in the snowbank watching me get my workout from mother nature. When I was finished she was so excited, she jumped at me throwing snow in the air begging me to play with her. I had more work to do in the house… I didn’t want to spend another moment in the cold.
That was when the person walked by commenting on how my daughter deserved a dog to play with her. That it wasn’t fair to have a child without their very own best friend. Seeing her face light up with excitement and hope was the last straw to my fatigued mood. I said a few words to that stranger and they weren’t nice ones.
When I got into bed that night I mentioned the whole scenario to my husband. He was quiet for a moment then asked me if it wasn’t such a bad idea. He had a Labrador retriever puppy growing up and it made him feel safe with unconditional love when his parents were working or otherwise occupied.
So, I started to seriously consider this huge commitment.
Lab Breeders in Norfolk County
My husband had convinced me to add a fur-baby to the family around February. Our daughter was turning 6 in May, which we thought would be the perfect gift for her. I knew most of the chores would fall onto me if she wasn’t holding up her end of the responsibilities. I was super nervous about having the time and patience.
That was when my husband showed me the breeds of dogs to choose from. He said it was most important to find a breed of dog that had great temperament, obedient, great with kids and loyal. Labrador retrievers were at the top of his suggestions. He had a female Labrador retriever that was the most amazing pet that he ever knew.
We didn’t have any known allergies to worry about when choosing the breed.
Our biggest “to do” was finding a local Labrador retriever kennel in Norfolk County.
Labrador Retriever Kennel Qualifications and Standards
- Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) registered
- Puppies are dewormed three to four times
- First round of vaccinations
- Micro – chipped
- Dewclaw removed
- Vet Certificate of Health
- Puppies are socialized with children
- Kennel provides a clean and safe environment for the puppies
Many of our “has to have” list may seem super normal, but, if you were to actually go visit some of the dog breeding kennels you would be heart broken.
We found 3 different Labrador retriever breeder kennels in Simcoe. So we decided to go and see ourselves how they cared for their puppies. Websites can sometimes be deceiving. But, are important to have with kennels in my opinion. It shows that they have built a strong backbone for their breeding environment.
One of the kennels didn’t allow pop-ins unless we were buying a Labrador retriever puppy. Which we found put off by. If you want people to trust you are giving them a healthy, happy puppy you should be ok with people wanting to see where they are being raised and their living conditions. Watch out for a Shady breeder.
Labrador Retriever Kennel Visits
We booked a stop in visit to the 2 other kennels. They were both very clean and open environments. The breeder that we went with had their kids on site with the puppies. It was a huge relief that our puppy would be used to having a little one hugging and being super affectionate to it.
Another perk that my husband was over the moon about was that they have the puppies exposed to preliminary fowl experiences! My husband loves hunting and fishing. He never thought that there would come a day that he would have a dog to do those types of outdoor activities with. The thought of training was daunting to him.
The Labrador retriever breeder was super open and forthcoming with all the information we were concerned about. The parents to the puppies were on site and had visited with us as well.
It was an amazing experience to have had prior to choosing a puppy. Everything we were on the fence about was taken care of and more at this breeder kennel.
Labrador Retriever Cuteness!
When we chose our puppy the breeder had asked us to visit often so that the puppy is familiar with us. We told him that it would only be us as our daughter wasn’t going to be in the know about her surprise birthday gift. He was ok with it and said that he will have his daughter spend more time with our puppy to train with kids.
Once it was our daughters birthday we had her come for the pick up with us. We initially weren’t sure if we would just bring the puppy home or take her with us to pick her up. My husband figured it was a bigger deal to have her see where her Labrador retriever was coming from. I agreed.
Pulling into the kennel was probably the most exciting thing I have ever witnessed. Her puppy was waiting on a leash just wagging away.
I was worried the puppy would play shy or run… Nope! She just took in all the hugs and pets!
We waiting for the excitement to wane a bit before we asked her what she would be naming her new Labrador retriever.
She eyed up her new best friend with golden hair and brown eyes. There were very faint areas that looked like a slight mask on her eyes. My daughter said “Thor”. That was what she decided to name her female puppy! I loved the name. My husband tried to convince her otherwise with no winning.
To round it all up, I’m feeling full seeing my daughter with her best friend every day enjoying nothing but quality time. Thank you to the stranger who stepped up and kicked me in the gut with words.
Contact Details
- Sheetwater Kennels – Labrador Retrievers – Puppies
- Norfolk County, Ontario
- +1 519-427-9416
- https://www.sheetwaterkennels.com/