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. . .If only my husband knew what he was getting
himself into when he suggested we get a Labrador!
In 1998 the possibility of getting a "big dog" became
a reality. We spent a lot of time on Lake St. Clair so Jerry suggested
we get a Labrador since they are excellent water dogs. Because
most of my husband's friends had black labs, he wanted to be different
and get a yellow female. Little did we know that we chose the
most difficult combination of color and sex! I began doing research
into Labradors and learned about making sure that proper health
clearances had been obtained for the sire and dam. We located
a breeder that had a litter that included one yellow female. We
knew enough to inquire about both parents having OFA and CERF
clearances. We were anxious to check this little girl out. The
breeder agreed to let us come see the litter at 5 weeks. We drove
in a January snowstorm on unplowed roads to see the little girl.
We fell in love! That little girl came to live with us in January
of 1999. We named her Sam, short for Samantha. We fell in love
with her charming personality and easy-going attitude--she is
the entire reason we are involved with the Labrador breed today.
I originally had no interest in showing conformation or breeding.
My only interest was in learning competitive obedience. It took
three years of working with Sam before I was brave enough to venture
into the obedience ring. Competing in Novice A, Sam and I earned
our first AKC title in three straight trials. I quickly realized
obedience wasn't enough excitement so then acquired some dogs
to compete in conformation with. From there, we ventured into
agility, hunt tests, rally obedience, and weight pulling. It has
been a delightful endeavor thus far. Besides being able to spend
quality time with our dogs, we have made some excellent friends
through our involvement with the dogs. We look forward to continuting
on in this journey while meeting many more wonderful people and
their dogs.
Our little bit of country
in the city. . .
We are fortunate to live on an acre despite being in the middle
of suburbia. We have our own "little bit of country"
right in our backyard. Our Labs enjoy retrieving, swimming in
the creek, and romping through the woods on our property.
We enjoy the occasional visitors:
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