Anybody ever get a dog from WALABS?

[wahunter21]

This is my first post, my name is Sean I just moved to medical lake about 5 months ago. I got a chocolate lab puppy from Jim Young at WALABS in September. My wife and i did a good amount of research and Jim claimed to have 25+ years breeding labs and so on. So we put a deposit down and decided to go to Onalaska, WA(about 7 hours away) and pick up our puppy. So when we showed up at Jim's place there were at least a dozen adult labs( one labradoodle) and they were all in small dog runs. Jim had so many dogs and he had goats chickens etc. He made the comment " Yep, the only thing not pregnant here is the chicken." So we took our female puppy Bailey, home and hoped for the best.  She was sick from day one and we spent lots of time and money to get her healthy. She had worms bad and was way under weight. She seems happy and healthy now at 6 months, she is 50 lbs. and real short. I went on WALABS website and now it says Jim is breeding miniature labs. This guy is scum his dogs are not healthy and mistreated. I am sorry about the long post but i just hope this guy gets stopped from ever breeding labs again. He is cutting every corner in the book and now he says he has miniature labs and wants 2500.00. He needs to be stopped. I have heard of several families getting sick puppies from Jim. One puppy from Bailey's litter was born with three legs.  He has moved locations from Oregon to WA trying to run from his past of running a puppy mill. Anyways anybody ever here of Jim or WALABS? Thanks for reading, i just needed to vent, this guys makes me sick.

[Birdguy]

Wow, that is terrible. Glad you got your pup healthy, though you should not have had to. Thanks for sharing your experience, hopefully it will prevent someone else from going through what you had to  .

[YellowDog]

I don't really know anything about WALABS but I have been considering a new pup in the next 6 months or so.  I went to his website a couple weeks ago and as soon as I saw the advertisement for his "Tea Cup Labs" I about threw up and vowed to never visit the site again (on purpose anyway).

[Mudman]

I will ask my wife to ask about this walabs guy in Vet. community? 

[Stilly bay]

this is why research is paramount when choosing your new hunting buddy for the next 10-12 years, although one look at the guy's website would have me running away like my ass was on fire.
he seems too hung up on gimmicks like color and size, two points that if not done properly could huge genetic nightmares. not to mention there is enough BS on that website to fill a five yard dump truck, but there is no information on pedigrees or titles.

last but not least he seems overly proud of the fact his dogs are AKC registered. AKC registration doesn't mean much and it definitely isn't a promise of quality. what I am saying is if a breeder is making a hunting dog sound like its main selling point is the AKC registration (espc at the price point he is selling at)  either take a closer look for all the proper health checks on the parents as well as titles before running away... OR JUST RUN AWAY.

of course an actual visit to the kennel trumps a visit to the website any day.

[AspenBud]

A few points...

First, take a look at these websites...

http://www.bergbrossetters.com/

http://www.hifivekennels.com/

http://www.tekoamountainsetters.com/

http://crosswindkennel.com/

All of these guys stress careful breeding and they all advertise that their dogs are proven in competition. While these are all pointing dog breeders you can find the same mentality in the retriever world. While their dogs have papers (most are FDSB and not AKC), that's not their focus or what's important to them.

Second, a dozen dogs isn't uncommon for breeders to have. Some go small scale and some keep a large kennel. That doesn't make them a puppy mill. A good and selective breeding program requires a fair number of dogs to evaluate. The number will arguably go up or down depending on who makes the cut and who gets washed out. This is something animal rights people generally don't get and why their policies often hurt legitimate breeders and those of us seeking well bred dogs.

Third, I've never heard of "tea cup labs" but 90 lbs labs are NOT ideal for upland hunting. 45-60 lbs is better suited to that and a number of breeders have switched to that. There is a difference between lab dwarfism (which can be tested for) and a small performance lab.

Labs have a whole raft of health clearances that should be obtained and buyers should be demanding to see them. Understanding pedigrees, titles, and asking around, even on boards like this is generally good policy before buying.

[jetjockey]

Not to mention that the best dogs from the best breeds typically don't get advertised and the dogs go to select owners.  If you can get in the door with those types of breeding, you greatly enhance your chances of getting a top end dog.

[AspenBud]

Not to mention that the best dogs from the best breeds typically don't get advertised and the dogs go to select owners.  If you can get in the door with those types of breeding, you greatly enhance your chances of getting a top end dog.

True. Top line breedings are often sold before they even take place.

If you look at that guy's website it looks like he saw some things at a shelter that bothered him, and with good reason. My guess is it affected him to the point of not being able to make the hard decisions that go with breeding or he's in over his head and not willing to admit it. Three legged pups and dwarf dogs say it all.

[YellowDog]

Third, I've never heard of "tea cup labs" but 90 lbs labs are NOT ideal for upland hunting. 45-60 lbs is better suited to that and a number of breeders have switched to that. There is a difference between lab dwarfism (which can be tested for) and a small performance lab.

He's advertising "Tea Cup Labs" that he claims "nobody else has" and their maximum weight will be 25 pounds.  I realize 90 pound labs are not ideal for upland hunting but I'm not sure what the ideal task/purpose of a 25 pound lab is.  IMO his Tea Cup Labs are nothing but a gimmic and advertising and breeding for them tells me that his breeding program is not speaking for itself and/or producing pups like that of a quality breeder that sells pups or has a wait list before the breeding even occurs.  He's trying to make a buck by creating the next new designer dog from what I can tell...not doing what is right for the breed.

[AspenBud]

Third, I've never heard of "tea cup labs" but 90 lbs labs are NOT ideal for upland hunting. 45-60 lbs is better suited to that and a number of breeders have switched to that. There is a difference between lab dwarfism (which can be tested for) and a small performance lab.

He's advertising "Tea Cup Labs" that he claims "nobody else has" and their maximum weight will be 25 pounds.  I realize 90 pound labs are not ideal for upland hunting but I'm not sure what the ideal task/purpose of a 25 pound lab is.  IMO his Tea Cup Labs are nothing but a gimmic and advertising and breeding for them tells me that his breeding program is not speaking for itself and/or producing pups like that of a quality breeder that sells pups or has a wait list before the breeding even occurs.  He's trying to make a buck by creating the next new designer dog from what I can tell...not doing what is right for the breed.

Like I said, they're probably dogs afflicted with dwarfism. Either that or it's some designer dog cross like a Labradoodle.

[YellowDog]

Sounds like we are on the same 

[wahunter21]

Thanks for the input, everyone. I just hate knowing this guy is still pumping out litters with such poor standards and unorthodox methods and charging so much. Jim Young (WALABS) runs a puppy mill and has sick puppies i just feel bad for the other families who will go through what we went through. But our dog, Bailey is doing great and we have just bonded more with her through it all. We even found a couple sheds today when we were out and about. 

[Happy Gilmore]

Guys who have dogs or breedings that are the "chit" have their pups sold before they are bred and have little need for a website. They will not print fliers to sell dogs.

[Happy Gilmore]

It might not be a good thing to call people out on the hunt wa website by name like this for legal reason. As with anything, buyer beware. If you didn't do your research it's hard to make a complaint after the fact. Sorry you've had to learn the hard way.

[wahunter21]

Ok, Happy but not everyone who is getting a pup has the "in" to find those breeders, so they get them from other (advertised) breeders.