Anybody ever get a dog from WALABS?

[Labs07]

That is too bad!  I got my Lab from Hightest Retrievers out of CA.  He is the best Lab I've owned!

[jwings]

I ran across this thread and had to enter my 2 cents. I have through the years 3 labs from Walabs kennel and Yes one had worms. but it was a easy cure and from what I can tell from sibling adopters the only one of the litter (It happens) My dogs were gives shots/vaccines/microchips and had a complete record and vet check. I saw this statement about small pens and that is false. walabs has 16 live cameras that can be viewed 24/7 The pens are cleaned daily you can watch this on line. The smallest pens are 10ft X 10ft and those are reserved for pregnant mamas. Walabs has yearly reunions with the adopting families, I have joined in on 4 of these.
My opinion You folks are bad mouthing the wrong breeder. Just look at his Face Book (walabs kennel) he has over 500 families that have 1 or more labs, From what I can see they are very happy with Walabs.

[curtmdavis]

     Read a couple of bad raps about the outfit, but took those with a grain of salt, and got our dog from them back in May, weighing around 6-7 lbs.  He’s a healthy and energetic 14 weeks old now. Took him to the vet when we got him home, had him wormed and got his shots all dialed in. Last night when we took him  in for his next visit, he scaled at 24 pounds and healthy as could be had, not sure what else to ask for.

 Most of what I've read, was, "My dog came home with worms and such." Now granted, I've never been to a breeder where my dog cost a month’s mortgage, and came with a contract as long as King James's Bible, but I have always come to expect, that the dog has worms, and most likely some sort of parasitic alien in its belly.    Always cleared up with their first trip to the vet and just always thought that's the way things were.

[ghosthunter]

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).

All I have to say is Ireland Farms. If you want a quality dog and a Quality Breeder.

[DoubleJ]

thread forwarded to King 5 Investigators, Get Jesse, and Komo Problem solvers

[Stilly bay]

My cut and paste from Word didn't work. Bear with my edits.

This is from WALABS Website. My comments will be in bold italic and underlined- I hope this helps some folks understand why asking questions and getting with educated dog folks is important no matter what you are paying for a new dog.


WALABS offers the following guarantee to the original buyer only.

We guarantee the puppy to be free of PRA (progressive retinal atrophy) for up to 1 year of age. PRA usually onsets later in a dogs’ life, around 4 if I remember correctly.
If you suspect your puppy has PRA, it must be verified by a certified Canine Ophthalmologist with CERF. PRA is not detected via CERF. PRA is a genetic disease and is a DNA test. CERF is simply a viewing of the dogs retina looking for cataracts. Completely different. CERF should be done regularly before each breeding. Most good breeders have their dogs CERF'd once a year. We guarantee the puppy to be free of hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia for up to 25 months of age. You can only do pre-lim hip (OFA) prior to 24 months of age.
If your veterinarian suspects a dysplasia problem, the x-ray showing this condition must be verified
by the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals). This x-ray must be done before 25 months of age. OFA cannot be tested until the dog is 24 months of age. Results can take a few months. There is NO WAY you can get an OFA back before this limit on his contract would expire. If any of these conditions are verified, We the breeder has the option of either refunding the entire purchase price,
or replacing the dog with a puppy of comparable breeding when available.
The first puppy will have to be returned to WALABS with its AKC paperwork.
In any case, all veterinary, diagnostic, return, and replacement costs will be the owner's responsibility. You spend all the money to do the tests to prove the problem. He’s banking that you will probably really like the dog, most people do after two years and won’t return it. He’ll look the other way at this point and say, return the dog. If you do return it, you’ll be on some distant waiting list. Also likely, you’ll get another pup from the same crap unhealthy breeding. You’ll get to do the same thing all over again.
These guarantees are dependent upon demonstration that the puppy has received adequate care and nutrition.
Anything that affects the development or well-being of the puppy, such as abuse, neglect,
trauma (i.e. jumping in the air for frisbees), or being used for breeding will void these guarantees. This statement is a completely open ended “catch all” to blame you for pretty much letting the dog be a dog. “oh, you play catch with your dog? Oh, you didn’t go to the vet three times a month?” They’ll say anything, make up anything to make the problem your fault.
The following puppies will NOT carry ANY kind of guarantee. Shipped puppies, puppies NOT bred through us. EA Rescue labs, I have no idea what this means. Are they getting dogs from the pound and re-selling them? Shipped puppies?? What does shipping have to do with hip dysplasia?

This is the type of disclaimer that when you read it, you don’t walk away, you run like hell!

 
if you take walabs out of the picture, I think this portion of the thread needs to become a sticky so that all future puppy buyers on this forum can have some food for thought before they pick a kennel and sign a puppy contract. For a couple paragraphs it speaks volumes

[Happy Gilmore]

Not uncommon for a pup to have worms. It is uncommon for someone to have bred enough pups to have 500 families and they don't understand the tests they are mentioning in their guarantee.

[CoryTDF]

Here is a pretty good start to look for a pup. http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?31-Classifieds-Lab-Puppies

When it comes to Labs I say spend the money! Buy from either reputable breeders or at least from great bloodlines and people who look and sound legit. Most people are not in the Field Trial and Hunt Test game and not running in those circles might not understand or know about what good dogs are. They also might not know how to go about getting a good dog from a good breeding/breeder. When you see AFC, FC, MH, QAA, NFC, NAFC, things like that in the lines you are stacking the deck in your favor. This shows that the lines have been producing good smart dogs. 

You did good bringing this to attention. Have you thought to contact AKC and inform them of your experience?? If he is registering his litters and they are being mistreated AKC can do something about that.

[Mudman]

Very interesting 2 first time posts from 2 people on this thread both praising walabs.  One even pms everyone?  I said nothing derogatory don't know why got pm. Ironic.

[Stilly bay]

It is uncommon for someone to have bred enough pups to have 500 families and they don't understand the tests they are mentioning in their guarantee.

Or maybe they understand the tests perfectly and are counting that potential buyers are the ones who can't figure it out.
Im sorry but that puppy contract is a scam.

[Happy Gilmore]

I just hope they read this and try to better understand breeding healthy pups. Contacting the akc will do nothing. The akc is not a breed police. The akc is simply a breed registry and has nothing to do with monitoring health standards. Buying an akc registered dog means Nothing! Buying a dog from a breeder who knows and understands what health testing means and the importance of it means everything. Many fine dogs who have excellent breeding and health clearances are never registered. Testing parents before breeding is much more important than any akc pedigree. With that being said, those who spend a little extra making sure the parents are sound animals before breeding will almost always be those whom properly register the dogs. It isn't about being snooty or high brow, it's about loving animals and wanting the breeds to live long healthy lives and allow the owners to enjoy their companions for the longest time possible

[Don Fischer]

First time at a puppy farm it sounds. Doesn't mean the dogs they sell are no good but could be wormy like your's was. That's probably why she appeared sick and thin, worms! There's a puppy farm not far from here and I visited it one time. Sicking at best. Dog's stuck in really small kennels all over the place. This one had a bunch on different toy breeds. Building near the house was full of small cages of pregnate dog's, back room in the house the same and more out in the barn. Was the breeding bad? Shoot I don't know but what a sorry way for a dog to spend it's life. And breeding to improve the breed is not a goal. It's breeding to improve income.

My guess is you'll have a good dog that you can enjoy, might even be a good retrieving dog. But the environment of a puppy farm is putrid!

[Stilly bay]

I just hope they read this and try to better understand breeding healthy pups. Contacting the akc will do nothing. The akc is not a breed police. The akc is simply a breed registry and has nothing to do with monitoring health standards. Buying an akc registered dog means Nothing! Buying a dog from a breeder who knows and understands what health testing means and the importance of it means everything. Many fine dogs who have excellent breeding and health clearances are never registered. Testing parents before breeding is much more important than any akc pedigree. With that being said, those who spend a little extra making sure the parents are sound animals before breeding will almost always be those whom properly register the dogs. It isn't about being snooty or high brow, it's about loving animals and wanting the breeds to live long healthy lives and allow the owners to enjoy their companions for the longest time possible

the environment of a puppy farm is putrid!

All the more reason to promote responsible breeders and discourage people from supporting bad breeders, and puppy mills.

If everyone put as much thought into buying a new dog as they did a new car we would soon see all these operations dry up.

How many people just pick a brand new car off the lot because they like the color and brand and take the salesman's word on every thing else? Damn few, most halfway intelligent people do their research, talk to other people that had same car, and even find out if that model or even the car lot is responsible for any lemons in the past.

But its perfectly acceptable to just grab the first puppy that comes along just because you like the breed, like the color, and take the breeder at his word without talking to anyone else about it or doing a lick of research? Granted dogs don't cost as much, but if your a halfway decent person the emotional investment in dog is at least tenfold that of a car.

[Birdguy]

Granted dogs don't cost as much, but if your a halfway decent person the emotional investment in dog is at least tenfold that of a car.

I do not know I have bought some pretty cheap cars 

All kidding aside, a dog is an investment both financial and emotional, it should be considered one of the family and as such will have plenty of bills that go along with it. Just like a child, Dr. visits, accidents, wellness checks, school, food, housing...... the list goes on and on. Putting a little effort and research into your investment will make it more enjoyable when you get the right one and hopefully you have great times for a long with the fewest issues possible

[gonehunting]

I am appauled by seeing this post and thread about Walabs Kennel. I purchased my fox red from walabs in dec 2011, we drove from Sacramento CA to get him. He has always been very healthy. Yes he had worms... so what?? a good vet will tell you that it is NORMAL, a couple of deworming once they are away from the litter mates and problem solved..... Jim Young of Walabs, loves his dogs and puppies and takes care of them very well; he is always here to answer questions.  My dog Niner is a great family dog and a hunter. He hunts ducks very well, with barely any training.  Walabs Kennel is no puppy mill.. That's non sense. Dogs have large pens, everything can be viewed on the cameras. I'm getting my second walab next weekend. I've seen him grow up on the cameras for past 7 weeks.  Check out Facebook and the other families with more than 1 lab... Plus it's not internet sales... Yes he has a website, who doesn't? it's 2013.  Bad mouthing is easy. but no one realizes the impact you are having on people by slandering..... I stand by WALABS Kennel at 200% and recommend his labs to anyone. Specially Hunters.