Funny how this worked out, but it's a roll of the dice I'm going to take...
One of the guys I hunt with has a chocolate female out of local AKC stock, which was seeded with some "high-dollar" genetics from elsewhere in the country. Overall, she's a pretty good dog and did well this hunting season, but it was rough sledding in the early years. Mainly due to lack of reprimand IMO. Her drive and instinct are unquestionable, she just needed a heavier hand than he typically uses. He's one of the nicest dudes you'll ever meet and it translates to his dog handling too. He was too light with her and it probably cost a year of development. Again, just my opinion.
Anyways... I ran into my buddy's MIL a few weeks ago and she told me my buddy's dog was pregnant and it was one of two fathers: a "mutt" or a registered chocolate. (Ironically, these dogs live near the farm as my buddy is a neighbor out there.)
Last night, the dogs arrived and it appears they're all lab. But unless my buddy does DNA testing, he can't register them, so he's just finding them good homes and the "buddy rate" is a fraction of a registered lab. The first puppy out ended up being a black male and he's the biggest puppy. Drew said he has a much bigger, boxier head than the others, and bigger paws. And it's mine at the moment.
I'm willing to roll the dice here given the mom's hunt drive and the reasonable determination of both my buddy and I that the pups are 100% lab. I'll neuter this pup and may still breed Lulu with my other buddy's stud hunting machine some day, but will cross that bridge later. Like I was texting Dave yesterday, I'm searching for a tool and this dog has that in his blood line based on mom alone. Just seems right given the whole scope of the story.
Stay tuned!
