Labrador Retriever Breeding
Mary Fowler is an American Kennel Club Breeder of Merit in Labrador Retrievers.
 She raises, trains and competes in AKC events with her dogs, puts AKC titles on her breeding stock and their progeny, makes sure all her puppies are AKC registered, has been a member of an AKC licensed dog club over 25 years (Finger Lakes Retriever Club), and does all the health tests for canine diseases found in her breed.
The Breeder of Merit AWARD shows a breeder has been fully invested in their breed for many years and shows that they are trying to improve the breed. They work to produce physically sound, intelligent and highly trainable pups that look and act like the AKC standard as written.
People who buy a Labrador Retriever pup or dog should be aware there are many genetic tests and veterinary exams to detect disease that all breeders should have performed on their breeding stock so that they do not create sickly or poorly structured puppies. Buyers should ask to see proof that these exams and tests have been done before buying:
Current Genetic Disease Tests Available For Labrador Retrievers:
EIC( Exercise Induced Collapse; dogs have seizures when highly stressed), CNM (Centronuclear Myopathy; This is a devastating muscle cell disorder), PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy, causes blindness in middle aged dogs), drd (dwarf retinal dysplasia, a disease where pups take on a basset hound-like structure and have eyes with retinal folding)
Current Veterinarian Phenotype Exams:
Parent dogs' hips and elbows should be X-rayed and registered with the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals), and also the eyes should be examined by an opthamologist and registered with CERF (Canine Eye Registry Foundation). Breeding dogs should be fully vetted and inoculated for common dog diseases, and kept parasite free, including yearly heartworm testing and regular checks for intestinal parasites.
We have litters only occasionally to produce dogs with true Labrador Retriever temperament, structure, trainability and retrieving drive. All eye/hip clearances on parents and our dogs meet the AKC standard as written in the “AKC Book of Dogs.” We breed black and yellow only.
Breeding of labradors only occurs occasionally.
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