ivory_kitten

Thanks Macka, I did email them back with a list of questions, so we will see if they do get back to me!! I think it will be hard for me to visit the breeder beforehand so I guess I will just have to interrogate them on the phone

it wasn't too bad until I went in to the pet store on Friday to get my refund (the staff were nice and pretty friendly about it) but my poor toddler, was upset, he's only 20 months, but I think he just knew, he got really upset when we left the pet store! I received a reply on an enquiry I sent before I found this site, so I am just wondering if anyone has had any dealings with Truebred Labradors in NSW? They have just had a litter of pups so would be able to get one before Christmas. Otherwise I'm still searching, female pups seem to be harder to come by!

I have enjoyed reading your comments thus far!! It's great to hear different people's opinions!! LOL @ the teens comment!! At least my dog will go through puberty well before my child so at least I won't have 2 teens to cope with at the same time well i called the pet store and asked for pedigree papers, which they cannot provide and they were fine about giving me back my deposit, just have to go in there and get it. now to find a new puppy! I would be able to get one from SE QLD vicinity, I am thinking of visiting my family there before the end of the year anyway, so I could achieve 2 things in one trip! will keep you all posted on how we go

sounds like I'm going to need to find another puppy, can anybody recommend any breeders? am hoping to get a puppy by Christmas..am I being ambitious? i think we would prefer a yellow lab, but i'm not really sure, does it make a difference? thanks everyone, you have all been so helpful so far!

well I'm going to call the pet store tomorrow and if they can't provide me all the info you guys have suggested I hope I can cancel and get my deposit back! they should be able to do that, after all they said labrador puppies were very popular... thanks persephone, for the info, i have done a little bit of research, there is no way either my husband or I could stand a little yappy dog, it's just personal preference, we are fairly active anyway, so taking the dog for a walk every day for half an hour or so is no drama, and I do not mind taking the puppy to proper training and obedience schools, we have a fair size yard so plenty of room for it to run around my husband also wants a dog that is capable of being a hunting dog, well more of a retriever than a hunter, so that's why we decided that a labrador might be a good dog for us, it's also a good family dog from what i have read?

we are getting her from the pet store, and she doesn't come with anything, apart from papers, I'm pretty sure they are just feeding her dry food as they did mention that we would have to buy some of the same food that they have been feeding her, and then after that we can change if we want. I would have thought it would be important for her to have some raw food too though? there are only 2 breeders in the NT, so I'm not sure if she is from interstate, she may well be as I was only able to contact one breeder and he said he didn't have any pups until next year, the other I couldn't get a hold of so I'm not sure, she could be from there. The pet store said the parents have been screened for the hips thing and there are no problems there. She will also be vaccinated and wormed and microchipped. Well I went in to Kmart and bought 2 stainless steel bowls for food and water, the exact same ones at the pet store, but cheaper, a car harness, a rope knot toy and a Medium sized Kong (yup they sell these in Kmart now and it was cheaper than the pet store by about $5). I couldn't find a nice dog bed that will be big enough for her to grow in to so I will have to get that from the pet store. I'm going to get a toy the same as the one she had in the puppy enclosure too just so she has a familiar item as well. We will look in to getting a kennel for her, as when it rains here it gets quite windy so she would probably get wet even under the verandah. But we don't need that right away as the rains don't start until Jan or so...hopefully! I will ask lots of questions on Friday when we go to pick her up too! I just thought if I could have some of the things already so the pet store doesn't get me to buy them at their expensive prices!

Hi everyone! We are getting a female yellow lab puppy on Friday, so I'm wondering what are the essentials that I need for her. We haven't decided on a name yet either, we only found her yesterday! She's about 8 weeks old. She will be mostly an outside dog, we have a large undercover veranda so would she still need a kennel or would a nice cosy dog bed be just fine? We live in Darwin, so it's not like she's going to get cold anytime soon! Here's what I can think of, please tell me if I don't really need all these things or if there's something I've missed! *Collar & lead *Bed and/or Kennel *Some toys *Food & Water bowls *Shampoo & brush *Flea & Tick control *Car harness Is it best to buy these things from the pet store or are the ones from discount places like Kmart or Big W just as good? And well of course some food!! I guess that's a whole other debate though, should she eat dry food or wet food or raw food? Are there any kinds of foods which are really bad for her? This is our first dog! We bought her so our son who is 1 1/2 could have a pet as he grows up. My DH's familly are disgusted, but they will get over it!! I also want to take her to puppy school so she can get properly trained, what age can she go there? Thanks! Elle