Top 10 Reasons You Should Consider a Rescued Labrador Retriever

10... In a Word--Housebroken.

With most family members gone during the work week for 8 hours or more,house-training a puppy and its small bladder can take awhile. Puppies needa consistent schedule with frequent opportunities to eliminate whereyou want them to. They can't wait for the boss to finish his meeting orthe kids to come home from after school activities. An older lab can "holdit" much more reliably for longer time periods, and usually the rescue hashim housebroken before he is adopted.

9... Intact Underwear.

With a chewy puppy, you can count on at least 10 mismatched pairs of socksand a variety of un-mentionables rendered to the "rag bag" before he cutsevery tooth. Also, you can expect holes in your carpet (along with theurine stains), pages missing from books, stuffing exposed from couches,and at least one dead remote control. No matter how well you watch them,it will happen--this is a puppy's job! An older dog can usually have therun of the house without destroying it.

8... A Good Night's Sleep.

Forget the alarm clocks and hot water bottles, apuppy can be very demanding at 2am and 4amand 6am. He misses his litter mates, and that stuffed animal will not makea puppy pile with him. If you have children, you'vebeen there and done that. How about a little peace and quiet? How about anolder rescue lab??

7...Finish the Newspaper.

With a puppy running amok in your house, do youthink you will be able to relax when you gethome from work? Do you think your kids will really feed him, clean up themesses, take him for a walk in the pouring rain everyhour to get him house trained? With an adult dog, it will only be the kidsrunning amok, because your labby will be sitting calmlynext to you, while your workday stress flows away and your blood pressurelowers as you pet him.

6... Easier Vet Trips.

Those puppies need their series of puppy shots andfecals, then their rabies shot, then a trip to be altered,maybe an emergency trip or two if they've chewed something dangerous.Those puppy visits can add up (on top of what youpaid for the dog). Your donation to the rescue when adopting an older pupshould get you a dog with all shots current, alreadyaltered, heartworm negative and on preventative at the minimum.

5... What You See Is What You Get.

How big will that puppy be? What kind oftemperament will he have? Will he be easilytrained? Will his personality be what you were hoping for? How active willhe be? When adopting an older dog from a rescue,all of those questions are easily answered. You can pick large or small;active or couch potato; goofy or brilliant; sweet orsassy. The rescue and its foster homes can guide you to pick the rightmatch. (Our rescue is full of puppies who became thewrong match as they got older!)

4... Unscarred Children (and Adults).

When the puppy isn't teething on yourpossessions, he will be teething on your childrenand yourself. Our rescue routinely gets called from panicked parents whoare sure their lab is biting the children. Since bitingimplies hostile intent and would be a consideration whether we accepttheir give-up, we ask questions and usually find out thedog is being nippy. Parents are often too emotional to see the difference;but a growing puppy is going to put everything fromfood to clothes to hands in their mouths, and as they get older and biggerit definitely hurts (and will get worse, if they aren'tbeing corrected properly.) Most older labs have "been there, done that,moved on."

3... Matchmaker, Make Me a Match.

Puppy love is often no more than anattachment to a look or a color. It is not much of abasis on which to make a decision that will hopefully last 15+ years.While that puppy may have been the cutest of the litter; hemay grow up to be super active (when what you wanted was a couch buddy);she may be a couch princess (when what youwanted was a tireless hiking companion); he may want to spend every wakingmoment in the water (while you're a landlubber);or she may want to be an only child (while you are intending to have kidsor more animals). Pet mismatches are one of the topreasons rescues get give-up phone calls. Good rescues do extensiveevaluating of both their labbies and their applicants to besure that both labby and family will be happy with each other until deathdue them part.

2... Instant Companion.

With an older labby, you automatically have a buddythat can go everywhere and do everything withyou NOW. There's no waiting for a puppy to grow up (and then hope he willlike to do what you enjoy.) You will have beenable to select the most compatible dog: one that travels well; one thatloves to play with your friends' dogs; one with excellenthouse manners that you can take to your parents' new home with the newcarpet and the new couch. You can come home aftera long day's work and spend your time on a relaxing walk, ride or swimwith your new best friend (rather than cleaning up aftera small puppy.)

1... Bond--Labby Bond.

Labbies who have been uprooted from their happy homesor have not had the best start in life aremore likely to bond very completely and deeply with their new people.Those who have lost their families through death,divorce or lifestyle change go through a terrible mourning process. But,once attached to a new loving family, they seem to wantto please as much as possible to make sure they are never homeless again.Those labbies that are just learning about the goodlife and good people seem to bond even deeper. They know what life on thestreets, life on the end of a chain, or worse is allabout, and they revel and blossom in a nurturing, loving environment. Mostrescues make exceptionally affectionate andattentive pets and extremely loyal companions.