Posted on 10/05/2010 10:36:52 AM PDT by JoeProBono
WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash.- A Labrador retriever who was set to be spayed has given its owners in Washington state a litter of 16 puppies.
When the Hurst family of Whidbey Island took 3-year-old chocolate Lab Sugar Baby to a vet for a consultation about spaying her, they found out she was pregnant, the Whidbey (Wash.) News Times reported.
The dog started delivering puppies around noon Tuesday and she didn't finish for more than 12 hours, producing 16 black or yellow puppies -- one male black lab, six female black labs, five male yellow labs and four female yellow labs. Despite being a chocolate lab, Sugar did not give birth to any brown dogs.
Lacey Hurst took mother and brood to the veterinarian Wednesday and they are all in good health. She said some of the puppies will have to be bottle-fed because Sugar won't be able to produce enough milk to nurse all of them.
The puppies' father is probably a black lab they encountered while camping at Lake Stevens over the summer, Hurst said.
1. Black
2. Yellow
3. Chocolate
There is a reason you rarely ever see a chocolate lab as a service dog. This information comes directly from some friends who work and train service dogs.
She does. Thank you for reminding me.
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My deepest condolences. Your sweet Bocephus rests in peace.
I’m so glad I came back to this thread. Lots of people have posted pictures of the dogs who enrich their lives.
I think your mom is absolutely right
WOW. They sure are lucky she had her encounter with another lab. They can actually sell the pups for something.
Fr. had at least 20 pups to bless, and it was raining like the Dickens.
I was too busy tending my pup to get photos this year, but this is a pic from last year.
Beautifully said, Hodar.
She’s a nice looking dog! Clean teeth, too. LOL
The dog on the left looks exactly like Bubba.
I've got my hands full with a one-and-and-half year old Doberman pup. I recommend Dobermans to anyone who values their personal safety but does not value their property. :-)
They are wonderful animals, very friendly to all, playful, love catching and changing a ball... My first canine companion was a female yellow lab.
13 is a good lifespan for a lab. I hope yours is not in too much pain and lives out the rest of her days peacefully.
For years and years, conformation (show) breeders would not use Chocolate Labs in their breeding programs, because once you introduce the chocolate gene, you have a chance of having a Chocolate with the yellow gene, which gives you a "Dudley" - a yellow with a pink nose and eye rims. They are automatically disqualified from the show ring.
Thus the only Chocolates around were field types, which are bred for endurance, speed, and "style" (high-drive retrieving). They are way, way, WAY too hot for a service dog, but they are not stupid.
My 11 year old Choc is half field and half conformation, the product of an experimental breeding between a Black show champion and a Chocolate daughter of a Chocolate National Field Champion (NFC/AFC Storm's Riptide Star). She has a conformation style body but a field head (and a field brain inside it). She has her AX, AXJ, SHR, HR, JH, CGC and WX and she has already got two legs of her Rally Obedience title and started her CD Competition classes this evening. She is smart enough to open doors, step-on garbage cans, and baby gates.
Her full brother, also a Choc, has not scattered his forces in 3-4 different disciplines like we have -- he has his GHRCh and UH titles (that is as high as you can go in HRC, and is absolutely no picnic. To get his Grand Hunting Retriever Champion title he had to pass 6 rounds in the national hunting test competition). He's going back to the Grand in Vidalia this Thursday. Good luck Hooch!
My 4 year old Black is 100 percent field bred, very high drive, we think she's pretty smart but she is also ADHD so sometimes she acts like an idiot.
The Yellow is only 18 months old but is bidding fair to be almost as smart as the Choc.
("Mama, that man is throwing water on me!")
I just took Katy to the Blessing this year, three silly Labs was too much to handle, I thought, but then a lady brought SIX Cockers and I was sorry I left Ruby and Shelley at home.
I have a pic of Deacon Bill with Katy, but I think it's still on my camera . . . .
Great rescue, although it doesn’t look like living off the trash hurt her teeth any. They’re perfect!
I’ve rescued so many, I lost track of them all. I found a good home for every single one, though. I have some great stories, and every one has at least one angel in it.
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