No matter how pure a breeder want you to thinks they are, they are salesmen of their business. Their web sites are quick to point out how many of their dogs are winning this and that but are they truly winners. How can breeding dogs with missing teeth or hip problems or worse be breeding for the betterment of the breed? The point being that no matter how good of a dog you think you’re getting, do your homework because an un-healthy dog comes with a lot of heartache for you and your family. FANCY BREEDER WEBS ARE NOT ALWAYS THE ANSWER TO BUYING A GOOD LAB, BELIEVE ME, WE HAVE THAT HEARTACHE.

So sorry you have had a problem, but you don't say exactly what it is. Missing teeth are not heartbreaking, so I doubt it is that. Hip problems can pop up even when a breeder has done clearances on multiple generations. What exactly is your problem? If it is PRA or EIC, I can understand you being upset, unless you neglected to ask about them. Then you took a chance, and have no one to blame. What exactly is your heartbreak?

We loss our Lab due to genetics at a very young age.

Unless you have found a recipe for the genetically perfect dog, then how can you blame a breeder for producing a puppy with an issue?????
Did you do your homework and buy from a reputable breeder who used parents with all the appropriate health clearances??
Because THAT was YOUR responsibility. To research and purchase from a breeder who does everything they can to lessen the chance of an unsound puppy.
If you did this, and the breeder did their part, then I'm sorry this happened to you. It happens to US ALL.
Thats nature. These are LIVING beings.
NO ONE can PREVENT a health problem, we can only breed healthy PARENTS. What happens after that, Mother Nature decides.
So instead of bashing your breeder, try to accept this is the chance YOU took buying an ANIMAL and you will take this chance with EVERY animal you EVER purchase or adopt.

You're missing the point, it's when the breeder knows that something is wrong in the lines and continues to breed that line. Being a long time breeder doesn't make the world perfect as you refer to it when you loss a young dog but that's another subject.

Perhaps if you can give the name of your dog and the nature of the issue, people can better advise you. What you see on the Internet is a glossy advertisement. And if you believe everything that you see published on the Internet, you are naive. If your breeder belongs to a breed club, specialty club, etc, you might have a vehicle for filing a complaint. Readers cannot help you unless you give some information.

That's very sad, but unless you tell us what the problem is, there is really no discussion here.

Living things die. Human babies are born daily and for no reason, die before they are a month old. Dogs and other animals die too. Not every problem is hereditary. Genetics is amazing. You have birth defects, hereditary defects. You have diseases or issues that can be brought on by environment. Hip and Elbow Dysplasia might be hereditary in nature, but environmental as well. Dogs with TVD live to ripe old ages. Dogs with congenital heart problems that aren't hereditary need to be put down at 8 weeks of age.

Life is not pretty. It's full of heart ache and sadness at time.

Unless you didn't do your homework to find a reputable breeder, I can pretty much attest that most of us do are damndest to produce healthy, sound puppies. Are we always lucky? Of course not. Who can I blame that my lovely dog has a heart problem? I matched parents that were clear of heart disease themselves. Life can suck, but it can be beautiful too. Unfortunately, that is life.

Just how is a puppy buyer to learn to ask about clearances, pedigree history, etc? People who want a nice, purebred Lab find breeders on the internet all the time. I was one of them several years ago.
I had no idea about any of this. No one told me that I should check with a club, what clearances to ask for, what things make a breeder "reputable." I was one who fell for the glossy webpage that said all the right things. I bought a pup from a well known breeder who isn't reputable, but how was I to know that? I sure learned quickly enough through the "school of hard knocks." Don't be so quick to blame someone for not working with a "reputable" breeder. There is no map, there are no directions. People wanting a purebred dog are at the mercy of breeders. Breeders may be well known, but as you know, and as I NOW know, not all breeders are reputable.
That having been said, I have been very fortunate to meet many very nice people who ARE reputable breeders. If I had known then what I know now, well, I wouldn't be where I am today. And that is another story.
I guess just try to be kind to people instead of blaming them for not knowing what you know. My guess is this person is learning pretty fast, just as I did.

Why would you need the name of the dog? I am certain that would be wrong for them to give you as well as the breeder's name. I think it would be helpful for them to say what the issue is then they would get possibly valid opinions.

JMO

Perhaps the OP did not come here to ask for guidance, but, rather to share their sorrow and suggest that there may be a breeder out there who does not breed in the best interest of the breed. I say "perhaps", I don't know if this is their intention.

So sorry for your heartbreak, but as others have said there are things we breeders cannot predict even with all the clearances and background checks we do. We are always at the mercy of the rules of nature. We do a lot of praying. Having said that, perhaps a young dog that didn't quite make the requirements for the show, or breeding aspect from a breeder you feel you can be comfortable with, would be a good bet for you. Those puppies/dogs have gone through the "red flag" stages and usually it's just a minor flaw which makes the dog not show quality, but nonetheless a great family prospect. I have one I co-own looking for that family now and she's every bit healthy and sound and gorgeous. They do exist. You were just unfortunate and it happens sadly.

Your wisdom warms my heart,"here is an idea". It's a shame other didn't get the point. I'm not saying all breeders are bad just that one must do their home work before buying. What looks like gold isn't always gold. Yes, my sorrow brought me here to let others know what I've found out the hard way. Isn't the purpose of this site to help others.

I am sorry to hear that you lost your Lab at a very young age but what was this really due to a genetic problem? So often vets are the first to blame every problem on genetics.

Was it truly a genetic problem? Is there a test to look for that genetic problem? To lump missing teeth and hip problems in the same sentence tells me that you truly do not understand what is going on here. Missing teeth do not equate an early death. A Labrador can do its job if a tooth or two are missing. Hip problems do happen. Breeding an excellent to an excellent gives you around a 12% chance of HD in any given litter.

As a breeder, most of us do our very best to produce healthy and sound dogs with great temperaments. Mother Nature does the rest. It is a heartbreaking hobby and those heartbreaks do not end at our doorstep.

The problem is that you are not helping anybody. Every responsible future puppy owner would do extensive research before buying a puppy, would visit the breeder's premises, would visit the local shows to find out who this breeder is. Obviously you took your decision based on the looks of a website.

Years ago, yes, it was hard. Nowadays? It always amazes me how folks have no clue how to research anything on the web, and they buy a dog from a BYB and claim ignorance, but low and behold, they magically find all the chat forums to cry on about it on.

Don't get me wrong I feel for the folks who get taken or make the wrong choice. I think everyone who is breeding now has been in that place and can tell you about our first or second lab and how hindsight is so valuable now. I know I have a wonderful BYB dog...

I know you are upset about the loss of your dog, but you really need to say what it is you are talking about. A dog does not die of "genetics". Tell us what the problem was, and then we can help you to know if anything could have been done.

How do you know that they "knew something was wrong in their lines"? As someone else said, there's a 12% chance of producing a dysplastic dog when breeding Excellent to Excellent. Was it a dysplastic puppy? I once bred a girl of ours who was a 6th generation Excellent (with many in her horizontal pedigree who were also Excellent) to a Good male who had produced Excellent puppies. Lo and behold, the puppy I kept came by Dysplastic when I had her OFA's done. Not just Dysplastic, Severe Dysplasia. As someone said, there is no simple formula in breeding. And no, a fancy website does not make a good breeder. Do your research, get references.

Ignore this person. I know who it is and they are on another tangent. Enough already.

They are anonymous, you are anonymous, we all are anonymous on a PUBLIC forum. They have as much right to post as you do. If You want to ignore them, that is up to you, but who are you to be telling everyone else what to do? Geesh, I can't get over the massive egos that some people have and their attitudes of control over others.

I recognize the writing from a previous rant a few weeks ago.

After 30 some years of breeding we all have had heart aches. We don't get quarantees with dogs, humans, life in general. Yes, it is sad, but it is no ones fault. Let go of it.

I don't understand why getting the cause of this dog's passing from a genetic issue at a young age is like pulling hen's teeth.

if any breeder and or dog is mentioned by name, the thread comes down.

-Jill