We found a great Lab on-line at a local shelter. He is 2 years old. All of his paperwork is present, including pedigree, complete vet records, and original breeder contract (specifying owner should contract breeder if they could not keep him).

He seems like a great dog, very overweight (working on that), needs some manners but not really that bad. Of course we know some behaviors take some time to appear.

All of his paperwork is redacted but we can clearly read the name and address of the original owner.

Should we contact the breeder to let him or her know we have one of their Labs or should we let sleeping dogs lie? I am in a quandry here. I surely hope this family does not adopt another lab from him or her and do the same thing. We were told the family did not have time for him.

WWYD?

How do you know the previous owner didn't contact the breeder and the breeder didn't want the dog back? What is the point of contacting the breeder now, you have a nice dog you are happy with. I see no reason for you to contact the breeder so yes "let sleeping dogs lie".

I was not sure if breeders like to keep track of their Labs or not - something like tracking genetics or any other reason. I am not a breeder, just a Lab lover. And I do not know if the previous owner had contacted the breeder or not so I can't answer that. I was looking for opinions. Thanks!

YES!! You should absolutely contact the breeder!! It your responsibility to do the right thing even if the previous owners did not.
You state that you have the contract that says the dog must be returned to the breeder. That means that YES the breeder CARES!! I personally would be MORTIFIED if one of my dogs ended up in a shelter and no one contacted me to take him back first!
My door is ALWAYS open to our puppies/dogs, forever. No exceptions.
I am quite sure the breeder would be forever grateful to you for letting them know their dog is ok, loved and safe. You have no idea if the breeder may have gotten wind of the situation and is perhaps worried sick over this dog not knowing where he is!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE contact the breeder!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't be afraid they are going to take him away from you. I am sure that is the farthest thing from the truth. If it were me, I would applaud you for adopting and for having the honesty and caring enough to let me know where my boy is.

This lab is up over 110 pounds, never missed a meal and then some. Last June he was 46 pounds, this June, 111 pounds. He was well cared for - never missed his shots, but is lyme positive (I know lyme is very common - he got the 30 days treatment and is seeing our vet next weekend). He needs some handling - and some training. He will join my other Labs, whom I love. Thank you for your input.

From a breeder's perspective, I would most definitely want to know where my puppies/dogs are! If the original owner is unable to keep the dog, the dog must be returned to me. If you call and the original owner already called...no harm done. I would hope someone in your situation would call me and make me aware if they found one of my dogs in a shelter. It's the right thing to do IMO.

Would you want your dog back or would you be happy knowing he is in a fantastic home? That's one of my concerns!

over the past 20 years I will get calls from new owner of one of my labs

my contract reads if you can not keep the dog he should be returned to the me the breeder. Life changes, things happen, this does not always work the way I had hoped but I am always happy to hear from the new owner and I update my contact information on this dog.

sometimes I will contact the original owner and ask "what happened, and why they did not call me to help"?

yes reach out and let them know you have him and you are working on getting him back to health. they will be happy he is safe now.

If he is in a fantastic home that saves me the trouble finding one so why would I want him back when he's already got a home?
The breeder needs to know.
Please do the right thing.

Thanks again. I contacted the breeder, gave her my name and e-mail address and told her the background. Advised her to contact me if she wants any other information.

Please contact the breeder!! As a breeder, I want to keep in touch with my puppy buyers not just to make sure all is well for the pets, but for the future of my breeding program. I want to know if the Littermates to my keepers are healthy, what they look like, and ultimately if there's something that comes up with the parents or siblings, I want to be able to contact all the puppy buyers.

The added bonus is that you will likely get a new extended family and maybe even a friend out of it. One of the downsides to rescue is that you don't know the parents of your dog, don't know where that quirk came from, or if the way your dog cocks his head is just like his mother or not! It's fun to lean about the family and it sounds like the breeder likely was responsible and put a lot of thought into both the breeding and the decision to place the pup with that owner. I can't imagine the breeder would demand the dog back, but if he were mine I'd be upset that the shelter didn't try to Track me down or the microchip company didn't (assuming the breeder was on the chip records still).

Having a dog I bred end up in a shelter is my worst nightmare. Sounds like the dog struck gold with his new owner, but not all are so lucky! Please contact the breeder, and let us know how he/she responds!!

Good luck!
Anne

Kudos to you! You did the right thing.

OK, All is fine. She has all my information. She is happy for us. I found out the sire's weight was/is 90 pounds and the dame was/is 70 pounds. Gives us an idea what to shoot for with this diet.

I sent her a photo of him.

(The breeder had requested the buyer chip the pup at his last puppy shots, the vet had it on his chart that he told the owners to chip upon neutering. No indication it was ever done so we will check when we take him to our vet on Saturday. Then get him chipped if he does not have one.)

Thanks again. We have one (actually 5) happy Labs now!

I contacted the breeder of a yellow bitch I took in as a rescue; and because she was not healthy and he had a new litter on the ground, he planned to put her in a stall at a stable. This poor young girl needed hands on care & socializing so badly that I told him I didn't think she could cope with being isolated. He told me as far as he was concerned, she was mine. He even told me he had misgivings about this couple but placed this puppy with them anyway. They even tried to sue him when their puppy developed strangles; and because they were so upset, they neglected her badly. I took her in nine years ago, just after her first birthday. The breeder had the option of taking her back but truly didn't want her. He was not a breeder of the caliber of those who are advising you to contact the breeder of your boy. I think they will be happy he is in a good and loving home and may want to revisit their screening process. They may have had misgivings they should have listened to at the time they placed this puppy. Please let us know how this turns out and good luck to you.

Good for you. I would want to know also. Since you are a good home I would be thankful. And yes, this way you can learn so much more about your new Lab. I always want mine back. Thank you for taking him in.

If it were a dog from my breeding, I would want to at least be aware.

To the Original Poster:

Kudos to you for contacting the Breeder. It is my worst nightmare that I will lose track of any of the babies born here and that I will not know where or how they are.

By you letting the Breeder know, you likely now have an excellent resource and support available to you for the life of the dog.

And you also likely know that if for any reason you cannot keep the dog, there is no need for him to ever need rescue or a shelter, because the Breeder will always provide for him. As the Breeder, that's the main commitment I ask of any owner. You've likely made the Breeder's day.

Good luck with your boy.

As a breeder, I would want to know where my dogs were, and also try to establish some sort of contact with you...to know he was cared for properly and that if you had any training or whatever issues that you would feel comfortable contacting me.

As to previous owners, I would WANT to boil them in oil, but would probably restrain myself...at least with witnesses present.

Best,

Leslee Pope
Huntcrest

This guy is great. I am so glad I found him. At least the previous owner took him to a no kill shelter.

After 8 days, I still can't find anything wrong with him besides the lyme positive. He is a great counter-surfer. Maybe the family had a financial problem, although he went to the vet 5 days before they gave him up. I would have thought initially that it was a requirement of the shelter, but they bought 6 months of Frontline & Heartgard for him (must have been donated to the shelter as we got one month of each).

Thanks again everyone!