According to registration statistics recently released by the American Kennel Club® (AKC), the Labrador Retriever is the most popular purebred dog in America for the 21st straight year. More than twice as many Labs were registered than any other breed making it a likely leader for many years to come.
In a recent article, a licensed professional counselor for more than twenty-five years, explained how owning a Lab can help produce healthier, happier, more well adjusted children. Here is an excerpt from her article:
Dogs help children to be more physically fit.
All dogs, regardless of breed, need to be walked. Children who take their dogs for regularly scheduled walks tend to exercise more than those who have no reason to get up off the couch and leave the TV. The Journal of Physical Activity and Health (2010) concluded that people who walk their dogs generally walk about an hour longer per day than non-dog walkers. In this age where over one-third of children and adolescents in the United States are overweight or obese, exercise is no longer merely a choice of leisure activity, it is a necessity (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). What more pleasurable way for a child to exercise than to run and play with an adored dog? All dogs need exercise regardless of size, so children include dogs when they are running or playing casually–not just on regularly scheduled walks.
One of the reasons that I suggest retrievers when parents ask about what kind of dog is best is simply the name. Of course, I grew up with retrievers and I love them, but even more than other dogs, they love to play ball. If you’ll throw it, they’ll retrieve it. The glorious thing about this fact is that they never seem to tire of the “game.” Even babies get excited and laugh and clap their hands when the dog runs after the ball and brings it back.
Be sure to read the rest of her seven part article, Ten Reasons to Own a Dog.
At Twin Lakes Kennel, we have been breeding and training world class Labrador retrievers for more than thirty-five years. Our Labs can be found across the states from Hawaii to Maine, from Alaska to Florida. Our second-to-none Puppy Guarantee makes buying a pure-bred Labrador retriever one of the wisest decisions you will ever make.
But don’t take our word for it. Read the personal testimonials from prominent Lab owners from around the country. And visit our Puppy Page or call Woody or Judi for up-to-date puppy information at 910.462.3246.
Did you know…
- The earliest human habitation in what is now Maine can be traced back to prehistoric times, as evidenced by the burial mounds of the Red Paint people found in the south central part of the state. The Native Americans who came later left enormous shell heaps, variously estimated to be from 1,000 to 5,000 years old. At the time of settlement by Europeans the Abnaki were scattered along the coast and in some inland areas.
- Dissatisfaction with British rule was first expressed openly after Parliament passed the Stamp Act in 1765; in protest, a mob at Falmouth (Portland) seized a quantity of the hated stamps. As conflicts increased between the colonies and England, nonimportation societies formed to boycott English goods sprang up in Maine. During the American Revolution Falmouth paid dearly for its defiance; it was devastated by a British fleet in 1775. In that same year Benedict Arnold led his grueling, unsuccessful expedition against Quebec through Maine.
Source: Fact Monster.com