According to registration statistics recently released by the American Kennel Club® (AKC), the Labrador Retriever is the most popular purebred dog in the Nashville area.
The Labrador Retriever is also 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:
The ten reasons that I am giving for children to have a dog are not listed in order of importance. All of us have different characteristics which we find more important than others. Every reason I list, however, is important to the childhood of your son or daughter.
Dogs boost children’s confidence and self-esteem.
First and foremost to benefit children’s self-esteem is the experience of being loved unconditionally. As your children get older and are capable of delivering commands to the dog, they will quickly learn to be strong and confident, or most dogs just won’t listen. Furthermore, telling a dog to sit, and then watching the dog do what he was told, provides children with tons of confidence.
Having a dog who will always listen, a non-judgmental companion, and a friend who is always excited to see him/her increases your child’s self-esteem, studies say. Dogs can also help improve your child’s reading skills, as little ones often associate a dog’s enthusiastic ear and wagging tail with positive encouragement. By giving children the confidence needed to consistently practice reading, they become better readers by virtue of the practice. Dog-owning children have fewer sick days off school, and children who own them often have better self esteem. Daily contact with animals and responsibility for their care offers the children a sense of self-worth that doesn’t merely happen because someone tells a child how wonderful he/she is.
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…
- Early inhabitants of the area which is now Nashville were Mississippian Indians who lived here around 1000 to 1400 A.D. They disappeared after making great earthen mounds and making beautiful painted pottery which has been found as relics of the area. Other Indian groups, such as the Cherokee, Chicksaw and Shawnee, came into the area, mostly for hunting purposes.
- The French were the first white men to come here, establishing a trading post about 1717. The settlement called Fort Nashborough was founded on Christmas Day in 1779 by James Robertson, under the authority of the governor of North Carolina. It was named for Francis Nash, A Revolutionary War General. The name was changed to Nashville in 1784.
- Nashville was heavily involved in the Civil War. The Union army took Nashville in 1862. Three years later, just before the surrender, the Confederates tried to regain the town in the Battle of Nashville. Though badly outnumbered, the southern forces fought valiantly in this two day fray, which is considered to be the last battle of the Civil War.
- The distance from Nashville to Washington DC is 585 miles. The distance to the Tennessee state capital is miles. (as the crow flies).
- Nickname(s): “Country Music Capital of the World” and “The Music City”
Source: USA Cities Online