Labrador retriever Kudo with gooseAccording 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…

  • George Cleeve settled in what is now the Portland area to trade c.1632. His post grew in importance, and the settlement known as Falmouth developed; in the late 17th cent. it became a commercial center. It was almost completely destroyed by the British in 1775. Maine’s first newspaper, the Falmouth Gazette, was issued in Portland in 1785, and the old lighthouse, established in 1791, is still in use. The city served as state capital from 1820 to 1832. In 1866 a great fire destroyed much of Portland.
  • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (whose house is a landmark) and Robert E. Peary lived here.
  • The distance from Portland to Washington DC is 497 miles. The distance to the Maine state capital is 52 miles. (as the crow flies).

Source: Fact Monster.com

Call Woody and Judi Thurman at (910) 462-3246 for more information.