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 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…
- 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 largest city in Maine, it is a port of entry, the commercial center of the state, and the rail, highway, shipping, and processing center for a vast farming, lumbering, and resort area. It is the eastern terminus of the Portland-Montreal oil pipeline and a major receiving port for goods destined for Montreal. Portland has shipyards, canneries (especially for fish), printing and publishing firms, foundries, and important lumbering, paper-milling, computer-chip, fishing, chemical, and textile industries.
- 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