The Labrador Retriever is the most popular dog breed in America. If you're a Lab lover, you're drawn to the white, yellow, chocolate or black Lab because of their dependable personality, loving nature and natural athletic ability. If you can survive the first few years while a Lab gets all his wiggles out and matures, you'll have a solid companion with an agreeable attitude. Labs are an easy-going, happy family dog, not aggressive and great with children. Rescuing a Lab who needs a home is a wonderful way to save one of these big lapdogs.
Instructions
1. Decide the age of the dog. Most people want puppies, but be ready to spend time and consistent energy to help train your puppy, or you'll be frustrated. Most puppies will chew, dig, have abundant energy and need housetraining. If you want to adopt a Lab that is calmer and would fit right into your life with minimal work, consider a dog over 2 years old.
2. Visit your local animal shelter. You can check out petharbor.com to see pictures of available dogs in shelters in your area. Petharbor.com allows you to search for Labs in the gender and color of your choosing, in order to narrow down your search. Checking online ahead of time will save you time searching at the actual shelter. Dogs of all ages come through shelters. Black Labs have the hardest time getting adopted because of their color and size, so if this is your favorite dog, you might have great luck finding more than one Lab in need at a shelter. Adoptions from shelters can cost from $35 to $200, depending on the shelter (see Resources below).
3. Check craigslist.com in your city, and click on the "Pets" section. There are always a variety of Labs or Lab mixes available. Make sure to get detailed information on the Lab up for adoption before going to see the dog. Asking the owner what the dog's best and worst traits are can help you get some pretty specific (and honest) answers from most people. You can get a dog for free in some cases, or for a small adoption fee (see Resources below).
4. Check petfinder.com, and type "Labrador Retriever" in the search section. Many rescue groups will come up with pictures of available Labs. These groups charge more for adoptions, sometimes up to $400. They are also tougher with adoptions in general, requiring an application and home check (see Resources below).
5. Check out your local feed store or pet store, which usually will have a bulletin board with flyers of dogs looking for homes. You can also try your local newspaper, the "Pennysaver" or the "Recycler" for available Labs (see Resources below).
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