Endless Mt. Labradors

Q. & A. with Donna

• Why did you start breeding?

  As a hobby, as so many people do, but I began showing in conformation in 2001.

• What makes your program special?

  Since 1988, we have been a reputable breeder of AKC, English Labradors (stocky build, blocky heads) for family, show, and field. Labs are a wonderful breed, and we are proud to be a part of their history. We are determined to ensure that each dog and each puppy can be socialized to be their best potential in the show ring, in the field, or as your fireside companion. We proudly present the consummate English Labrador. Our breeding program strictly follows the guidelines of the National Labrador Retriever Club’s ethical standards of breeding. All of our labs have sweet, quiet, teachable temperaments which have endeared the breed to so many of us over the years. High Intellect is also a goal of our breeding. We are proud to have had many of our pups enter the search and rescue forces all over the eastern US, as well as being excellent drug detection dogs for many police officers (having helped in large efforts, including 9/11). Some have gone on to be great hunting dogs, and others as much loved “couch potatoes”, babysitters, and family companions. Our dogs are blessed with calm intelligence and a “you walk on water” devotion. Some field champions are in our lines. Our pedigrees include champions in conformation, agility, obedience, and some field (after all…Life is too short to hunt with an ugly dog!), as well as companion dogs and therapy dogs. Although our dogs are gorgeous to look at, the most important ingredient in our breeding program is TEMPERAMENT! We never keep and breed any dog that has anything less than a “’ You-walk-on-water temperament”. Therefore we really see consistency in our litters! We have a tried and true method of socializing and training/raising our pups for the past 31 years here at Endless Mt. Labradors. We believe in a group of people helping socialize and raise our pups so we include others in our program this way so all the pups are family and hand-raised, well-adjusted, and introduced to many types of people, environments, and stimuli to make them confident companions. Some ask “do you only breed dogs for show??” The answer is no, we continue to try to produce the “all-purpose” labrador, retaining its natural hunting instinct, and retrieving abilities. It’s just that we ALSO concentrate on temperament, conformation (structure!), and sound genetic health clearances as well. This means our dogs could compete in “show” in either the conformation ring, field trials, agility, or obedience (any area you wish to enter them in) or they will perform for you at home in whatever capacity you need them to. They are well-rounded. All of our dogs have extensive health clearances. We feel that this is so important. We do OFA on hips and elbows, heart, CERF, PRA, NARC, EIC, and CNM (see opening page of our site for more details) NOTE: ALWAYS ASK A BREEDER IF THEY ARE DOING ALL OF THESE CLEARANCES…MOST SHOW BREEDERS DO NOT—THEY CARE MORE ABOUT A BLUE RIBBON THAN CLEARING THEIR BREEDING STOCK FOR GENETIC DEFECTS THAT YOU WILL SUFFER WITH LATER. IT'S NOT WORTH IT! (DON’T FALL FOR THE EXCUSE THAT THEY TAKE ISSUE WITH THE “VALIDITY” OF THE TEST–IT’S A SMOKE SCREEN!) We are best known in the conformation ring, due to the stunning looks of our labs. We breed for lots of bone, substance, movement, blocky heads, thick (correct) coats, and otter tails. Our kennel is 100% AKC-approved, and we are inspected every 2-4 years. We are also a “model” kennel for our state and even had our state senator visit our kennel because he’d heard so many good things about it. Many people ask us what we do for a living. I’ve even had people (who don’t know us) say “they live in a mansion built on the sales of puppies.” (I hate to think that people are that quick to judge our character without really knowing our story!) Years ago, when we began, we could only afford to care for and house about 5-7 labs at a time. By 2001, my husband and I began to do quite well in the real estate boom, and by 2005 we had saved enough money to buy 102 acres of land. Over the next three years, we spent time planning the layout of our house, specifically with our labs in mind, but we also needed business space for meetings for our real estate holding company. Then came the planning and layout of the kennel. I’d visited so many kennels over the years, and I definitely knew what I did and did not like. We took money from our business ventures and set out to create a “lab utopia.” We continue to have our real estate investment company, The Sterling Group, which also includes many other sales and marketing/business ventures. Most of the money that comes in from our kennel goes right back into the dogs, staff, dog show fees, food, and health clearances, and also to our local animal shelter. Of course, with the high demand for our pups, we have continued to enjoy our kennel and love the extended family that comes from the clients I have grown to know and love over the years. But aside from our kennel, we are financially independent. We do the labs because we love them, and we still can (although our 50+-year-old bodies tell us we can’t many times! LOL!) Jonathan, my husband, spends most of his time running our many business entities and being the accountant and financial planner of our estate. I spend most of my time with the labs, overseeing our kennel staff (which includes two licensed vet technicians with over 30 years of experience), overseeing our dogs’ show schedules, making choices about breedings, and raising pups, of course! I also spend my time with some online marketing that I do on the side because I enjoy it, along with my fiction and non-fiction writing. And of course, we both parent our now, 22-year-old daughter, Olivia. We love the outdoors, walking, traveling, eating out, reading, and going to movies. Well, I hope that’s helped you get to know us just a bit! 🙂 And we look forward to hopefully getting to know you in return, as we help you find the perfect lobby addition to your home and family!

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• What are the different breed coat colors in your program?

  Our puppies include black, chocolate, and yellow. Colors will vary depending on the parent dogs.

• Where do your breeding dogs live?

  They live in my home and a kennel on my property.