I'm Donna P., the breeder behind Rustic Ridge Labradors located in Kirklin, IN. Welcome! We live on 10.5 acres dedicated to the fun and happiness of our Labrador Retrievers. We've built our foundation on superior pedigrees, producing top-quality English Chocolate Labrador Retrievers with type, temperament, and health being our top priority.
Q. & A. with Donna
Why did you start breeding?
All of our Labs are cleared of any hereditary joint disease, eye disease, and hereditary heart disease. Their eyes are cleared by a Board Certified Veterinary Ophthalmologist yearly. These tests are certified through the Orthopedic Foundation of American (OFA). We also perform all available DNA tests through NeoGen and ACK to help ensure we are producing the healthiest Labradors possible.
What makes your program special?
Our goal is to preserve our beloved breed. Our program focuses on breed standard, health, and temperament. We start at 3 days old with early neurological development (ENS) , desensitizing, socializing, in addition to as many experiences as possible in 8 weeks. We focus on setting our puppies and families up for success. All puppies are temperament testing prior to being matched with their family.
What are the different breed coat colors in your program?
Our puppies include 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.
Getting a puppy from Donna
Donna has been certified by Good Dog’s screening team for responsible and trusted breeding practices. When you’re ready to reach out, feel free to ask any questions about the breed, their program, or specific puppies.
Together, you’ll choose the puppy that’s right for you, stay in touch with regular updates, and plan how to bring your new puppy home.
Price
Puppy prices include a $200 non-refundable deposit and between $2,700 - $3,000 final payment, before taxes & fees.
“Includes AKC Limited Registration, Microchip and Microchip Registration, 24/7 puppy cam beginning 5-7 days after born, 5 wk puppy visit, Puppy Wellness Visit at 7 wks, 1st Vaccine, and fully wormed. Your deposit is applied to the final cost of your puppy.”
Contract & health guarantee
Donna may provide a written contract or
health guarantee when you purchase a puppy. This helps
protect both you and your breeder, ensuring that you
both have a clear understanding of the terms of your
puppy purchase. If Donna offers a contract
or guarantee, the details will be personalized by them.
If you have any questions or want to know more,
don’t hesitate to reach out to Donna directly.
Rustic Ridge Labradors meets or exceeds our community standards in these areas:
Responsible breeding practices
Health of breeding dogs and puppies
Puppy environment and enrichment
Buyer education and policies
Parent dogs
Ben, dad
Labrador Retriever
About Ben
Ben is a male Labrador Retriever. Carefully selected as a great representative of his breed, Donna decided to make him part of their program. Donna has passed Good Dog’s screening process, which involved a review of their breeding practices, environment, and the mental and physical health of their dogs.
Parent health testing
Breeder-Reported Testing
Excellent level
Rustic Ridge Labradors reports to performing the health tests below on their breeding dogs. Ask your breeder about the tests performed on the parents of your litter. Learn more about health testing for Labrador Retrievers.
Hip Dysplasia
Hip testing reduces the chance of passing down hip dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause hip pain and the eventual loss of the function of the hip joint.
Elbow Dysplasia Finals (OFA, BVA, SV, FCI)
Elbow testing reduces the chance of passing down elbow dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause arthritis in the elbow joint and front leg lameness.
Eye Certification (CAER, registered with OFA)
Eye testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide range of hereditary eye illnesses including retinal dysplasia, lens luxation, and glaucoma, which can cause impared vision or blindness.
Cardiac Evaluation (registered with OFA)
Heart testing reduces the chance of passing down congenital heart disease, which can cause a range of symptoms ranging from trouble exercising to heart failure.
Vet Wellness Exam, Thyroid (Autoimmune Thyroiditis, registered with OFA)
A breeder may perform additional tests on their dogs that do not fall into these general categories. These tests may be more uncommon or very specific to a particular breed.
Orivet Genetics, Full Breed Profile, Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD), Labrador Retriever Type, von Willebrand Disease III (vWD III), Chondrodystrophy and IVDD Risk (CDDY-IVDD), Animal Genetics Panel, Narcolepsy, Labrador Retriever Type, PRA, Rod-Cone Dysplasia 4 (rcd4), Retinal Dysplasia/Oculoskeletal Dysplasia 1 (RD OSD), Skeletal Dysplasia (SD2), PawPrint Genetic Panel (Breed Specific), Copper Toxicosis, Labrador Retriever Type, Hereditary Nasal Parakeratosis (HNPK), PRA, Rod-Cone Degeneration (PRA-prcd), Degenerative Myelopathy (DM; SOD1A), OFA/CHIC DNA Repository, Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC), Centronuclear Myopathy (CNM), D Locus (Dilute) DNA test
Genetic testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide variety of hereditary diseases of differing prevalence and severity such as Progressive Retinal Atrophy (an eye disease) and Von Willebrand's Disease (a blood disease).