Our daughter  watching Sage’s newly born puppies

Why We Are Breeders

We always wanted Labs, and when we got them, we were hooked on this beautiful, intelligent, good-natured breed.  Through Capstone, as Rich was responsible for selecting pups used in therapy over the course of a few years, we witnessed many irresponsible breeding practices and unhealthy dogs.  As we made mental notes of what should have been done better and educated ourselves about dog health and breeding practices, we realized we could do a better job than many we had seen, and that we would love it.

We love the process.  Expecting each litter of pups is exciting, and watching them be born, sometimes with our assistance, is amazing and rewarding.  The pups are adorable as they grow.  Getting them off to a great start both socially and physically and sending them home to great new families gives us a sense of pride and pleasure that we have found few other ways.

One of Sage and Charlie’s pups on his way home  with his new family at Christmas time.

Our Practices

We take the health of our dogs very seriously, and pay close attention to physical fitness, to avoid the problems caused by canine obesity.  Our dogs receive regular immunizations and parasite prevention.  In addition they are not housed in kennels when we are at home. They have freedom to run and play in our fenced yard, spend time inside with us (though rarely all at once!), and accompany us on hiking, swimming, fishing, camping, and hunting excursions.  Between our training, family activities, and daily life with us and our children, our dogs are very well-rounded and happy.

We take care not to breed our females any more often than is good for them, monitoring the breeding, pregnancy, and whelping closely, keeping detailed records, and working closely with a few different vets, professional trainers, and other breeders.  Our pups are whelped in a sterilized area in our home so we can keep a close eye on them.  They are watched and handled daily from birth.  We remove dew claws, worm every two weeks, and give the first immunizations before the pups are ready to go home, introducing solid food around 3 1/2 weeks and slowly increasing the servings as the dam begins the weaning process.  When the pups outgrow the whelping box, they move out to our climate controlled indoor/outdoor kennel, just out our back door.

Andrea’s cousin lived with us and helped care for two different litters while she was here.

Preparing For Adoption

We like to get to know the adoptive families of our dogs—after all, when you adopt one of our pups, you are extended family.  We provide written eye and hip guarantees, puppy care info, and are always available post-adoption for any questions or concerns that might arise.  Pups can be shipped if you cannot pick them up in person.  We begin accepting deposits for puppies prior to whelping, and can accept online credit card payments via PayPal for deposits.  Deposits are refundable until the litter is born; after birth, deposits are non-refundable.  For info about helping your puppy adjust, see  the articles in FAQS and Obedience Training.

Red River Retrievers

 

Healthy, Happy Labs—From our home to yours

Charlie playing in the leaves

About Us

Red River Retrievers is our family and our dogs: Charlie, Sage, Sasha, Tessa, and Grebe. 

Our Family

Rich is employed at Capstone Treatment Center, a Christian-based residential substance abuse treatment center for adolescents.  He is the Education and Canine Therapy Coordinator.  At Capstone part of the therapy involves each resident receiving a puppy when he enters the program.  The resident learns to care for and train the dog and spends time with it daily, and when he graduates, he takes his puppy home with him.  Rich has been largely responsible for  overseeing the care of all the pups at Capstone for the past few years. 

Andrea has a degree in Social Work, but is now a stay-at-home mom with our two children.  We both grew up with dogs in our families and have always had dogs of our own.  Our children love the dogs and spend time playing with them and our puppies on a daily basis.