Labradors

            
             Labradors are a breed of sporting dog, trained to fetch and retrieve game. They are registered as number one on the American Kennel Club's list of top ten breeds, with 172,841 Labs registered this year (factmonster.com, 2001). Their most notable characteristics are their coat, tail and temperament. They have a double coat; a soft undercoat that keeps them warm in the winter, and a hard outer coat that helps them repel water, together they protect and comfort the lab making them great hunters in most cool climates. Their tails are "otter-like-, thick and dense to allow for swimming, when retrieving game. They are excellent and intelligent hunters as well. (Tarrant, 1996) Their best feature is their temperament. Labs are loving, people oriented dogs and require as much attention as they do food and water (prodogs.com). They are known to be kindly, outgoing, tractable in nature, eager to please and non-aggressive towards man or animal. Their intelligence and adaptability makes them ideal dogs. (akc.org).
             My dog will be living in my home in Rochester, New York. He will have an oat filled pillow bed and ample room both indoors and outdoors to run around. Our yard is approximately one hectare and is surrounded by invisible fencing, which is good because labs are prone to running away. He will spend much of his time outside; except during especially cold or humid days. Humidity can cause "hot spots- or bacterial infections and will be avoided whenever possible (encarta.com). Our home is both heated and air-conditioned so his sleeping and eating areas will be maintained at approximately 72oC throughout the year. As in most of the Northern Hemisphere, New York has a temperate deciduous forest climate, which is acceptable for the Labradors temperature requirements. (2001, Encarta) Our Labrador will live in a home with my family, which means that he will have ample attention. My two little siblings will more than occupy him.