Rescue and its importance

Photo credit: Eugene Mah

The folks at Wild Heir Labrador Rescue had a booth near the Coastal South Carolina LRC tent at the recent Charleston Kennel Club show. There were several dogs available for rescue including the boy shown above. There were T-shirts for sale and lots of information on Labrador Rescue.

I think that the Wild Heir site states the reason for Labrador rescue well:
"For the past 16 years, Labrador Retrievers have been the most popular breed of dog in America. Because of this fact, there is an ever increasing (and astonishing) number of homeless and abandoned Labrador Retrievers across the country. For instance, in 2006, the American Kennel Club recorded 123,760 Labrador puppies registered. This figure does not represent the registration stats of other breed registries, such as UKC,CKC and about a dozen other lesser known pet registries, many of which are accompanied with Internet puppy purchases. Not to mention “full-blooded” Lab puppies for sale with “no papers”, such as those found in newspaper ads, flea markets, and pet stores. With a conservative estimate of 250,000 Lab puppies born each year, our job can seem overwhelming….

Labrador Retrievers are loving, loyal dogs who make wonderful family pets. They can also be emotionally and physically "high maintenance" pets, just like many other dog breeds. Many people purchase Labs not realizing their training needs, as well as their daily need for exercise and human interaction. These are the Labs that may eventually be abandoned at local shelters or surrendered to rescue organizations."

So if you get a chance to do so, think about adopting a rescued dog. Or volunteer your time to foster one or give a monetary donation to a rescue group. There's really not enough good things that can be said about those who help out and rescue animals. Thanks for all that you do!