Meet Andy Easter

Hi, Were Andy and Amanda - Ela's Mum & Dad - We're new to breeding but have really enjoyed the experience of Ela having her first litter of Pups. It's been hard work and worrying at times but well worth it. I knew it would be worth having the free time available to cover caring for a litter as its such a commitment. Ela (Kenzduo Encore) was one of my retirement ambitions and my first KC Registered dog as all the others have been mixed breed, strays and rescue dogs. I wanted a Working dog as I do quite a lot of rough shooting and wildfowling - I did have a retired (10yr) Welsh Springer Spaniel, Holly, who was a real dynamo and well trained - so that got me interested in field work - sadly Holly passed at 17yrs. So, I started looking for another dog suitable for me and decided on a Fox Red Labrador Retriever - for agility, temperament and trainability. I was luck enough to find a good litter locally and went to view the pups to choose one at 8 weeks and then collected her at 10 weeks. Ela has been a great choice - she's energetic, biddable and delight to take out both as a family for days out and walks and on shooting trips - she is driven to work and eager to learn new skills. She's also a great household pet - clean living and affectionate whilst good at guarding for strangers - she knows who to trust. Choosing to breed was a long thought out process, talking to many experienced breeders, reading reliable sources of information and also enjoying many podcasts and YouTube videos. We decided to wait until she was almost 4 before her seasons were timed to suit the seasons and our other commitments. I didn't realise how costly all the DNA Testing, Hip and Elbow Scores and Eye Tests would be but understand the importance of making sure you give the litter the best opportunity for health - especially as the cost of illness can be so high. Selecting a suitable Sire was much more involved than I thought as many potential sires tended to be too closely related so I expected to travel much further until fortunately I found a good match locally in a Sire called "Ted" (Kentwone Bright Tourmaline) who's owner was experienced in breeding and very helpful. Ela's pregnancy was fairly trouble free although Ela wasn't quite sure what was happening when she could feel wriggling inside her. But, plenty of reassurance paid off and she faired well - the Scan Operator suggested a small litter - perhaps 2-3 pups but experienced friends suggested more which helped to manage her feeding and she gave birth to 11 healthy pups all of good weights between 300 and 420g's. Ela took to nursing very well and tended and nursed the pups with little support - she's been a great mum but now at 5 weeks with needle like teeth she's accelerated the weaning process. All pups have been weight monitored, wormed and vet checked and will be microchipped and vaccinated up until they are collected by their new owners.