If you are interested in a Hill Country Labrador
please fill out our puppy
buyer questionnaire. Please also feel free to call us
if you have questions.
Please be aware - we DO NOT sell puppies over the internet.
Once we receive your questionnaire, a phone conversation is
mandatory before the placement of a puppy.
PRICING INFO ON PUPPIES
We sell our puppies at family companion prices,
not breeding/show prices. We do NOT sell our Labs for breeding
purposes. All puppies are sold on Limited Registration. Researching
prices in your area you will find that a well-bred Labrador
(where BOTH parents have ALL their breeding health clearances)
will usually cost anywhere between $900 and $1500. A puppy
you find for less will most likely come from a backyard breeder.
(Please see the LAB LINKS page of my website for a chart of
Responsible Breeders vs. Backyard Breeders). Most of the people
who breed their pets together are not in the sport of purebred
dogs and do not research the health and genetics behind their
Labrador pedigrees. Many do NOT do the necessary hip, elbow
and eye clearances. Although x-rays and testing can get pricey,
doing these tests gives breeders a higher chance that their
puppies will live long and healthy lives free of genetic dysplasia
that affect so many Labradors worldwide.
Here is a link that will help you confirm
the parents of a puppy you are interested in have their basic
breeding clearances.....www.offa.org.
All you have to do is type in the registered
name or number of each parent in the search box and a page
will appear with their hip and elbow scores. Their score will
be anywhere from a fair to an excellent rating. You can research
to see not only how good the parents of a particular puppy
rated, but also grandparents. So the better the pedigree looks
for all the dogs rated in the line, the greater chance your
puppy will be free of dysplasia. When a parent or grandparent
does not show up in the search, they most likely were not
evaluated by the OFA. Any Lab that does not clear OFA testing
may not be listed, as OFA will not supply a clearance number
for a dog who fails.
Doing a little research BEFORE you purchase
your new puppy could save you hundreds of dollars in vets
bills and years of heartache.
Robin D. Hood
Hill Country Labradors
Kerrville, Texas
Email - h4ranch@ktc.com
Phone - 830-895-3553
