Love’s Labradors
Testimonials

Jana, We did not meet. I am Stacy’s husband. We have “Tawny” home, safe and sound.I’ve been around hunting dogs my whole life. Labs and German Shorthairs, which did hunt, and two labs who were just ridiculously awesome dogs.The lineage on the chocolate lab I grew up with, was a big enough deal, back in Kansas, that her sire: Duke, had been painted by a famous watercolor artist from the area, and we had one of those paintings.As soon as Tawny stood up, I asked my wife: “Is she breeding hunting dogs?” “Oh yeah, she’s totally into that. Why?” Because as soon as she stood up, it was clear that she’s from a dynamite lineage of hunting dogs. She’s already exceptionally alert, and you can clearly see the intelligence looking back at you.She’s going to be a fantastic friend and companion to us all, and we love her dearly already. You’ve done a fantastic job, and you’re absolutely right to make no compromises about how you select where these babies get to grow up. If it ticks people off… so be it. You clearly know what you’re doing.No reply necessary. I figure you hear enough grousing from people, and you ought to hear about it when folks think you “done it right”, cause folks sure freely tell folks when they think you “done it wrong

Brad

Hi Jana. Here is a pic of Cooper at 10 months. Great dog . I’ll try to get better pics next time out. Very impressed. Thanks! —Eckle – November 04, 2020

Eckle

I just wanted to give you an update on my sweet puppy Sadie and wish you a happy new year. Since getting Sadie from you in June she has brought so much joy and happiness to my life; I could not be happier with her. I was able to spend ample time training and getting her ready for duck season which was such a rewarding experience. We’ve had an amazing season together in which Sadie has retrieved more than 150 birds and I’m sure even more to come as I have a few big trips left. I just want to thank you again for allowing me to have one of your wonderful puppies, I am so grateful. Once again thank you so much for her.

Caleb Benson

We have been owners of purebred labs for the last 22 years, with our extended family also favoring them. Unfortunately, we became personally aware of the problems with inherited diseases when our very much loved 9 year old labrador developed a degenerative myelopathy that rapidly progressed. In this context, we began our hunt for responsible breeders that are judicious in their breeding and also taking advantage of the genetic testing currently available. We spoke to several breeders locally in Seattle and around the country. There are very few breeders in the country who are genetically testing their dogs to the extent that Jana is. Jana came highly recommended to us from another well known breeder and we promptly contacted her. Within hours we were talking over the phone and we hit it off immediately. It was clear to us that Jana is at the forefront of responsible dog breeding in the U.S.!

Fortunately, we were able to secure a black male pup and the communication was prompt with detailed information, photos, video exchanges and access to prior customers. All his medical paper work was available and the pertinent genetic testing was expedited. Jana ensured that he was safely delivered to us, monitoring his flight and texting us to make sure he had arrived OK. He arrived like a little prince with beautiful towels, a gorgeous collar and his own kibble and water! Jana is simply stellar and vastly superior to our prior well known breeder in terms of her dedication to responsible breeding and her responsive communication with us. The process was flawless. She gave us great advice and made herself available for any questions that might come up.

Now, the little guy couldn’t be more handsome, affectionate and incredibly smart. He is now 12 weeks old, arrived 5 days ago and we do not kid you that he is already house trained! He goes to our back deck door and sits patiently for us to open the door and then he goes down the 12 steps, does his business and runs right back up. He learned to go up and down stairs, get house and crate trained in less then a week! He wakes up with a whimper 3:00- 4:00 a.m.— does his business immediately and then scoots right back into his crate without protest. Even on his first night with us he did not whimper, cry or complain in his crate at night. He’s got a great personality, sweet but mischievous!! He is remarkably affectionate – he asks us to caress his face and seems to drift off into a relaxed state. He notices the bird calls by cocking his head (but hasn’t actually seen a bird yet). Today we noticed that he follows a pointed finger, looking in the correct direction.

Yes, he’s on the waiting list for Harvard but we believe in home-schooling! WOW – he is just fantastic!!! We can both whole-heartedly give Jana and her pups the highest recommendation.

~Marcella Pascualy and Richard Veith

Our pup from Faith and Buddy is awesome. She is going on 8 months and has been in the duck blind since October. I am really pleased with her instinct and ability to learn. She is a great companion around the house. The Faith/Buddy combo has impressed me.

James Glaeser

Jana Love of Love’s Labradors mentioned to me that she had a possible client interested in her dogs and asked if I would mind passing on my experience about the Pirate/Grace breeding and Jana as a breeder/ trainer. I told her I would be happy to.

I have had two previous labs, and they have both been great. I hunt the Central Valley of California for waterfowl and upland birds. My last dog died three years ago and I was determined to take my time finding a replacement, as I wanted the best dog I could find for my situation. I only deal with field lab breeders and stay away from backyard breeders and well meaning amateurs. I believe that it is important to get the best genetics, health, desire and temperament possible as the initial purchase price of the dog is the cheapest part of the ownership experience. Accordingly, purchase price was irrelevant. I spent over two years researching, talking to and visiting on line and in person with breeders in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. One breeder I visited told me she did not test for EIC as it is not common and not that big a deal. I crossed that kennel off the list. I decided another major California field lab kennel was probably better at marketing itself than breeding consistent quality dogs. I met Jana in 2009 at the International Sportmen’s Exposition in Sacramento and filed her information away in my “maybe” file. Following all my research, I narrowed my list down to Love’s Labradors and another kennel. I went with Jana because of her clear commitment to her dogs, the breed and her clients. I have not been disappointed.

I like the look and size of male labs and think that among labs, black dogs have the deepest field genetics; so that is what I wanted. I went with the Pirate/Grace breeding because of the genetics. My black male “Flint” is one year old, and he is coming along great. I think he will top out in weight somewhere in the mid 70’s. He has a classic male lab head and very much resembles the sire, Pirate.

Even at his young age, Flint is easy to live with but turns on out in the field. At eight weeks of age, he would retrieve small bumpers. He learns quickly, loves the water, has good nose and loves birds. He also marks very well. Flint has a lot of potential, and as he gets more experience, I think he will be better and better. I am teaching him to sit on the whistle, and he is picking up hand signals quickly. Brains, desire, trainable, easy to live with – it’s all there.

I decided not to try and train Flint myself as I did not want to waste time fumbling about. Jana’s rates are competitive; and her ability to create an obedient, functional field dog in about two months seemed the way to go. Flint returned from Jana obedient, force fetched, collar conditioned, steady, able to deliver to hand, trained to stay in a layout blind and to sit on a marsh seat while still having an enthusiastic attitude.

One thing I notice in dealing with Jana is that she is totally committed to the dogs and to you as the buyer. She is fanatical about cleanliness, nutrition, health and the dogs wellbeing. She consistently acts in the dog’s best interest, and the relationship is not over when you pay for the pup and go home. Last Thursday, she arranged for me to be a guest at a duck club so Flint could get more experience.

Another example of Jana’s dedication is when Flint developed a catastrophic lung inflection shortly after beginning field training. I was out of the country, and communication was difficult. Jana rushed Flint to the local animal hospital, arranged for him to be transferred to OSU Veterinary Hospital, communicated with the doctors, and basically kept him alive while overseeing his treatment. Nobody knows exactly what happened to Flint, but it appears that he may have inhaled a fox-tail while I had him in California. His left lung became infected and had to be removed – 40% of his lung capacity. Today he is a tough, fully-functioning, athletic duck dog; and you would never guess that he lost almost half his lung capacity. I was ready to give up and have Flint euthanized, but Jana insisted he could live and recover.

All in all I think you would probably find any dog from Love’s Labradors would meet your needs. If I was to buy another pup, I would not hesitate to take one from the Pirate/Grace breeding.

I hope this description of my experience helps.

Jim Ferguson

The puppy my husband and I got from one of Levi’s litters is Rylee. Jana told us she breeds to get certain traits. She is a breeding whisperer. We have had Labradors for decades and Rylee is unique. Every one of our previous labs each has some great trait. Rylee is a combination of all those great traits put together. She is most of all sweet and loving; very smart, learned hand signals by 3 mos & taught herself to use the doggie door in 2 days of coming to our home; she loves retrieving and is absolutely a water dog, she loves to play in her water dish and the bird baths in my garden. She is playful and loves life but serious when she needs to be. She totally perks up when we get out the bird wings. She has inherited Levi’s ability to communicate. She keeps us laughing!

Rylee has been a true blessing to our family.

Jana has posted pictures of Rylee in her photos. Levi has a dominant influence on his puppies looks. Several of the puppy pictures look like the same dog or from the same litter yet several have different moms.

If you’re contemplating getting a pup from Love’s Labradors, I highly recommend contacting Jana. She has all of her “kids” best interests and health at heart.

Clair Otani