Westport Labradors

01/08/2026

Happy 4th birthday to our amazing momma Pepsi. Cheers to many more years filled with joy and memories! 🫧🩵🥂 We love this sweet girl!

01/01/2026

Leaping into the new year!! 🎉🥂
We are so grateful for all of our amazing puppy families. We cherish each and every one of you.
Wishing you all a joy filled 2026.

Sammi 🩷 from our Mike x Pepsi litter

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas from our family to yours 🎄🕊️

12/22/2025

Mike x Pepsi

12/19/2025

People say it all the time:

“I promise, they’ll have a good home.”
But what that means to me, as a breeder, goes so far beyond what most people think.

A “good home” isn’t just a nice house.
It isn’t square footage or a fenced yard or matching dog bowls.

It’s a feeling.
A standard.
A commitment.
A heart-space where a dog is truly seen, deeply loved, and intentionally cared for.

A good home is someone who understands this isn’t “just a dog.”
This is a piece of my heart.
A life I stayed up with at 2 AM.
A life I prayed over when they were the size of a lemon.
A life whose first breath I celebrated… and whose first latch I protected.

A good home is someone who shows up for that dog, not just the cute moments.

Someone who:
• rearranges their schedule without complaining.
• gets on the floor and comforts them through fear stages.
• trims nails even when the dog wiggles.
• shows patience through the puppy chaos.
• doesn’t quit when it gets inconvenient.

A good home is someone who asks questions, not someone who pretends they already know.

Someone who chooses growth.
Consistency over shortcuts.
Love over frustration.

A good home is someone who sends updates not because they HAVE to, but because they WANT to.

Those messages mean more to me than people realize.
When I see your puppy smiling in your arms.
When I see them with your kids.
When I see them sleeping in their new bed.

My heart exhales.

Because that’s when I know they’re safe.
That’s when I know I made the right choice.

A good home is someone who honors the contract not because it’s a rule, but because it protects the dog.

Someone who understands:
“If life ever falls apart, this puppy comes back to me.”

Not Craigslist.
Not a shelter.
Not a stranger.
Me.

A good home is someone who remembers that behind every puppy is a breeder who cared so deeply it hurt sometimes.

Who cried over the weak ones.
Who weighed them through the night.
Who kept mama comfortable.
Who didn’t travel because babies needed her.
Who poured time, money, emotion, prayer, and intention into every moment of their beginning.

A good home values that.
Respects that.
And cherishes the puppy because of it.

A good home isn’t perfect.
It’s present.
It’s committed.
It’s willing.
It’s loving.

A good home is someone who looks at this dog and thinks:
“You’re not here to make my life cuter, you’re here to be part of my family.”

That’s what I look for.
That’s what matters to me.
Not perfection.
Not aesthetics.
Not status.

But heart.
Real, patient, everyday love.

Because when I send a puppy home, I’m not “selling a dog.”
I’m trusting a stranger with a life I’ve carried in my hands.
A life I’ve already loved deeply.

And a good home is the kind of home where that love continues for the whole lifetime of the dog.

🤍
Author unknown...

12/16/2025

Play nap repeat 😴❤️
Mike x Pepsi

12/15/2025

Let’s get one thing straight:
We NEED ethical dog breeders.
Not backyard breeders.
Not puppy mills.
Not “oops litters.”
Ethical. Responsible. Passionate. Breeders.

Because the truth is this:

Good breeders don’t just produce puppies — they protect entire breeds.
They’re the reason we still have healthy working dogs, therapy dogs, sport dogs, and family companions with predictable temperaments and solid genetics.

Good breeders raise puppies like they’re staying forever.
Socialization, early exposure, enrichment, confidence-building…
None of that is “extra.” It’s STANDARD.

Good breeders take dogs back, every time.
For life.
No questions. No judgment.
Because their puppies NEVER end up in shelters, ever.

Good breeders breed for preservation, for improvement, and for LOVE.

And here’s the part people don’t want to admit:
Without ethical breeders, we’d lose the breeds we depend on and adore.
Service dog lines.
Duty-driven working breeds.
Family-safe temperaments.
Sound structure.
Predictability.
Purpose.
History.

Shelters are full because of irresponsible breeding —
not ethical breeding.

So next time someone says,
“Just adopt,”
remind them:
You can support shelters
AND still value ethical breeders.

Both matter.
Both play crucial roles.
Both are needed.
Because the breeders doing it right?
They’re the ones keeping dogs healthy, stable, and loved for generations to come.

- copied from unknown author-

12/13/2025

Mike x Pepsi
6.5 weeks

12/12/2025

“While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads” 🤍🎄🐾

Sweet boy from our Mike x Pepsi litter

12/05/2025

This!!

Looking to get a puppy in 2026? Read this first 🫶🏼

Most people looking for a puppy have no idea what they’re supposed to be asking a breeder. It’s not like it comes up in normal conversation and unless you’ve fallen down the responsible breeder rabbit hole on the internet (Hellllloooo 👋) then nobody really teaches this stuff. But since you’re here, let’s go over it and maybe you can share with your friends.. here’s a simple breakdown from your dog obsessed internet bestie.

1. “Health tested” is not the same as “my vet said they’re healthy.”
Real health testing means OFA or equivalent. It means hips, elbows, eyes, and breed specific DNA panels. You need to verify the results on the OFA.org database with the dog’s registered name or number because I have recently seen people making AI OFA certificates… (just message me, I can help!) OFA also has a list for every breed of what “breed specific” testing you need for a CHIC #. That’s everything your breeder needs to be doing, it’s not a quick visit to the vet.

2. Ask about a contract. A good breeder will always have one.
It protects BOTH of you.
It explains health guarantees, spay/neuter terms, the return policy, and what happens if life changes. If a breeder refuses to take a puppy back at any age, that’s not a breeder you should support.. We should all be striving to keep our dogs out of the shelter systems.

3. Ask them why they bred this litter.
If the answer is along the lines of “we love the mom” “we wanted to teach our kids about the miracle of birth” “every dog deserves to be a mama once” “because blue merle frenchies are fire”….. just walk away.
A ethical breeder can tell you what they are trying to improve, what they loved about the pairing, and what they hope to see in structure, temperament, and longevity.

4. Look for a waitlist, not “available today.”
The puppy market is weird right now, and people do back out at the last minute.. having a puppy available after evals isn’t a red flag. However, constantly having puppies available with no wait, and breeding more while struggling the place the last litter? That’s something to think about.

5. You don’t have to “meet the parents” to verify quality.
If you can meet mom ahead of time, that’s always great! Maybe she is showing nearby and you can see her in her element. Once mama has puppies, her hormones aren’t herself and she might be protective or just not into meeting strangers.. not a true representation of her temperament. Also, dad might be across the country. When we pick our studs, we pick the best one for our females… and location has absolutely nothing to do with it.
But you should absolutely look at their titles, health testing, pedigree, and photos. Ask questions about their temperament, what they bring to the program and most importantly if you’re a pet owner, what are they like to live with? That all matters far more than seeing him in person.

6. Ask what they do for early development.
There are so many early curriculums that breeders can be doing with their puppies. It’s a personal choice and every breeder is going to do what they find works best for their program, but they should be doing SOMETHING. Puppy Culture, ENS, ESI, “Badass Breeder” Early Desensitization, Crate Training, Car Exposure etc… If the breeder doesn’t do anything beyond “we hold them,” that’s not enough.

7. Ask how they match puppies to homes.
You shouldn’t pick a puppy based on color or a photo. Ethical breeders evaluate structure and temperament to make sure the right puppy goes to the right family. If you’re set on a specific color, be prepared to wait for the puppy to come along that has the perfect temperament for your family (that is also the perfect color) because temperament should always be your number one priority.

8. Look at the breeder’s adults.
You can tell a lot by looking at the dogs they kept. Are they well structured, stable, healthy, do they have good temperaments? Are they titled, proven, and do they have correct breed type? Overall, do they represent what the breed should be? The dogs living in the breeder’s home will tell you everything you need to know.

9. Price shouldn’t be your deciding factor.
A well bred dog from an ethical breeder is usually going to cost more than a backyard breeder. Save your pennies and wait. I know it’s hard to not impulse the cheaper puppy but in the long run, it’s an investment. Paying more for a well bred health tested dog is cheaper than dealing with lifelong genetic issues, difficult temperaments, or unethical practices.

10. An ethical breeder is a lifetime resource.
You don’t just get a puppy, you get support. I joke with my puppy people that they’re my contractual besties.. but for real you get someone to help you with training questions, grooming, feeding, health, and the things you can’t (or maybe just shouldn’t) Google and with me, a best friend. A breeder should care where their puppies end up, not just where the money goes.

If you’re looking for a puppy in 2026 and you want to do it right, save this list. Share it with your friends whose might be searching too. I’m happy to help look over a breeders website and point out questions you should ask!

11/28/2025

Labradors only come in 3 colors 💛🤎🖤

11/14/2025

Every breeder knows this feeling. Your phone buzzes a few days after a puppy goes home, and the message starts out sweet.

“We love him, but…”

And you can already guess the rest.
He barks. He nips. He cries at night. He’s “a lot.”

The thing is… that isn’t a problem.
That’s a puppy.

They’re babies trying to figure out life without their mum and littermates. They’re confused, overstimulated, excited, scared, and curious all at the same time. That’s completely normal.

But a lot of people today want the easy version. The one they see online. The perfectly calm eight week old who never chews anything and somehow already knows every command.

They forget that behind every well trained, well mannered adult dog is someone who put in the work. Someone who showed up every day with patience, structure, and consistency.

So when someone says, “He’s adorable, but I don’t think we’re a good fit,” what they usually mean is that they wanted the love without the learning curve.

No puppy comes pre programmed. Even the best raised babies need time to adjust. They need guidance, calm energy, and someone willing to put in the effort.

People confuse an easy puppy with a good one.
The truth is every puppy is good. They’re just new.
And anything new is messy before it becomes magical.

As breeders, we see it all. We comfort the ones who come back scared and confused. We remind them gently, “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Because it’s never their fault when someone wasn’t ready for the tough parts that lead to the best parts.

Puppies aren’t a trend, or a trial run, or something to “see if it works out.”

They’re a commitment. A little piece of your heart on four legs.

If you’re not ready for the messy parts of puppyhood, that’s okay. Just wait until you can give your whole heart.

These little souls deserve nothing less. 💜🐾

Shared from another breeder.