Rebellion Labradors

05/24/2026

We had a FABULOUS DAY at the Greater Pittsburgh Labrador Retriever Club Specialty! Judge Charles Olvis chose Gimli (Rebellion's Lockbearer from Hazelnut Farms JH) as Winners Dog and Best of Winners for his first major! (finally- pending AKC)
Rana was first in a large and impressive Bred By class and went on to take Reserve Winners Bitch and Best Bred By! She was also Best of Opposite S*x in Sweepstakes under breeder Kyle Hartman.
Thorin actually took home some hardware both days, being awarded Best Veteran and the Judges Award of Merit yesterday under breeder judge Michelle VeuCasovic and today under Charles Olvis, in a group of 8 Specials.
So proud of my dogs today. Thanks to everyone for their help wranging dogs and trophies! Especially Joe V who had to take Thorin in for Breed. Thorin is NOT aging like a veteran AT ALL and is quite the handful in the ring!

05/20/2026

Why is breeding "good temperament" important? This right here:
This is Willow. She is 6mo old, out of our Dain x Rune litter (which, spoiler alert, we plan to repeat!). Willow has not been "out and about". She has been at home, a couple trips to a pet store, and in an office environment. So, in theory, not very well environmentally socialized.
Today Willow went to downtown Pittsburgh, She rode in a glass elevator, she walked through a downtown park with 50 people waiting at a bus stop (and pigeons! Lots of pigeons), hung out through a presentation to a class of vet tech students, and then decided that sitting on the sidewalk and taking in the view was a fine way to spend the afternoon. No startles, no barking, no tail tucking. Loud people, ma*****na, pigeons flying everywhere, bus air brakes and the BEEP BEEP BEEP of the wheelchair ramp being lowered. None of it phased her. All taken in with a wagging tail and exploring attitude.
THIS photo is the epitome of why breeding for temperament is important. Because you can take a well bred 6mo old puppy off the couch and into downtown Pittsburgh, and expect nothing less than acting like they have been doing it their whole life.

05/02/2026

So thrilled with this keeper boy puppy from Gimli's first litter. I hear he's quite the retriever too!
(Not our litter, puppies are all placed)

04/11/2026

Couldn't love Gimli's first litter more (this is only 2 of them- i believethere were 8)! These puppies are so cute, with lovely happy temperaments.
(Not our litter- just sharing as proud grandma)

02/28/2026

Milo the Magnificent (Nova x Wraith) apparently has the self-control of a saint. Ain't no way somebody's telling me to "just hold onto this Cheeto a sec." You has no Cheeto now.
Good boy Milo

02/27/2026

Following up from Gimli's post yesterday-
Here's a couple adorable puppies from his first litter. So cute, and perfect theme for "red dogs"! (not my litter)

02/26/2026

Can't believe I forgot to post this pic- Gimli (Rebellion's Lockbearer from Hazelnut Farms JH) going Winners Dog last fall. Really think he is maturing well (he is 17mo in this photo). Hips/Elbows prelim good, all other health testing Clear (genetic, eyes, heart).
He is really enjoying advanced field training as well, so we are very excited to hopefully pursue higher titles

02/18/2026

Happy Birthday to our Helix x Wraith litter! One year old day! If you have pics, post them here!

02/03/2026

An adorable Gimli baby (not our litter, the owner was kind enough to share this photo). We'll certainly share more as we get photos of his first litter growing up!

01/29/2026

I know I've posted this before, but this example is from a local breeder. This is happening every day. We must support privately owned veterinary practices

Long but important post!
I am currently speaking with a puppy owner (the dog is now 9). The dog presented with a limp; gave meds. A few days later, they encountered additional issues, including sores in the mouth (a known possible side effect of the meds). Instead of changing meds or stopping, they have done uranalysis, bloodwork, echo, and a pathology (maybe more), and are talking about a potential autoimmune disease I have never even heard of. This is the second time this has happened with one of my puppies; the other was a co-own. They were talking about a rare neurological disorder; it turns out it was a disk in his neck, which was diagnosed by my outstanding vet, Mellissa Voll-Stouffer, at Ridgeview Veterinary Clinic(shameless plug). Anyway, second scenario: definitely a corporate vet; current one, I suspect, the same.
So....What's my point?
We, as owners, NEED to know who owns our vet clinics!
Corporations have protocols they follow; this can mean thousands of dollars out of your pocket rather than changing a medication or making a simple adjustment. Also, what do you think is fueling the pet insurance industry?
Just look at what they've done to human medicine! This is something we can at least TRY to counter by doing our research and going to privately owned practices!
Please research. I found a page with a large list of clinics and the corporations that own them. Download the list, look for your vet; if they are on it, I encourage you to find a new vet.
You can also search your state business registry to see who owns businesses.
You can ask if they don't point-blank say, "______________ owns this clinic." It's probably a corporation.
Here is the link if you are interested....https://privateequityvet.org/vet-list/
WE NEED TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR OUR DOGS NOW AND FOR THE FUTURE! If corporations take over, no one will be able to afford pets!

Is your vet owned by private equity? Below is a searchable map of over 8,500 vets in the US/Canada and over 2,000 vets in the UK known to be owned by private equity or large corporates. Click to zoom or enter your zip or city to view your local area.

01/24/2026

Happy 2 months to our Dáin x Rune litter! Here's Derek (but you can call him Sheriff Blackpaw) with his birthday hat