Family Loved Labs – English Lab Puppies (Sandstone, Minnesota)

Can’t say enough good things about family loved labs. We picked up our girl Peach back in April. We happened to find them by luck. They are very attentive and provided all the proper information needed for puppy owners. Peach is a very well rounded pup and a much needed addition to our family.

Family Loved Labs is a wonderful place to find your next Labrador friend. I live in Napa, California and I found them on Google. I feel so lucky as my choice was a little random. We were looking for an English (as opposed to an American) Labrador. They happened to have one black lab girl available so we put our deposit down right away. Their communication is stellar and they stand by their word. We had a bit of an issue with transport as I flew to get Molly, and the puppies could not travel on my designated travel day. FLL not only apologized profusely, but they also offered to either personally bring Molly to us, or pay all my expenses for my travel delay. I did stay the extra day to bring Molly home, and as promised, they covered everything. Molly is a well-adjusted, loving, playful happy puppy. They obviously take a lot of time to handle and play with their little ones. We highly recommend this Breeder.

I can’t say enough good things about my FLL, Mila. She is going on 6 months, and is the absolute best. Larisa has been very responsive, and eager to help with any questions I may have. Every time we leave the house, people are constantly commenting on how beautiful my pooch is. I will recommend FLL to anyone.

All I can say is make sure you do or research. These ppl told me anything I wanted to hear just to get me to put my deposit down. I wanted a special pairing of dogs, was told it would be no problem but I might have to wait. I said that was fine just keep me updated. Couple months go by and they send me an email with a litter born just a couple weeks ago with the female I wanted breed, but breed with a different male, told them again I was waiting for the Specific pairing, the said ok. Couple more months go by they send me an email with a litter with neither dogs and said both dogs are retired and I can’t have my deposit back. Sry for the long story talked to many ppl also who don’t like the dogs that come from these ppl.

If you are purchasing a FLL because you are looking for a lab with a calm demeanor, know that may not be what you get. We were concerned about getting another dog after our other lab passed. I knew she would be alone during the week and I wouldn’t have as much time to work with her. I did a lot of research and picked FLL because we wanted a dog that would have a calm demeanor and be able to handle being alone during the day. I walk 2-4 miles a day and also wanted a lab that I could have as a walking buddy. I expressed these concerns to Rosie before purchasing our lab and was assured that the pup I purchased would be a good fit.
Fast forward 1.5 yrs and we had reached our breaking point with frustration. Our FLL has more energy than we ever expected. We began taking her to doggy day care after about 6 months because her energy level was too high and we needed another way to drain it while we were at work. Recently, when I went to pick her up, I saw that she was in a separate area by herself. They said that our lab was so high energy that she was bothering the other dog. They said that all the dogs have lots of energy when they first get there but usually settle down. Our lab did not and the other dogs sometimes need a break from her high energy. They said our dog is the friendliest dog they have ever had but she is also “the most high strung.”
At this point I reached out to Rosie and she heard directly from the owner at doggy day care and then asked to evaluate her. When I dropped her off, Rosie said she could see right away that she had more drive. She suggested scent detection training as a way to help drain her energy. When I picked her up a week later Rosie said that our lab had done great. She suggested I meet with a trainer and work to correct her behaviors. I asked Rosie if she felt that my dog was typical of her dogs and she said yes which shocked me because that is not what she describes on her site. She did give me a deadline if I wanted her to buy our lab back if we wished but this is not an option for us.
When we brought our lab back home, nothing had changed. We paid $2000 because we were hoping for a dog that was calm and would not require this kind of training and constant work or costs. We hoped for a dog I could walk with, play fetch with and take out on the boat for a swim but that was content to just be inside with us afterwards and not require constant attention. I addressed this again with Rosie and she replied:
“You wanted enough energy in your dog so you could go for walks long walks. The answer is stay calm and your dog will be calm. You are BUILDING  drive in a calm dog. Correct the mistakes you’ve made with training. We believe Bailey has the best temperament for what you wanted. ***** correct your mistakes with training. It’s not her fault.”
I was honestly shocked at her response. I’m not claiming that we don’t have work to do. However, anyone who has met our lab, will tell you that she is extremely high energy.
I have also reached out to other owners who purchased from the same litter. I’ve only heard back from 2 so far but both had similar replies. One replied that her lab was “very energetic” and “I was a bit surprised at how hyper she was.” The other described her dog as “crazy” and also said her lab was high energy. She is also now unfortunately dealing with possible kidney issues with their lab and we have dealt with stomach issues/food sensitivities. We all LOVE our dogs very much but they are just not what we expected from FLL. I shared the feedback I received to Rosie but she replied she was not interested in hearing from me about what other owners are saying. It seems to me that FLL is more concerned with production of pups than the quality of labs produced.
Do your research, ask lots of questions and ask to see the pup interact with its litter mates, meet the parents and make sure to ask to see the facility where they keep their dogs. All things I didn’t do and have learned my lesson going forward.

Just wanted to warn people that we also have a puppy with mystery diarrhea/digestion problems that I’ve been reading about on other reviews. Got the puppy in June of 21, and had to take her in to the vet on the first full day at home with her for an IV due to dehydration and diarrhea. These issues have continued–we have been to the vet multiple times and stool samples come back fine, so we continue to try to find the correct food that won’t upset her stomach. The most disappointing part of this whole experience is that twice we’ve called FLL for help and advice along the way, and all we get is the third degree about what we must be doing wrong, and they are most concerned with proving that it’s our fault. They clearly care more about their reputation than their puppies, even after I assured them we aren’t looking to return her or get any money back. Overall very disappointed with the whole experience.