Fangorn Labradors was established in 2002, shortly after the purchase of our second Labrador Retriever while we were living in Germany, stationed there with the U.S. Army. I had always been a dog-lover, and upon convincing my husband that he was as well, I decided that my interest in dogs and training them could blossom into a really great hobby for myself; my husband, by default, is along for the ride. If nothing else, he makes an excellent dog-walker and not one of our dogs is lacking in love.
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We purchased our first Labrador in 2000. I desperately wanted a Chocolate Labrador because it seemed, at the time, like they were the "new thing". We were stationed in Alabama and there was a notice on a bulletin board in a nearby store, stating that someone had Chocolate Labrador puppies for sale, and for only $150!
We went out, chose a puppy, and took her home, only to realize later that, though the "breeders" were very nice people, who took good care of their dogs, our pup was hardly what was appropriate for, or should have been considered typical of, the breed.
About 2 years later, after much more studying, we added our second Labrador - a Yellow male - to our home and boy, did it bring into clarity the differences between a well-bred Labrador and a poorly-bred one. From conformation to temperament, our male was just worlds away from our female, and I knew right then that looking (and learning) before you leap is always the best choice.
Though the yellow Male (Blacksugar Angus - on our Boys page) did not turn out to be what I considered good enough quality to be shown, I did not waste any time diving right into learning about the breed. I bought books, joined email lists and forums, and met some really great people who were willing to offer advice, critiques, and who could make me laugh.
After 4 years of simply enjoying the two Labradors I had, and studying structure, movement, type, the problems in the breed, and trying to learn about pedigrees, I finally decided that it was time to add a new puppy to the family so that I could finally make that jump into the Labrador World.
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Our primary focus is on AKC conformation because we believe that with form comes function, but we're certainly not ruling out the possibility that our future dogs will earn other titles.
We do not have any intention of breeding a litter in the near future, but rather will be waiting on our new girl to see how many points we can put on her, and if she passes all of her clearances. Until that time, we are just enjoying our dogs, competing with them when we can, and filling our home with dog hair...What could be better than that?
Nancy and Loki
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The name "Fangorn" comes from J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved novel The Lord of the Rings. Fangorn Forest was a forest in the books, in which lived the leader of a race of 'living' trees and a great many others who were more trees than they were alive. Together with the other races of Middle-earth, they joined to defeat the evil that tried to destroy the land.
The book is a cherished tale, and from it we decided to take the name of our kennel.
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