Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
You might think President Clinton's new chocolate Lab "Buddy" has created a new fad for the animal.
But it seems the president may be following the trends with the choice of his new pooch.
Labradors have been the canine of choice for quite awhile.
In fact, local breeders and veterinarians say there hasn't been an increase in demand for Lab puppies since the president's highly publicized acquisition.
"In this area Labs are very popular. They're an excellent breed of dog and a good companion," said Randy Rhodes, a local trainer.
Clara Kaiser of Milford has been breeding the animals more than 20 years. She says that Labs have always been a dog of choice.
"I don't think it's because of the president. Labs have always been very popular.
"America is gradually becoming aware of how great a dog Labs are. This area is getting more and more saturated with them. They're a great dog. They have a good temperament and they're natural retrievers," she said.
According to Dr. Pam Brickley of Lake City Animal Clinic, Labs make great pets.
"Their best feature is that they're good with kids. They're very gentle, very loyal and very smart," she said.
Kaiser agrees with Brickley that the dogs are great for kids.
"The kids can romp around with them and pull on their ears and the animals won't bite back," she says. "Even though they're big, they make a great house dog."
Doug Armey has been breeding and training Labradors for other reasons.
Rather than lounging around the home Armey would like to see his animals hunting and working.
"A Labrador is one of the last waterfowl breeds that hasn't had his intelligence bred out.
"I like to see a good working dog. They have that overflowing energy that should be used to hit the water or retrieve rather than lay on the porch," he says.
Sue Stidhams, another breeder, see the animal as a combination of workers and pets.
"They're so versatile. They can make a great pet, or they can be a service dog. You can use them for so many things, or to just lay on the couch with. People want them for all different reasons.
"They're not aggressive by nature," Stidhams said, "but they have enough size that they can scare someone away with they're bark."
She also pointed out the service ability of the animals. One of her dogs was trained to turn lights on and off, open doors and other tasks.
Stidhams said last year there was a big demand for Dalmatian puppies after the release of the Walt Disney movie "101 Dalmatians."
She has yet to see that increase with Labradors.
