There are more registered Labrador Retriever in the United States today than there have been in the past several years. Well over 120,000 Labrador Retrievers are registered with The American Kennel Club. This number continues to grow yearly because the Labrador is America’s most popular pet.
One of the main reasons for the popularity of the breed is the fact the Labrador is so sweet and loving, more so than most other breeds of the Labrador’s size and weight. As a Labrador meets a stranger, that person would have to release an extremely bad vibe to have a Labrador not like them. Alternatively, the person would have to purposely do or harm the Labrador or a member of the Labrador’s family to be provoked into aggression. Loyalty is another one of the reasons why the Labrador is the most popular family pet and working sport dog in America and other parts of the world.
The Labrador’s natural instinct to please man and to aide man has made the Labrador a multi-purpose pet. The extent of the Labrador’s capabilities are inconceivable. One such example is the Labrador’s ability to sense when or if a human will become ill or have a form of a seizure. Labrador assistance dogs can do that–they sense a change in the smell of the scent of the human. The Labrador can also feel the body temperature of the human by the use of its nose. The Labrador assistance dog then remains with the human while the seizure occurs and licks the person’s face to help the person revive. The Labrador will not leave its master’s/owner’s side until the owner has recovered.
Labrador popularity also takes place within law enforcement, rescue animals, blind aide animals, and therapy animals, as well as hunting and canine sporting events, in addition to everyday family pets.
Last, but not least, is the Labrador being shown in the dog show arena. Many Labradors have competed and won these prestigious events as the best of their own breeds, the best of their own type of dog, such as gun or sporting breeds, and even the best of the overall competition, Best in Show.
This gentle happy breed takes or steals the heart of anyone who is exposed to the Labrador and then the people feel that they must have this wonderful breed in their own lives and families. The Labrador is well worth the time, effort and the expense that is incurred with the breed.
It is so very easy to see why the Labrador is and may continue to be the most popular pet of the world. With all of the Labrador’s intelligence and capabilities, the breed may some day be the only breed any one could ever want as a family pet, companion, service animal, police officer or hunter. Labradors are such wonderful creatures.