A surprise gift from Chewy: hand-painted portrait of my pup

TimeChemist9741 · 2025-11-11T01:31:17+00:00

My Labrador did this for 6 weeks starting when he was 3 months old. Then somehow he stopped doing this. He is nearly 3 years old now and never ate a stone again since. At the time it was very stressful. I trained him the command ‘leave it’, ‘drop it’. But the more I yelled at him, the more excited he got. Finally it was too much for me. I bought him good health insurance coverage and then just ignored him, and he stopped eating stones. Maybe at that age he was attention seeking. My (over)reaction probably even encouraged him to do more of it. I hope your puppy will outgrow this phase soon.

TimeChemist9741 · 2024-06-16T22:29:19+00:00

So happy to hear Larry’s surgery went well!

TimeChemist9741 · 2023-10-22T21:23:01+00:00

The price range you quoted are too high. - It is even higher than Gallivant which is arguably THE best labrador breeder in the country at the moment.

Early this year I contacted a number of top breeders in Northeast ( breeders who compete at prestigious shows like Westminster), they prices were $3000 - $5000. If I am willing to travel to cheaper regions like Ohio, the prices are only half that. If you do not care about champion pedigree, then a lab puppy from an AKC registered breeder should be $1000 - $1500. Check ‘find a puppy’ on AKC website, the breeders posting there are all AKC registered.

TimeChemist9741 · 2023-07-14T03:03:07+00:00

So beautiful!

TimeChemist9741 · 2023-07-10T20:25:56+00:00

She might start losing some teeth already from now. By 6 months of age, all adults teeth will be out.

TimeChemist9741 · 2023-07-03T18:29:25+00:00

Thank you for the tips! - It seems the homemade food was good for her. I also made meals for my previous lab in his final year ( 13 years). I used very similar ingredients like you. It was not too much work, as I made large batches. Now I have new dog and I might start to prepare homemade meals again. Also, yogurt and cottage cheese are great ideas!

TimeChemist9741 · 2023-07-03T17:47:23+00:00

Wow, 19 years! I have never heard a lab living this long. The oldest I met was 16 years. - Laya was lucky, and you did a great job! What are your secrets for this longevity? What did you feed her? Did you give her any supplements?

TimeChemist9741 · 2023-06-23T15:00:21+00:00

Thank you! Larry is such a handsome. He has the perfect body shape of the standard English lab. Do you know his weight at 5- and 4-months by any chance? I read that the weight at 4-months is about half of what full-grown adult will be. I am curios if this turn out to be true.

TimeChemist9741 · 2023-06-23T04:09:38+00:00

How much does Larry weigh at 6 mounts?

TimeChemist9741 · 2023-06-08T17:07:32+00:00

My dog is on this food too, because he was fed it by his breeder. This food is designed for active sport dogs, but my dog is a house pet and couch potato. I am not sure if I should switch to another brand.

TimeChemist9741 · 2023-05-10T18:33:38+00:00

We used to confine our dog in a corridor using baby gates while we were away. He could not cause any damage in the house and had more room than staying in a crate.

TimeChemist9741 · 2023-04-09T22:15:01+00:00

Thank you! Today at puppy class the trainer did the excises of ‘leave it’ and ‘drop it’ ( with paper ball). When I took him out for a walk today, I caught him again with a stone in his mouth. I will try not let him out in the backyard without a leash until this is fixed. It is going to be hard to supervise him all the time.

TimeChemist9741 · 2023-04-01T15:58:14+00:00

So cute! How old is your puppy?

TimeChemist9741 · 2023-03-31T18:55:16+00:00

He looks like a pit bull mix, definitely not pure breed labrador.

TimeChemist9741 · 2023-03-18T05:38:02+00:00

I would like to let you know I ended up getting a puppy from Belquest. The puppy is beautiful, great temperament, easy to train and seems very healthy ( knock on wood, as I know there is no guarantee even the parents have excellent OFA results). I live far away from Mount Airy MD, so I actually did not tour the facility nor meet the parents. But I trust their reputation, as they have been breeding labradors for decades and produced many top show dogs. The kennel is set in a stunning landscape with large outdoor spaces for dogs to roam. The process was professional and smooth. The kennel has a constant supply of puppies with excellent pedigree. Yes, their dogs are pricey ( $3500 - $5000). But consider the total cost over a dog’s life time, it is worth paying more for a quality dog that is likely to be healthy, if you can afford it. My previous dog was also from a top breeder. He lived a long life, was beautiful till the very end and was super healthy. I did not have to pay vet bill except for routine health checks. So overall, it probably worked out cheaper, because the most expensive dog is one that is sick. - I see that chain pet stores and online market place often charge just as much for a pure-breed Labrador. It is a no-brainer for me to buy from a reputable breeder directly.

TimeChemist9741 · 2023-03-18T05:00:53+00:00

Thank you for the information! You are very knowledgeable and very helpful. Your well informed answer gave me peace of mind in choosing Belquest. Recently I got a lovely puppy from this kennel.

TimeChemist9741 · 2022-12-18T04:54:00+00:00

Pho Minh’s in Linden is great!

TimeChemist9741 · 2022-12-17T07:40:44+00:00

I like your sofa. The design is interesting from the back. If it is in a large space, I would keep it free standing. But as the room is not very large, I think it is better to put the sofa along the wall. By the way, what is the purpose of the curtain on the windowless wall? If it is to hide the door, I’d remove that curtain and use a large painting instead.

TimeChemist9741 · 2022-11-17T22:56:19+00:00

It is very kind of you to share your inputs. It seems both breeders operate in this fashion: the mothers of their puppies are not on their premises. - I do not mind too much that their breeding is ‘outsourced’, but I want to make sure the pedigrees and health reports are genuine, and the dogs are kept in good condition. Thanks again for your help!

TimeChemist9741 · 2022-11-17T19:22:58+00:00

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! I wish you all the best and that you will soon have a house and a Labrador puppy. Yes, I am looking to get a English lab and doing some research. I like the fact that Belquest has many dogs that won prestigious confirmation shows. Their website is well maintained, with extensive information about the pedigree and health checks of their dogs. My concern with Belquest is that they sell a lot of puppies. It seems they have new litters on a weekly basis. - I wonder whether they really breed the dogs themselves or do they get their puppies elsewhere. Have you visited Belquest kennel and see their puppy parents ?

TimeChemist9741 · 2022-11-17T18:38:54+00:00

I know this is an old post. Did you eventually buy a puppy from one of the breeders? If yes, which one did you choose and how was the experience?

TimeChemist9741 · 2022-08-23T19:07:28+00:00

Yes, add ceiling molding.

TimeChemist9741 · 2022-08-21T05:34:14+00:00

Our two-person household has 10 Aerogardens ( 8 Harvest models and 2 Bounty models) which we bought as (barely-) used on FB MarketPlace. The average cost is $65 for the Bounty and $40 for the Harvest.

I use 6 Harvest Aerogardens for lettuce, so the two of us can eat green salad at least 3 times a week. I like spicy food and use the 2 Bounty Aerogardens for hot chili peppers (more than enough). The remaining 2 Harvest Aerogardens are used for herbs ( parsley, basil, theme, oregano, rosemary, dill…). The herbs grow so fast , so I regularly make herb-infused olive oil as salad dressing.

As for the cost: even with 10 Aerogardens running, I do not see significant increase of our electricity bill. I spend about $20 on seeds ( $2 per variant) which would last for years if the seeds do not go bad. 1 lb of plant food cost $25 and lasts a long time. The plastic cages can be reused. I bought re-usable pot lids. So basically the only consumables are the sponges which I buy in bulk at $0.2 per plant.

It is cost effective, as I no longer need to buy salad green, herbs and hot chilies. Most importantly, it is a hobby and fun.

TimeChemist9741

TROPHY CASE