Kettle is our family's first Labrador Retriever and he was an ex breeding stud dog, adopted from one of the breeding farms here in Singapore. Now I've always loved Labradors but was never sure if my lifestyle can correctly suit their needs.
In August 2020, a friend told me that a breeding facility is releasing their breeding dogs for adoption. At that point of time I have been looking at adding a second dog to my home so naturally I went down the moment I hear about this news.
That breeding facility was a mess; conditions were unsanitary, the dogs were barking incessantly, and stress levels of the dogs were very high. I bet most of the dogs don't even get to go outside during their time there. Initially I wanted a smaller dog and so I was looking at others but this Labrador caught my eye. I wasn't sure if I could meet his lifestyle needs and so I was hesitant to adopt him. The volunteer told me that he is a very sweet boy, but howls every night and so not many people were willing to take him in.
The first time we met Kettle. You can hear the amount of barking and you can imagine the kind of conditions these dogs are in for most of their lives.
So after much hesitation and visiting that place for the second time, we have decided to welcome this Labrador Retriever into our home. It took him a whole 10 minutes to climb down the stairs and out of the facility and he was obviously anxious as he was hypersalivating all the way in the car. He didn't even know how to climb down the stairs, and look very unfit from the lack of exercise.
When we reached home, we gave him a good bathe and left him in the kitchen, and we sat outside where he can see us. While we were deciding what name to give him, he started his anxiety howling. At this moment we decided to name him Kettle.
I'm sure you can tell why we name him Kettle
Kettle was very unfit, and totally lacked of any life skills. We had to teach him all of the basics from scratch such as potty training, putting on a leash, going on walks, and climbing up and down the stairs. His sweet and fearless temperament on top of his love for food made trainings pretty easy.
Labradors love food, which makes them very easy to train, and Kettle is no exception
A proud moment when he successfully climbed down the stairs for the first time after a month's training
So after 2 weeks of having him, we got an appointment with the vet to do a full health check. His x-ray showed a very bad case of hips dysplasia, and his blood work showed that he has a heartworm infestation, tick fever, and is at a high risk of kidney failure. On top of these health problems, he was also ridden with structural problems such as weak pasterns and poor rear angulation, which made it painful for him if he even jogs, and this greatly lowered his quality of life. We then committed to his recovery by placing him on a strict diet and controlled exercise regime.
On the left you will see Kettle's hips, which show that his hip sockets are almost non existent, which will give him pain even when he walks. Compare to Charlie's hips on the right, you can see the sockets are deep enough and the femoral heads sits nicely into the sockets. Kettle's hips show a severe case of dysplasia and this condition is largely caused by bad genetics and lack of screening before breeding
His severe case of heartworm infestation has reduced his heart capacity. He pants just after walking a short distance and he coughs this bad frequently
Slowly, Kettle started to adjust into his new life and we taught him how to enjoy being a dog in a home. We taught him basic house rules which he learned them pretty fast, but also allowed him to have fun with his new brother Snoopy.
Their first walk together after he mastered basic leash walking obedience
Due to his heartworm condition, we have to bring him to the vet twice for treatment. The whole protocol of the treatment is very harsh on their cardiovascular system, but it is necessary as his infestations are at a late stage. He bounced back quite quickly after the first treatment but the second treatment wasn't too kind on him. He came back looking very wasted after the second treatment and he wasn't himself. And when he started to poop dark blood and refused treats just a few days after the second treatment, I know that his time was about to end.
This was less than 12 hours before he passed away. Look at how much he has wasted away
Kettle passed away just after a short 3 month stay with us. He battled with his poor health condition but unfortunately he didn't manage to defeat them. He died from an uncommon complication from the heartworm treatment and there was probably nothing else we could do.
His death made me very passionate about sharing with others on the bad practices these irresponsible breeders do just to make some money, and also made me want to learn and understand everything about well bred dogs. Most of the puppies you see in many shops descend from poorly bred dogs like Kettle and I am sure you can imagine the kind of problems these puppies will come with potentially.
I wish that none of you will have to go through what we have been through. I also sincerely wish that this blog entry will open you up to the horrors of these breeding facilities, and also hope that you will want to understand the world of well bred dogs and why many of us are very against buying from questionable sources. You'll be missed Kettle!
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