The History of The
"Sho-Me Labradors"
| In 1982 I was given a Labrador Retriever named "Lance". He was from field bloodlines and would rather retrieve than do anything else, including eat. His hunting desire brought him a lot of attention and his loyalty made him a wonderful family pet, that we loved dearly. Friends would say, "If you ever breed him, we would like a pup." So I purchased my 1st yellow female lab, "Tanya". They had a nice litter together and everyone was happy with the pups. A year later Lance was hit by a car and killed. Our family was devastated. We lost one of our family members.
| My love for the Labrador breed had grown and there was now an empty place in my heart, so I began my search for a dog of equal qualities. This lead me to "Sunnybrook Acres Labradors", in Springfield, MO. They had been breeding show quality labs for years. I was so impressed with the quality of their dogs, I purchased a 2 year female named, "Sunnybrook Acres Frosty Morn". Unlike Lance, "Frosty" had a very mellow disposition. I bred her to "Sunnybrook Acres Ace O' Spade" the most titled dog in the world of all breeds. They had a beautiful litter together, which I kept my first home-bred show dog.
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"Sho-Me's Buster", in 1985. | | In 1986, I purchased "Sunnybrook Acres DeJaVu". She was a beautiful and wonderful dog. Both of her parents were Show Champions. DeJaVu is the foundation to all of my black and yellow puppies. You will find the original DeJaVu far back into your puppies pedigree. Each time I bred her to superior quality show dogs, keeping back the best female puppy in the litter. Now 5 generations later I have developed a very "Distinguished" bloodline. And in 2001, "Sho-Me's DeJaVu" was born. See the complete history of DeJaVu in "The Girls" link. | Still searching for that special black male, in 1986 I drove to Ohio to pick up a new puppy sired by a World Champion, "Sandylands Rip Van Winkle". You can never replace that special dog, but a new puppy can sure help fill the void. Watching a new puppy play occupied my mind with happy thoughts, instead of dwelling on the lost of my beloved "Lance". | "Sho-Me's Go For The Gusto"
"Gusto" at 7 weeks of age
In 1986 | | I trained Gusto to hunt although I could never shoot a duck. He could do triple retrieves with dummies. He was an amazing dog both in the field and in the show ring, but mostly in my heart. I finished his Show Championship at a young age. Gusto was the most influential stud dog I ever owned. You will find him in almost all of the pedigree's of my black & yellow puppies. Everyone wanted a Gusto puppy. He was my #1 salesman, he would always prance around the yard with a big rock in his mouth and strut his stuff. | Gusto produced some amazing puppies! Beautiful heads, with soft expression. Nicely balanced for proper structure. But most of all he produced LOYALTY in all his puppies that is still pasted on by him today. Champion
"Sho-Me's Go For
The "Gusto"
in 1988
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His Legacy Lives On In His Offspring.
See them & more in the "Generations" link.
Check back at a later date I will continue the story.
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