About

British Labradors for Family and Field

This adventure and lifestyle started in 2021 with a simple objective — to find a dog whose primary purpose was to retrieve ducks in the Mississippi Delta. I called the first breeder from my Google search for “retriever puppies near me”. They had an 8 week old pup available that someone decided they didn’t want. My wife and I drove over that day and picked up our Merle.
 
The only thing we knew about Labradors (from experience) was that they were loving companions but generally had a very high energy and motivation to chew something to bits. It wasn’t until we brought Merle home that we learned about the field bred Labradors that derive from outside the US; primarily in the UK and Ireland.
 
Right away my wife and I realized this pup was unlike any dog either of us ever had. He was made for our family and hunting lifestyle. Even as a young pup; Merle was gentle, calm and quiet. He showed significant intelligence and was eager to please. Merle also displayed a natural desire to find game and retrieve to hand.
 
While Merle is still very special to us, we thought he was something extraordinary to the breed. Little did we know, Merle’s characteristics were a general representation of the British field bred Labradors. I became so infatuated with this breed because of Merle, that I began volunteering time at the kennel we bought him from. That led to a job and an opportunity to work with dogs out of some of the most revered retrievers and kennels in the UK, Ireland and beyond over the next couple of years. 

This breed has shown us that it is not only possible to have an exceptional field dog but also an adored family member and best friend. At Marlen Gundogs, we want to provide opportunities for people to experience a relationship similar to what my family and I have with Merle and are confident in our ability to find and select the right dogs for our purpose— to provide British Labradors for Family and Field.

Tyler Cofield