About
About Lab Life Shop
Our family has always had a Lab.
Jesse came first. Then Zoe. Now Winnie. We've loved all three colours. That's where the tagline came from — every colour is the best colour.
Jesse. Our first. Steady, calm, the kind of dog who made everything feel like it was going to be fine. She was the mentor of the house — patient with every puppy that came after her, including Zoe, who needed exactly that kind of quiet confidence to learn from. Jesse passed in the spring of 2017, but the whole family still runs on the pace she set.
Zoe. Black as night, smart as anything, and cuddly in a way that caught you off guard every time. She had an intellect behind those eyes that made you feel slightly watched. She passed just months later that same spring, and left a space that took a long time to figure out how to fill.
Winnie. Our yellow Lab, and she is, without question, absolutely certain that she is everyone's best friend. Enthusiastic about the lake, enthusiastic about dinner, enthusiastic about you specifically even if she's never met you before in her life.
She lives with Lucy — a cat who finds all of this professionally exhausting. Lucy judges from an elevated surface. But Lucy's always got one eye on Winnie, whether Winnie's noticed or not.
And Bailey. Before Lucy, there was Bailey — black and white, sharp-eyed, and the only one in the house who ever told the truth without softening it. If you've read our shipping or return policy, you've already met her — "Bailey's Bottom Line" is her voice, still keeping us honest.
Why Lab Life exists.
There's a strange snobbery that creeps into dog ownership sometimes. Show people look sideways at breeders. Breeders look sideways at hunters. Working-dog people think the couch Labs don't know what they're missing. Somebody's always got an opinion about mutts and crosses not really counting.
We don't buy any of it.
A Lab is a Lab — show ring, duck blind, backyard, or somewhere in between. Purebred, mixed, rescued, doesn't matter. What unites all of it is the same simple thing: joy. The specific, ridiculous, daily joy of being loved by one of these dogs. That's the whole thesis. Life is better with a Lab — every version of one, every version of the person lucky enough to have one.
Lab Life is that community. Everyone who's ever been picked as someone's person by this breed, whatever that looked like for you.
Lab Life Shop is how we get to be part of it — apparel, gear, and a small excuse to keep telling these stories, funded by people who get it.
Welcome to the pack. We're glad you're here.
One Lab fact to start.
The Labrador Retriever actually originated in Newfoundland — not Labrador. Bred by fishermen in the early 1800s to retrieve nets and catch fish that escaped the lines, they were working dogs first. Enthusiastic, water-obsessed, and always doing more than anyone asked.
Some things genuinely don't change.
Always consult your veterinarian for advice specific to your dog's health and needs. I'm not a vet or a dog trainer — just someone who has loved a lot of Labs (and one very honest cat).
— Colin, Winnie & Lucy
(Jesse, Zoe & Bailey, always)