BTDT with Labs.  Bear was the best dag ever!  Had to give him up to my folks when I got married.  Wife (now "ex") was allergic.  Yeah, I know, bad trade.

Anyways, we've had a Shih Tzu for several years.  I was never a small dog person but the little bastard really has grown on us.  He goes everywhere with me now.  He really is a cool dog.

Now that ex wife is out of the house, the girls are wearing me out for a lab.  I am quite familiar with the trials and tribulations of lab puppies.  They are not.  I own my own business so I have the flexibility to bring the dog with me all the time, keep him in my ofc, etc.  My yard is certainly being enough for one and I go to our hunt camp pretty much every other weekend at least so the dog would have that roaming area as well.

Am I nuts for considering this?  Kids are 12 and almost 14 so in 4-5 years they'll be gone and dog will most assuredly be left behind with me.

The natural quail population is exploding at our camp since the timber was cut a few years ago.  Close to a huntable population.  A retriever sure would be nice.

I've found a reputable kennel locally that has a female ready now.  Would make a great Christmas gift!

I'd say FO. By the time the kids are gone, the dog will have settled down and will be much more mature. It also sounds like your schedule and lifestyle will work well for a dog, even one with considerable energy like a lab. If the girls are willing to help care for it and train it then go for it.

Labs are great dogs - I say go for it.

Just be ready for the first three years of, uh, fun!

Life is better with a lab in it. There will be fewer wearable shoes lying around the house, but it's a good trade.

It took Bear that long.  I'm convinced that if he hadn't been hit by the car and lost for a week while I had gone to Colorado to find a job (crappy roommates) he would have been crazy even longer.

That's kind of my dilemma.  My patience has worn thin in my "old" age.