Dogs live the good life on the ranch
The first thing visitors notice when they arrive at Murphy Ranch
are the dogs. There are black Labs, yellow Labs, a chocolate Lab
and even one with a red coat.
Dogs live the good life on the ranch
The first thing visitors notice when they arrive at Murphy Ranch are the dogs. There are black Labs, yellow Labs, a chocolate Lab and even one with a red coat.
Nanci and Tom Dean decided to purchase a black Labrador retriever puppy 10 years ago and since then their brood has grown. Belle, a robust black dog with chocolate brown eyes, was the first to join the family. With the dog, the couple decided to try their hand at breeding. With Belle’s first litter Murphy Ranch Labs was born.
“We had a Labrador before who died at 16,” Nanci said. “[Tom] was doing basketball and I said I need something to do.”
Tom coaches girls’ freshman basketball at San Benito High School, and even named one of their Labs Baler.
Nanci spent two years researching breeders before she found a good match at JanRod Labs in Pacific Grove.
“We bought Belle and two years later we had her bred and got no puppies,” Nanci said. “Then we tried again and still no puppies. The third year, we had seven puppies and then eight puppies the next year.”
Three of the black Labs they have are related – Belle gave birth to Sky who gave birth to Lark. Lark’s father is a grand champion named JanLon’s Light My Fire, nicknamed Striker.
Other dogs they have purchased along the way. While in Placerville with her mother, Nanci heard about a breeder who had chocolate labs. Tom had already commented that they shouldn’t get any more dogs. Nanci saw the pups and came home with Hershey, who is now 2 ½ years old without giving Tom the heads up. The couple now has seven breeding females.
The couple breeds their dogs only after they turn 3 years old. They breed the dogs on a rotation and breed the first dog that comes into heat each season so they generally have just one litter of puppies a year. At age 8, the dogs are retired.
“In Sky’s case it was too hard on her because of an injury when she was a puppy,” Nanci said, of their choice to stop breeding Sky. “She pulled some vertebrae and she can’t jump on the bed.”
The puppies they have raised have gone as far away as Virginia, though many are in homes in the greater Bay Area and along the Central Coast. Three puppies are in homes in Hollister.
“We are a very home style kennel,” Nanci said. “When they are ready to whelp, we have a big wooden whelping box. They stay in the kitchen in the house.”
At four weeks, they allow the pups outside for the first time.
“They learn basic no, basic sit,” Tom said. “They need to be occupied and get distracted very easily.”
One of the benefits of purchasing puppies from Murphy Ranch Labs is that they have carefully chosen the sires – male dogs – that they use to produce the puppies.
“Labs have a high incidence of hip dysplasia,” Tom said. “They [JanRod Labs] have a low incidence and our labs have a low incidence.”
The couple still has two pups left from the most recent litter. The pups have nicknames, Zipper and Sunshine. They are 15 weeks old and very energetic. When the weather is nice they can bound around in a large, fenced off kennel. When let out of the kennel, they quickly join the older dogs, romping and chasing a ball. When no one is looking, the pair ran through a small creek that runs behind the Deans’ house. They had mud and water on their bellies and up to their elbows.
The couple charges what they pay to breeders for the puppies, which can be between $800 and 1,000.
“If you are in this for the money, you are in the wrong business,” Tom said.
The work includes early morning feedings of the pups and cleaning up after them. They feed the dogs a natural diet that includes lots of fruit for pregnant dogs.
“It’s just like a baby,” Nanci said.
And when the babies are ready to leave, the couple looks for suitable families.
“She [Nanci] screens all the families,” Tom said.
“I know in a heart beat if they are right,” Nanci said. “These are family-raised dogs and they are good quality dogs for happy homes.”
They have heard from many of the owners through the years.
“Every year when we have a litter, when they turn 1 year old, we have a barbecue and invite the families back,” Tom said. “Everyone comes back.”
Tom and Nanci Dean can be reached at 628-3385 for those interested in learning more about Murphy Ranch Labs.
