ONCE UPON INVERNESS
The home of Inverness Labrador Retrievers is in upstate New York in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains, along the Susquehanna River in the village of Otego. By car, Inverness is one hour southwest of Albany or 45 minutes northeast of Binghamton. For those familiar with charming, historic Cooperstown, we are 30 miles south of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Robin Briguglio

Inverness Labradors is named for Inverness, Scotland. The heritage of my father, Paul Stuart Chisholm, dates back to the early descendents of the Clan Chisholm. His branch of the family originating in Inverness, Scotland. I acknowledged my Scottish origins with the name Inverness Labradors, founded in 1990.

Inverness Labrador Retrievers, owned by myself, Robin Briguglio, operates with three assistants; Jaime, Jaclyn, Zeppy, and our grounds security and aesthetics manager, Joe. They are an integral part of the tremendous success Inverness has known for years. Their conscientiousness significantly enhances the top quality care our dogs and pups receive. Inverness Labradors’ reputation in the United States is for producing sound, beautiful Labradors with wonderful temperaments. We receive a great deal of attention locally too, from our extended family of fans and puppy/dog customers.

I grew up in Manhasset, LI, NY with endless love for our cats and dogs. The earthy and magical delight they founded in my childhood carried over as love for what has become my life’s work. My passion for dogs came naturally and my ability to read dogs and train, easily followed. I spent hours researching breeds and historical derivations. Sunday mornings I huddled over the New York Times Pet Section on the floor of my father’s study, reading ads aloud about pups for sale. The mahogany paneled walls stood as warm, solid frames that surrounded those Sunday longings for a dog. My father, who was deeply immersed in the financial section of the paper, and my mother critiquing Fashions Of The Times, were not quite as enthusiastic about my constant plea for dogs, but were impressed with how well I could read aloud those irresistible advertisements! Occasionally both looked over the tops of their newspaper sections, beyond the rims of their eyeglasses, down their noses, tipped back the pages of their own required reading, and actually showed an interest! I am sure they exchanged a wink, a nod; at least a raised brow.

I promised my parents I would care for a new pup all by my very own 5-year-old self! They just could not say “no”! I was fortunate they recognized my passion was not a fleeting one. Unlike the ballet lessons with my Radio City Music Hall teacher Miss Faye, the years of piano lessons, the swimming team competitions, sailing and boating on the grand Manhasset Bay, my desire to learn about and talk dogs, never ever waned with the seasons, or the years.

One November day I lugged home a pudgy pup from the neighbor’s mixed breed litter to show my parents. I was hoping we would both look and be irresistible. This worked and became a pattern in the way I acquired our family pets! ‘Romeo’ was a terrier/corgi and was related in stories as “well, he is some sort of ‘something’ or other”. He herded every kid in a quarter mile radius, nipping at their heels to keep them grouped together and properly on their lawns. This did not win the Chisholm family great favor and we frequently received a phone call about whether our dog had been vaccinated for rabies. He did not injure children, but his herding alarmed people; not understanding this was typical herding breed behavior. It was in ingrained breed trait. Romeo lived to be 16. If only we had given him jobs that took advantage of his instincts. Everyone would have been happier. The Romeo experiences grew a great respect in me for the awesome personal business of an animal living faithfully from his ancient and valuable purpose.

In 1979, I married. Within one year, we had our first child, a Doberman-Golden Retriever mix. Calypso was boot camp for all that was to come. She was a friendly, spirited girl, with the lithe speed of a derby- winning racehorse! Calypso was a fixture in the lives of our three children, initiating them into ‘the magic kingdom of dogs’ which their mother approved. Our family and our neighborhood all knew Calypso. She was a four-pawed neighborhood watch program all by herself. Before her death at 13, I acquired my first Labrador Retriever.

One sun-drenched July day I tossed in the last load of wash, bandaged a skinned knee, wiped the crumbs from the peanut butter sandwiches off the faces and fingers of my children, and said, “Let’s see if we can make a new friend somewhere today!” I had a ‘human’ in mind. We stopped at the village grocery and saw an ad for pups on the community board. I read aloud- one of my favorite things to do- and then ripped off a phone number tab from the ad and headed for the pay phone. My daughter tugged my pant leg with one hand, while clutching the grocery list and all those clipped, slippery coupons in the other, as I dialed. While asking continually if she could push our cart and also pick out a Golden Book about puppies, my son played with the coin return hoping for a quarter or a slot machine payout. In a whisper voice, he repeated the word "puppa". My youngest daughter kept asking if anyone was answering, was it ringing or was it busy. All the while, she excitedly ran strands of her long dark hair along her lower lip, twisting, turning, eyes wide open, looking up at me. I told them we might go see puppies! In that second, I saw in my children’s eyes, they too inherited the passion. There was a flicker of pixie dust, then little clapping hands and ‘yea’s!

We drove to an intriguing little home that reminded me of Santa’s workshop. Kids played with toys everywhere, a kind owner took fresh baked bread out of the oven, and pups snoozed on a sunny oak wood floor with their dam. We melted. In four weeks we brought home a sweet chocolate puppy. Cappuccino trained quickly, fit right in, and minded with perfection. She was the best trainer I ever had.

INVERNESS LABRADOR RETRIEVERS WAS BORN
Two years later, I contacted Gladys Rogers at Snowden Hill and discussed my desire to breed Cappuccino. Her lineage came by way of Snowden Hill. Gladys met with me and commented Cappuccino looked like her grandmother. She was bred to Ch. Snowden Hills Mighty Moose, and we had a litter eleven chocolate pups; six girls and five boys.

I continued reading everything on training, breeding, showing, rarely coming up for air. I was hooked on Labs. Gladys entrusted a 3-year old Labrador named Anna to me as co-owner, and I began to breed and show with an ANNA and Ch. Dickendall Arnold daughter who was a fabulous Labrador; my sainted ‘Andie’. My children all participated. Since 1990, I have bred wonderful litters, experiencing just about everything a breeder can. That includes trials, tribulations, and the tenacity to improve the breed. I still today ask my family for all the flex they can muster. This is a livelihood that entails tremendous hours, hands on training, and situations. Striving in every aspect as a top-notch breeder, I never felt very OK leaving our Labradors home being managed by anyone other than us. Consequently, there have been many changes of plans in our lives to accommodate my being a responsible breeder.

We breed a few litters a year and have pups around the country in pet and show homes. Each home is carefully selected, from Maine to California, for great matches. We have bred champions, all shown by professional handlers, as I prefer to watch at ringside rather than trip over a piece of bait on the go ‘round or the down and back! We are delighted to home our pups in the arms of adoring new families seeking that special companion. For he or she will become that memory, that whimsical character, that forever paw print on the grain of their lives, the one in all the pictures, the treasured dog of a lifetime.

My goals as a breeder are to continue the beloved Labrador Retriever breed with priority and focus on producing loving, hearty Labradors with sound temperaments, from carefully chosen breeding stock. This helps put the odds in my/our favor for the best in healthy living in their lifetime. The first priority for us is temperament. It must come over fad or fashion.

It is an honor to be part of the memories, which others will come to share with their dogs. In recent years, I have gained recognition as an Animal Communicator, a title I am honored to carry. People from every lifestyle have consulted me about their pet’s behavior. I have helped them to understand their pet; how to live in mutual respectful for whom their dog is. I believe I have taught many dog owners to ‘read’.

I will always endeavor to ‘read’ every puppy/dog I know. I will help others do the same, so no dog is wrongfully treated, labeled, or passed on due to complete lack of understanding by their owner. I strive to enlighten others as to what their dog is about, what makes him tick, how his heart desires to be ‘dog’ and to live a dog’s life; as dogs long for companionship and adoration- in their own way. Discovering a noble, respectable understanding of our animals, with our own commitment to civility with regard to their treatment, reaps a rich lifetime reward of love and companionship.

Children will sponge up and retain how we, as parents and adults, live with our pets. They will learn by our example-what we do, how we act, how we love, how ethically we care for our pets and respect them. Children will in turn pour their wonderful and humane sense of ‘knowing’ the heart and soul of their dog, back into the world - which is so needy of our kindness, tolerance and honorable living with animals. Our children, who inherit their own gifts of great spirit and adventure will grow in the considerate footsteps of respecting animal beings on Earth, and become responsible animal stewards.