Labor Day at the Farm: Why We Never Really Get a Day Off (And Why We Love It)

Happy Labor Day — from me, Judd, and approximately 15 dogs who have absolutely no idea what a holiday is.

Every year when a long weekend rolls around, I get a few texts from friends. “What are you doing for Labor Day?” And every year, I smile a little and type back something like, “Same thing I do every day.” Because the honest truth about running a kennel and a breeding program is that the calendar doesn't really have days off. There's no holiday where the feeding skips itself or the puppies decide to sleep in until noon.

And here's the thing I want you to know: I genuinely wouldn't trade it.

5:30 AM Looks the Same on Monday as It Does on Saturday

My mornings start early. They always have. Coffee first — that part's non-negotiable — and then I'm out the door. The adult dogs need to go out, eat, and have their morning. The puppies need feeding, checking over, cleaning up after. If we've got a litter in the whelping box, that means I'm in there watching them, making sure everyone's eating well, doing a quick health check on each one.

That's the part that gets glossed over in the cute puppy photos. The reality of a breeding program — a good one, anyway — is that it's constant, detailed, hands-on care from the moment those puppies arrive until the moment they go home to their families at eight weeks. And even then, it doesn't stop. We're just doing it from a distance, answering calls and texts from new owners, celebrating milestones with families who've become part of our extended community.

Judd and I both work in this together. He handles a lot of the training, and I'm usually the one managing the whelping side of things, the paperwork, the communications, the social media, the health records. On a holiday weekend, it just means we're doing all of that without the normal weekday noise.

The Part Nobody Talks About

Here's something I think about a lot, especially on days like Labor Day: this life chose us as much as we chose it.

We started this because of Avery — our first dog, the one who showed us what a really well-bred, well-trained lab could be. One dog turned into a program. A program turned into Hillcrest Farm Labs. And somewhere along the way, caring for these dogs stopped being something we do and became something we are.

So when people ask how I manage it — the early mornings, the constant care, the fact that vacations require serious planning and trusted help — I think the real answer is that it doesn't feel like managing. It feels like living. These dogs are part of our family in the most literal way. Their wellbeing isn't a task on a checklist. It's personal.

What the Dogs Taught Me About Showing Up

There's something about the rhythm of caring for animals that I think makes you a better person, if you let it. You can't have a bad attitude and be a good dog person at the same time. The dogs know. They read your energy, and they respond to it. So you learn to show up calm, consistent, and present — even when you're tired, even when things didn't go the way you planned, even on a holiday when part of you wishes you could just sit on the porch and do nothing.

That consistency — showing up every single day no matter what — is something I'm proud of. It's something Judd is proud of. It's the foundation of what we do here. And I think it's why the families who bring home puppies from us feel it. They can tell these aren't just dogs that were produced. They're dogs that were raised.

The Good Stuff That Makes It All Worth It

But okay — I don't want this to come across as only hard work, because that's not the whole picture. Not even close.

There are moments in this life that stop me cold. A litter of fat, healthy, two-week-old puppies piled on top of each other in the whelping box. The first time a young dog figures out a water retrieve and swims back to you with the bumper and that ridiculous proud look on their face. A message from a family three years after they took home their puppy, telling you their kid finally got up the courage to sleep without a nightlight because their lab sleeps in the bed with them now and they feel safe.

You can't put a price on that. You really can't.

Labor Day for us this year looked like Judd leaving to hunt Teal at 4:30 in the morning, morning chores, some training out in the field in the afternoon — and we actually did sit on the porch for a little while. The dogs were tired after a morning of hunting.

Not a bad day off, honestly.

Our Promise to the Families Who Choose Us

If you've gotten a puppy from us, or you're thinking about it, I want you to know something: we take this seriously every single day. Not just on the good days. Not just when it's convenient. Every day, including the holidays, including when it's cold, including when we're tired.

That's what you're getting when you bring home a Hillcrest Farm puppy. A dog who was cared for like family from day one. A breeder who answers the phone when you have questions three years from now. A program built on showing up — every single morning, no days off.

From our farm to your family — that's a promise we take seriously.

Happy Labor Day, friends. Go hug your dogs. 🐾

— Dayna