It then transpired that this 2 yr old dog had had NO vaccinations; had a stomach upset; had a water infection, and was in heat. (We already knew she'd be in heat).

When I asked, the Rescue rep then admitted that 'maybe one or two' of the infections that the dog 'could' have picked up could be transmitted to humans.

It is 'normal' for a dog rescue to have no information about a dog up to and including not knowing that it hasn't had ANY vaccinations…?
This dog was taken from a 'private home' - yet came with no collar, no food, nothing!

Thanks for all your answers guys
This is absolutely normal. Rescue dogs are an unknown commodity in most cases. Even if they are owner surrenders, people lie about vaccinations and health all the time! If they are shelter pulls, they could have picked up anything in the shelter.
It is also normal to get a new foster to the vet to be treated and vaccinated. It is also normal to quarantine a dog until all possibility of anything infectious has been eliminated. This is just plain common sense.
Does your group not have a procedures manual for how to take in and vet a new dog, and how to introduce to your home? If not, maybe a suggestion to them to make one up would be helpful to all the volunteers.

I have had worse. I had a dog in quarantine for 2 1/2 months once. Ringworm, conjunctivitis, sarcoptic mange, kennel cough, you name it! And also not altered.

if you do by chance leave a pup outside, make sure it gets enough socializing!
you will also have to buy stronger meds for heartworm, fleas, ticks, etc. and a covered dog house, a fence, and more.
since your parent is allergetic to dogs, i would see if getting one with minimal hair and no shedding would be better. I would hate for a retriever to be left out side, but it is fine to do.

Have you considered a Flat-Coated Retriever?

IIRC, a lot of work is being done by breeders to establish consistency of temperament in Australian Labradoodles.

Possibly more important than breed itself is the right breeder, someone who'll help select the right dog for your family, then be available for you and the dog for its entire life.

Do you have any tips for me on how to successfully introduce these dogs to each other without either one becoming nervous and/or aggressive?

I'm planning on having them meet on 'neutral' territory, but any other tips would be greatly welcomed Thanks guys - very helpful

Cheers for the link KATHLEEN
I always introduce my dogs to a new foster dog outside, away from the house one at a time. If there's any issues, I bring the new dog home and keep the new dog in a crate in the same room until everyone calms down and gets used to the new dog being there. Then I try again introducing them one at a time. After that, there's usually no problems. On the rare occasion there are still issues after that, I repeat the process if I think there's a chance they will get along or just keep them separated if it seems the new dog has aggression issues beyond just the normal tiffs dogs may have upon meeting one another.

Thanks Thanks CHAOS, great links
Tabitha.

I am in the UK and long ago decided to feed my dogs a more species specific raw prey model diet.
This was 15 years ago, and since then I have never looked back. There are plenty of places in the UK to obtain suitable raw food from. You do need a big freezer, but apart from them it is not inconvenient, can be cheaper and certainly cab man fewer vet visits/bills !

I have fed Yorkies &Y Border Collies on raw, starting with older dogs and since having raised a litter of puppies on raw.

I have provided a few links to help you read through if you want to go this rouote. Many, MANY people acrross the globe have reverted back to feeding this more natural diet over the past 10-20 years, BUT you will still find a lot of negativity and doom-saying amongst the people who have not yet researched this. Be prepared

I have also included a link to a very recent article in the Daily Mail about modern petfood and vets.
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Happy hunting and good luck with the new dog ! Hope this helps.

Usual fee- price of a puppy or a puppy.

If your dog is NOT a champion himself, doesn't have all of his health checks (OFA hips/elbows, CERF, heart and thyroid clearances) no breeder of quality Labs would be interested in using him.

Why do you want her to have pups in the first place.

1–is she a champion show dog, if no, then don't breed her

2–has she been tested for genetic disorders

3–has she been tested for temperament.

4—Get her spayed if no to any of the above.

It costs lots of money to breed, then raise a litter of pups, and you are risking loosing your dog at the time she has the pups, there is always a risk factor when pups are being born,.

You are not an experienced breeder, so why do you want to breed, just to let her have pups is not a good reason, or that you want a pup from her…adopt a pup and save a life.

There are so many pups in the shelters today, that are waiting for good homes, please do not add to the over population in our shelters now.

I volunteer at a No Kill Shelter, and so many dogs and pups, no homes, no place to put them, they sit in cages or foster homes just waiting on someone like you that wants another puppy, so go and adopt, and get your dog spayed,save a life, maybe hers by not breeding her.

Please listen to your mom, she is a smart lady, do not breed your dog…Please….

Good luck with your decision, I hope it is the right one…

I live in England by the way, so if you're American and dont know what the hell I'm on about…dont waste your time
here in america we have a huge surplus of dogs being put to death because there are not enough homes for them. perhaps there is a shelter over there and you can save a dog from living in a cell or being put to death. just a thought but there are always lab pups at the shelters where I live….