DOGGONE

Breeders Win $400,000 in Suit Over Defrosted Labrador Sperm

They alleged that the semen bank ruined champion deposits by allowing them to thaw.

In the mid-1990s, Oregon dog breeder Dick Weiner stored the sperm of six champion Labrador retrievers with the International Canine Semen Bank. This week, Weiner and an associate were awarded $400,000 by a jury that found the bank allowed those vials to thaw—depriving them of the chance to sell the sperm to other breeders or to produce hundreds of elite puppies from it. “The genetics of these dogs are really good,” breeder Brad Barcroft told The Oregonian. “They don’t have hip problems. They don’t have bad eyes. They don’t have coat problems. They are super smart, which makes them easy to train.” The sperm bank plans to appeal.