Tapua Labrador Retrievers logo

About Tapua Labradors

Forty years of breeding Australian working dogs. Meet the Tapua Labradors breeders, Pauline Gill and Peter Levett.

Yellow Labrador portrait
Yellow and black Labradors lying together on grass
Yellow Labrador puppy sitting on grass

Trusted by Australia's Leading Assistance Dog Organisations

Two people in winter jackets at a scenic lookout
Two people standing on a ship's deck with Sydney Harbour behind them

Our Story

Most of our pups are placed with Assistance Dog organisations or trainers, and go on to support people living with autism, PTSD, epilepsy, diabetes, and other complex needs. Others work in biosecurity and scent detection. A smaller number are placed with carefully selected families as gentle companion Labradors. Across all of it we’re breeding for the same thing: a Lab who conforms to the breed standard, with strong retrieval drive, focus, and the “switch-off” ability that lets them work hard on the job and settle quietly at home.

Our Vision

To breed Labradors who are operational in the role they're chosen for — and who, regardless of role, embody the intelligence, loyalty and versatility this breed is known for. Every Tapua pup is bred to serve, raised to settle, and matched to the home or program where they'll thrive.

Our Mission

A future where Australians who need an Assistance Dog can be matched with a Labrador whose temperament, drive and stability were built in long before training began. We see breeding as half the equation; partnering with the right trainers and organisations is the other half.

Built on Time, Lineage, and Outcomes

The numbers behind the program.

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Years as a Dogs NSW member (since 1986)

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Generations of proven Tapua lineage

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Years Breeding Labrador Retrievers

Meet the Tapua Labradors Breeders

Tapua is run by Pauline Gill and Peter Levett out of Woodstock, NSW. We had professional careers in welfare before this — work that taught us first-hand how powerful the bond between a well-bred dog and the right person can be. That’s the lens we bring to every pup we raise.

Pauline Gill, one of the Tapua Labradors breeders

Pauline Gill

Co-breeder
Peter Levett, one of the Tapua Labradors breeders, with a black Labrador

Co-breeder · Tapua Labradors

Peter Levett

Co-breeder
Eight Weeks and Beyond by Pauline Gill, book cover

“A journey into breeding Labradors for purpose.”

Limited · Signed by Pauline Gill

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