Hi - after 12 months of deliberating we have decided to buy a puppy (labrador). What I am unsure of though is what paperwork to expect when I buy it - we want a pedigree but have seen some pups for sale that are not kc registered but apparently pedigree. Is this right? Would you be given paperwork proving the pedigree and how would you know if it was genuine? I would be grateful for any help on this subject.

In my opinion a dog without a KC paper is no better than a cross breed (a silly belief i know but thats me). I enjoy my dogs regardless of Kc registration but i am interested in showing and have bred a few litters so need the paperwork from the KC.
A dog without KC papers is even less likely to have been health screened, so could have any hereditary illness waiting to jump out at you. Any responsible breeder will provide KC registration papers, photocopys of Dam and Sire's hip, elbow, heart and eye test results (if applicable), a diet sheet, A record of veterinary treatment, the first innoculation, a book about the breed and strongly suggest you call them first hand if you have any questions or problems. All my pups go off with the above.
I would suggest looking on the Champdogs page for Labs and find a good breeder (home, guided search, gundogs, laberadoor retriever, breeders). E.mail a couple who's dogs and lines appeal to you with regards to being placed on their waiting list. If the breeder isn't too far away from you, and your application has been sucessful, ask about visiting their kennel and have a look at the Dam of the proposed litter. Research the breed, you cannot do too much research!
Good luck with finding your puppy,
I hope my rambling has helped a little!
Caz xxx

Anyone can sit down and produce a pedigree, it is just a list of names and unless you know the breed well you would have know idea if it was likely to be correct or not.

I would not even look at a dog that was not KC registered unless I knew the breeder and the breeding lines, having said that it is possible to cheat even with a KC registered puppy but it is far less likely and in the event of a problem you would have the KC on your side.

Unless you have a good idea about the pups background you will not be able to check the health records of it's parents and g. parents or as far back as you wish to go.

In most cases a well bred pup will come with a KC registration with change of ownership slip attached that the breeder will/must sign. A pedigree sheet that tells you the detail of your pups ancestors, usually back 5 generations. You will get insurance for the first few weeks also ask for details of the worming and what was used and if the pup has had it's first inoculation the certificate for that. You should be able to see the mother and the other pups, if the breeder has kennels ask to look around, ask to see the certificates for the eye, hip and elbow testing. Should the breeder seem unwilling to supply any of the paperwork or allow you to see any of her dogs (apart from a bitch that is whelping) then I would be very worried. The breeder should also ask you lots of questions and may want to see your home.

You should really see the pedigree before you buy so that you know where your pup is coming from.
When you collect pup you should recieve a copy of the pedigree , the kc papers with transfer of ownership slip which should have been signed by the breeder and a good breeder will also give you an advice sheet telling you what food pup is on , how much to feed and how often, worming details, when innoculations are due etc and contact details should you need any advice from her :)