Nothing at all wrong with planning ahead, and it certainly should be it a family project. I think that’s a great idea.

But face it, typically, after things settle out, Mom is going to be the chief doggie chore doer, whatever the preliminary plan is, and whatever rules are laid down, so perhaps Mom should make the final pet acquiring decision. But Moms have soft hearts, and after watching the interaction between the Lab and her kids, she will (I’m guessing) not have a real problem with that.

BTW, some dog breeds (a lot of breeds) are pretty flaky and tend to wander off, but mature Labs will for the most part stick by your side, it seems to be an instinctual thing. You might not even need a leash to walk them (except for legal reasons), they stay right with you. Unless you have a male and he gets a whiff of doggie perfume. Then, well, a doggie can only take so much temptation.

I do disagree that the threat of non-fulfillment of dog chores by kids should result in getting rid of the dog (unless that’s just a threat for the purpose of persuasion?). If you get a dog, you are stuck with it. It should be a responsible decision up front, and unless the dog turns out to have habits or attitudes that are just incompatible with where you live or who you live with, esp. if it is a snapper and you are uncomfortable with its unpredictability around people or other pets, you should understand that it is your dog. For keeps. IMO.