Love of Labs IN Happy Tails Blog

Cash: Just a little spoiled!

2012-01-22T11:22:00.001-08:00

We adopted Cash in July of 2011 and he has been such a great addition to our little family! He is super playful and loves our daily runs as well as doggy daycare where he can have a chance to play and socialize with other dogs. He is a little snuggler and incredibly sweet which we absolutely love. He is getting MUCH better at fetch and we are working on getting him to drop the ball when he brings it back, which he will only do when we give him a treat! Special thanks to Foster parents Linda and Tammy for taking such good care of him and always being there for questions or encouragement! Thanks LOLIN, and we couldn't be happier! We think Cash feels the same way too : )

GEORGIE ROCKS!

2012-01-18T09:25:00.001-08:00

After

Before

Georgie continues to do a most awesome job in training his people. Georgie chose us to be his family in May 2010 and we are now complete. The after and the before photographs below tells it all. Please fosters know that you are fairy godparents to those of us who benefit from your love and care! Thank you Foster Godmother Linda Acup who saved Georgie! Georgie still has not gotten that the memo that he is missing his right back leg - yup a tripod who is an experienced athlete and hurdles fences. Georgie is indeed senior but he prefers experienced! Gotta love LOLIN! Melissa, Sean and Georgie

Mozart: Then and Now!

2011-11-29T08:06:00.000-08:00

Then: An Adorable Puppy

Now: A Handsome Young Gentleman, 4 Months Old

Me (Mozart or Mozzie for short, left) & My Brother (Sparky, right)

An excerpt from Lynn & Keith (Mozzie's mom and dad):
The Doc says he will weigh almost as much as Sparky, but will be a little height challenged. He is still not very tall, but his back is so long he can get on top of the counters if he feels it is necessary.

He is still as sweet as he can be, but he does have a very mischievous side. He knows how to unroll an entire roll of toilet paper and will bring it right to you in case you need it in the living room. He LOVES paper of any kind as it is so fun to destroy. He still eats as if someone is going to take it from him and we have to stand between him and Sparky or he will eat Sparky's too. He still runs with those ears flopping like a car with a bent frame going down the highway. You've seen the ones you get behind and it appears they really should be going sort of sideways?

He has now had all his shots, including his rabies and still likes going to the Vet. He thinks he can drive. He is driving Sparky crazy, but we remind Sparky he drove Reggie crazy and it's pay back time. He is house trained, but does leak a little when excited. The Doc says he will probably grow out of that. He never once pooped in the house. We are amazed. He's ok with his crate and now knows if everyone is leaving that is the routine, but prefers the run of the house. He sleeps with us and thinks we should really get up earlier than we believe we should. So, he is training us too. Thank you again for helping us get this little weasel.

Happy Birthday

2011-10-15T13:49:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow we will celebrate Josie's one year birthday with us. She has come so far in the year since we got her. She has become the princess.

Our older lab Elvis will let her do just about anything. Often he will be playing with a toy, minding his own business, when she will drop by him and start licking the toy and just generally acting silly until he finally gives up the toy to her.

Josie is doing very well in her obedience class. We had taken her to obedience training when we first got her but due to a variety of circumstances, the class didn't work out. We figured now that she is obviously comfortable with us and knows she's found her forever home, it would be a good time to fine-tune some of her manners. She has 'sit-stay" down pat and is well on the way to mastering "stand-stay" unfortunately her "down-stay" is still a work in progress. It could be that more often than not she is in "play mode" and going into the down position just doesn't seem like a lot of fun to her. :-)

Remmy's A Beautiful Fit

2011-10-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

I cannot tell you how "right" Emmy (now called Remmy) is! She is a sweet, smart, obedient girl! We love her and cannot believe how beautifully she fits in with our family.

Last week we took her with us to a pet freindly cabin at Whitewater Memorial State Park. (She was the best behaved dog there.) She loves the water, but is not a very smooth swimmer. Next spring I will probably get her a life jacket because she keeps trying to go in over her head, then wants back in where she can stand. ;)

Thank you and every one at LOLIN for the work you do!

Belinda

Bentley's New Crib

2011-09-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

Bentley (fka Yankee) has joined our family!!! He fits right in and is so loved already. We have only had him at home for 3 days now, but he is really doing a great job. He has a new sister, a 4 year old boxer named Sadie Jane, that he adores and follows everywhere. They are still getting adjusted, but do play together sometimes. We are working on fetching the ball and walking on a leash, but were all confident that will come along. You can tell he is truly happy to be in a forever home with a family that loves him. Thank you LOLIN and Camp Bow Wow for helping us find Bentley, and for showing Bentley to us!

The Boyne Family

A Lady's Love

2011-09-07T09:47:00.000-07:00

The love of a lady is "love beyond words". My name is Lady as some of you might remember from before I was adopted about 3 years ago. I can not tell you how happy I am to have found my forever home. I know I am lavishly loved and adored by my family and the feelings are mutual. I love life to the fullest and all the special people I encounter daily. After being adopted, mom and I worked to become a "Certified Therapy Dog" team. We visit the library every week and have logged almost 90 visits since being certified. As you can see in my pictures, I also love being outside! Thank you Love of Labs for giving me a second chance at life!

With Love,
Lady

Spoiled Sox!

2011-08-02T05:52:00.000-07:00

Sox here....Just wanted to let you know that Mom and the kids are still spoiling me. I have attached a few pictures. I have a "ruff" life lounging in my favorite chair while my family is away for the day. I also included a picture of me out on my deck...I think I look pretty cute.
Will keep you posted....
Love and slobbery kisses,
Sox

Thank you LOLIN - Gibby is home

2011-05-22T11:25:00.001-07:00

Well it has been a couple of weeks that Gibby has been in her forever home and she seems to be adjusting just well. Every where I go she is right by my side.

She loves her new Air Kong which is the only thing she will play with when we are in the back yard. She also loves all the new toys the pets of my office sent her to welcome her home. And every morning she wakes me with her nose touching my face and a quick kiss to let me know she is ready to get up and go outside.

I just want to thank LOLIN for helping me find Gibby. I could not have asked for a better match than what I found with Gibby. I lost my last lab to a long time illness and age and Gibby was the perfect friend to help me heal from the loss of my dear Jasmine and to fill my heart again.

Again, Thank you LOLIN!

Tucker's Home

2011-05-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

I've been a long time volunteer for Love of Labs, starting with the adoption of our first LOLIN lab Sophie almost five years ago (her story is actually posted in this blog in December of 2010). We lost Sophie earlier this year in a shocking and heartbreaking emergency surgery. We knew that the best way to honor the memory of a beloved rescued dog is to rescue another dog in need. This is how we came to be Tucker's family. Tucker (fka Howdy) came to LOLIN from a high kill shelter in KY. He was heartworm positive too, just to add to his troubles. His time ran out at the shelter so LOLIN and our fabulous intake coordinator Kathy actually split his boarding costs for over two weeks at a kennel before he could be moved into an open foster home. His foster home knew of our loss and thought he would be a good fit for our family and asked if we would like to come meet him. The rest is history! He has gone a long way to helping us heal from losing Sophie. He's an amazing dog all on his own and we love him very much. Tucker is just one more in a long line of examples of the amazing dogs that would not be here to provide families like ours with joy and love if rescue organizations, foster homes, and adopters didn't work together to give them this second chance.

The Gentry Family

Smalls is Home!

2011-04-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

We just wanted to provide an update on Lonnie who we rescued back in November. He is now known as Smalls (as in "your killing me Smalls!") and has become a wonderful member of our family. He has graduated from obeidence class from Specks in Avon and is the sweetest, best tempered dog we have ever had. He loves to go for car rides, walks, and plays fetch everyday. Lately he has realized that if he lays on his back with his feet in the air, that mom and dad can't resist giving him a belly rub. He loves going to our lakehouse on the weekends and once it gets warm enough we are going to see how well he likes the water. Thank you to Love of Labs and his foster parents for all you have done for him. We are grateful that we were lucky enough to rescue such a wonderful dog!

Thank you,

Jeff and Anna P.

Lillie

2011-02-05T16:39:00.000-08:00

It was meant to be!! Lillie joined our family January 2011 and she couldn't be a better fit! She is very smart and has this "drive" to her that we are looking to fulfill. She loves to play chase in the back yard with her big sister Jersey, and she has really taken to people watching during our car rides! She may play hard but she's not afraid to snuggle up and give lots of sweet puppy kisses. She impresses us everyday as she grows and learns. We love our little "Lillie Bean"!

In Memory of Miss Daisy

2011-01-24T09:26:00.001-08:00

This is Miss Daisy. We adopted her early last year. She had been sent to the shelter because she was 10 and blind, her owners wanted her put down. She was an AMAZING dog. Daisy had a ball with a bell in it and was happy to go outside and retrieve that ball all afternoon if you let her. It was amazing to watch her find the ball! She was also a wonderful part of our family.

Unfortunately late in the summer, her back hips started failing. We worked closely with our vet to exhaust every avenue of treatment for Daisy. Our vet finally said we had done everything we could and that there was no magic cure for Daisy. Since that time we have had a hole in our family. We didn't have Daisy long but she surely enriched our lives.

I would encourage everyone to think about adopting seniors. Yes you do not have them as long, but they make wonderful additions to a family.

Miss Daisy...we miss you!

The Hartman Family

Bernie!

2011-01-13T12:32:00.001-08:00

Here are my kids, Bernie and Mia! As you can see, they pretty much own the house. I adopted Bernie in November of 2008 from LOLIN. He quickly became best friends with his sister, Mia. They love play-fighting and can cause quite a racket! Bernie was the best addition to our family that we could have asked for! He loves his cuddle time with us, and he LOVES the snow! He had some trust issues when we first got him, but now he knows he is in his forever home and that we will never ever leave him! :) Thanks, LOLIN and Jean Mynderse :)

Ritter Roo and Riley

2010-12-16T17:54:00.001-08:00

I am another one who is part of the old joke, Labs are like potato chips; you can't have just one. Just a year after adding Betty to our family, we turned to LOLIN and found Ritter Roo. She is a beautiful pure bred girl with papers. She is very regal looking, except when she is drinking from the toilet or the bath tub.

Shortly after adopting Ritter, I joined LOLIN as a volunteer. I participated in dog washes, Green Fairs, open houses, anniversary celebrations and more. I loved my work with this wonderful organization. When I got the call to shelter a "senior" lab until she found a forever home, I agreed. However, I was not sure I would do well with a foster. Well, I was right about that! Riley became our third labbie house dog. I am now a member of the elite group called, "Foster Failure," and could not be happier. Bless all the members of LOLIN. To help our four legged friends is definitely a calling.

Puppy Heaven

2010-12-16T09:44:00.000-08:00

Josie joined our family in October 2010. Since then she has really blossomed into a great girl. She must think she's gone to puppy heaven since it seems we get new toys every week. My skills as stuffed toy doctor have once again been put to good use since Josie likes to play tug with her 100#+ brother.

A Note from Jaci!

2010-12-13T12:12:00.000-08:00

Jaci (Black Lab pup) with canine big sister Josie (Yellow Lab)

A Note from Jaci:

I came to my new home about 9 nine days ago. WOW, there is so much to do here! I have lots of toys and my very own crate to sleep in. My new family thinks that I am the sweetest little puppy in the world. I love to play with my big doggie sister and she is teaching me the rules around here. She even lets me share her bed sometimes. I get to play with lots of other puppies at puppy school. I'm still learning that walks in the neighborhood and car rides can be fun and the world isn't really such a scary place. I follow my mom and dad everywhere, and whenever I can, I like to snuggle up with my new family. I think I like it here!

Thanks LOLIN!

Ashton's Award

2010-12-09T06:45:00.001-08:00

Here is my "Happy Tail":

After adopting Ashton nearly six months ago, he has adjusted very well to his forever home. He has gained confidence after being a "velcro dog" for the first few weeks. In fact, he is now certified as a Canine Good Citizen! I plan to take him to visit a local adult day care facility soon. He will love all the attention.

Love of Labs' original description was that "he doesn't even get on the furniture", but Ashton has overcome that flaw! He especially loves sleeping on the big bed at night by my feet. He has some abandonment issues and we learned the hard way that he needs to be crated when we are not home (how many slipper toes can one dog chew up? A lot!). He now goes right in the crate with a bone and a "cookie". It's not bribery. It's "training"!

Ashton is 5 years old now and gets along great with his big brother, Rex ( 7-1/2 year old, half yellow lab, half Golden Retriever). They wrestle and run and generally act like such boys together. Our two cats just roll their eyes at the two dogs!

A big THANK YOU to Love of Labs for making sure that Ashton was the right fit for our home. He truly has so much love and joy in his little body!

Update 12/6/2010:

Today, Ashton went to Joy's House, an adult day care facility in Broad Ripple, to visit. He did great! Most of the folks there really liked him - some just don't like dogs. He was almost mauled by one lady and he loved it! We will be going the first Monday of each month.

Sophie

2010-12-08T05:59:00.001-08:00

We adopted Sophie almost four years ago from Love of Labs. Through her adoption I met an amazing organization of people and quickly became involved as a volunteer as well as an adopter. Sophie has brought so much joy to our family. Our kids were two and five when we adopted her and LOLIN was great at ensuring we were matched with a dog who was well suited for our young family. Our kids adore her and she lights up when they come home from school. We were inspired to become a foster family for Love of Labs in order to help save more dogs like Sophie who just need that helping hand to find their perfect family.

Check out Lonnie!

2010-12-03T06:26:00.000-08:00

Loveable Lonnie is waiting for his forever home. He's great with kids and is easy to please. Learn More>>