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Labradors which are sick, over or underweight, crawling with fleas, suffering from mange, you name it, Labrador Rescue carers have seen it all. Sometimes when we look at a new arrival it makes you cry to see how bad they look.
For most dogs, a bath, flea treatment, antibiotics (sometimes for ear mites, mange etc) and a good diet makes the world of difference. However chocolate labs in particular show the effects of any or all of the above in the condition of their coat much more than the gold or black labs do. The coat of chocolate labs under stress has quite a dramatic colour change as well as the texture change of all labs. The dry, harsh coat which sheds amazingly in all the labs only seems to have a real colour change in the chocolate labs.
The photos of poor Lucy show it all. Lucy (around 10 years of age) came into care extremely thin with legs unable to take her weight due to muscle atrophy from starvation and wearing the typical “stressed coat” look of chocolate labs in trouble. You can see from the photos of Lucy, how thin she was and how her coat was a light tawny shade of brown instead of a healthy glowing walnut brown. Lucy had 7 rotting teeth extracted immediately to allow her to eat and was placed on an appropriate diet and other medical care she desperately needed. In one photo you can see her ear, which had been shaved to deal with an infection in the skin, is showing the new growth in the chocolate she should have been all over. As well as looking a bad colour, Lucy’s fur was dry to touch, you almost felt it would snap off in your hand.
Anna, the dog in the other photos came into care extremely stressed. She was overweight and so afraid of people that she would bolt outside to hide whenever anyone came into the house. Her colour was very similar to Lucy’s and every morning, the laundry where she slept was covered in a carpet of shed fur. Jess the other chocolate lady who sneaked up on the other end of the couch also came into care weighing over 40 kilos with similar sad looking and feeling fur. Their coats demonstrate that with correct care they can go in a few months from dry harsh fur the colour of Lucy’s to soft glossy coats, chocolate (or really walnut) brown that we all love to see.
Correct diet and exercise, weekly baths (Labrador Rescue uses Medicated Dog Soap by House of Carteret ) and daily grooming are essential to all our dogs with skin and condition problems. I have found that dietary supplements such as Flax seed oil or Omega 3 fish oil (capsules or liquid) together with a reasonable quality of pet food choice all help bring the shine back to choc labs.
The other essential ingredient which ALL labs need to keep their gloss both physically and mentally- to be well loved. Combine all of the above together with clear boundaries and appropriate discipline and your lab will look good and BE a fabulous family member.
Poor Lizzie! She's suffering form some sort of skin condition. Our brilliant vet Gwen who works at Peter Burgess's surgery isn't sure what's wrong so we're trying daily baths in Melasab - a medical shampoo. Unfortunately Lizzie doesn't seem to enjoy the baths. Neither am I when I see the state of the bathroom after one bath! The amount of hair in the drain, the muddy paw prints etc. And Dorrie (who hates baths) won't go near me for the next two hours thinking I'm going to somehow trick her into the bath too!
Lizzie has to have the shampoo in for about 15 minutes which leaves me enough time to wash my hair or shave my legs. So she sits in the bath with me, looking with those big black eyes Why do you do this to me? Thankfully it's all forgiven with a towel rub. She LOVES towel rubs. She knows she has to stand between my legs, so she keeps standing there begging for just one more rub down!
I feel really conscious of Lizzie's fur thinning! People who know me will be aware that I'm quite casual about how I look, figuring people will judge me on my personality rather than looks, but when it comes to foster dogs I want them to look their best for their new families. I want people to look at Lizze and laugh at her expressions, fall in love with her endearing charms and think she's absolutely adorable. I get worried that someone won't think she's as cute as she really is, if she's missing fur!
Anyway, Lizzie doesn't seem to mind how she looks. She still loves exactly the same things and behaves in exactly the same cute way. Tonight while I was watching The Block she came and jumped up on the couch next to me. It was as if she was saying, well if you are going to put me through that ordeal you can least shove over and give me some couch space!
If you would like to adopt this precious little girl, fill in an adoption questionnaire here. You have to love her as much as I do however, she deserves a brilliant home!
One of our new(er) foster families wrote to us about the training weekend that through support of the public, we ran over Easter. The weekend continues to influence our mission to provide our dogs with a safe, loving home with adequate boundaries.
John, Raj and Nadin wrote to us shortly after the event with a description on how Cherry benefited from the training.
Hello Katherine, Monica and Linda,
Thank you so much for the opportunity for Raj, Nadin and I to attend the dog training session on Good Friday. Already it has been tremendously helpful with our foster dogs.
As you know, we were caring for Cherry over Easter. Although a lovely girl, she is very rambunctious and was testing our limits. We were feeling somewhat at a loss to know how to exert some control over her extraordinary extrovert behaviour. However that changed after a day with Grant 'the Paw Man' Teeboon. We learnt effective techniques to stop her jumping and pulling on the leash. Really useful hints, like how and when to expose dogs to their fears, will certainly come in handy with rescue dogs - especially those dogs that have nervous tendencies as a result of previous mistreatment.
Equipping foster careers with the tools to manage difficult dogs will help ensure that the animals can be trained quickly and re-homed smoothy. That is good news for all involved, particularly the dogs, who with a lot of love and positive training, will go on to bring much joy to their new owners.
Once again, thank you for arranging this training. It's a worthwhile initiative that will stand our family in good stead to be effective foster careers.
Best regards,
John, Raj and Nadin.
Last week Grilld offered to donate a family meal to a foster carer who needed a pick me up. I immediately thought of Linda, who has personally matched all the dogs to their forever homes for the last 3 years!
Along with letters of thanks from foster carers, there was a special note with a lick from Jackson. A very naughty foster that stayed with Linda's family before moving to SA.
Licks back to Jackson!
Linda and her family have fostered COUNTLESS dogs and we wouldn't be able to do everything without her calm influence. She is passionate about proper dog ownership and joined Lab Rescue to learn more about dog training.
A big thank you to Grill'd for donating the meal. I hope Linda and her family felt appreciated for all they do for us.
Below is Linda and her husband at Grilld!
Have you benefited from something Linda has done? Please join me in thanking Linda in the comments below!
Hi Monica
The Thank You dinner was awesome! As you can see we had a bit of fun all being out together :D and are all going to the movies together tonight. My family felt really appreciated!! They particularly liked the lick from Jackson ;-).
Thanks to the Grill’d team for offering Lab Rescue a special dinner and thank you for inviting us to enjoy it.
We loved your hand written notes of thanks from many people involved in Lab Rescue and who’ve adopted from us in the past. Have you found Katherine’s yet ;-), she assures me she wrote one, LOL!!!
I must admit it was a welcome pick me up after having to say farewell to magnificent Milo that morning, I’ll miss him.
Many thanks
Linda & George, Ellen Owen & Jamie, Gus Kaeli & Jazz
Eukanuba are a fantastic brand of dog food. They donate palates of food to Lab Rescue and Labradog Rescue. My lovely dog Dorrie and her foster sister Lizzie REALLY love Eukanuba. So much so we had a bit of laundry raiding today...
Both dogs are feeling a little bit sorry for themselves!
Oh and the dog farts they are both producing are outrageous!
Maggie's just come into care this week from a breeder in Victoria. Unfortunately she's spent a fair amount of time at our vet due to a bad uterus infection. Peter Burgess and his team have been phenomenal as usual, putting Maggie's wealfare above sleep, food and their own families. We are so thankful for the dedication of our vets, they are incredibly generous and we couldn't do all we do without them.
Here's John's update on having Maggie. Keep an eye out for her on our dogs available to adopt page when she's healthy and ready for adoption!
Maggie is a lovely girl, however it’s obvious she has had very little love and attention. Her coat has many black marks – not sure what they are – and her face quite a few scares. Her nails are very long and she looks a bit neglected.
She has struggled with the stairs, although following her foster brother Henry’s lead, seemed to be managing them better this morning.
She cowers and becomes frightened and timid when we approach her – so for the moment we let her come to us. When we crouch down to her level she feels safer. She whimpers a lot, so I suspect that might be a sign of stress or lack of familiarity with a homely environment.
She isn’t house trained and we had major ‘accidents’ around the house last night. Our house is an old style plan without rooms such as a separate laundry. So we’ll have to come up with a creative solution for cordoning-off the carpeted areas.
As an aside, Maggie was also freaked out about our wooden and tiled floors. We have just kept exposing her to the surfaces, usually on her lead. She's still not totally comfortable, but much less freaked out than a week ago.
We have continued to employ Grant Teeboon's philosophy with reprograming Maggie. We are exposing her on a regular interval to all the things she's freaked out about; tilted and wooden floors, the crate, the lead, etc. We are finding it's working - but we have to do our best not to let her get away with anything. Sometimes it tests us more than her I think!
If Maggie has come from a puppy farm and her job has been to spit out pups on a production line, the poor thing has probably had a pretty crappy life.
Thanks for the update John, and keep up the good work with poor little Maggie!
Behind each dog on the web-site sits a whole story. The (usually) unknown story of the background the dogs came from, the volunteers and professionals who care for the dogs in the pounds, the dog transporter network that runs across Australia, the massive amount of unseen communication, administration, IT expertise and support, the vet care “donated” at almost cost price and finally the homes and families who welcome the foster dogs in for as long as it takes. Each carer also usually has a supportive partner and children and pets whose lives are often bent around the needs of the Labrador rescue operation.
One of the things we are so grateful for at Lab Rescue is the donation and support we get from the public. I want to take some time out to thank the generous donations of Casey, Janice, Alison, Karen and the Austen’s who made our recent training day over Easter possible. Your donation has helped me become better equipped as a foster carer to train ‘difficult dogs’ like Anna.
As a small token of my thanks, I want to share with you my recent experience as a foster carer at the training day.
On Good Friday I headed out to Katherine’s place with Anna (classified as difficult dog) secured in the back seat. We had consulted with Grant re Anna and Abbie (one of the girls rescued from the infamous pig farm ) months before so I was looking forward to meeting him. I was also looking forward to meeting the other carers in person.
Like many similar not for profit organisations, we know each other only by phone calls; usually to swap dogs or supplies around. We meet for fleeting moments at dog drop off/pick up times. Meeting for a day to share experiences and getting to know each other was a huge bonus. Many foster carers brought along their partners too who again are often an overlooked part of the lab rescue story.
Grant provided us with the specific information based in years of personal experience but also international research around dog behaviour. Much of it we knew or guessed at based on our own experiences but it was great to hear it presented logically and in a way that connected all the pieces together rather than having to sort through the jigsaw of our own observations.
Also present at the day were Katherine’s own dogs, the last of the pig farm survivor girls (still not ready for adoption), Anna (not ready for general adoption after 14 weeks so now adopted by us) and a couple of other difficult dogs who are in long term care with us due to ongoing work on a number of issues the dogs have been left with due to previous poor experiences.
It is very safe to say that not only did this day make a significant contribution to the capacity of the foster carers, this one day also allowed several of our “difficult” dogs to make significant progress. Let me use Anna to illustrate. Anna is (now) a gorgeous gleaming healthy looking 6 year old chocolate lab. She didn’t always look like that. When she came into care she was significantly overweight, her coat was dry, brittle and a nasty tawny light brown colour instead of a dark gleaming chocolate. This was due to the high level of stress she had been living under.
Anna has been used to breed many litters of puppies from, earning a high income return for at least 5 different owners before being sold to the people who eventually surrendered her to us. Her highly fearful behaviour of any strangers and especially men, tells its own story. Although a gentle loving dog who has fitted in beautifully to our family, it has been very difficult to get Anna to interact calmly with people. She usually panic barks and/or growls and tries her best to hide. She sits shaking, peering sideways at the “scary people” who have “invaded” her home hoping they will soon go away and she will be safe. As you can see, not the easiest dog to present to would be adopters!
At the seminar however, Anna, always beside me on lead found herself sitting next to a whole range of people who knew how to deal with a scared dog and after the first few hours, she trotted along next to me without caring WHO was on her other side. She allowed women and MEN!!! To give her treats, without crawling on the ground. In the “dog social” paddock at break times, although Anna IS very dog social, her stress level was so high, she hung along the fence line or followed me wherever I went and ignored the wonderful chance to run and play, all the other dogs indulged in.
When I made a point of leaving her to get some lunch, (peering nervously around the corner to see how she’d cope) it was fantastic to see her head over to Monica and seek her out as her safety net.
What amazing progress for this lovely dog in just one day! Grant made a difference to the knowledge base of the carers. He gave us food for thought around some of his ideas and techniques. Sharing stories and experiences with other carers also gave us an expanded knowledge base. The organised safe proximity of so many people and dogs has made a difference to Anna, Kayla, Tasha etc it has given their owners, carers renewed hope for their eventual total rehabilitation.
We owe a debt of thanks to Grant and Deb, Katherine, Monica for organising the event. The tips shared in this event will stay with us throughout our many more foster dogs.
I feel like we're always asking for help, either asking a foster carer to take a dog on at late notice, or asking for donations to cover vet bills and the various projects that Lab Rescue runs.
It's nice to write posts like these, thanking our amazing sponsors. Lab Rescue is completely not for profit and we have very stringent rules about where we spend out money. It's great when we get support from private companies who share our beliefs in saving labs from pounds around ACT and NSW.
So today I'd like to take some time to thank the guys over at Mr Taxman. Adrian and his partner Kylie have been long time supporters of Lab Rescue and have recently sponsored our event at the Sydney Pet Expo. They both run a well known accounting firm, so if you need an accountant coming up to financial end of year, we throughly recommend Adrian for his approachability and his down to earth attitude.
And from all of us at Lab Rescue, thanks Mr Taxman!
My name is Jake . I came from Wagga pound last week where I had been waiting for someone to adopt me. However noone saw the lovely inner dog behind my funny colouring...but who is perfect?
I arrived in Canberra and immediately was taken into the bush for a lovely walk. I can't remember ever being in the bush before...so I stuck my nose on the ground pretty much all the time to take in the lovely new smells. While I was on my walk, I was introduced to me new friend Moose. He's OK and after a brief hello I got back to just smelling everything around me.
I was then brought into my foster carers back yard and given a good wash to get rid of those nasty fleas I had picked up. It was a lovely experience, lots of rubbing and close contact, until she decided to rinse me off with a hose. I did not like that. My foster carer thinks I like treats but actually all I want is a pat and rub. I think she's getting the message, though she now makes me sit for the pats when before I had to jump up on her to get attention. She's learning fast :)
Anyway, then I was allowed in the house. I have never been in a house before so I was very careful to take it very slowly but it seems its OK. I like being in the house with my new foster carer because I get lots of pats and company. I am not used to the noise of TVs but you get used to that pretty quickly and after just one meal I am learning my manners when my owners eat. I love the way you can come and go through a dog door, it took me about 5 minutes to learn and then I got the hang of it.
I had a quick cry when my foster carers left me to go to their beds but I was soon asleep and ready for the new day of play!
Here are some pictures of lovely Jake....not your usual Lab rescue dog, but absolutely delightful ! He walks to heel so well but his energy and enthusiasm need containing...once he gets over that initial burst he settles quickly and thats after less than 24 hours with us.
Beautiful Mia's now been found!
Someone called us earlier today to say that she was wondering around Gold Creek. Thankfully Frances rushed out there and found her, hungry and muddy but otherwise okay.
Hopefully Mia can start to learn that staying at home is a good thing. Until then we'll be double checking our fences!
We had Mia come in on the weekend. She's a timid lab cross who's black all over except for a white stripe on her chest.
Mia's very shy and nervy. She hasn't shown any sign of aggression whilst with us, and we have no cause to believe she will cause any harm, but caution should be taken around her.
She's now broken out of her foster home in Macgregor. She's last been seen on Saturday night. If you have seen her in the North Belconnen area, please contact us on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. urgently.
Hi Everyone! Sorry I haven't been posting for a while, it's been crazy here at Lab Rescue! Stay tuned for some great new stories on the blog over the next couple of days, but for now I wanted to share with you something special. ;)
You may have seen Alex advertised on our website in the available dogs section. He came to us as a very little pup and we thought he may be a lab cross. He's now a little bit more grown up, and doesn't look like a lab at all. We're completely biased and love out labs, but even we have to admit Alex is a charmer. He looks like a kelpie cross and shares lots of labbie traits. I could go on, but John - Alex's current foster carer sent me a rather sweet update.
We need some more dog coats to tell the world about Lab Rescue so I’m combining my love of sewing with my volunteer work for Lab Rescue. Please feel free to contact us to offer your help if you’re also keen to sew for a non-profit organisation.
I was inspired by two sites in particular when working out an easy design that would fit a variety of Lab sizes.
http://prettylittlethings.typepad.com/lori_marie/2008/02/this-little-pig.html
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=139e809dc732f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=92f9cf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09a00aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&rsc=&lnc=92f9cf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09
I thought buttons were a little impractical for active fidgety Labs so decided on a Velcro closure instead!
I am a member of a quilting club which learns a new strip pattern once every two months, http://www.patchworkshop.com.au/. The most recent one struck me as eye catching and I thought it would make the coats really stand out on dogs wearing them; in black, white and red (although I picked a bright orange!).
The blocks are about 10 x 10 inches (sorry most measurements are in inches in the quilting world and I might leave it that way) so 4 sewn together is about the right size for a Lab. I can make 8 coats in this fabric using my current strip club fabrics. If you love it there will only be 8 available so put your hand up if you want one!
I thought the words ‘Adopt Me’ would be suitable for a foster dog to wear when out and about, short and fairly quick to appliqué. I think on the next one I’ll use something like ‘Rescue A Labrador’ to make it a little more flexible so that the coat can be worn by our own dogs or newly adopted dogs to spread the word and it is similar to our website and email address www.rescuealabrador.com and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
I chose a font and font size that would be easy to read from a distance (and substantial enough to appliqué, and with more straight lines than curves as this makes it easier for me to appliqué around the edges). I used GIMP (available to download off the internet for free) to reverse the letters and traced them onto an appliqué sheet. When the letters are ironed onto the fabric and cut out and affixed to the coat they’re the right way round again!
I cut some orange strips (about an inch wide) to sew around the edge of the blocks to help them look finished and act like faux binding.
I bought some cheap light white polycotton for the coat backing as I’m not really keen to make these too thick and hot for the dogs to wear. Labs are pretty energetic and have a double coat so don’t need anything warm to wear when running around outside!
I cut 2 ½ inch strips of fabric (length the width of the fabric from one selvage to the other) for the straps, one strip in orange and one in white. I interfaced the white fabric and cut each strip into 4 even lengths, a little over 10 inches each. I sewed right sides together leaving one end open and shaping the closed end slightly. Turned the straps the right way out and ironed flat and tidy.
I think the straps at the front need to be a little shorter and the straps around the body a little longer so will probably modify the next ones to be 8 inches around the front and 12 inches around the body. It may even be easier to do up with two long straps that meet two short ones or just attach one strap each way straight onto the body of the coat (but then the Velcro would be more visible than I would like).
I laid the straps orange side down on the coat body right side up and covered with the backing fabric (white polycotton), cutting around the edge (approx 20 x 20 inch square). Sew the two together leaving an opening of at least 5 inches so that you can turn the coat right side out. Topstitch around the outer edge closing the opening and reinforcing the strap attachment as you go around.
Sew Velcro onto the straps. I sewed the soft sides of the Velcro to the straps that face down toward the dog’s skin and the harsh prickly side on the straps that faced away from the dog’s body. I’m sure their double coat would protect their skin but prefer to be safe than sorry!
I’ll take some more photos of the construction process as I make the next one. Stay tuned :)
Post written by our very talented and enthusiastic carer - Linda!
Have you heard of Oz Doggy? They are a fantastic resource for anyone who has a dog. They are the Australian, dog equivalent of Google! Paul's recently sponsored Lab Rescue and we wanted to say a big thank you!
So if you are looking for dog friendly accommodation, dog sitters or dog washes jump onto www.ozdoggy.com.au.
Thanks Paul!
We are running a foster carer training day for our carers. Our foster carers do an amazing job, assessing new labs from the pounds and starting basic dog training. They are often the first people to teach a dog how to wait for their food, how to walk on a lead or to not toilet inside. As most of us know, labs are so enthusiastic to learn but sometimes struggle with focus!
Like all rescue groups, we get some labs who need significantly more work before rehoming. For example, Frances one of our foster carers is currently looking after Anna. Frances is Anna's fourth home, Anna's previous homes have left her terrified of people, specifically men. Frances is working through some exercises teaching Anna how to trust again. It's a slow and sometimes frustrating process.
Katherine is currently looking after Kayla who came from a puppy farm. Kayla was kept in a pig crate and knew nothing about humans or living in a home. She's petrified of coming inside the house. Katherine (and Katherine's dogs!) have been working with Kayla to encourage her to come inside the house. It's been a few months now and Kayla's spent a few nights inside the house. Slow progress, but we think it's VERY worthwhile.
This training day will encourage foster carers like Katherine and Frances. It will equip other carers to confidently assess dog behaviour to better match labs to their future homes.
We need your help to make this day happen. By sponsoring a foster carer you'll be equipping them to train (and save!) up to 20 dogs a year. We have over 30 carers and they are all invited to the event. We are trying to cover the costs of the trainer (Grant), food, accommodation for interstate carers.
Over the next couple of weeks I'll be giving you a chance to sponsor a foster carer. I'll introduce you to each of our carers who are coming to the event and you can help make this day possible.
First up is Monica! We need to raise $100 for Monica to go to the Foster Carer Training Day. Monica likes to tell a story or two about the fosters she's had, welcome Monica!
How long have you been fostering with Lab Rescue?I joined Lab Rescue as a foster carer in March last year.
Why do you foster?I originally wanted to foster because my husband and I wanted to adopt a dog. I was nervous about what sort of dog would suit us. I had always wanted a lab because I had dog sat one when I was a teenager. But apart from the occasional dog sitting, I didn't know anything about dogs. I was worried that we'd commit to a dog and then realise that we couldn't train it, or couldn't exercise it enough. I found it really hard to fill out the section of the Lab Rescue application that asks what type of dog you want. I didn't know whether we would suit an active dog or a lazy dog!
So Katherine convinced me to try fostering. I think after rehoming two dogs I was hooked. It's such a satisfying feeling to know that these dogs have found perfect homes that match their personality. I foster dogs that are so cheeky and naughty and I get so frustrated! I keep thinking surely no-one will want to keep this dog! But then a family comes along who want a dog they can laugh at. They are such a perfect match. It's like something out a soppy romantic comedy... but for dogs!
Who was your first foster dog?My first dog's name was Winston. He was a 5-8 year old gold male. He was a big dog, about 40kg. He had the beautiful blocky lab head and big paws. I remember being so worried about leaving him at home while I was at work. My first day at work I rushed back home and was really worried when I couldn't see him waiting for me at the front gate. I thought he had escaped!
I'd run around the backyard calling his name. Finally I found him in a the shade of the house curled into a ball sleeping. He was the most laid back, relaxed lab I'd ever met. He had a perfect heel and fantastic food manners. Winston was a great first dog to foster. He ended up going to a home with a young couple.
How do you say goodbye to your foster dogs?I actually find it quite easy to say goodbye. When Winston went to his home I had tissues in my pocket thinking I'd be really upset. But Winston wasn't concerned in the slightest, he just jumped straight into the car without a second thought. I think it also helps that I know that Winston wasn't suited to our home, but he was perfect match for his new family. That's similar to most of my fosters. I often take in the young, crazy puppies who would drive me insane if I permanently adopted them. Fostering allows me to enjoy the dogs for awhile before introducing them to their amazing new lives.
Plus I get a lot of encouragement finding out how the dogs are going in their new homes. It's ironically satisfying and addictive. Satisfying to know that that particular dog has found a home, but addictive to save another dog!
Who has been your most memorable foster dog?Bella. Easily Bella. Bella was a stunning lab. She was small, only about 28 kg with really white fur. It was a really light cream colour with dark tips on her ears and tail. Bella would crawl under our bed at night and sleep there. It was so strange because she had her own bed setup next to ours. For some reason it just wasn't good enough. Bella, like most labs would thrive on attention. If I was sleeping she would jump up onto the bed and if you ignored her she would slowly wiggle her way up to you. You'd open your eyes to find her about three centimetres away from your nose. Her tail would then start to thump rumbling the whole bed!
Unfortunately she didn't make it. Bella was unpredictably dog aggressive. I had to muzzle her every time we went outside because she would just go ballistic at seeing another dog. She ended up biting another lab's nose. It was unprovoked and we had no idea why it happened. The dogs had met previously with no issues, and the event occurred through a gap in the fence. This was after weeks of desensitisation exercises. Katherine and I had to put her to sleep. Afterwards we heard that Goldie Rescue had a similar dog who would have unpredictable aggressive streaks. The vet who put the goldie to sleep was so surprised that it was aggressive that he did a post mortem on the goldie. There was a brain tumor which was just behind the eyes, obviously causing the dog wild mood swings. It would have been fatal in the dog.
I have no idea whether this was Bella's problem or if she had some sort of trauma in her past. I am confident that Lab Rescue did the right thing however. Wherever Bella is now she's no longer muzzled, no longer distressed by other dogs and is at peace.
What has been your most satisfying dog to rehome?I think the day after saying goodbye to Bella I was at Katherine's house. She turned to me and begged me to take another dog. She had no-where else to put it and hated to give it to me so soon after Bella, but had no choice. Surprising myself, I agreed. I was actually going to take two dogs, one, Champ, was going to a new home that day, the other was Alex my new foster. Champ's meet and greet was happening at my house in a few hours.
Champ's new owner was almost 70 and recently lost two of his labs to cancer. He lived on 40 acres and was terribly lonely without a canine companion. Dogs were everything to this guy. He would move his bed closer to the fire in winter just so his dogs could sleep on the bed and keep warm. When he came over and saw Champ and Alex he fell in love. He had tears in his eyes and begged to take both dogs despite the fact he didn't have enough room in his car! I suspect he cuddled the dogs on his lap the whole way home.
As he left, crying again, he gave me the biggest bear hug saying thank you.
Do you want to support and encourage Monica by donating to Lab Rescue? Direct Deposit your donation into the account below. Please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a receipt. If you also pledge your support in a comment below you go in a draw to win a Lab Rescue Mug!
Labrador Rescue IncDefence Credit UnionBSB: 803-205 Account: 2077 9092
One of our foster carer's Shani sent this update in about Diego. Her comments about Diego around cats had me in stitches!
Come meet our cuddly dogs and their foster carers this weekend at Canberra's RSPCA Adoption Drive!
