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.

One of our foster carer's Shani sent this update in about Diego. Her comments about Diego around cats had me in stitches!

Lewis was surrendered to us last week. He is a beautiful 16 week old puppy who's still growing up. He's about the size of a big cat. We VERY rarely get pure lab puppies this young, so it's a bit of a treat for us to see them.

Lewis has just been moved into foster carer Laurie's home so that he can learn to play with golden retriever Ari. I was lucky enough to drop Lewis off and watch him play with Ari for the first time. Oh how they loved each other! At one stage, trembling with excitement, Ari ran towards Lewis, forgot to stop and bowled him over! Completely knocked off his feet!

Lewis is learning quickly however, next time Ari came running at him he gave a warning snap. Ari was so taken aback that he cringed! Poor old Ari, told off by someone a third of his size!

By the time I left Laurie's house the boys were panting heavily. They had just spent the last 20 minutes chasing each other around the yard and play bowing. It was VERY cute.

Laurie sent me some photos of Lewis the other night, I think they are rather cute!

Lucia's owners emailed us over the new year with an update. It had such a funny picture in it, I just have to share it!

Apparently Lucia's learnt how to loop herself into the seat belt when in the car, how clever! Very sensible of you!

Here's Gregi's update on Lucia:

Angel's volunteered to maintain a Lab Rescue facebook page! You can share photos, stories and read all our blogs on facebook. 

There are a couple of Lab Rescue pages started up, so look for the new logo as the profile photo. Here's a direct link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Labrador-Rescue/209331982493477

Hope to see you on there!

About a year ago Frances, one of our foster carers, picked up Sasha from Yass. Only a day after picking up Sash, Frances was called up to help as part of the SES for the Queensland Floods. 

Frances' neice Annie was at home and helped look after Sasha. Apparently she texted Frances saying -

There's a Hippo in the House!

Sasha was 42 kilos and drastically overweight! Frances and Annie had to work hard to get the weight off. Frances is the Michelle Briggs of the canine world! 

Sasha was adopted early last year by a couple who later adopted Coco. They live in South Australia and rumour has it, the girls have been water skiing! We knew she loved the water, but didn't realise how much!

Here's an update from Sash and Coco's owners. 

Hi everyone at Lab Rescue, and Happy 2012!!

So sorry for our late update to you all, but I've attached a photo depicting the love affair we are having with the very special Coco and gorgeous Sasha we recently adopted!

There are no words to describe how much we love them, or how much the girls have enriched our lives.

Sasha's lost 11kgs since we brought her home in August - and now looks (and runs) like a 3 year old! Coco's skin and hair condition have both improved out of sight - she's now a shiny, delicious chocolate girl!!

The girls love to swim in the river, adore their walks, love chasing their ball, and let's not forget their food! But mostly, they love us, and would trade it all off for their 'Dad' in the picture. Even the cats have grown to love (ok, tolerate) them!!

Thanks to Linda for matching us all up so well, and to Katherine for arranging their interstate trips to get to us! 

Lab Rescue is an amazing organisation, that we highly recommend and adopting Sasha and Coco is without doubt, one of Jonathon's and my best decisions ever!!  

I realise we're always saying that we are busy at Lab Rescue, but it's honestly the truth! There's always something to be done and there's never enough time to do it all. 

The last couple of days have been incredibly busy with people contacting us about rehoming their dogs. Each have their own reasons and unfortunately we can't always help them all.

Many rescue groups refuse to take in privately surrendered dogs. When I first joined Lab Rescue  Linda and Katherine were tearing their hair out over it! Unfortunately many people who surrender their dog to us don't realise how much work goes into rehoming them. They think it's  quick money for us and that they are doing us a favour by giving us a dog for free. It's not always the case, but it only takes a couple to be burnt by this attitude.

We once had a dog who was only a couple of months old surrendered to us. He was still so young he wasn't fully grown. He was showing typically lab puppy behaviour which was too much for their young family. Knowing we had the space and the time, we decided to transport the dog from Sydney to Canberra to rehome him. 

The day we were going to pick up the dog we were contacted by the owner who explained that the family was distraught over giving the dog up and wanted to give it another go. We were sympathetic but a little frustrated at the amount of work we went through to organise transport. It's hard to ask for favours all the time and we had just facilitated a pick up and drop off just for this dog. 

We gave the family a few tips and hoped for the best. We weren't sure how successful they would be since they didn't sound so receptive. There was nothing more to do, so we just moved on. 

A couple of days later we got news that the dog was being sold on gumtree for $500. 

We happened to know the person who ended up buying the dog and they said that the family had bought another puppy a few days after selling their labrador. 

So please understand that although we save dogs from the pound frequently and rather successfully, we are a little suspicious of people surrendering their dogs. Above everything else we wish that Labs didn't need to be rehomed, either via the pound or through a private rehoming. We wish that organisations like us had absolutely nothing to do.

The worst decision we have to make is to decide whether we take in a surrendered lab into foster care. How do we prioritise that dog's life over a dog in a pound? And if we have a foster carer free, what happens if we get an influx of labs in the pounds? Where do we put the new dogs then? 

This is why many rescue has a blanket rule to all private surrenders, asking them to rehome their dogs themselves. They encourage people to put up posters, facilitate meet and greets and assess new homes themselves. They do this with a massive amount of guilt, since they know that it's very likely that intact dogs go to backyard breeders. Or the dogs get dumped in pounds, or even bounce between homes. 

We try to have a balanced approach. We are passionate about people committing to dogs forever, and we're unashamedly unforgiving with this point of view. If you are giving up your dog (in our opinion) it's a heartbreaking, horrible outcome for both you and your dog. There's no 'good' reason for such a break up, it's just a bad situation. 

We're lucky with our website at Lab Rescue, we have a great web system and a very goodlooking web administrator to go with it (me!). We've created a system that allows us to advertise approved dogs online for a donation to our work. The actual rehoming process, the meet and greet, the paperwork and any transport is all held responsible by the original owner of the dog. This means that we only have to approve of the dog and communicate with original owners. This cuts out a lot of headache for us!

We don't let just any dog on our website. They obviously have to be a labrador, preferably pure and can't have any aggression issues. (although we can't prove this, it's up the the people applying for the dog to check this out). It's part of our licence that all dogs who are associated with Lab Rescue are desexed, and it's something we take seriously.

So if you are considering rehoming your lab, please understand if we are a bit gruff with you. Please understand that we put a lot of work into making sure that our labs go to good homes, it's really sad (and personal) for us to see that a lab hasn't had the privilege of having the best home life so far. 

Finally, thank you to everyone out there who are considering adopting a rescue dog. By adopting a rescue dog your stopping the cycle of unnecessary breeding, and hopefully providing FOREVER homes for these lucky little dogs!

I'm currently fostering Bouncer who's about 10 years old. He's been my first old(er) foster dog and he's been teaching me a lot about the joys of adopting and fostering a dog over 10.

When I first put my hand up to foster Bouncer I thought I'd be looking after a subdued dog who sleep a lot. I had a very unflattering picture of what old dogs were like. I thought they would be so crippled by old age they wouldn't have much personality or show any interest in their surroundings. It's very cruel, but I can't help thinking that if that's what my naive opinion is, then surely others must think that too.

I can tell you now, Bouncer did not meet my expectations. It's like someone forgot to tell Bouncer that he's 10. He shows every bit of a 3 year old personality, occasionally impacted by sore joints.

For instance, when I picked up Bouncer from Jenny who was going on holidays, I got the impression that Bouncer doesn't need or want to go on many walks. He's arthiritis was hurting him, he can't keep up etc etc... I don't think it was what Jenny was actually saying, it was just my interpretation of the needs of an 'old dog'.

I let Bouncer settle into my house for the first few days before I took him out on a walk. When we finally put him on the lead he was SOOO excited. He obviously knew what was going to happen because he sat in front of me, doing that labbie mini-tail wag that we all know so well. As soon as the harness was on, we were off!

We ended up walking for an hour around the neighbourhood. Bouncer has this determined waddle that he does to compensate for his arthiritis. But apart from his funny trotting, his enthusiasm for the walk never diminished. He focused on Dorrie (my 3 year old lab) and was constantly trying to keep up with her. Bouncer also has this enormous grin which he displayed for all to see. You could just see in all his mannerisms how happy he was to be outside.

We walked for an hour and I was so worried that Bouncer would collapse! I thought he would need to slow down and need a break. But he kept up his little trot following Dorrie and myself. That night he slept well but not as exhausted as I thought he would be. Bouncer definitely walks as enthusiastically as any other 3 year old lab that I've walked.

Another thing that's shocked me about Bouncer is his liveliness around the house. Like most young labs, he's always interested in what you are doing. He wants to know what you're eating, what your reading, what moisturising cream you are rubbing in etc. He's not the "sleeping door mat" personality I was cruelly expecting.

My hubby and I have really enjoyed having Bouncer. He is always around for cuddle, but doesn't squirm or mouth your arm like other puppies. He loves going for walks, but he doesn't run so fast you can't keep up. He shows an interest in what you are doing, which some would call annoying (even myself at times!) but it means you can still train him to fit in with your lifestyle. He still looks at you for guidance and acceptance, and even a little love.

I certainly won't be stereotyping older Labradors anymore. Hopefully if you are looking at adopting a dog, you might consider a dog over the age of 8. What is it that you really want in a dog? What personality traits are important? Would they be more common in an older dog?

Thanks Bouncer for teaching me the joys of having a dog that's young at heart!

I just got an email from Cooper's new family with some great new pictures in it. Cooper was my old foster and I started reminising about a few Cooper inspired memories. I thought I'd share a few of them.

Cooper was a large English type of labrador with a stumpy nose and a solid body. He was a good looking dog who came to us from Queanbeyan pound. The pound had warned us there was something odd about his hips. They suspected he had hip displasysia, which is quite normal for a large lab.

When leading Cooper out to the car I realised just how big and strong he was. I was on my own and I have a little Daihatsu Charade. I had to somehow convince Cooper that it was a good idea to get into the car. He flat out refused to get in. It wasn't that he didn't like the car, it's just that there were so many other nice smelling thigns around the car. I tried getting in and calling him, I tried lifting him in (fat chance....). I was completely unprepared for this scenario. I thought I'd just pick up a happy, lab who would do anything I asked... Hmph!

So, after trying everything else, I got a lamb roast out which I had just bought from the butcher. A beautiful, $30 lamb roast that I had just splurged on. Cooper was suddenly VERY interested in the car! I put the roast in a place where he had to climb into the car to be able to sniff the meat. As soon as he was in the car I slammed the door closed, rushed into the front seat and grabbed the roast back. I then had to wedge the roast under my seat to prevent him from finding it again. Luckily Cooper was too interested in the paper bag holding the roast to realise that there was meat wrapped in plastic too.

I picked him up and dropped him off at a foster carers house. Within half an hour of dropping him off Cooper had escaped, jumping over a 6 foot colour bond fence. Obviously his hips weren't bothering him enough to prevent him escaping! We had no-where else to put him, so Cooper spent a week in a kennel in Yass. We didn't even have a name for him at this stage, he was just known as 'the barker' at the pound.

So Cooper didn't have the best resume. Bad hips, barker, escape artist.... He was going to be a tough dog to foster and eventually rehome. At the time I was on holidays and without a foster, so I  thought I'd take on the barker/escape artist. We named him Dozer, because if he wanted to go somewhere he would push everything out of his way.

Despite his other quirks, Cooper/Dozer had a really lovely nature. He always wanted to be the centre of attention and just loved collapsing in your lap, looking up at you with those adorable eyes and waiting for a belly rub. The funniest thing we found out about him was that he was fascinated with water. If I was in the bath he would go into investigator mode, sniffing the water, tilting his head to listen to it and staring for long periods of time at it. It wasn't a obssessive thing as he was easily distracted, but he was just so curious about water.

We also noticed that Cooper hadn't had a lot of interactions with other dogs. He would misread their intentions and react badly to them. A couple of times when we socialised him with other labs we noticed he was quite dominant and didn't like if another dog didn't back down to him. We consulted a dog behaviourlist who gave us a few exrecises, mainly exposing Cooper to positive experiences with other dogs. At the same time we realised that Cooper would have to go to a very specific type of forever home.

So when Brett and Eric applied for a dog with Lab Rescue I was a bit apprehensive about it. I wanted them to understand that Cooper had potential to be a fantastic dog, but at the same time I wanted them to be aware of his faults. Brett reassured me that he was just as cautious adopting a labrador, he wanted to make sure it was the right decision for them and that he could provide the right environment for the dog.

We arranged a meet and greet in Yass. I wanted to show Cooper interacting with some of Katherines dogs, to show Brett what to look out for. Cooper was on his BEST behaviour for most of the day, all until a small mishap with a foster dog. I thought there would be no way Brett would take Cooper after that. I was surprised and very excited when Brett called me back saying he'd fallen in love with Cooper, despite everything. We discussed a few training plans and Brett committed to take on Cooper.

It was a great outcome for Cooper. I was so excited for him! It's great to hear from Brett and Eric about how spoilt Cooper is. Apparently he's loved by all in the apartment complex. Trust Cooper, he was such a schmoozer with people! In better news, Cooper is progressing well with his training and is now playing offlead with other dogs. Since Cooper's living in Sydney, we're hoping to see him at our stall in the the Sydney Pet Expo later on this year. He's such a success story that it would be great to show him off a little.

Thanks Brett and Eric for the update, give Cooper a cuddle for me!

Happy Christmas everyone! Hope you're as happy as a lab, spending this time with loved ones and relaxing just like Dorrie above!

Christmas 2011 has been really good for Lab Rescue, so far we've only had one surrender. We've had quite a few new foster carers come on board just at the right time, which has really helped us out. 

We have two new dogs about to come into care and one who was transported to Canberra just the other day (thanks Helen!). Jackson, our new arrival in Canberra was surrendered to us as a chocolate Labrador. One good bath later and we found out he's a beautiful black boy! Jackson's now with foster carer Frances and Abbie, one of the RSPCA girls. Last I heard he was learning manners from Frances' spaniel Molly. He's a playful young thing, so a bit of learning will do him some good. 

We've got two lovely girls coming in from Renbury this week. One's got the name Linda! Linda's also the name of one of our foster carers and admin workers. She matches all the applications to dogs, so she's rapt that she now has a dog named after her. Might get a little confusing if she fosters Linda the dog. Maybe I can take her into care when I get back. 

Penny went on trial on Monday and her new owners recently told me they took her to the beach near them. Considering she came from Wagga (West of Canberra) it was probably the first time she's ever been to the beach. She LOVED it. Apparently she awed her foster family  by how fast she can run. I had Penny for a few days and she loved playing in our water bath. She also loved playing fetch. It sounds like a perfect home for her, so be good Penny!

I'm happily on holidays with my lab Dorrie. Dorrie's been getting a little chubby so she's on a bit of an exercise themed holiday. Her christmas presents this year were a floating frisbee and a long flicky stick to play with on the beach. She's LOVED both of them and I'm happy to report she's getting a lot more toned! She spends at least 3 hours a day running around the offleash beach here.

For people looking for a holiday paradise for labs, I'm going to shamelessly promote petholidays.com.au. Rob and Pauline have been fantastic to both Lab Rescue and my family. Rob adores dogs and the place is setup so that dogs are allowed inside and even (gasp!) on the couches! Opposite the house we are in there's a coffee shop with fantastic home made pies. Just one block away is the nicest beach I've ever been too. (and I'm from FNQ!)

Just next to Tomakin beach is the Tomaga river, so if your dog is like mine (a little cautious of the waves) the river is just perfect. Dorrie will easily spend hours catching sticks and swimming against the current. She's so pooped by the end of the day, but she just loves every minute of it.

I really can't recommend this place enough, both from the friendly and helpful owners (who have been very generous to Lab Rescue in the past) and the fantastic location of the holiday house. 

Hope your Christmas has been as good as mine!

Monica