Peata

Merry Christmas, to you all at Labrador Rescue.

Yet again another christmas has come around, and of course Peata is so excited for all the goodies dogs get when they have been good all year. We are still up in Qld, i am still working in an outback hospital. We are both due to return home in January 2012. How has things been going in Canberra with the labs, have they all found homes? I do hope so. Hope to call in and see you sometime once back in Nsw, Peata has grown up, Well she still acts like a puppy sometimes. She will be 4 in February. Still pretty as ever. Lovely shining coat.  Thanks again to you all for this beautiful gift.

Kathleen

Archie

Hi Kylie,

Just wanted to send you a little christmas update on Archie who we got from you in April.

He has settled in with us so well we cant even remember what it was like without him. He is still very timid around new people but hes much better than before, it will be something that we have to keep working on. My mum and dad have a pool and we're trying to get him to jump into that, hes not quite there yet but I think by the end of summer he will be in just like his big brother Angus. 

I've attached some photos for you. 
They are of Archie and my mums puppy Rosie who he loves! 
Archie & Angus asleep with their coats on
Archie
Archie & Angus patiently watching me get ready for work
Angus & Archie in front of the Christmas tree
Archie posing.

Hope everything is well with you and your family and you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

Mel & Dave

Sasha

Hi Lab rescue gang,

Just wanted to let you know I've popped a small donation into your account to hopefully help you help dogs that need help especially as it is nearly christmas time.. 

Sasha is doing very well. Last weekend we passed our transitional dog obedience class and got 3rd place :-). So yet another ribbon ( such a clever girl). We were scheduled to go down the coast straight after the exam so it was a very nice reward for her. She had a lovely time surfing, swimming and running along the beach. 

We also had a photo shoot the other week so I will send some pics of my little model dog when I get them. The owner of the wolfhound that knocked me over felt so bad and is a photographer so looks like we got some lovely photos of me and my girl. 

Will also send some pics of Sasha's birthday and of her ribbons. Just need to remember to do all of this LOL but I just wanted to send the donation first. 

I did have a scare though with Sasha when I found a lump on her chest. We went to the vet who took a sample and thankfully its not cancer ( just a fatty cyst). I just have to keep my eye on it for now but she was a champion at the vet letting him get a sample ( all she wanted was a treat afterwards). She's the only dog I've owned who loves the vet LOL.

She's still a happy happy girl with a lovely smile and she's still beautiful with Mischa the cat. Mischa is even warming up to her. The other day they had nose touching and I think Mischa missed us when we went to the coast as Mischa even headbutted Sasha and then leaned up against her ( first time she has done that). Sasha of course was wonderful and just stood there quietly as Mischa still gets a bit frightend when Sasha is overexcited. 

Hope you are all well and have a wonderful xmas with your family and your dogs. Will send you pics shortly. ;-)

Kind Regards

Angel, Sasha and Mischa

Barney-Rubble and Bonnie

Hi There Labrador Rescue,
 
Just on 3 years ago Matt travelled the epic journey from Melbourne to Yass to pick up our beautiful baby "Barney Rubble" I'm sure you remember him as an awkward, chubby 12w old boofhead. Well Im proud to say, 3 years on he is still awkward and a boofhead but he is increadably athletic and lanky. At just 28kg he certainly is a lightweight but the vet assures us he is perfectly happy and healthy. (maybe Im just used to having overweight lady labs!) 
Shortly after getting Barney or BR as he is affectionally known as, we came back to Yass to collect "Sacha" whom we renamed "Bonnie Girl" - She is such a Daddy's girl - a very independant girl who will happily sit on top of anyone who sits still long enough. Both pups are incredably affectionate, trusting and fairly well behaved.
So I just thought I's drop you a line to let you know Barney and Bonnie are both happy and healthy and make our lives complete - we love them to bits. I have a couple of recent photos. They love getting in the car - it means we are going to the beach. The second is the result of a day at the beach when we dont hear or see them for a good day or two until they recover and a ready to go out again.
Take care LR and keep up your incredable work.
Regards
Claire and Matt George

Ben and Sam

Hi,

It’s been just over 2 years since we adopted Ben and Sam from Labrador Rescue!

And today the boys turn 5 years old.  Thought you’d like a couple of birthday snap shots from today with their birthday cake and a couple of others of them ☺
They’re as good as gold and still just as beautiful as when we got them.  We’ve started some formal dog training to try and get them to stop jumping up on people, for Sam to actually come back when we call him and for Ben to be socialised.

They’re both fit and well and have adjusted to our 2 cats no problems.
Have a great Christmas/NY break ☺

Lochie

This is Eddie the Dane , Hugo the ever chilled and Lochie the spring
loaded puppy. He can jump a  meter in the air from stand still !  Once
again thanks to everyone at Labrescue for all your hard work and
dedication to help these amazing dogs. 
For ever thankful
Andy and Fran

Miley

Hi Lab Rescue!

Let me re-introduce you to Miley. 

You may remember her as "Bella" and we adopted her from you just over 2 years ago.  She is now 4 and has taken over our lives.  She's a bit of a "ladette" but looks every bit the lady when she sits with her paws crossed. 

As you can see she is now a poster girl on Facebook and enjoys her regular monthly pampering from Aussie Pooch where she is a favourite. 

She is my husband's shadow as he is retired and she is an irrepressible stickybeak.  All the family love her.  She knows when it's dinnertime and will come and give a not-so-gentle nudge under the elbow until she gets action! 

We are so glad we got her - even though my husband maintains "we didn't need her" - and he's the one who most  wouldn't like to be without her. 

Thank you for making her possible!

Scooby

Letter from Scooby's new family

Hi Linda,

We adopted Scooby almost two years ago and I thought I'd send you a photo or 200 as we have quite a few!

I think the last email I sent I mentioned the hip surgery he required and at that point he still had some paralysis in his toes. Since then he has had to have a toe nail removed due to an infection in the nail bed that we just couldn't shift but other than that he's well and very very happy. He has a close friend "Jazzy" a female lab about a year older than Scooby  who he sees regularly and loads of friends at the dog park. He's the self appointed welcoming committee greeting every dog as they come in the gate and loves to play. We love him heaps.

Jane

About Scooby from his Foster Carer

Jane has kept in touch over the years and has paid for hip surgery, toe
surgery, worked through digging and chewing issues, socialised Scooby really
well. I'm so glad he went to Jane and her two boys :-). He was rescued from
a puppy farm with his two sisters who also both had hip issues corrected
very early.

Jamie named Scooby and became quite attached to him, I've attached a photo
of Scoob when he was fostered with us :-) There are hundreds more!!!

Linda

Eski

I have wanted a dog all my life.I have loads of toy dogs, but my mummy always said when i am old enough to be responsible. Well,once i turned 8 years old, my mummy said yes. We wanted a rescue dog,and a Labrador,so we searched and searched and lab rescue searched with us.Then one day we were told about a cream lab who was coming out of the kennels soon. My mummy spoke to the foster carers and they said that he was named Eski,about 2 years old and very quite. they said he doesn't really play and is so timid. On the Friday we went to get him,and he was gorgeous. he was really quiet for a few days, but now he runs around the garden with his toys,loves to play,runs around and plays fetch in the dog parks,and loves jumping in water. we took him to dog school,and he loved it there. I love my dog Eskie so much, Thankyou for finding him for us. Kylah Hopton age 8

Sidney

Just letting you know that Sidney has settled in well and has become one of the family! He goes for walks through the bush and down to Manly dam where he can swim. We find it hard to believe that someone had to give up this beautiful dog who is so happy to please and is happy to greet everyone and everything. He gets on so well with other dogs that we meet on our walks and we are yet to hear him bark! We have decided to adopt him as we could not bear to send him back, it feels like he has been with us forever.

Sam

Over the long weekend we did some socialisation with a friend's beagles and that all went well. Sam settled down fairly quickly after meeting the beagles and was very quickly reminded by the elder beagle where his place in the big scheme of things was. He also had another whole day of playing with kids from the ages of 6 to 11 and he was so exhausted at the end of it all, that he crashed straight after eating dinner, snored, was woken by me for a nature call at about 10pm and then promptly dragged himself back to his mat where he remained, snoring away the night until 7.30 the next morning.

Read more: Sam

Max

Max has really fit into our family. While he is 8 years old, he is still really energetic and loves to play. Leia (14 month old malamute x ) & him have fun playing tug of war together, and Max's influence has really calmed her down. Before Max she was really hyperactive and annoying. Max is very patient with her and has taught her some much needed manners. We don't know who owned him before us and Lab Rescue, but we can honestly say that it was their loss as his manners, attitude and love of life are fun to be around.

Maggie

Maggie joined our family in 2008 and brought with her much love, laughter and happiness. Maggie is 7 years young and has found her position within our family. She has a hairy four legged sister named Gidget who is also 7 years young and they are the best of friends.

Maggie absolutely adores swimming in the Ross River, walking and socialising with others, both the human kind and canine. She has taught herself to bring you her food bowl when she feels that it is time you should feed her, often disappointed at why you could be so cruel to refuse to do so! Maggie sleeps at the foot of my bed each night. It has taken some time, but I am now generally used to her snoring (sometimes so loud the windows rattle!).

Maggie ensures that each day I return home from work (or anytime she hears my car in the driveway) she is ready to greet me with a toothy smile and a wagging tail.

Read more: Maggie

Lady

Lady is doing very well. She has settled in, we’re all in love with her – my parents-in-law included – and she seems to like us too. Lady has definitely been giving out lots and lots of doggy kisses. She loves our old red picnic rug and sheepskin on her bed and is starting to show her personality. If she isn’t happy with the sleeping arrangements we see her dragging the rug around until she is happy with her nest! She’s also been loving her walks, running around after a tennis ball at the oval and socialising on leash with the neighbourhood dogs. It’s so far, so good.

Tomorrow will be her first time at home alone. Hopefully she doesn’t get up to too much mischief!

Fred

I thought I would drop you a line to let you know how Fred has settled in.

He has settled in brilliantly and is now firmly ensconced as a member of the family. Molly and he are like a pigeon pair and never let each other out of sight (not really what we expected from Molly after being an only dog for 8 years).

We have just finished the first level of obedience training, with Fred getting 1st in our class.

I have included a couple of picies of Fred and Molly for your entertainment. You may wish to pass them on to Fred's foster family so they can see Fred has ended up happy, healthy, if somewhat tortured by Chrissy Deer Antler Headgear!

Anyway, thanks for the work you do with the rescues and have a merry Christmas.

Flynn

You would have heard of the saying “In like Flynn”. Well his name suits him so well. Flynn is a two and a half year old Yellow Labrador, recovered and cared for by Katherine and Vanessa of Labrador Rescue.

I was lucky enough to see Flynn’s picture and took a shine to him straight away. Having owned four other Labs over the past thirty years, it was the right thing to do. Providing a caring, sharing (there in lies a story, more later) and loving family for him to settle into is how we all treat our dog’s, whatever the breed. 

Ella (formerly Cammi)

I just thought I would give you an update on how everything is going our end. Fantastically in a word! We have changed her name to Ella and we are loving every minute with her. She is so gentle, responsive and smart. We simply love having her here and cant imagine our lives without her! She is swimming everyday and has made lots of friends down at the various parks we have been to. I think I can quite safely say that there is no doubt in our minds that we would like to formally adopt her.

The photo of her chilling out was taken after we had been for a massive walk and swim.

Thank you again!

Charlie (formerly Kane)

Our beautiful Charlie is doing so well! She is loving Puppy Kindy and has had lots of play dates at our place with other dogs which she LOVES! She is already 14 weeks old and weighs 9kg. Still light enough to pick her up and have cuddles (just). Her new favourite thing is to stick her head into the shower and catch the drops – so cute! She licks everything and loves toys that squeak! She can sit, drop, stay and shake hands already, and is learning how to walk on the lead. She is such a happy and confident pup, we simply love her to bits. She is a wonderful addition to our lives.

Millie (formerly Lily)

Millie (pictured left) adopted me as her new mum in October 2008, and has settled in like she's lived here forever! I honestly can't remember life before Millie being apart of our family. She is extremely affectionate, just adores people and sits and looks at you adoringly with the softest puppy dog eyes! (if she's not trying to climb into your lap for a cuddle if you dare sit on the floor!) I often have people stating they can't believe someone would have given her up - I can't believe it either but I just think she was meant to be here with me. She is doing well at obedience training, getting ready to enter her first competition obedience trial - I'm so proud of how quickly she has excelled at training! She absolutely loves to play at the park with her new sister Ruby (pictured right), chasing their squeaky balls! (tennis balls just don't cut it, my Lab kids are squeakaholics!) Thankyou for sending Millie to me here in Perth!!

Tolley

Dear Katherine,
Here are a couple of shots my sister took of Tolley enjoying the beach at Bayview last weekend. He continues to be our angel and wins ALL the hearts where ever we take him. He has impeccable manners and Annie and Clive have done an amazing job in raising such a beautifully natured dog who is simply a delight to be with. 
We think his weight is coming down too - he loves Bonnie Lite and the vet wants us to get him down from 45kg to 40kg. We have a ramp too so he can get into the car easily without putting unnecessary pressure on his hips and he really enjoys coming to my painting studio where he has a bed (see last photo) and is adored by all my colleagues. 
Chris and Tolley enjoy some guy time every morning as they're out the door at 6am for a little walk before Chris goes to work. 
We really do look at each other and wonder how we got so lucky to welcome such a perfect woofer into our home - he is gorgeous and we can't imagine life without him. We're sorry for the delay in organising it but we hope our donation to Rescue a Labrador will help you find loving homes for these beautiful dogs. 
With thanks, appreciation and love,
Angeline

Frankston

Frankston is fit and well and loves going to the farm twice a week where he swims in the dams and catches mice! He is very much loved by us all and wins the heart of everyone he meets!

Ace and Polly

Ace is a lovely dog, intelligent, affectionate and genuinely wants to please. He is good natured, explores with his teeth but doesn’t bite and he doesn’t bark much. He also has looooooots of energy and likes to chew, dig etc. I have found out my backyard was not a very puppy proof place (or at least the things in it weren’t puppy proof)…

Polly remains an absolute angel - she really is just perfect. She loves to be loved and she is a very easy girl to love. She gives it back 10 fold.

Read more: Ace and Polly

Baxter

I thought I should write you an email to tell you how Baxter is doing. We picked him up from you on New Years Day and he is a year old now. He is very energetic and loves to play tug of war. He also likes his regular trips to the dog park as well as play dates with his sister Ebony. We recently took him to the lake where we discovered that he LOVES the water. He was so excited splashing around and swimming up to his neck he could not get enough.

He loves to cuddle at night and comes and gets into bed with us while we read a book then toddles off to his own bed when it is lights out.

He has brought us a lot of joy. We love his company even when he is like our shadow and follows us around the house like a child.

I have attached a couple of photos for you. One of him and Ebony together and a couple of him. He has gotten so big. He must be at least 25-30kgs now!

We may be in touch sometime as we are thinking of getting him a play mate in the near future.

Thanks again.

Erin and Tom

Connie

We just wanted to give you an update on our Connie whom we adopted from you in June 2009.

We’ve had Connie Dog for almost 6 months now and she is fitting in with the family beautifully. Connie loves the cats, especially our kitten Penny who likes to curl up with her on the rug. Connie is slowly

Read more: Connie

Mocchy

Just a quick note to let you know how our new addition is going. Mocchy formerly known as Brocky is just a delight, he had big shoes to fill as we lost our beloved "Wattle" last July.

This gorgeous boy is so well behaved and affectionate and we are so lucky he was rescued by you and has entered our lives.

Bo

Dear Mary and Katherine (and others at Labrador Rescue),
Thank you for rescuing Bo for me. He and I are settling in to a routine in Goulburn. We attend dog obedience classes on Wednesday evenings. He is part of a very social event with roughly 20 to 30 dogs of mixed breeds receiving obedience training each week. He has yet to be obedient but is still very social! We go for walks each day and we now know many of the dog owners and their dogs. Bo is a very social animal - loves meeting and playing with other dogs. He hasn't learnt to come when called yet but naturally will come back to you - so I have let him loose a few times to play with Chloe or other dogs in the park.

Read more: Bo

Biggles

Thanks so much for rescuing Biggles for us. We all love him - especially Frankie - and he has settled in so well to our family over the last six months. He is the most adorable, gentle, clever, fun, cute dog, and a perfect fit in every way. There is nothing we would change about him (well, except maybe that he didn't eat the garden hose!) He's incredibly healthy, with super white teeth and a glossy coat, which saves a lot on vet bills. He also doesn't seem to have the labrador tendency to put on weight, keeping lean and fit while growing and putting on a couple of kilos as he approaches his first birthday. He is a great advertisement for your organisation. We have had one friend who got a border collie after meeting Biggles, and a couple more are considering getting a rescue dog.

Here are a couple of photos of Biggles with his best friend, Frankie. All the best and thank you again.

Bella

Bella is in the very best of health and spirits and we both enjoy many, many moments of loving hugs and health-giving walks together.

Bella is an absolute heaven-sent friend, in EVERY way! She is the perfect combination of a gentle, placid, loving, yet lively, affectionate and mischievously playful companion! For instance, she absolutely springs at least 2 feet in the air when I come through the door after work. I've never received such glorious welcoming home...not even from my family!!! Not forgetting to mention she has an magnificently, beautiful shiny black coat, which her partial diet of sardines and mackerel helps maintain via her bottomless appetite :))

Once again, thank you all for your incredible, wonderful work in rescuing all the gorgeous Labs that you are possibly able to. Bella and I are certainly two of the many benefactors of all your amazing efforts and, believe me, your hard work is very much valued and appreciated, perhaps more than you may know.

Leonardo (formerly Mowhawk)

Leonardo is doing so very well. Leonardo loves life. He is very busy going for walks and going to the dog park. He absolutely loves the dog park. He runs around wrestling and chasing the other dogs and smells everything and anything. After the dog park we go to the children’s park where he enjoys a pat from other children and watches my boys have their play on the playground. Leonardo loves also a little dog paddle in the Gungahlin pond or in my mum and dad’s dam. He also loves his bones and digging holes. At night he is such a good boy, he goes out to the toilet before bed and then comes inside to sleep in the bathroom. He tapes on the door very lightly in the morning to be let out. He is so very clever. Leonardo is still naughty at taking the washing off the line. If you have any suggestions on this one I’d love to hear them.

I think that Leonardo loves his home and family and we love him. We are very lucky to have found Leonardo and once again thank you for making this happen.

Jess (formerly Cindy Lou)

Jess is doing well and she is just such a happy individual although a bit fear aggressive with other dogs when we are out walking in the morning. Anyway I hope to address this in the new year with some more socialisation and dog training classes. She is a real smoocher and loves it when people come to visit – I feel quite superfluous!! She gets on extremely well with my border collie Alex as per attached photos. Its a tough life being a dog at my house!

Wishing you all well and I guess the only thing that saddens me a little is that there are so many Labradors needing to be rescued. They are such a lovely breed of dog, its hard to understand why people want to give them up. I wonder if there is a solution in better educating people about dogs before they get one?

Cheers,
Carol

Jasper

Hi Mary and the team at Lab Rescue,
Just to let you know that Jasper is settling in very well and has come on quite a lot since we took him into our home on 5th September. After an initial settling in period he is doing very well with very few accidents around the home and he is gradually getting less nervous around us more trusting which is great to see.

One huge plus for us is how he has affected our existing lab, Ben, who is a 6yo boy who suffers with

Read more: Jasper

Toby

Toby (chocolate lab) has Addison’s disease and was very overweight when he was surrendered to Lab Rescue. Toby is pictured with our children and our other dog. Toby is sporting his new svelte figure and shiny coat although there are still a couple of kilos to go. He had his first swim in the lake today after a 2km run. He almost drowned in his excitement! 

Jane and family

Holly

Thank you all for the wonderful job you do in finding homes for these beautiful dogs, and my apologies for not getting in touch with you sooner to let you know how Holly is getting on.

It probably took about 15 months before I could truly say that she really started to look at us with love and trust in her eyes,

Read more: Holly

Peata (formerly Tinker)

Dear Mary and Friends 
At the moment Peata and I are both in Melbourne visiting family. We have had a great time and I (Peata) have met lots of dogs and have gone to many different places including beaches, icecream parlour that was doggy friendly, down to the wharf, many long walks and swimming. The plan is, today to go to the beach yet again then to go and have a doggy bath. We have 2 more days before we travel back to Wollongong to have Christmas with family and friends which includes 5 other doggy cousins Yahoo!!!!! Means lots of goodies like schmacoos liver treats etc. We will post more photos of our holiday soon!

Barney

Barney is well loved, growing beautifully, generally obedient except when distracted, and has many friends locally - human and canine.

He gets a good run every weekday on the local Reserve grass, reluctantly giving up week-ends to the cricket games played there. Barney's photo was taken just after he recovered from an unknown bite on the muzzle, possibly a spider we think, but all is well again. We were able to take a short Sydney holiday thanks to the Top Dog Minders organisation, who provided a caring happy temporary local home for him during our absence.

We are trying out a silent-whistle to limit unauthorised ventures, so far it seems to be working as he instinctively tries to please. We have had many enquiries as to Barney's origin, and he is spoilt by the staff at the local City Farmers store. So far we have found most tough toys fail the destruction test with Barney, he happily chews on anything but has recognised no-go objects and areas in the home.

Regards,
Michelle and Jim

Chester (formerly Hunter)

Chester arrived about this time last year from Canberra as an adorable puppy but grew up to be the gorgeous boy he is today. He is an amazing dog and we adore him. He is best friends with Belle and loves her to bits. Thank you so much for taking care of him when he was ill treated as a pup and for the amazing work you do.

He loves swimming at the river and beach, fetching sticks and balls. He goes to daycare and plays with all sorts of other dogs. He goes running with his Dad and loves to cuddle. He loves bones and any food and playing. He is so sensitive and caring and follows us wherever we go. We love him to bits and he shares a very special bond with both of us and we will love him forever.

Thank you again for all your hard work.
Sarah and Steven

Bodhi (formerly Scott)

Dear Labrador Rescue,

Merry Christmas to you all and here is an update on Bodhi (prev Scott) the Yellow Lab/Golden Retriever is his own words.....

I have been at my new house for just over 7 years (1 people year), and the first thing they did was change my name, but since I like being bribed with food I picked it up in no time at all and now I am Bodhi. My roommate Sally is a 49 year old Greyhound (7 people years) who is the mistress of the house. Sally and I move around the back yard all day following the sun, she sleeps a lot and I chew on bones. All of my bones are mine and all of Sally's bones are mine too :-) When I get playful I have to nudge Sally and coax her to playing with me, but I am persistent and the next thing I know she is running circles around me, literally!! We sleep inside at night and share the same bed, we have several beds in and out of the house but at night we prefer to pile on top of each other so neither of us in 100% comfortable.

Read more: Bodhi (formerly Scott)

Pepper (formerly Lucky)

Pepper is thriving as you can see, and is very much one of the family. She loves her runs around the old Callan Park grounds, heaps of space so many enticing smells. She exhausts herself and is then content to hang around the house all day until her pre-dinner run. Not a bad life!

Regards,
Peter, Jenny and Jo

Paddington

Paddington gives us so much pleasure and we are as devoted to him as he is to us. He is so obedient when we are out in the early mornings for our exercise that I rarely leash him and he is admired by many other dog owners for his exemplary behaviour. Paddington is so precious that he is being flown to Brisbane to be with Ron and his family for the holidays!! We wish everyone a Very Happy Christmas and a very big THANK YOU for all your wonderful work.