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.

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

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. When I first moved in I had a reputation of being a "bit of a chewer" and that's what saw me move to Labrador Rescue, but once it was clearly explained there are "Bodhi toys", there is "everything else" and I am allowed to chew "Bodhi toys" and "ONLY Bodhi toys" I got the hang of it. Some things don't change though, I still eat my bowl of food in less than 1 minute (I think 48 seconds is the record) and love to eat my water rather than drink it. Nothing better in life than sticking your whole head in and bucket of drinking water and trying to eat it rather than drink it!! All in all the people here Love me heaps and Sally gladly suffers my Tom foolery - I couldn't be happier. Thanks for taking a risk on a destructive puppy with misguided ideas. Without Labrador Rescue I wouldn't be here to wish you all Merry Christmas.

Love your friend always,
Bodhi

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.

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

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!

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, but she does now. She is a sensitive soul but as well has an enormously strong character and personality and is still the most happy, exuberant and outgoing girl. She is a treasure. She does have some problems with her back hips and knees and is on Cartrophen which has really helped and enables her to be is much more active. Prior to starting this medication she spent a lot of time lying around and would sit down during walks.

She gets on well with Jess (border collie) and accepts that Jess doesn't know how to play and Bo, the cat, adores her. She is wary of the horses, but that doesn't deter her from finishing off any left over food! In fact, if I am not careful, she finishes off Jess' food, the cat food and the chook food as well! The only thing that upsets her is when the free ranging chooks try to share her bones and then she growls at them, but makes no attempt to eat them! She loves to swim in the dam but most of all she loves the beach. She has been dumped a couple of times, much to Jess' anxiety, but she picks herself up and continues on. Now she is on the Cartrophen she is able to enjoy walking much further.

She is a great watch dog, with a very deep and threatening bark when she doesn't know someone. We had an instance where a man came to do some gardening dressed in shorts and boots Holly was tied up, having just finished her breakfast and was waiting for Jess to finish hers. I have never seen a dog go absolutely ballistic as Holly did -she was terrified and totally irrational. Luckily graham is a gentle person and had bought his dog with him because as soon as she was let off and saw the other dog she settled right down. Graham has been over a few times and she has been fine ever since.

The only place that she is not allowed is on the bed and that is only because she is so big! She is still inclined to chew our arms at times although I have tried to change that to licking which doesn't leave bruises! I think I can say that she is happy, feels secure, really enjoys life and is quite well behaved - not perfect yet!

Best wishes,
Jane

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 epilepsy. Since Jasper has come on the scene Ben's fitting has reduced from almost weekly to one in 6 weeks which is a huge improvement and his weight has reduced to a normal 34kg so Ben is definitely benefiting from having a companion to play with even if Jasper might be a bit of a handful being a lab cross kelpie(?) he has more energy and play time than your average lab for sure. Jasper is playing the role of the annoying little brother very well - in a nice way. He is still chewing things from time to time but nothing that is not manageable and is a much loved member of the family now.

Thanks for all your work in finding homes for these lovely dogs.
Richard & Angela

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

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.

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.

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.

Cocoa

Thank you for your work in rehoming dogs, it is a fine thing that you do.

Our beloved Cocoa has gone from strength to strength since we adopted her, she is the most loving, adorable pooch who wins everyone's hearts immediately with her friendliness and beautiful nature. We can't imagine our lives now, without our furry family member. She especially loves swimming, and tearing around with her doggy pals.

Here's a picture of her catching a whiff of a BBQ down at the oval.

All the best.
Chris + Nicole

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. He exhausts Chloe (Mum's Staffy X) when she visits and she is forced to pretend to sleep! They have a great time. He loves water - and will play around in any available water - can't wait to take him to the beach or river this Summer! He quite often dives into his water bowl or tips it over. He has had a few showers in the heatwave while I was watering the garden and loves it - enjoys drinking from the hose! He demolishes a new toy every 3 weeks. He loves the ball on the end of the rope and will happily play with it for hours. He doesn't understand 'drop it' yet but loves showing you that he has it and then dancing away. He sleeps on his raised hessian sack bed in my bedroom beside my bed. He wakes me up at 7am - regardless of the time we went to bed with a nose or lick to the face. He then sits back down and regards me to see if I am going to stir - he is quite patient and will wait for 10 to 15 minutes before prodding me again if I don't make a move - However his stare often activates me! He has his own rug for snuggling up on the couch with me in the evening and he is still extremely affectionate - smooching with you and licking any available surface - often caught out with bare feet!

A couple of weeks ago, I was having my first cup of coffee in the morning and he came racing in through the doggie door from the backyard with the remains of his toy - one fragment of black rubber with small yellow fluff attached and dropped it at my feet - I had to put the coffee down I was laughing so much - so attached is photo of Bo with his early Christmas toy! Also attached are photos of Bo with my niece and nephew - who love him and he is really great with kids. Recently met my neighbours three houses up around the corner who have two children three and five, one who has down syndrome and Bo was very patient and allowed them to crawl all over him and pat and slap him for quite a while. He is currently lying down at my feet, as I am typing this - having been on an early walk round the dog park today before the day gets too hot!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

With many licks on the feet and hands,
Gwynne and Bo

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.

Scout

Just thought I would send another update of Scout, she is a gorgeous dog and is very much a part of the family. Thanks to you all for doing what you do, you not only make the dogs happy but have bought us a warm spirit to share our home with!
Cheers
The Dixon family.

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 but surely losing weight. We have her on a controlled diet (as recommended by the vet) and she goes on at least an hour walk every day. We are really starting to notice the difference in her! We are beginning to see her hips and definition in her back legs and has so much more energy than when she first came to stay!

Connie Dog is a very obedient doggie and has lots of friends at the off leash doggie park. Barkbusters spent some time training us all and now Connie Dog is the best behaved dog in the street!

Thanks again for introducing Connie to our family.

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

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. She enjoys mealtimes very much, tummy rubs, and going for a walk and smelling everything. If you are busy doing things she is happy just to be around but always appreciates time for a hug. She is very enthusiastic about meeting other dogs and people and always with a wagging tail. Everyone who has met her, even not dog people, cant help themselves and give her a smile and a pat. She adjusted to our home in a week or two and if she understands you don’t want her to do something, which she picks up very easily, she just doesn’t do it. Our home is a warmer, funnier place with Polly in it.

Polly and Ace seem to get along pretty well but Ace is very energetic in their play and there are a lot of teeth involved… Most of the time their tails are still wagging and if Polly has enough she lets him know and he seems to get the message and give her a bit of space. I have also seen Polly lie in wait for him and jump on Ace when he isn’t expecting it. Most of the time they sleep separately but every now and then they curl up together. Thanks again for the work that you and Katherine do. Our “adoption” this time with Ace wasn’t as straight forward as with Polly but I am mindful that often the more challenging relationships in life turn out to be really rewarding, so that too is a gift, thankyou.

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!

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

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.

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!

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. Read more >

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.

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!

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.

“How could you not love this wonderful animal?” I have often asked myself. The wonderful and selfless efforts made on behalf of Lab Rescue from Katherine and Mary should be applauded. If it were not for these acts of kindness, my Maggie may not have been here today.

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.

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.

Sam has taken a real shine to Charlotte and follows her everywhere! Charlotte has learnt early on that you shouldn't leave your sausage sandwich smothered in tomato sauce unattended when Sam is around. He is also proving to be a good watch-dog and at night I have noticed that if he hears a sound outside such as a car door opening/closing and people walking along the street then he walks to the front door gives a few muffled barks and then lies down in front of the doorway to Charlotte's bedroom until the noise goes before returning to his mat in the lounge room.

Sam is a very welcome addition to our household and we are looking forward to giving him a permanent home.

Sidney

Bailey (formerly Wombat)