Hi, my name is Dash. I just celebrated my 1st Birthday and am looking for my forever home. I am a good boy in the house, totally housebroken and good manners. I love to play and have had lots of playmates(dogs, as well as cats) while in my foster home. I love toys and share them all, especially with my foster brother who I like to wrestle with(he always wins) and play tug of war. I am very well socialized, love people of all ages, other dogs, cats. I walk well on a leash and have even started my off leash training because my foster parents know how important good manners and training is. At night I like to snuggle with my foster parents and watch T.V. and at bed time I have free roam to sleep where I want. Usually, I try to be close to my foster brother. I am great in the car and love road trips. My foster family is working on one issue that I was born with; a medical condition termed Megaesophagus. You see I was born with an enlarged esophagus which requires me to eat in a special chair that my foster dad built for me called a Bailey's chair(he says it's mine and can go with me to my forever home). I have to eat in there and stay quiet for about 20 minutes after I eat to help food pass more directly into my stomach. I eat 3 times a day and my foster family has found a food mixture that can easily be mixed together and given to me. I love to eat and my new diet has helped me to gain weight and look great! Sometimes, if I do get some food stuck, I do regurge a small amount of food because it didn't make it's way down to my stomach. But that happens rarely now because I have medicine that helps with that. After eating, I hang out in my crate for about 1/2hour for some quiet time to help me digest. I want a new family to know that I am just a regular super lab with the same winning temperament and personality. I LOVE to retrieve and swim, love carrying my toys around, love playing and being a buddy, love wagging my tail til it feels like it's going to fall off, love car rides and doing just about everything with my family. The most important thing to know is that my condition is very manageable, my foster family has totally gotten me on track with a good diet and routine. My forever home would be one that would have extra time to take care of me and feed me 3 square meals a day and give me the regular exercise I need. I am like a puppy that you have to feed 3 times a day but without all of the extra nasty cleanup work a puppy needs. My foster Mom says I give back 150% of the 100% they put into me and that anyone would be lucky to get such a face kisser and cuddler. My vets call me a miracle dog and that I am a survivor. I think what I've learned most from my foster family is that they loved me unconditionally, researched everything they could to give me the best chance and never gave up on me. Part of being a survivor is not quitting when the odds are against you. I learned that from them. My foster Mom & Dad said they have gotten me as prepared as I am ever going to be and now I'm ready for my forever home. Of course, they've promised to always check in on me and just in case my new family needs some support, always be there for me. Dash is featured on a new MegaE educational website and the slide show below depicting "all" dogs with MegaE who may need a little more help from their human guardians but are still the greatest of companions living a normal life. Please paste in browser: http://www.caninemegaesophagus.org/MegaAction.html
Skye was taken out of a NYC shelter in October of 2006. She was diagnosed with mammary cancer that same month, when she underwent surgery for the removal of 3 tumors. She has been under the care of Dr. Jay Wen, Hampton Veterinary Clinic, who has a very high success rate with this type of cancer using an herbal protocol. Skye has just passed her 15 month checkup with a clean bill of health. She will continue her treatment protocol for 3 more months or until released by Dr. Wen. Forever the optimist, Skye was adopted in January 2007. She continues to be the center of attention in her new home with George & Lee Stefani...healthy, energetic and very much loved. Skye is proof that miracles really do happen. Please consider helping our needy labs with a donation of any amount to our PayPal account. 100% of all donations are used for veterinary expenses, food and fostering expenses.
In an effort to promote senior lab adoptions, we are going to feature
our loveable senior labs, their pictures and second chances. Hope you enjoy their stories.
At the time most senior labs are in retirement mode, Buddy & Otis were looking for a new home, after a lifetime in their first and only home. The following is their story through the eyes of their new Mom, Beth Aucoin.
" About a year after I lost my first senior rescue lab, Zippy at 16, I bought my first house and the only thing missing was a "buddy". Being single, living alone and with my work hours, I knew I could not handle a puppy or a rambunctious juvenile. I found LRRCT's website, and two eleven year old labs,Buddy & Otis who grew up together needed a home. I decided that was perfect. I knew that being eleven, they were going to be pretty much set in their ways and not have the high energy of the younger labs. The senior dogs want to give you everything they have and don't ask for anything in return.
So I adopted Buddy and Otis almost a year ago and I couldn't be happier. They have each other to keep them company when I'm not here. When I am at home, they are content to lay next to me or on the couch. As I'm writing this, they are both laying next to me by my computer chair. But as soon as I open the closet door for the leashes, they are jumping around, running for the door. Otis will chase his ball until he couldn't run anymore. Buddy will chase Otis while he's chasing the ball. Car rides are heaven especially when the destination is a park or the woods. They both walk so well on a leash. I get compliments everywhere I take them. They were a hit at the St Patrick's Day parade with their "green" bandanas. So many people commented on how well behaved they were. They get along with other dogs, people and kids. So well, that they are the "stars" on our weekend camping trips. They have even been to dirt bike races. Some of their favorite places are walks to our local park, hiking with other doggie friends to the local pond and outswimming all of them for the sticks. Who says 11 yr. old labs can't jump? look forward to a lot more years with my new best friends.
I understand that all dogs are different, have different personalities and I may have lucked out with the 3 senior dogs I've adopted. But as far as I'm concerned, adopting a "senior" lab or even 5-6 year old lab that you bond with is a preferable option for those of us who don't have the time, energy or patience for training a puppy. Seniors have the maturity and wisdom to enjoy the simpler things in life. A lounge on the couch or walk in the park takes on new meaning with them at your side. They ask for so little but give so much love in return. They are there for me 100%. As I look at their trusting faces...it's hard for me to believe that they haven't been with me always."
Schuylar is one of those unforgettable labs that come into rescue that has a personality larger than life. His story starts with the first time we met him at age 5. His family had just gone through a major financial crisis; losing their home and business. The family was intent on taking Schuylar with them but a home rental allowing a dog fell through. A series of frantic calls by the family and arrangements were made to take Schuylar into foster care with Schuylar arriving in style in the back seat of a car service from New Jersey. Like a little boy going on his first car trip to grandma's he had a note attached to his collar. "This is Schuylar, please take care of him. He likes potato chips and bread. He can get into any refrigerator."
While in foster care, we soon found out that Schuylar was adept at breaking/entering any refrigerator. A loaf of bread left on the counter was meant for him. And more often than not after his adventure in the kitchen he could be found fast asleep in bed or on the couch upside down. He loved life and lived each and every day with an abundance of energy and joy.
He quickly went into his 2nd home with a wonderful woman. But three years later, she was transferred into NYC, working long days and leaving Schuylar alone. She came to the painful decision to find a home for him where people would want a social, outgoing buddy.
Into Schuylar's life came Jack and Ian Archer-Watters. I call them his "heart home". Finally, Schuylar had a family that loved his companionship whether a trip to the park, a vacation or a weekend with friends or family. Ian, Jack and Schuylar were inseparable. I do remember a call early on with laughter in the background..."you were right, Schuylar broke into the refrigerator."
Jack shared the following: "The day we collected our boy Schuyler was one of the most memorable days of our lives, just like our wedding day. And in the same way, adopting a senior Labrador is a bit like getting married, just slightly later in life. It’s comfortable and very companionable. A visit to the park is very restful and sedate, meal times are regular. And just as you’re getting settled into this peaceful life you get a glimmer of puppyish, rascally, naughtiness that is as endearing as it is surprising.
Schuyler is his own dog. He was eight years old when he came home with us for the first time. He settled in very quickly and we soon got into a routine as if he had always been part of our lives. We discovered all sorts of commands that he already had; in fact, we still find new words to which Schuyler has a learned response. We soon noticed that he was fairly indifferent to most other dogs although every now and then he’ll meet a special friend and we can never figure out what it is about the other dog that wins Schuylie’s devotion and sets his tail rotating like a propeller.
He’s clearly retired from retrieving, although he’ll still brings us a toy, carefully chosen from his extensive collection, as a gift when we come back at the end of the work day. He doesn’t follow us around with puppyish devotion but he has a subtle way of sneaking into a room and before we notice he’s curled up at our feet keeping our toes warm. He’s slowed down a bit during the four years he’s been with us but all the years just fall away whenever there’s the promise of a treat. He’s a young boy all over again and we get a glimpse of a younger Schuyler. So really all we’re missing are the exhausting weeks of house training, disturbed nights, the obedience puppy training. Instead we went straight to a happy, contented, beautiful adult dog, who loves us in his own special way. Every day is a gift and our time together is so precious.
Adopting a senior lab is the way to go.
POSTNOTE: We were all saddened to hear of Schuylar's unexpected death this past July due to complications from pneumonia. Schuylar taught us the true meaning of the small blessings in life. He lived each day of his life with joy and a smile. Schuylar left a legacy of good will, to honor him, Ian and Jack adopted another senior lab, Oakley.
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***********TRIBUTE TO OUR WORKING LABS************
REGAN!
We are an all volunteer organization. We have jobs, families, understanding spouses, children & labs of our own plus a foster lab or two. Our first priority is "rescuing" the labs we are so committed to---this takes an enormous amount of manpower to evaluate at the shelter, transport from a shelter, vet & transport into foster care. We do not have the luxury of returning phone calls, unless it is an emergency surrender. If you need information, the quickest response will be through e-mail. Thank you for your patience.
