"Henry is doing great! As you can see, all of my grandchilden love him. He is a great fit for our household. We are in obedience training at the Armory and we are making progress. Thanks for all that you do for these great dogs." ~Don Ludlow~
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Bernadette (formerly Marlana)
Bernadette is doing just great and is so beautiful! "Her favorite place is any lake. Thanks for letting us adopt her." ~Barry and Jill Jenkins~
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Mason
Mason is loving his new forever home! He gets to go on lots of walks and car rides and experience lots of new things. Most recently, Mason made his theatrical debut in the Crescent Public Schools' production of "Annie" and he totally stole the show! He is also very protective of his new mommy and daddy and is quite the love bug! ~Rebecca Rankin~
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Jed
Jed is doing great. He even has his own face book that is listed under mine!~Susan Vorwald~
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Chase
"Chase is a wonderful addition to our family. He is the sweetest dog ever and we absolutely love him. As you can tell, he is never lacking for attention at our house! ~The Baums~"
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Samson
Samson is learning his manners and is a wonderful family member. ~The Johnsons~
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Makai (formerly Xena)
Makai (formerly Xena) is doing terrific! She gets along fantastically with
her "sisters" (one dog and one cat) She has fallen into our families routine
quite easily. We were a little concerned about her and the cat, but no
worries there! She is still learning how to walk on a leash, but she is
getting the hang of it and has lost some weight. She has most certainly
toned up and now has a cute little waist line! She is a huge couch potato
and loves to lay in the sun and sleep most of the day.
When she is not lounging around she is following around whomever is home,
"helping". Thank you for introducing us this lovable couch
potato! ~Ashley Fulk~
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Sammie (formerly Tom)
Tom was our foster, and we fell in love, and now he is our boy, Sammie. He loves his sisters, and has truly found heaven. ~Len and Rosemary Kramme~
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Grace
Just thought HLR might like to have an update on our Yellow Lab Grace, which we adopted from HLR on 3-2-07. Grace is doing fine, but that is not to say she has not been a challenge. I have been walking with her daily for one to 2 or 3 miles a day and some days twice daily since the first day home after adopting her. Grace has always been a pretty well behaved house dog since day one, and I doubt she was ever a house dog previously. My real challenge with her has always been training her to come when we are walking and she is off the leash. We’ve had her 2 yrs and she has just recently become faithful to come when I call her. When I first started trying to train her to come when she was off the leash, she might run a city block before she decided to turn around and come back to me. But, all in all, Grace is now everything and old man like me could want for a constant friend and walking buddy. Those of you at HLR can be assured Grace has the best home she could ever want, and will never want for anything.
Thanks for allowing us to adopt her. ~Bob & Joyce Reeder~
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Ralphie (formerly Raphael)
Ralphie joined our family on July 4th, 2008. Since then, he has adjusted extremely well. He loves playing with his two brothers Henry and Max, especially at the dog park where he can run around and play in the water. Ralphie also did very well in obedience school. In fact, the instructors liked him so much, they asked him to repeat the class! It's hard to imagine what life would be like today without our Sweet Chocolate Boy, Ralphie. ~Todd Collins and Robert Jonas ~
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Greta
We are so glad that we came to you to get our labbie! Greta is such a wonderful, sweet, loving girl. She used to be very timid and stayed close to us when we took her out to go potty and we actually had to be outside with her the whole time. Now we can't get her to come inside especially with the cooler weather!
She is spoiled rotten and loving all the attention. She gets as much petting as she can from whoever is around! She is a big cuddle-bug and if you're on the floor watch out--she'll try to cuddle up on your lap! She's still a little timid around new people but warms up to them quickly. I think as long as they are petting her she considers them a friend.
She is no longer a grazer when she eats, she just gobbles it all up! And with two little girls around she gets the extra food from them too!
She's definitely a "mama's girl" (I take her everywhere I can). She loves going for a ride in the car, just tell her to "come on" and she's the first one to the car. We are so glad that she is a part of our family and that she now has a forever home.
~Veronica Castanon and Jim Vollmer~
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Pepsi (formerly Pipi)
Hello HLR,
I wanted to leap in & say hello to everyone. I came to my forever home the a week & 3 days before Thanksgiving. As soon as I walked into my new family's house I found this Duck in a closet and it became my best friend. I have taken a lot of my mommy's stuffed animals & claimed them as my own. Mommy don't mind as long as I don't eat them alive. I enjoyed meeting my mom's cats but they didn't like me very much. Over the past 3 months they have really warmed up to me. They enjoy watching over me while I sleep. Phylix, one of the cats, loves eating my dog food when I'm visiting my mom's parents while she is working.
I really enjoy being at my mom's parents house while she is away for the night. They have a Mini Pin & a toy Mini Pin. They are very old little girls & don't like to play much. However, I have come to understand that it is their house & they will play with me when my mommy is around or they feel up to it. I love all the attention around here & enjoy the big yards they have for me.
I knew how to sit when I arrived but these people have taught me so much since I've been here. I now know how to sit, stay, drop it, leave it, give it, come, outside, inside, lets go, lets play, leash, shake with both hands, down, lay down, belly rub & most importantly NO. I have also learned how to help my G-Ma a lot around her house. I can open the fridge, screen door and turn on & off the lights for her. If she drops things I'm such a big help with picking them up for her & giving them right back. I'm such a big help to her around here it's amazing at times how much I can learn & they reward me all the time with lots of treats, toys, attention & lots of belly rubs. I really like those things and can't seem to get enough of them.
I started training classes last week and really enjoy them. I'm so much smarter then those dogs the teacher is amazed at how much I know. I get to be the helper & demonstrate lots of things to the class.
Thanks again HLR for helping me find my forever home! My mommy & her parents can't thank you enough for bringing me into their lives. I'll catch everyone up to speed once I've graduated & have more stories to share. Love, Pepsi (formally PiPi) & Suzie
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Avery
We adopted Avery in May of 2008 when she was 10 weeks old. Avery is now a healthy 11 month old puppy that weighs 65lbs. Avery is the sweetest little girl and the perfect family dog. She loves to play fetch and frolic in the water when we go to the lake. Avery loves to just be around us and play with the kids. She is very obedient and even takes commands from our 3 year old son, sitting and laying down when he gives the hand signal and says “west” (rest). Avery sleeps next to our bed and is ready to go to sleep every night at 9:00pm.~The Crews~
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Darla
Darla loves her sister, Abbey. They play tug-of-war and snuggle together! ~The Burtons~
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Andy
Thought that HLR would like to see a picture of Andy from Christmas. He is in his spacious bed (which he loves) with his best friend Chris Moose. Andy has turned out to be a great dog and a wonderful friend. We don't know what we'd do without him. He is very healthy. He weighs 64 pounds and has a bright, shiny coat. He runs with me every morning and walks with me every night. We are both getting plenty of exercise! We're lucky we found him. ~The Benhams~
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Maggie Thatcher (formerly Nancy)
Maggie was one of the Grand Lake Labs. She is approximately 50lbs now, her blonde coat is starting to develop golden points down her main and on her ears --a by-product of a healthy diet. Her hair has returned to her belly, paws, and ear tips, her nose scrapes are healed too. She loves to run in large circles with a tennis ball in her mouth. She is just now starting to eat her food without first pacing to and from her feeding area several times to see where everyone is at. She enjoys rides to the lake, and loves to swim after ducks. She is a super dog and we love her. ~The Summers Family~
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Riley
Hi, my name is Riley and I’ve found a forever home. Don’t misunderstand. I did have a great home in Oklahoma, but my parents couldn’t give the attention and exercise they felt I needed. So they put me up for adoption with Heartland Lab Rescue. Little did I know that there was a couple in Colorado searching the internet looking for a little chocolate girl.
One day, I went for a ride in the car, and I met the people who had driven 10 hours to come see me. Oh, I was all happy and squirmy when I met them. But then they put me in a strange car and drove away with me. That was kind of scary, but I was on my best behavior for the whole trip back. My new parents took me to a strange house and got me settled in for the night before I met my new sister.
The following morning, Mom, Dad, and I went to Mom’s friend’s house to pick up my sister, Cheyenne (a 10-year-old yellow lab). Oh my! Things didn’t start out well. I attacked her. Dad had to sit between us in the car on the way home. When we got there, Cheyenne was let out of her side of the car and she came around to greet Mom as she got out of the driver’s seat. Dad let me out, and I went after Cheyenne again—this time I cut her eye and cheek. Things weren’t going the way Mom and Dad had planned. The next couple of days, I’m ashamed to say, I went after Cheyenne a couple more times.
Mom and Dad decided they couldn’t keep me. Mom called the Rescue people and explained what had been going on. She said that Cheyenne was her first priority and she had to protect her. Mom would start crying every time she talked about what was going on. She’d been wanting another lab ever since her lab, Brittany, died at 14 ½ years old.
Dad had to make a trip back to the east coast during this time, and Mom was kind of afraid of being with us girls all by herself. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to “control” the two of us. I only got into one little “scrap” with Cheyenne during the time Mom was alone with us. Meanwhile, Heartland Rescue was trying to figure out a way to caravan me back to Oklahoma so my new parents wouldn’t have to make the 20-hour round trip again. The problem was that it was Thanksgiving and no one could help out until after the holiday.
Dad came home on Thanksgiving Day and, within an hour, said he had seen a tremendous difference in the way Cheyenne and I were relating to each other. By the next day, Mom and Dad decided that I could stay. It seems that all this time, the reason I was acting the way I did was because of something called “fear aggression”. I was scared, and fighting was the only way I could express myself. I wanted to tell you this long story because I want everyone who’s thinking of adopting another lab to know that things just need time to work themselves out. Put yourself in the new dog’s place—taken away by strangers, driven to a new place, put in a new home, meeting a brother or sister—it’s scary!
I wish you could see us now. I’m a big help to Mom in the kitchen; I stand by and supervise. One day, though, I was a little too close when she opened a bag of powdered sugar. It kind of exploded and here’s what happened.
Now, Christmas has come and gone. What a fun day that was. Mom dressed up me and Cheyenne so she could send holiday pictures to all her friends and family. I tried to look as pretty as possible, but Cheyenne doesn’t like to get her picture taken. Cheyenne and I opened our Christmas presents and had a great time playing with all our toys. My birthday is also on Christmas day, and Mom made me a hamburger cake with cheese frosting. Cheyenne and I shared it.
Did you see that last sentence? We shared it. You see, Cheyenne and I are now best friends. We love to play chase outside, especially in the snow. I have a big, fenced-in back yard (we girls don’t want to be watched all the time when we’re doing our private business). And we have five acres to run around on when Mom and Dad are outside with us. We both get tons of hugs and kisses, and we both get tucked into our beds each night (and we’re both told how much we’re loved). I love my parents too. I couldn’t have found a better home.
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Samie (formerly Sammie)
Over the past two days, I found one of Samie's favorite toys. It happens to be ICE. The outside water dish froze, she tried to dig it out. I went out after a bit and the temp had changed enough that I could get a large circle of ice out and allowed her to go at it. She worked until it was broken into bit size pieces. Here are a couple of pictures. Also I was able to adopt a Newfoundland and she has been with us a little over a week, all are doing well, Samie accepted her right away. I think she is happy to have someone else to play with. Right now all three are napping after dinner. ~ Mary
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Zac
Although we have only had Zac for a few short months, already we can't imagine life without him. Zac absolutely adores his sisters, Mitzi who is a 12 1/2 year old Lhasa mix and Maya, a 16 month old Schnauzer/Cocker mix.
One of Zac's favorite things to do is attend doggie daycare. He can hardly contain his excitement every morning as we put his harness and leash on. Several of the daycare workers have commented on what a good boy Zac is and they say that he is the most well behaved dog in his playroom. Of course, we already knew how special our baby boy was, but it's nice to hear that others recognize that Zac's a genius as well!
Many thanks to all of the volunteers at HLR for saving our baby Zac and allowing us to bring such a sweetheart into our family. We will forever be indebted to you and will do everything we can to promote the organization.
--Anna & Jason Acebo
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Sandi (formerly Timber)
Sandi has certainly brought joy to our house. She is full of puppy and is growing all the time. Thanks so much for allowing her to come into our lives. ~The McCoys~
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Diamond (formerly Janey)
We just love having Janey (now Diamond) with us. She weighs about 55 pounds. She is shy around new people but once she has been around them for a bit she comes right out of her shyness and licks them to pieces. She is so loving and wants to do what you ask of her.~Joyce Seitz~
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Hunter
Hello HLR!
Hard to believe it has been almost a year since we adopted Hunter, and I thought that it was about time to send an update. We quickly discovered that his favorite game ever is Ball--one of the pictures is from last weekend, where our oldest daughter and Hunter are doing that very thing. His second favorite activity is Going for a Walk. In fact, he jumps up before I do when the alarm goes off to encourage me to find the leash. He also loves to go camping with us, and was a pro from the first trip we took. We tend to choose camping areas with water, and we can't keep the kids or Hunter out of the water for long.
He has been the best dog in every way, and we can't thank you enough for rescuing him from the Stillwater Shelter until we had the chance to adopt him.~Anna Cruse~
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Bailey & Abby (formerly Hope)
Bailey is doing wonderful! She has adjusted to life at her new house perfectly and we absolutely love her. Both Bailey and Hope (now Abby) love to lie in bed with us, which is only allowed till we turn the lights out for the night. Then its off to their beds on the floor in our room. Bailey is such a sweetheart. ~The Hardings~
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Rosebud
We absolutely love Rosebud (we call her Rosie). She is the sweetest dog we could hope for. She is currently attending doggy school once a week and she is learning a lot.~The Sanditens~
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Drew
Drew is doing great. He loves to dig holes in the backyard. I don't love it, but who am I to stop him since he spends more time there than I do. He's found himself some nice places in the house to call his own as well. Our love seat is apparently his bed at night, so much for a Doggy bed.~Shaun Powell~
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Walt
We are doing great and LOVING having Walt in our home. Everything is going well, he has learned to sit , shake, lay down, and speak!~The Bentleys~
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GG
GG and I are doing great!! She is such an awesome dog and I feel very fortunate to have found and adopted her. She brings me a lot of joy!! She does great in the car, she seems to love kids and the dog park is her new favorite hangout. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to bring such an awesome and beautiful dog into my life. ~Brittany Wolf~
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Joey
He is sweet and very much overloved!!!! ~The Standells~
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Snickers (formerly Lacey)
Snickers feels quite at home with us and really loves our neighbors and the neighborhood as well. In the photo we sent, she thinks she is a lap dog. ~The Baileys~
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Jack
We are so pleased with Jack and glad that we could rescue him. He has adjusted to his new home and brother very well. Since we adopted him my other lab has became more active and even lost a few pounds from all the playing they do together. He is a very smart and loving dog and will not leave my side. He sure loves to go swimming and play fetch. Thank you Heartland for allowing us the joy of another lab in our house. ~Chris Legg~
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Max (formerly Trevor)
Hi - It's me again, Max! Just wanted to let you know I have now graduated all of my obedience classes. Mom & Dad are so proud of me!!
The next question they had was "Will he swim?' Silly question!!
They took me to a pool party & just look at that form!! I had so much fun - I've never been in such a big pool - there were a lot of other dogs there - WOW - we had tennis balls & frisbees - I was exhausted when I got home. I can't wait to see what my parents have in store for me next!!
Well, that's all for now - more later - Love, Max =)
P.S. - Thank You HLR for my second chance.
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Mac (formerly Hector)
Mac (Hector) has settled into the family well. We have a 7 year Border Collie Mix who is a PetSmart adoption also. She and Mac have done well together although there are times when she lets him know that she has had enough of puppy energy and play! Mac will graduate from the PetSmart school Saturday. He really is very smart and a beautiful dog! We are very thankful that Heartland Lab Rescue brought Mac into our lives. ~The Creasons~
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Nina
Nina is doing great! We just love her so much and she is very spoiled. She just celebrated her first holiday with us on the 4th of July. She went to a parade, a cookout, and a fireworks show. The whole crowd loved her. She loves going in the car and we love having her with us all the time. ~The Stablers~
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Lilly (formerly Dakota)
Sisterly Love!!!!! As you can see little Lilly has made herself right at home. Her big sister Daisy just adores her and is very protective. We love to take the girls on walks around the neighborhood. Lilly is still learning how to walk on a leash. She takes after her dad and is very onery!!!! We couldn't have asked for a better addition and would recommend HLR to anyone interested. ~The Jacques~
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Harper
Harper is adjusting to the family wonderfully. He is growing like crazy which makes it a little uncomfortable when he tries to be a cuddly lap dog. He has learned all the rules to break in our home; although I have been extremely impressed with how well he aims to please. ~ The Braytons ~
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Huck
We just love our new dog, Huck. He has so quickly become part of the family. Every morning we wake up to his tail-wagging, face-licking energy as he coaxes us out of bed and into our running clothes. He has become quite the running partner and is usually barely able to contain his excitement in the morning as he sits and waits for his leash. He also loves to ride in the car, probably because the car usually takes him to a park, or on a camping trip. His newest favorite activity has been backpacking. We took him with us to New Mexico for a trip and he did so well! He loved to explore, but he always stayed close and would come bounding back at full speed any time we called him. He also loved being able to carry his food and toys in his own backpack! We were afraid he might get tired carrying a backpack at those altitudes, but he proved us wrong each day with his limitless energy. After a long day of hiking all he wanted to do was run and play! Needless to say, he slept a full 8 hours on the drive back home! Thank you so much for taking care of him and giving us the opportunity to make him part of the family! ~Chris and Jessica Behrens~
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