Chloe

Thank you so much Midwest Lab Rescue! Before adopting Chloe, we had never owned a dog. To be quite honest, I never understood "dog lovers." We came to a point in our life, when we decided maybe a dog would have a good home with us, and we could help a dog in need. I never thought I would actually fall in love with a dog. Then I met Chloe! After meeting her and spending only a short time with her, we knew she belonged with us! Our "Chloe" is the best dog in the entire world! She is sweet, smart, loving and so well behaved she has become an instant part of the family. Our chlidren adore her and love spending time with her!
We are so happy we adopted her and MLRR did such a wonderful job matching our profile, we are sincerly thankful! We love her so much!!!!!
Dog Lovers,
-Darren, DeAnna, Layne and Linden

Wrigley (Formerly Frankie)

Wrigley is now just one the boys in our family ! He has adapted greatly to his new home and we are enjoying his fun personality. He loves to poke us with his nose when he wants something, carry around his towel or his bone and play tug of war with his play rope or wrestle with the boys. He has chewed quite a few items he should not have and we have learned to put stuff away. We are also happy to report that he has put on a few pounds so that we cannot count his ribs anymore. We have gone to obedience classes with him and he is pretty good with the basic commands, although he still acts very much like a puppy !
Sincerely,
-Sophie S.

Shelby (Formerly Kiki)

Kiki is doing great! Her name has been changed to Shelby. She is no longer the skin and bones dog that she was when we got her. She is doing really well. We did have an issue a few months back where she bit my son, but he was bothering her. We've worked with our son to show him the proper way to treat our newest family member. Shelby did really well in her obedience training class, but I found out that she would like to eat small dogs! I don't know whether she would really attack a small dog, but she barks and tries to get at them when she sees them. When we first got her, she was a counter-surfer, but that's changed. I think now that she knows she won't be hungry anymore she has stopped her counter surfing. Except for the way she tries to get at small dogs, she is the perfect dog! I'm looking forward to the warmer weather when we can walk her and play with her in the yard. My son was out there with her today. She had a ball and he was chasing her all over the yard trying to get the ball. I was worried that she might attack our Christmas tree this past Christmas, but she didn't even try to eat an ornament. Santa was very good to Shelby this year! When she first came to live with us, I crated her whenever I left the house or went to bed. We haven't done that for some time now. She pretty much has the run of the house although she chooses to sleep in her crate at night (we leave the door open). She loves the car and when we take her to other people's homes, she is the perfect guest!
Shelby is a great dog and we feel so fortunate to have her.
Smiles,
-Vikki C.

Jack (Formerly Jinger)

Jack (formally Jinger) is doing great. He has adjusted well to our family, loves going on walks and chasing the bunnies and squirrels. When my daughter had soccer games at Lovelace Park he would tag along, usually while we watch Kathleen play he barks at the other dogs, we also take him by the pond where all the geese are we want to let him go swimming there but are afraid he may go after one of the geese. Whenever we go on a car ride he comes along, James isn’t too pleased with that because Jack slobbers all over his new truck’s windows. All of our neighbors love Jack, they say he is so handsome and such a good dog. They are surprised that we have adopted him from a rescue and not a breeder. He does great with the little kids Kathleen babysits, after they have met Jack they are thinking of getting a rescue lab for the family. The next-door neighbors favor him the most because they have a garden and the critters are always taking their food, until Jack has started barking constantly they go away. We cannot wait for spring so he can play in the water all the time. Jack is such a good dog he doesn’t chew up any of his stuffed toys except for his squeaky ball. We are so happy to have Jack come into our family; he truly is a great addition to the family. Usually the kids fight over whose room he gets to sleep in. Thanks you MLRR for matching us with such a great dog.
Jesse is a new addition to the family. She and Jack are playing nicely; things have gotten louder since she has come with the two always roughhousing. The boys have taken a liking to her, James loves taking her on car rides; she usually just sleeps and doesn’t slobber all over the windows unlike Jack. The bio in Jesse was that she may have been an outdoor dog; she seems like the little princess. Today as we are writing the email it is raining and the streets are flooded, Kathleen took Jack in the water to swim and jump around, but Jesse wouldn’t go, we had to push her out the door. We have talked to our dog trainer and he thinks that she is just the runt of her lab litter that’s why she is so tiny for a lab, but he thinks she is pure breed. Jesse is very good at going in to her crate. She will go in it when she is bored or tired, Jack on the other hand will not go anywhere near it. Friends and family are shocked that we have gotten another dog, but it is working out great. We will keep you guys posted on both dogs, especially Jesse since she is new to the family. Again many thanks for another great dog.
-Pat, Laura, James, Stephen, and Kathleen A.

Cocoa (Formerly Hannah)

Cocoa is a joy to have around. She and our dog Jackson play pretty well together but mostly they want the attention of the humans in the house. Cocoa initially had some pretty bad separation anxiety which just seemed to end one day. The only explanation I can come up with is that she had some oral surgery at the vet and must have decided that it was better to be home alone with Jackson from time to time than to be back at the vet! She is extremely docile with the kids. In fact, my 4-year-old daughter's friends usually wind up hanging out with Cocoa much to the chagrin of my daughter who then has a hard time getting the children to play with her. Cocoa just sucks up their attention! She is however, my dog. When I close the bathroom door, she bangs on it with her nose! There are so many times I have stepped on her or tripped because she is always close behind and always quiet. If I am in the house, she is visibly torn when another family member offers to walk her or goes outside with a ball. She goes back and forth until I finally trick her into going outside by making it look as though I am going out too. We just love her though and I have become very used to reaching down to pet her from time to time. She seems much happier and healthier now than she did early on. -Lisa

Cleo

Everything is going very well with her and she has become an important and delightful addition to our family. Cleo and Dixie (our 8 year old yellow lab) are great companions and are proving to be a positive influence on each other. Dixie keeps Cleo grounded and Cleo keeps Dixie young! Cleo and Dixie are my running mates and together we have weathered many cold wintry runs along the lakefront this winter. Cleo is an unbelievable athlete and really enjoys the exercise. We no longer feel the need to crate Cleo while we are away or at night. She is very well behaved and has calmed down considerably. While she still loves to follow me around the house, Cleo is comfortable enough to lie on her bed in another room and know that I will still be here. Cleo LOVES other dogs and is thrilled that our next door neighbors are adopting an 11 month old Akita. Maura, the Akita, is being fostered by our daughter Sarah, so Cleo has spent quite a bit of time with her. When the adoption goes through, we have plans to take down a section of fence between our houses so our dogs can more easily play together. Our three daughters, who are either grown or away at school, adore Cleo and love the zip that a 2 year old lab provides.
All in all, Cleo's adoption has been a very positive addition to our family.
-Ann M.

Jesse

It's me, Jesse! Thought I'd let you know how I'm doing, since I haven't written for a while. We think I'm over ten now and I'm still pretty peppy, even with my arthritis, although I don't last as long as I used to playing fetch. But hey, I still look marvelous, as you can see from my picture....very distinguished with my gray, don't you think? I also have an enlarged heart, and have recently had some liver problems, so I do take a lot of medications, but so far, they're making a big difference. I did have to retire from the therapy dog business, though. Geez, you'd think I was an old geezer or something! However, mom says I am still playing a very important role in helping her figure out some of life's more pressing questions, like, can a banana being peeled be heard from three rooms away? Of course, we all know the answer to that one! Mom says I am also still helping her to keep in shape with our walks.
Just have to say thanks again to all my friends at MLRR for bringing me together with my forever family over eight years ago. It's a dog's life!
-Jesse

Emily

Here is a picture of Emily! She's doing great. She did test negative for her heartworm so I gave her the recommended heartgard and have to have her tested again at the end of April. Hopefully she'll be negative.
Thanks for all your help! I really am blessed to have a wonderful dog like Emily and look forward to giving her a happy life.
-Dave

Bradley

When I saw the picture of Emily (recently adopted black lab), it reminded me of a picture of Bradley that I have that is similar.
Bradley is 9 going on 10 now and is still a happy, running, play ball every moment dog.
Take care,
-Karen

Daisy (formerly Java)

Daisy arrived at my home on Valentine's Day, and it was love at first sight! She is the sweetest little girl, and she is very well behaved, especially considering her young age. She has two big borthers, Reno (in the photo with Daisy) and Comet (an MLRR alum). Daisy likes to follow them around and cuddle with them, and they seem to like having her around. I couldn't ask for a better dog.
Thanks MLRR!
Deb C.

Rufus

Rufus is a dog owner's dream dog. He's the greatest. We just love him more than anything. He's everything to us. My son's dog visits a lot and they are pretty good buddies. He can put her in her place when needed. He loves stuffed animals and will play fetch with anything. 24/7 if we could.
He walks around like this all the time.

More Rufus!

We recently dog sat for my son's two Shiba Inus. They are Rufus' best buddies. Haku was rescued after they realized that Sophie needed a friend. As you can see from the picture, Rufus rarely is without a ball in his mouth. He goes to doggie day care two days a week and at times, he is allowed to be up front where the front desk is. It is enclosed, but he has managed to bamboozle the clients coming in with their pets, into playing fetch with him. He's adorable of course, so everyone comments on how cute he is, so he responds by dropping a ball over the top of the barricade. The clients of course throw it back for him and it goes on and on. He's quite a character. I could send a billion pictures, but I'm sure you have lots of pictures of the other labs who have been adopted. They are all special of course, but I can't show enough pics of Rufus. He's just the absolute best lab we have ever had the pleasure of living with. Our last lab, Disney, we thought was the greatest and she will always have a very special place in our hearts (she's actually on our mantel as did we choose to keep her ashes), however Rufus is just amazing. Aren't they all. What an amazing breed!!!
Thanks for Rufus. He was absolutely meant to be with us.
Sincerely,
-Arlene and Mike F.

Lucky

Hi there. Funny that you ask me to write right now because we just walked into our house and came into a scene out of Marley and Me. Lucky got into the trash!!!!! Other than that, Lucky has been a wonderful addition to our family. We love to talk him jogging and the kids love to take hom for walks around the block and show him off. He is so kind and gentle and is nice to everyone that comes into our home. We couldn't ask for a better dog! Attached is a pic of Lucky lounging on his bed.
-Jen

Buck (Formerly Phelps)

we are so pleased with Buck (aka Phelps) as he has been a great addition to the family. Our kids and grand-children have really taken to him. He has finished his training and we are happy with his progress. Buck has been wonderful in the car and has faired out well on long trips up to Northern Wisconsin. He loves the snow, enjoys walks however, is not very good at retrieving but we will work on that in the coming months. Maybe when he gets a chance to swim in the lake it may be a way for him to get the idea??? He is much better with our lab Caffery and they do have a lot of play time together and since his neutering he is much calmer which I am sure Caffery appreciates. Health wise Buck has one more blood test to check on the heartworm issue and I suspect it will be ok. He is eating well, sleeps on his bed all night, is not a roamer and does not have to be crated. He is very lovable, follows us constantly and just wants to be close. What more can you ask for!
Thanks so much for all you do to take care of these wonderful dogs and giving them a second chance at life and happiness.
-Maureen & Dennis M.

Bud

Bud is doing very good. Kind of a picky eater but other than that he's doing fine. He is learning commands, sit, shake, go for a ride (I say lets go truckin) and he goes nuts. Knows what go for a walk is. I'm taking him in for his heartworm test this Saturday, he has no symptoms so he should be ok. I will follow up with you after we get those negative results I'm hoping for. Thanks for checkin on him.
-Matt and Bud :)

Abbey

Things are going great. Abbey has been with us for several months now and she has adapted well. Her and Lucy, her sister which is a yellow lab get along famously. They seem to be together all the time. Our neighbor even commented on how they walk along side each other when they are outside. Each morning my husband and I take both the dogs for a walk unless the weather prevents us. The first day we went to take them, Abbey did not know what to think and tried to hide. Possibly she thought she was going to be moved again. Now, she knows when we get our boots and coats that we are going and she cries until we put her leash on. She has three cousins as well, who visit frequently, they are getting along well too. The great dane does overwhelm her sometimes because of her size and clumsiness. We also have three cats and this was of great concern to us, but all of them get along famously. We sometimes find all of them sleeping on one of the beds together.
Tom and I are so happy to have Abbey as a part of our family. And I know she is happy to be here.
Sincerely,
-Sue C.

Evey

Hi Sarah, Evey "Queen", is our pride and joy! Notice she is the queen of the house. We just got done with six weeks of training and she received her diploma.
-Alex

Lucy (Formerly Nala)

When I lost my yellow lab, Kelsey, 4 years ago to cancer, I did not think I could handle adopting another dog – at least not right away. Well, "not right away" turned into 4 years, and that was long enough. I just love labs so much and new I had to get another, so I contacted MLRR and got on their list of potential "adoptive parents". I checked the web site daily to see who was up for adoption and inquired about a few dogs, only to be told that they were in the process of being adopted. Then came the call from foster mom, Cindy who told me about Lucy (aka Nala) and I made an appointment to meet her that day. I loved her the moment I saw her and new she was meant for me. I turned to look at her as I was pulling away from Cindy's house and she was just sitting there staring at me – that was 7 months ago and I still can't believe how lucky I am to have her. She loves going to the dog beach in the summer and the dog run in Wauconda in the winter. She still needs help with her heeling, but she has made great progress. Lucy was not your typical retriever - she didn't fetch! Then one day a friend of mine brought over some new toys for her, of them, Lucy chose "Buddy" (shown in the picture) as her favorite. Even though she has a basket filled with other toys, she will only play with Buddy and carries her around very gingerly. Lucy likes to bite her nails, will not go outside if I don't go with her, has just now figured out that barking will get my attention, and she contorts and twists her body in the oddest positions, you wouldn't think it possible - or comfortable! All these things make Lucy who she is and I wouldn't change a thing about her, she is the perfect dog for me.
Thank you MLRR for giving me Lucy,
Sincerely, Judi

Igor

Happy New year from Igor

Spencer (Formerly Randy)

Remember us? You knew me as Randy and I just turned 6 years old. I am also a big brother now to my new sister Lizzie, she's only 3. I like her a lot and we are getting along very well. She is just such a wiggle worm though! Our forever family wanted us to tell you how extremely grateful we are that you have brought us all together. As you can see from our picture, we sure look real nice together and have basically taken over the house now. All we do is give one of those faces to our forever parents and well, you know, the rest is history! Thank you again for all the good work you do and for rescuing us!

CoCoa (Formerly Victoria)

Victoria - renamed CoCoa is adapting well to her new home and family. Here is a picture of her making herself at home and lounging with her step-brothers. Thanks you for saving her so we could add her to our hearts and home!
-Sue D.

Gipper (Formerly Yeller)

My name is Gipper, and I’m a yellow Lab. I was adopted by Lisa and Keith, who named me after former President Ronald Reagan. I'm eighteen months old and I've been with the my family for six months. I loved my new home from the first day that I came running through the door! My family spoils me rotten: they feed me well, twice a day, give me treats when I do good things and take me for long walks to get rid of all of my energy! They also play with me a lot in their fenced yard with tennis balls, which is another way to get rid of all of my puppy power! I am very good in my crate that my family calls "Gipper's House." At night, they let me sleep on a nice bed that they bought for me that they have right in their bedroom, so that I can protect them! Sometimes I get to go on car rides and even get to go to dog parks and play with other dogs! A few times a month I get to see kids around the house, and they are so wonderful! I get to give them a lot of kisses, and they play with me and pet me. My life is so happy and I'm so glad to be in my forever home. I know that I've brought a lot of love into the house and they show that to me every day! Here is a picture of me; I love the camera!

Duke (Formerly Clay)

Our Duke is doing fine. He and Max sure enjoy each other. He is the sweetest guy and is always happy. He is about 5 and half months old and weight about 60 pounds. George asked the VET about how big he would be. Doctor Rowland asked if he knew what the word Moose meant. It is fine with us the bigger the better. We just love him, and realized since he came it was pretty boring around here. He follows Max's lead in all things. He has this huge Lab tail that wags in a full circle. We love him as we do Max and are glad he now is in his forever home in Shorewood. We call him the Duke of Shorewood. He is such a good boy and pretty laid back for a Lab puppy.So glad he is now part of the family.

Kia

Just wanted to drop a note of thanks as we celebrate 5 years with Kia. She's still super energetic and tries so hard to please - even though it takes all she can muster to contain herself. Since we adopted Kia in November 2003, she's learned how to swim and become part of a pack with her corgi brother and "cousins" chocolate labs Snickers and Scout (also adopted through MLRR by my sister and family). She also behaves well at the vet clinic where her "dad" works - greeting patients and helping set them at ease. This photo is of Kia, Snickers and Scout in the back of an old Ford pickup. We have so enjoyed our 5 years with Kia and look forward to many more.
-Eric & Jayne W.

Honey (Formerly Cameron)

Eager to please, so full of love I could burst, all I lacked was a person and place to call home. MLRR rescued me and gave me Sally. She had hoped for a younger dog, not realizing that dogs are like people: We just get better with age! Sally gives me cozy beds and fixes up the most comfy crate; she buys me toys that are soft but that I cannot tear apart; and the special treats she finds are the tastiest I've ever had! But most of all she gives me her loving touch and caring heart, and tells me I am beautiful, and perfect for her. We love to go on long walks. I had arthritis, but feel fine now, thanks to tasty vitamins Sally gives me. If you ask her what I've given her, she will tell you, "unconditional love and devotion, and a dog more wonderful than her dreams."
Thank you, MLRR!! You have changed two lives for the better more than you could possibly imagine.
--Honey
P.S. Thump, thump, thump (that's my tail; it never stops)

Parker

Parker, our rescued dog, is doing well and we really enjoy the addition to our family. There was such a big hole in our life after our old lab died, and Parker has filed it nicely. We had forgotten how much energy a young dog has and we were a little overwhelmed by his tremendous energy and enthusiasm at first, but we are all adjusting nicely. We completed a puppy obedience class not long after he was adopted and are attending the last session of a Family Dog obedience course tonight. We have to teach him a trick as part of the final exam. Sometimes "roll-over" goes beautifully, sometimes not so much, so we will see. He does like to work though! At class when he is waiting his turn he may get restless and start chewing on his leach or bouncing around, but as soon as it is his turn to demonstrate a skill he is all business. We plan to Family Dog 2 in January. We have been taking Parker to the local dog park (May's Lake Forest Preserve in Westmont) regularly and he very much enjoys playing with the other dogs, and greeting the owners! Parker enjoys playing with other dogs so much that we are seriously thinking about adding an emergency back-up dog to our household in another year or two, when he is little more mellow. We have always enjoyed walking our dogs and Parker enjoys our outings to Waterfall Glen and Fullersburg Woods for hikes and wading in the rivers. He hasn't had a chance to actually swim but loves to wade and splash in the water. He also likes to drop his tennis balls into the small pond in our back yard, and has taken an occasional header into the pond.
Janet has blogged, with photos, about his adventures http://pegotty.blogspot.com/2008/04/day-in-life.html and http://pegotty.blogspot.com/2008/05/oh-gentle-leader.html
Parker is very sweet, but not quite perfect. He is a counter-surfer, so we have to careful to put things out of reach. He is growing and his reach is considerable these days, so we do still find apples, oranges, and tomatoes placed delicately around the house. He likes soft things, and had been known to remove the balls of socks from the laundry basket and deposit them in various corners too. Janet has learned to be very careful with her knitting because he also likes balls of yarn. We are very happy with Parker, and he seems to be equally happy with us.
Regards,
Christopher and Janet B.

Mavis (Formerly Sydney)

Mavis is the best Lab ever! We brought her home on 3/23/08 and our lives have not been the same since. Mavis was a little shy at first in her new surroundings but she has gotten over that initial anxiety and has realized she is in her forever home now. She loves to swim, play fetch and then play more fetch and then fetch again. We are still working on basic commands with her and she is coming along just great with sit, stay and most importantly coming when called. She is also a good luck charm in that we had the winning ticket for the flat screen TV you raffled off at your dinner last May. Mavis' favorite program is… you guessed it "The Dog Whisperer". Mavis has been a perfect fit for us. Attached is a photo of Mavis tearing through Lake Michigan near Saugatuck, this was the first time we took her swimming and she did awesome.
Thanks MLRR!
-Michael & Christine D.

Gracie (Formerly Candace)

Gracie has been a joyful addition to our family. She is sweet and a quick learner. I think that she only had 2 accidents when we first got her. Within 3 months we've been able to transition her from being completely in the crate when we are gone, to extending her boundaries for up to 6 hours. She is doing terrific with that. She has become dear to us, and we can't imagine not having her in our family. Although we still miss Sabbath, our 14 year old lab who died in May, Gracie is a blessing and a gift to us.
Gratefully,
-Mary T.

Guiness

Hi, Guinness is doing great! We fostered him in April and knew we had to adopt him! He is so funny and goofy and loves to play with his sister Sasha. They are inseparable and follow each other everywhere! Guinness loves his swimming pool and on a warm summer day, he will flop around in it until he is drenched in water. He also loves swimming at the dog park and sleeping in "his" recliner or taking up the entire bed. We are working on letting him stay out of his crate for short periods when no one is at home, and so far, he is doing well.
We are so thankful for having him.
Thanks to Midwest Lab Rescue for everything you do!

Olive (Formerly Marlee)

We’re all having a blast! Olive is the best. She really is just a ball of love! Her training is going well, too. Attached is a picture of her while she was enjoying her kong and a swimming pool!
Thanks for all you did to bring Tom, Olive and me together!
Best,
-Mike

Ginger (Formerly Louise)

Ginger is doing great. She and our other dog Honey were fast friends and love playing and running around together. Its funny how often people ask us if they are from the same litter! Ginger loves to cuddle and get belly scratches! She fit in right away in our house and she did really well in her Petsmart puppy class. We are so happy to have her and we think that she is a great addition to our family. I am attaching a picture of Ginger and Honey lounging on the couch one night--it is our favorite picture of the girls. Ginger is the one upside down!
Thanks again for your help,
-Melissa & Matt D.