 Help save a dog's life...
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SUCCESS STORIES ARCHIVE
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Hi, Valerie here! and I am one LUCKY DOG. First, I would like to thank
Meredith and MLRR! MLRR took me in when I was a stray and soon found out
I was not a healthy girl. But, thanks to the vet and MLRR, I am now
completely healthy. When they thought maybe I was sick, you couldn't have
told me that. I was a ball of energy! I was adopted by a nice family. I
learned to sit in about three minutes. I have a 10 year old doggy brother,
Gershwin, who watches over me AND keeps me in line. My owners are nice
people who think that I am spoiled. They are correct. I have them
"wrapped around my little paws." I have heard them say they don't remember
Gershwin having as much energy as I do when he was a puppy. I have a large
deck to run around on and a nice fenced in back yard to play to my heart's
content. Sometimes I tease Gershwin and he tries to catch me, but I am too
fast! I am pretty fearless; there is not a dog, human, toy, place, or
environment that scares me. My favorite past time is nibbling on other
dog's ears and carrying my toys around the house. I like to flying leap
from one place to the next! Also, when my parents are showering, I try my
very hardest to get in! I do succeed in getting my head wet! In fact, my
family is going to take me swimming this summer because they think I will
do very well. I am currently halfway through my obedience class and I am
behaving better everyday. My parents think that I am SPECIAL and I think
that they are excellent judges of canines. Thanks again MLRR.
I thought I would let you know how I was doing since I havent written in a while. My family and I moved again into a new house with a yard just for me. I love it but I still love my walks. My favorite part of my walks is when my Elizabeth takes me for a walk. Sometimes I walk her but I am pretty gentle and make sure I dont go to fast. Plus, my mom is always there helping out. Here I am with her and our newest addition to the family, Emily. She is a little young to take me for walks yet but she is great fun and sometimes when my mom's not looking she sneaks me a cracker or cookie from the high chair. I still have lots of energy and cannot wait for spring so I can go running more and maybe even head to the dog beach. 
She sure has come a long way since MLRR rescued her. Her foster parents told us the details - when she arrived from the shelter to their home, she was emaciated, filthy. It was early February, some of the coldest days in Illinois. They gave her a nice long bath and began her road to a healthy recovery.
Since coming to our house, she's absolutely thrived. We've had her for about six weeks now and have put about 6 to 8 lbs on her, she appears to us to be the perfect weight for a lab her age. She loves playing with her housemates: Ellie, our black Lab and Emma, our chocolate. She's obsessed with the chipmunk hiding under our deck. Esther is very much a daddy's girl. I cannot be out of the room longer than 10 seconds or she comes looking for me.
My wife has a theory that rescued dogs are so much more behaved out of nothing but gratitude. Esther loves her new home, listens and responds to her name, doesn't jump, rarely barks. She's been an angel. I often tell her that we love her, and remind her that she'll never been alone again.
Well here I am at the Guardian Angles nursing home in Joliet ,doing my thing.
I am going to be 2 years old on the 15 th of next month,and I figured it was time to Pay a little back to the human race. If it were not for some very wonderful people who took me in ,I may not have been around .
I am enjoying my work as a registered therapy dog and will be going to other nursing homes and Hospitals in the future. Some of the places I want to go require a lot of paperwork before I start.
Bye for now and I will keep you up to date on how this is going. I think I have changed a lot since that little puppy known back then as clay.
This nice lady picked me up from a shelter to transport me for MLRR. It was love at first site for me and I decided that it was ok if she adopted me. I knew I had to win her over. On the way to the vet I pulled out all my labby charm. I could tell by the time we reached the vet, I had her hook, line and sinker. After all, who could resist my ruggedly handsome good looks. Luckily, MLRR agreed that she and her hubby would make a great forever home for me. Boy, was MLRR right! Mom says I still have a lot of work ahead. I wasn't socialized properly when I was younger and I don't like furry creatures. I keep telling Mom that its ok that I don't get along, but she tells me I still have to go to school. Thats ok, because I love learning and I love the time I get to bond with my new forever family. In fact Mom says she sees a big difference in me just from our daily walks! Gotta go, I need to go find my toys before someone takes them!
Kody is fine... growing... maturing... meeting other dogs... getting smarter. A pic is attached from early DEC. He has changed so much but you can still see his traits from his earlier MLRR pic.
I wrote someone else at MLRR that I really like the adoption process by MLRR. You really do your best matching the Pet with the Family. The interview process totally benefits both parties.
So what can I tell you. He is full of "puppy". An attention span of a fraction of a second. We probably started Puppy Training to early... too young to focus. He loves to play, chase, retrieve... and eat. Loves other dogs and wants to meet all of them. He will spend a minute watching a squirrel and has started to notice birds. Loves to run through the snow... deeper the better. We trained him to not bark in the house... constantly saying " Kody, no bark". So now he makes a sound through his closed mouth... closer to "dog talking" to get our attention. Very funny.
Roscoe is doing so well. He is a very healthy 72lbs now, very happy, and we have bonded very well. He has been a quick learner and is great on the leash, sits, shakes, and lays down. I have attached a photo as well. We took a 2800 mile round trip to relatives in Fl. for Christmas and he loved the trip in the car.
I am so grateful to Midwest Labs for binging Roscoe and I together. His Vet is Blum Animal Hospital on Clark Street in Chicago. He is in perfect health and weight, gets lots of daily exercise, and has made many friends in the neighborhood (especially all the girls at Krisers Pet Store downstairs).
We adopted Charlie in November 2009 and he is such a great dog! We love him and he brightens our days with his goofy, energetic, fun-loving attitude. He keeps us busy with lots of walks and adventures! His friends at daycare love him too and agree that he is super gentle, affectionate, and perfectly well-behaved. He plays well with everyone and loves all people especially. Fetch is his favorite activity and he’ll play for hours if we’re up for it! Every night he falls asleep on the couch while we relax from the day. He always figures out how to sneak onto our laps like he is 10 pounds – he’s actually 80 pounds! Thank you so much for all MLRR does and for bringing Charlie to our lives! I can’t even remember what our home was like without him! 
I picked up Buck (formerly Diesel) from his foster home on October 1st. He completed obedience school by mid-November and has settled into my home as if he'd been with me all along. It's difficult to imagine life before Buck.
We adopted Maizey (formerly known as Juliet) from Midwest Lab in January 2006. We met Maizey's foster mom, Shirley, on a snowy January morning at a dog park to see if there was a connection. My husband, Rod, instantly fell in love with her. Maizey had recently had puppies and was found chained to a fence with her boyfriend, Romeo. There she was running around the dog park with her 'puppy fat' swaying back and forth. We walked home from the dog park and Rod said, "I want that dog." Thanks to her wonderful foster mom, we had an easy transition and Maizey fit right into our little family.
Now, 4 years later, I would have never guessed how much joy she brings to us. We have yet to have any children, so Maizey is our only child and she is truly spoiled. She is such a loyal companion and a joy to come home to every day. She has a lot of energy and the sweetest puppy dog eyes. We are so happy that we were given the opportunity to adopt Maizey through Midwest Lab Rescue. She has been a gift to us and cannot imagine our lives without her sweet personality and constant energy.
When we first got Koti we were not sure we had made the right choice especially since it has been such a short period of time since we had to put my other dog down. Custer fka Tyson who is also a rescue from MLRR was not super receptive, however, over time they have become good friends and Koti has become a valued and welcomed member of he household. He has made great strides to try to please us and fit in. He has graduated basic obedience class and is also allowed to roam free when we leave to go somewhere. We took him snow shoeing in the Volo Bog over Christmas and he had a blast running and playing in the snow and chasing Custer around. I am happy to say we have had only one accident in the house and he has only chewed on one item other then his toys so no major damage done. For a lab that is remarkable. He is also a very good car passenger as he does not whine, or cry but sits quietly and looks out the window. He loves the snow and in fact it is not hard to get him to go out at all in fact it is a challenge to get him to come in. He also loves Custer as you will see and mind you the pictures are not set up but caught in the moment if you will.
MLRR you have done it once again you have managed to make another family happy and saved another lab by giving them a second chance. As you can see both MLRR pups are happy and content and doing very very well.
I will have to take him into our vet soon as the vet who did the surgeries on him left a surgery suture in him and I am sure it is uncomfortable. I thought it would dissolve but it has not.
Beckwith (know known as Willis) is doing very well. He's adjusted to life in the city and loves going for walks or car rides to the dog park. He has become very adept at retrieving and seeking out his toys when they are hidden. He's also a big old lover boy and wants to be a lap dog eventhough he weighs 95 lbs! Overall he's very happy and his tail is constantly wagging.
Heyo! My name is Danny (previously known as Magnum). My foster mom said that after being with me for ten minutes, she knew that I was a keeper. I've been getting along really well with my new sister, Tess, but I'm still pretty confused as to what cats are and what purpose they serve. My new family very quickly observed my ability to leap and soar through the air, so they're signing me up for agility in the very near future. I'm a total cuddle bug and love snuggling up to my family, but I can switch gears very quickly and be seen racing around the yard with Tess in pursuit. She'll never catch me! I'm so happy to be in my forever home!!!
We have so much to be thankful for this time of year, and we are so grateful to your organization for the gift of our lab Lily (formerly Adrian). We adopted Lily 4 1/2 years ago in the summertime. As newlyweds we wanted to adopt our first dog and addition to our family and Lily has been such a precious gift. In this time she has been swimming for the first time in Lake Geneva, been to the dog park numerous times, made friends with all of our dog neighbors and family dogs, became a cancer survivor of a mast cell tumor over a year ago now, and most importantly our cherished companion and best friend. She loves going for car rides and walks and playing fetch with tennis balls in our back yard. She greets us at the door with a bone and a friendly hello and she will be a big sister to our first baby this March. We can't thank you enough for what you do in rescuing dogs like Lily and giving them a second chance to find a forever home. You gave us the chance to adopt Lily. To us she is not just a dog, but a family member and we love her so much. I've included a picture of Lily waiting for my husband to arrive home. This is her favorite spot by the window and whenever one of us is gone, she patiently waits and watches out the window for us to return home.
We are enjoying him immensely and he has become an important part of our family. It's hard to believe it's only been four months since he came to us from MLRR!! He has a wonderful gentle and calm personality and loves to cuddle. But he also is very helpful in keeping Maya (our too-aggressive Lab mix) in line; he is just what she needed! He also keeps to a very strict schedule (we call him the "canine alarm clock") and is up at 6 every morning, wanting his breakfast. Fortunately, he has learned what "back to bed" means, and lets us sleep in when we want to! Here is a photo so you can see Jefferson in his "forever home"!
Daisy is doing really well. Every week we see changes in her behavior that say that she is adjusting to her new home. This past week we have noticed that she and Cuyler (our other Lab) have started sleeping closer together than in the past. They still don't touch, but are becoming more used to living together. They play together sometimes.. There is still some competition between them for our attention, but I expect that's normal.
Daisy finished obedience school. She wasn't the best student in the class, and we continue to work with her at home. But going to class has calmed her down quite a bit.
She loves her walks and "campaigns" for a walk every morning after she has had her breakfast. And she has taken on the doggie-job of protecting our yard from squirrels and deer. Once she almost climbed a tree to get to a squirrel.
She is a very affectionate girl, and loves to get her belly and head scratched. And she has really bonded with Jeff and I. We feel very fortunate that we adopted her and made her part of our family.
I have to say that having Roscoe join our family has been one of life's greatest blessings. We really could not have written a description of a dog and gotten a better one. He's loving, obedient, 'talkative', great with our kids, a great exercise partner, just an overall joy to have around.
We went camping this summer in Wisconsin on our friends 20 acre property. Roscoe LOVES it there, to say the least!
Thanks for checking in with us, I hope the picture shows you how happy he is and how happy we are with him.
Take care,
Bailey (formerly Annie) is the most loving and wonderful addition to our family! When we lost Jackson, our Chocolate lab after 14 wonderful years; I could never imagine another lab could wrap their paws around our heart in such a short amount of time! Naturally we promised the "next dog" would not lounge on the couch or sleep in our queen size bed. Yeah right....dear Bailey has managed to snuggle right in the middle of the bed and it is not unusual to turn and see her head next to yours on the pillow! The couch....well, it's a good thing I quilt because there is always a comfortable quilt on the couch for her to snuggle on!
Hey everybody! Here I am with my brother Jake (formerly Gunther of Molly's puppies, born April 8, 2002). We're relaxing after a busy day. I can't believe what a great life I have now. When I came here I didn't know how to walk on a leash, didn't play with any toys, bumped into things, and growled at Jake if he came near me. My family thinks I was always in a crate or maybe at a puppy mill. They said I was traumatized. I was also heart worm positive, had whipworms, and was in heat too!! Geez! Well I got over everything and learned to love my brother. He taught me to play with another dog and now my family is helping me to learn that other dogs can be fun too if I approach them nicely. I am a big cuddler and can be petted endlessly. It's never enough! Luckily I get lots of attention, love, and exercise now. I have a home and a forever family. life is good!
Maggie is a full pledged member of the family now…I quite honestly look forward to getting home every day as I enjoy her company. Maggie and our border collie , Luci and min-pin Ramses are well known across the neighborhood as “the Pack”. We can be seen every morning between 5:30 and 6am, again around 6pm…at noon the days I can sneak a stop off from work and sometimes at 10pm circling the neighborhood.
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement and understanding at the beginning of the “Maggie Adventure”.
Patti came to us in April, about 1 year old, and her ribs were showing. She is small for a lab, but perfectly proportioned for her size. She quickly filled out and even outgrew her collar! She is now about 46 lbs. (up from 37). Patti has fear aggression issues, and we continue to work on that. She has been attending obedience classes at Lyons Township Dog Training Club and is showing improvement. She is terrified of the vacuum cleaner and the lawn mower, shakes like a leaf and hides. However, fireworks and thunderstorms don't bother her a bit. She didn't care for her crate at first, chewing relentlessly at the front and side holes, but she is used to it now and has gone in it on her own a few times and laid down. She loves walks and car rides, and will tirelessly fetch a tennis ball. We think Patti is now experiencing being the puppy she probably didn't have the opportunity to be. She is excited to greet all of us whenever we come home and has tons of energy, although she needs time to get used to new people, and some she just doesn't like at all. One of her favorite places to lay is across a single stair, where she fits perfectly. She might be waiting for the last person to go to bed, our teenagers to wake up, or watching the yard, or out the front door from her elevated viewpoint. It's amusing to see her keen interest in watching birds (even a pheasant statue), squirrels, bees and other bugs, whether from a window or while outside. She loves to chase shadows and shiny reflections. No lazing around in bed is acceptable to Patti. When she decides it's time to get up (the earlier the better), she jumps on top of you in bed and licks your face. She takes a huge leap from the center of the room onto my son's bed - while he's in it. I could go on and on (and I have!) about Patti's energy and curiosity. She keeps us on our toes. She loves us a lot, and we love her right back.
I could not be any more in love with Rosie! When we first met her at
the foster home, she was terrified of humans, her tail was completely
between her legs, and she was a very fearful dog. The night we
brought her home, she found a place in the living room behind a coffee
table and that is where she stayed that whole night and the next
morning. Eventually, we had to physically pull her up to make her go
outside to use the bathroom and eat something. Every noise scared her
and she was so skittish.
Wow! Henry (14 mo.) and Arnold (9 1/2 yrs) are the loves of our life. Both are MLRR dogs and they are
inseperable. They are truly in love. Henry follows Arnold all around. He wants to play all the time. He does wear out Arnold many a time. He is the big brother. Henry loves the huge fenced yard (3/4 acre). Every morning he blasts around the yard with Arnold. We have had Arnold since he was a baby from MLRR. They are both the sweetest four legged furry children in the world.
Max is now Linus. When we first adopted him from Cindy his foster mom.
he came with a green blanket which he carried everywhere.
Unfortunately, I can't locate the picture of him loping through the
house with it. He's 75#'s of playfulness, loves to chase and be
chased and adores our daughter. He also is a water dog. We're near a
branch of the Dupage river, and he eagerly wades into it and follows
us. One of the funniest things he does on a walk is to "bite" water
coming from in ground sprinkler systems. He will continue to "bite"
until the nozzle closes. He is everything we wanted and more.
As of July, Kahlua has been a part of our family for an entire year
and we’ve gotten to know each other very well. I think we’ve had a lot
of fun with each other doing all sorts of activities like: playing
with her “cousins” Lousie & Olive in Lake Michigan, napping on her
dad’s foot, & even helping her mom with wedding planning ?. Some of
her other interests include, chasing her brother Mattie (a cat) around
the house, playing fetch daily, going for long runs with mom & dad,
giving kisses, & getting belly rubs. We are so happy to have Kahlua as
part of our family and can’t wait to see what the coming year with her
will bring.
Latte is becoming a marvelous dog. We could not be happier. She is thriving in her new environment, and loves all the attention she is getting. She also enjoys the numerous walks and car rides she has been on. She has settled down nicely, and only occasionally has a bout of Labbiness and loses her composure. But she can be quickly be brought back under control. While I am sure her life will not be complete until she finally catches one of those darn chipmunks that keep coming into her pen, I think she is enjoying herself nonetheless!
Charlie is such a great addition to our family! He has gained 9 lbs., and his ribs and hip bones are no longer visible. His foster dad had told us he was the calmest one year old Lab, and he was right. Charlie impresses everyone with his good manners. People can’t believe he’s only one year old because he’s so well behaved. In fact, we joke that he sometimes acts like a senior citizen, because after a few minutes of exercise he’s tired. We’re working on increasing his stamina. He enjoyed his canine friends at obedience classes, especially MLRR alum Lottie (formerly Latte). Charlie has learned to play with toys, and especially enjoys his Jolly ball and rope. When we clean up the dinner dishes each night he gets very excited, because he knows it’s almost time for his walk. Although our cat is now tolerating him better, she still thinks she’s the queen, and he must be the court jester. Charlie loves all the attention from his two human brothers, sister, and parents. In fact, we are so pleased that we are going to adopt a doggie sibling for him. 
Hello everyone it's Sadie,
Here I am with my new sister, Haley, who is 6 years old so she has been showing me the ropes since I'm still just a kid. We have a wonderful forever family. I have a Mom, Dad and a human brother and sister. I really love all the attention I get and Haley's glad I like it because she doesn't really like attention so she doesn't have to deal with all the hugging and snuggling like she used to. I just push my way through to give her a break. We love to play keep away from each other with pretty much anything but I think socks are the best. I also like to put as many of them as possible in my mouth. Now that it's getting warm out we play fetch in the pool. I love to swim and I think it's helping my front leg heal better from the surgery I had back in March when I was in my foster home. I still limp but my new doctor said that I probably will for a while yet. It doesn't slow me down though, I can beat Haley in a race any time. I just throw it in second gear and I'm off leaving her in the dust. Can't imagine how fast I'll be when my leg is fully healed. Well have to go now and play another round of keep away. Keep up the good work getting us all forever homes. I really love mine.
Shadow, whose name should have been Bull, is doing wonderfully.
She adapted with no issues. As you can see she has "claimed" Codi as her boyfriend.
She has claimed top dog of Codi (9 year old yellow male) and Buddy (7 year old Jack Russell/Rat Terrier male)
If she wants something or someone she just takes it.
She can hold all 3 toys in her mouth at once.
She can move both boys out of her way to her you to rub her and pet her and yes feed her.
We changed her food and she did great with that.
She knows the routine and is first in line to tell me it is 5 o'clock and she wants, no demands her food.
We are teaching her to be patience and sit before she eats. Now if I could teach her to chew her food and slow down we would be set.
She gets at least 3 walks a day and has lost 5 pounds. Why can't it be that easy for us?
She went to the vet and all is fine. I had the vet check her eyes. She has a space issue. She does not like steps it takes her a few looks before she feels like coming up. A few looks at the bed and around it before she will come up. Getting better and no medical issues that the Vet could find.
She has taken to all of us but in particular to my husband Bruce, he calls her his Shadow girl.
Again she has claimed him as her boyfriend.
She is a true pack member for the four legged and 2 legged.
Emily is doing great!!! I just recently had her spayed (5/1/09). When I first got her on 2/10 she still had heart worm. When I took her to the vet to check her hear worm on 2/14, she was still positive, so they gave me heart guard and said to come back the first part of May. I’ll have her stitches taken out this Friday. Emily gets 3 walks a day, has plenty of energy and is very happy. She loves to ride in the car, go to Pet Smart and the forest preserve. She’s quiet the social butterfly with all the neighbors and other dogs. The only dog in the neighborhood she doesn’t get along with is another 3 year old female black lab and I think it’s more of a jealousy thing than anything.
Emily gets plenty of love and loves to get hugs and plenty of petting. She’s very playful around the house with her tennis ball and enjoys fetching it. I try to brush her for a half an hour to 45 minutes on Saturday’s and Sunday’s which has made her coat look beautiful. All in all, Emily is very happy and has a great life. She is quiet the joy to have around and I look forward to her having a good life for years to come. 
Pickle was adopted by his foster parents and is now living in downtown Chicago. He loves exploring the city on long walks and chase his bright orange ball into lake michigan at the dog beach. He's a phenomenal swimmer and a skilled retriever. His adoptive parents are sure that he has the thought, "Throw the ball, throw the ball, throw the ball..." running through his head all day long. He has settled in beautifully to city life, but looks forward to weekend adventures to the Indiana Dunes and Mathieson State Park for long hikes and new smells. When he's not out and about he is happy to curl up next to the closest person and give a little love. P.O. Box 1473
Lombard, IL 60148-8473
(847) 604-3254
mail@midwestlabrescue.org
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