Loyal Order of Labradors™

The smile on Sophie’s face tells the story – she is a happy girl! Her health is generally excellent, though she is a little stiff from a bout with Lyme disease. Sophie’s day begins as she waits patiently in her bed for the alarm to go off. She hangs out in the bathroom while her owner readies for work. Then it’s downstairs for breakfast and an inspection of the back yard. Sophie is in charge of the house and the cats while her owner is at work. Evenings are spent in the park retrieving tennis balls, taking a walk, checking out the yard, eating dinner, and watching TV with her human. (3/09)

Amber loves walks and chasing tennis balls. She’s an early riser, starting her day before 4:00 a.m.! She and her master take long morning and evening walks. After she has breakfast she has a job – helping her brothers and sister wake up and prepare for the school day. When the entire family is together in the evening and weekends, they shower Amber with love. And did I mention tennis balls? Amber loves nothing more than to retrieve tennis balls. She is extremely healthy for an older girl. Her only recent health concern was an injury to her leg earlier this year. But with rest and medication, she was soon chasing tennis balls again! (3/09)

IN MEMORY OF THUNDER, WHO CROSSED THE RAINBOW BRIDGE IN AUGUST 2009, AT AGE 12. Thunder was adopted in 1999 at the age of 2. Thunder is slowing down a little, but still enjoys his 4 walks every day. And then he wants to play soccer inside his house! He’s quite the traveler, too. On weekends, he visits his vacation home in West Virginia, where he plays in the snow in the winter and swims in a cool mountain lake in the summer. During his down time Thunder loves to relax on the couch and cuddle with his human companion. (2/09)

Wow – what a lucky Labby Dixie is! At age 8, she has traveled across the country twice in the past 5 years. She visited California, Santa Fe, the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, and her home state of Virginia. Dixie’s days are spent sunbathing, taking a daily walk, chasing squirrels in her yard, and playing with her mountain of toys. While her owners are at work, she listens to ’50s music and looks out the picture window. Dixie is healthy, energetic, and sports a beautiful and shiny coat. Her owners love her to death! (1/09)

Sarah (age 12) and her elder brother, Max (13), are just like puppies when they are near the water. They never stop swimming. Max has some vision problems and can’t get around as well as he used to, but he still loves to retrieve tennis balls. While he plays ball with his owner, Sarah patrols the perimeter of the park, searching for yummy treats like dead birds. Sarah and Max love their twice-daily walks, even though they are shorter because of Max’s movement problems. In between walks, while their owners are at work, Max and Sarah nap – what else would a labbie do when no one is home? (08/08)

IN MEMORY OF MAX, WHO CROSSED THE RAINBOW BRIDGE IN JANUARY 2010, AT AGE 14. Sarah (age 12) and her elder brother, Max (13), are just like puppies when they are near the water. They never stop swimming. Max has some vision problems and can’t get around as well as he used to, but he still loves to retrieve tennis balls. While he plays ball with his owner, Sarah patrols the perimeter of the park, searching for yummy treats like dead birds. Sarah and Max love their twice-daily walks, even though they are shorter because of Max’s movement problems. In between walks, while their owners are at work, Max and Sarah nap – what else would a labbie do when no one is home? (08/08)

IN MEMORY OF MAGGIE, WHO CROSSED THE RAINBOW BRIDGE IN NOVEMBER. 2010 AT AGE 14. Wow! A lawn sprinkler! What more could a Labbie want on a hot, summer day? Maggie, who is almost 12 years old, thinks that running through the cool spray is the best way to spend the afternoon. Maggie was adopted at age 6 months and has spent 11 wonderful years with her LRR family. Her health is good, other than a little arthritis. A typical day for Maggie starts with breakfast and a walk and a fun-filled day playing with her family. Though she really loves hugs from her family, a REALLY great day includes a stroll through the sprinkler! (9/08)

Polly Wolly Doodle is one of LRR’s great successes. A puppy mill mom, Polly was adopted at age 6.5 and was fearful of people for many months. She goes to “school” to be socialized and to spend special time with her mom. Now she is working toward a Rally Novice title and recently earned one “leg” toward this goal. She is the queen of her pack of 4 labs and makes sure the fosters fall into line. She wakes up each morning ready to EAT – her love of food is surpassed only by her favorite recreational activity – playing ball. Polly’s eyes glow at the sight of a tennis ball! Polly was Lyme positive when she came to LRR, but is now negative. (8/08)

IN MEMORY OF DEWEY, WHO CROSSED THE RAINBOW BRIDGE IN DECEMBER 2011, AT AGE 11. Dewey just loves the water! And why shouldn’t he, with the same name as a famous beach in Delaware?! Now 7, Dewey was adopted when he was just over 3 years old. His health is excellent and he is often mistaken for a much younger guy. Dewey’s daily routine consists of breakfast, followed by a walk and nap, then taking care of the house while his owner is at work. The day ends with another walk, dinner, playtime, and walking again. Always eager to head for the water, Dewey will gladly abandon his usual activities for a road trip to the beach. Dewey’s owner often hears “You two were meant to be together” – another perfect LRR match! (8/08)

Rusty Cinnamon King is famous! This 7-year-old yellow boy has 3 titles, Companion Dog Excellent, Rally Excellent and Canine Good Citizen. Rusty is part of a family of 4 labs, filling the role of court jester. He entertains everyone and has kept his owners laughing for the 6 years that he has been with them. Rusty always welcomes new fosters to the family and loves playing with them. Another favorite activity is attending training classes to learn more tricks. Rusty’s health is excellent, except for seasonal allergies that cause him to chew his feet. He’s becoming more snuggly, but is still a lively puppy at heart. (8/08)

Nellie’s days changed recently when her owner retired. What more could a girl want than her best friend home with her all day? At age 7, Nellie was adopted more than 5 years ago, at about age 1.5 years. She is an early riser, seldom sleeping past 6:00 a.m. She has a nice walk before breakfast and takes a nap after eating. Her days are filled more walks, running in the back yard, playing ball, and naps. Oh, did I mention lots of walks – Nellie LOVES walks!? (8/08)

IN MEMORY OF SADIE, WHO CROSSED THE RAINBOW BRIDGE IN DECEMBER. 2008, AT AGE 8 1/2. Walks, treats, and naps – what more could 8-year-old Sadie want? Her day is filled with all three, starting with a morning walk that can last up to 2 hours! She naps while Mom showers, then eats, and naps again, followed by another walk, treat, and nap. In the evening a rousing game of ball is followed by – yes – another walk and then dinner and a nap. In addition to all this activity, Sadie is an LRR ‘volunteer’, helping out her family with LRR fostering – she helps ‘show them the ropes’. Sadie gets a daily massage just before bedtime to help with some back problems. Sadie, who was adopted through LRR at age 2, is treated with acupuncture and medication for moderate cirrhosis of the liver. The good news is that her recent tests have been normal. (7/08)

IN MEMORY OF LOGAN, WHO CROSSED THE RAINBOW BRIDGE IN MARCH 2013, AT AGE 12. Logan, aka Firedog, is 7 years old and has been with his LRR family for less than a year. He is early to rise (at 3:00 a.m.!), is healthy, and perhaps wealthy and wise, too! After his morning time with Dad, Logan shares Mom, who works at home, with his brother and 2 sisters. He plays in his 2-acre backyard, chewing sticks and joining his sisters in an exciting game of tug of war. He and Mom take long walks. His nickname, Firedog, comes from another favorite thing – lying in front of the wood stove. (02/08)

Jordan, a 7-year-old yellow beauty, has been with her LRR family for just over a year. She wasn’t always the gorgeous girl that she is today. Upon adoption her owners consulted an animal allergist who has brought Jordan’s skin infections under control through bi-weekly injections. Jordan defines “early to bed and early to rise.” She has breakfast at 4:00 a.m. and is ready to retire for the night by 8:00 p.m.!!! As is normal with labs, her internal clock never fails to remind her about breakfast and her 4:00 p.m. dinner time. Jordan gets a long morning walk, play time in the afternoon, and exercise in the evening, with plenty of snoozing in between! (01/08)

IN MEMORY OF CHESSIE, WHO CROSSED THE RAINBOW BRIDGE IN OCTOBER. 2007. Chessie was placed by Labrador Retriever Rescue directly with Virginia law enforcement back in 1995 and became partners with her permanent officer in 1996, traveling all over the state of Virginia. She was a drug enforcement officer. Because she belonged to the “department” she wasn’t allowed to go home with her officer every day, so on his days off, he would go and spend hours with her so she wouldn’t think he had left her. She worked until 2002 when she was retired because of failing eyesight. Chessie went home with her forever family–she retired with her partner. She was a very special girl. (12/07)

For a longer version of Chessie’s story see the Happy Tails section of the website.