Bodhi's Blog: Life on the Dog Ranch...Time for puppies!

Good morning to our fellow lab lovers,

We recently had a slew of puppies enter the Dog Ranch and I have been getting so many puppy kisses. Some are furry, some are fluffy and most are chocolate. The puppies range from dark chocolate to milk chocolate and some even have toes that have been dipped in white chocolate. My favorite stuck her entire nose in white chocolate! Her name is Prim and my Tia Rachel Fusaro, the amazing HOT Lab vlogger, is fostering her! Want to see how much white chocolate is on Prim’s nose, view this video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYHjtpbMEBA&feature=youtu.be

This past weekend we had a puppy party where lots of families came out to meet these puppies. 8 puppies were adopted by the amazing families that have been waiting a long time for all of the pups to be old enough to go home to their forever families. My mom spent a lot of time discussing socialization of puppies with these families and I decided to share her insight with all of you in case you are getting or just got a puppy!

From my mom:

For those of you who have just gotten/are getting a puppy, please raise this puppy as if it is going to end up in the shelter one day. I truly believe none of you get a puppy with the intent to dump it off in 6 months, yet many people will actually do just that. The fact is YOU own this dog (who will live 12+ years) during the ESSENTIAL part of his/her life. You can determine if this dog is people friendly, dog/cat friendly, scared or confident, assertive or aggressive. These behaviors are more important to conquer than any training ever is! People are willing to train a dog to sit, to walk nicely on a leash and to lay down, they are not willing to take a dog aggressive dog or people aggressive dog, these dogs will DIE in the shelter.

So, I ask each of you about to get a puppy, raise it as if you are going to dump it in the shelter, whether that is in 3 months, 6 months or 8 years from now. Do one thing good for this dog. If you raise it like it might end up in a shelter and you want it to get adopted you might find that not only do you bond more to this puppy, but that you fall in love with it so much that you would never, under any circumstance (including a move across country) would rehome your dog.

I have linked info on how to do this correctly. If you need more help, please contact me.”

https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/puppy-socialization-stop-fear-before-it-starts/

My mom would be happy to help any of you if you need to know more about socializing your new puppy!

The puppy party was super fun, I got to dance with lots of people and share their attention with the puppies. I got to meet the "man in red" right after the party, too! Next year I will be able to ask Santa for a present!

Bye for now!

Bodhi

Bodhi's Blog: Life on the Dog Ranch Introduction

Bodhi’s Blog: Life on the Dog Ranch

Hello fellow lab lovers,

My name is Bodhi, I am the resident mascot for the Heart of Texas Lab Rescue(HOT Lab). Sports teams get animal mascots and animal rescues get human mascots! I have lived here for three months, which is 1/3 of my life as I turned 9 months old on December 11th.

This is Tanner, a foster pup I live with, and I enjoying some quiet time.

If you have fostered, volunteered or adopted recently we have probably already met! My goal is to be as famous as Rachel Furaso, our amazing foster momma with the vlogs. For now, my plan is to introduce you to Heart of Texas Lab rescue from an “insiders” point of view. Share our secrets, pass along some training info (my mom is a dog trainer and I help her a lot with training) and introduce you to some of our amazing pups waiting for their forever home.

Murtaugh sending his love from his new home!

To end this quick, introduction blog, I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has visited our Amazon Wish List and purchased chew toys/bones for the pups living on the Dog Ranch! Boy, they chewed on those for hours and I actually was able to nap without one of them waking me up to lick my face. It was amazing and they were all so happy! 

Heidi enjoying a knuckle bone from the Amazon Wish List

Did you know that hot Lab is 100% volunteer run. With the help of your donations, these amazing volunteers pay for the food, toys, chew bones and medicines for the homeless dogs. Your gifts are always a welcome surprise and the dogs always let me know when the mailman is here, though he would rather not get out of his truck to hand me the boxes. Good thing I just learned how to crawl!

In the words of our amazing Rachel, have a beeaauutifullll day!

Bodhi

Five Things To Know About Fostering for HOTLR

Have you ever thought about becoming a foster for Heart of Texas Lab Rescue? One of the best ways to become involved with HOTLR is to foster a pup. It's one of the things we always need. It's been proven over and over again that HOTLR dogs that spend time in someone's home adopt more quickly than those that don't have a foster family. That's because these dogs need to learn to trust people again and how to behave in a normal family environment. That’s where you come in. When you agree to foster with Lab rescue, don't think you've jumped into a situation all by yourself. Keep in mind there is a whole organization available for you to lean on should have questions or problems, too.  Here are five things to know if you are thinking of becoming a foster. 

1) Happiness

Nothing brings more joy than bringing that pup home for the first day. Watching him or her come out of their shell and learn to trust and love humans again can move you to tears. It takes dogs typically three weeks to adjust to a new home environment. Some may take longer depending on their past lives.

You'll smile over and over again watching a dog learn to play with toys or discover the joy and comfort of a dog bed, or run willy-nilly with wild abandon in your backyard. It's equally important that you portray an attitude of happiness and enthusiasm when you're around your foster pup. Often, these dogs need encouragement and confidence to make them feel good about themselves again.

2) Openness

You'll need to be open. We like to say that these dogs are diamonds in the rough. Some may have never spent a night inside a home, or any time at all. Some may need to have their manners polished. They may need to be taught simple commands. Yes, even as simple as "sit."  

Some may be afraid of people or other animals or even certain sounds. These dogs are often not perfect. That’s why they need our help. Helping them overcome these hurdles is how we can fix them. So, keep in mind that your foster may not be the perfect Labrador, but you can make a difference.

3) Tears

Be prepared to shed a few tears. There is little doubt that these guys won't work their way into your heart. You may experience tears of sorrow should you know anything about their terrible backgrounds. You may experience tears of compassion when you realize they are in pain either physically or emotionally. You may experience tears of bittersweet sadness when your foster pup that you've loved and worked with so much finds his forever family. Just try to keep in mind that you are merely dog-sitting and providing some training in life skills for someone else's dog. It's not easy, I know.

4) Love
Be prepared to fall in love. You wouldn't sign up for fostering a pup if you didn't feel a certain draw to the cause. The cool thing about any animal that you grow close to is their unique personality and the special things they do to show us their character. That's why you become so attached. Each one is special and when you care for a dog day after day and they begin to behave in a way that is unique to who they are, that's when you fall in love. Don't forget that the human heart has an unlimited capacity to fall in love. Even when your current foster leaves for her new home, there's another waiting to enter your life and make you fall in love all over again.

5) Reward

Most folks don't sign up to be a foster for the reward, but it's an inherent part of becoming a foster and a hook that once you feel take hold is not easy to give up. The reward combines all of the other emotions described above into one. The reward is the happiness you bring to a foster dog and that the foster brings to you. The reward is how your heart feels when you open it to one of these dogs. The reward is the tears of joy and laughter your foster brings you, or the tears of happiness the adoptive family spills when they come to pick up their new dog. The reward is the unlimited capacity to love these unwanted dogs over and over again and the love they will always give back to you. That is both the reward and the miracle of fostering. Don't you think one of our dog's needs you? We think so. If you are interested in learning more about fostering for Heart of Texas Lab Rescue, please email our volunteer coordinator, Audrey Huntsberger at volunteerforlabrescue@gmail.com.

Axel

Most of the time, social media is a beautiful thing; letting us connect with other dog advocates, keeping us in touch with our wonderful alumni and their forever families, and helping us find new homes, or foster homes, for our lovable labs.

However, alongside the happy tails, it brings us the sad and abandoned dogs, the ones who have spent their lives at the shelter or on the road without the love and care they deserve.

One such story popped up into our inbox this July.



A man reached out to us letting us know that him and a few others found a puppy tied to a truck and abandoned. The puppy did not belong to the owner of the truck, was not microchipped, no collar, and was very emaciated, clearly dumped and left to his own devices.

These good samaritans and dog lovers called their local animal control in San Marcos, who took over from there. This sweet little pup had a whole team of people looking for his owners, or those who abandoned him so they could be held accountable.

 However, nothing came to fruition.



Luckily we were able to step in and get this petite, very
underweight fellow to a foster home!

I was the lucky one to get to pick him up, and his freedom ride was a hoot! As soon as they brought him to me in the lobby, I knelt down to give his ears a scratch and I got a puppy hug in return; like he knew he had just won the "get out of jail for free" card.

We took a spin around the parking lot and headed to the car. Like most dog moms, I have a car hammock for the back seat....little bit was having none of it! He clambered his was up to the front seat to ride shot gun, and found the treats I have stowed in the center console (time and time again I've learned this lesson - labs always know where the food is!).

He also made his own fun by shredding my old receipts and papers strewn around my passenger floorboard (don't worry, my own dogs ride shotgun and I know better than to leave anything important laying around the car! Plus, when you're sprung out of puppy jail you deserve to go a little crazy)  

When we got him to his foster families home, he bonded with his new people quickly and was soon head over heels in love with their Chocolate boy, and has done great with their cat as well! He is so eager to please, and such a mellow easy going boy.

 Rachel, his foster mom, decided to name him Axel in lieu of his past and a glimpse of his future - Axel meaning "Father of Peace."

Rachel does to much for out foster puppies and the fostering community! She has a YouTube Channel (Here) and you can check out her adventures with Axel on Instagram at @fusarosfosters 

 

More Puppies (June 2016)

'Tis the season - puppies, puppies and MORE puppies!!

Squiggy and Caspian (see last puppy post) have found their forever homes, and now Missy's puppies and our triplets are ready to join in on the fun!

Missy's cuties will be available mid-june. Mom is a black lab, and daddy is a mystery man!

The triplets are lab-mixes and available now! We don't have the scoop on mom or pops, but they are cuuuuute!

Puppy trio:

Cassidy

Chelsea

Chet

Missy's pups:

 

Photo shoot with The Adoptable Ones

This week we had photo shoot with five of our labs that aren't in foster homes, and I have to tell you, it was a BLAST!

Colleen from The Adoptable Ones came out to our Leander property to take photos and she was incredible at not only capturing stunning pictures, but really highlighting the dogs' personality.

First we brought out long-stay pup KitKat who thrives on people interactions. As part of her tips and tricks for dog photography, Colleen came prepared with squeakers, and it was here that we found out this chocolate sweetie has a love affair with squeaky toys! KitKat and her silly grin are looking for a dog-savvy home and someone who can give her the attention she craves - she would make a great side-kick and would happily be up for any adventure! Despite the grey on her muzzle, KitKat has a plenty of energy and is always up for a good game of fetch! While she is happy to play, she is also happy to calmly lay down in the shade or by your feet and relax. Last little tid-bit, she is a water-gal and jumps for joy when you bring out the water hose (full video in our "KitKat" tab!!)

Next up we brought out new girl Mariah, and she was EASILY the most photogenic pup of the night - it was almost like she knew when to strike the perfect pose! She was an absolute sweetheart who was excited to play fetch and stretch her legs, but then just wanted to lay on the cool patio and relax with us while we gave her a good long snuggle. She pulled a little on the leash, but was easily corrected, has been potty-trained, and is just an all around good, typical lab!

 

Not to be left out, Marisol had her turn next. At only a year old she has the energy and athleticism of a young lab! She has spent almost all of her life at a shelter, and needs some training to polish up her skills, but she is so eager to please and loves being loved on. In our opinion, she would be a great as a working girl. She was happy to play fetch and run between the two of us to get in another ear scratch! Marisol is another one who loves the water and tennis balls! Once she did a couple incredibly cute zoomies, she plopped down and put her head in the water bowl :) We were just eating up her cuteness.

 

The gentleman were sweet and let the ladies go first, but they still got their turn!

Up next we brought out handsome Brody...and OH MY GOSH, HE IS PERFECT. I can't even begin to tell you how much in love with this boy I am - I was ready to pack him up and take him home with me. He is potty trained, walked so politely on a leash even though he was obviously excited, and we had a hard time getting his photos because all he wanted was to sit in your lap and be pet! Brody absolutely melts in your hands when you give his ears a good rub, closing his eyes and leaning his whole body into you! I was just so impressed with his wonderful manners and gentle, loving demeanor. He is going to make the perfect family companion.

 


Last but not least, Benji boy! Benji is petite for a lab, but makes up for it in a his bouncy, bubbly personality. He was the one lab of the night who wasn't up for fetch. He was so excited to chase the ball and then realized he was too far away to be pet and came sprinting back (without the ball of course!). Like Marisol, he knows sit, but could use some help polishing up his obedience skills. He is another one who would sit in your lap and let you pet him for as long as you liked. Benji is happiest around people, wants to please, and is for sure food-motivated (of course, we've yet to meet a lab who will turn their nose up at food ;] ) Benji was such a good sport and had a very fun and charming personality - another great boy!

 

Austin Pet Month

Henry (above) is available for adoption

Heart of Texas Lab Rescue is happy to be participating in Austin Pet Month!

This is an event promoting adoption of shelter pets and a celebration of pets and their people (see link above for more details)! We will be at the following events with some of our adoptable dogs, alumni, current and former foster familes, and volunteers! Take some time to get to know us, ask questions, learn how to volunteer, and love on some labs!

Come see us at the following locations:

• Saturday May 21st at Phydeaux and Friends from 10am to 2pm: Phydeaux and friends will be donating halo products for every halo product bought (to shelter/rescue of buyers choice - pick us, pick us!!) Phydeaux and Friends is a local pet store that supports many rescue groups and offers wonderful supplies to pet owners!

• Wednesday May 25th at Blues on the Green, starting at 6pm! Come out and listen to some live music and support the labs that still need loving homes! We will be at zilker park around 6pm with some of our adoptable labs, volunteers to answer questions, and our happy alumni! Bring your family, fur-baby, a picnic blanket and a sense of advenutre - tonight will be one for the books!

• May 28th we will be at Lakeline Farmer's Market from 9am - 11am. Lakeline Farmer's Market is a wonderful way to support those who live and work in, and for, our community! Shop locally sourced goods while you learn about labs, meet our volunteers and see some of our adoptable pups!

See you there! 

Luka

SINGLE YELLOW MALE SEEKING FAMILY!

My name is Luka and I like belly rubs, playtime and long walks - beach, trail, neighborhood, you name it, I'm game to walk it! I'm very outgoing and am people oriented. I don't always like to share my quality time, and don't enjoy the dog park "scene." I love people of all shapes and sizes, and will happily solicit for snuggles from everyone!

I am a trustworthy fellow in the house and have impeccable manners; I'm beyond those puppy teething antics. 

I keep myself in shape and take pride in my health - no fleas, ticks, heartworms, or other health problems! Since joining the rescue, I had to get neutered (even my best puppy dog eyes couldn't change their mind on this one), so no puppies for me; which suits me just fine.

I love to eat, and am an aspiring food critic; but none of that fancy stuff - I'm a meat and potatoes kinda guy!

One last thing, I'm not a fan of cats...they're just a little sketchy and too fun to chase.

Help us share Luka's story far and wide, and get him into the home he so deserves! Luka would also love a foster home while he waits for his people, so if you think you could open your home to this handsome fella, please email us at volunteerforlabrescue@gmail.com

**Luka has lived with other dogs while he has been with our rescue, but tends to be reactive. Particularly around other alpha-types. We do require a meet and greet with all furry friends in the house-hold, but think Luka would thrive in a single-dog household

.

Spring Puppies - May 2016

It's puppy and kitten season, and HOTLR has lab (and lab mix) puppies!

Sweet Missy came in with her seven puppies (pictured on the left). Missy is a beautiful black lab who we are working on fattening up. Daddy is a mystery man, but in our opinion, he helped make some stinkin' cute puppies!

Missy and her little ones were found under an abandoned trailer, and aren't quite old enough the be adopted, but they have generated a lot of interest - so now is the time to apply (link here).

While mom is on the skinny side, her puppies are fat, healthy, and happy - good work mom!

Missy will also be up for adoption when her babies are old enough to find their forever homes.





Caspian is our next cutie patootie. He is a typical 4 month old [yellow] lab puppy who is a curious stinker and loves alternating between playing and hard-core cuddle sessions!

Check out his wonderful foster parents on Instagram to follow his journey (@fusarosfosters)!

You can apply to be his forever family by clicking here!

Sagan (pka Squiggy) is another goofball that has joined our ranks. He is about 10 months old and has been with a fabulous foster family learning how to live the good life, and picking up good manners! He is very athletic and a fetching machine (hunting buddy anyone!?!) He is houstrained, friendly with all animals and loves kids. He walks well on a leash and is also crate trained. All he's missing is someone to call his own.

Undoubtedly we will be taking in more young'uns, as this busy season has just started, so check us out on social media to see our latest pupdates!

Fosters Wanted!!

Austin - the shelters are full, and we are doing our best to pull as many labs from the Central Texas Area, but we need more foster families!

Are you crazy about labs? Are you willing to temporarily open up your heart and home to a four-legged fur baby? Then you're qualified!

Heart of Texas Lab Rescue would love your help caring for these pups while they are waiting to meet their forever families. If you are interested in volunteering as a foster parent for one of our wonderful labs, please contact us by: 

-Commenting below

-emailing us  at volunteerforlabrescue@gmail.com

-catch us on Facebook (Facebook.com/HOTlab)

-or Instagram (@hotlabrescue)

-or give us a call at 512-259-5810

Annual Picnic

Our current and former labs, adopters, and volunteers enjoyed themselves at our annual picnic with the beautiful weather, a refreshing dip in the river, and of course no Texas party would be complete without BBQ!

Thanks for another wonderful year Austin!

**If you are a current or former HOTRL adopter, foster or volunteer and would like to get notifications from us please send us an email with your updated information! You can also follow us on Instagram (hotlabrescue) or Facebook to keep up with the latest happenings!

Pogo

ADOPTED

Hey all! For those of you who keep up with our page more frequently, you might have noticed that Pogo has recently rejoined the HOT family.

**pictures to come**

It's a sad story actually - the family who adopted sweet Pogo decided on Christmas day that they wouldn't be able to keep him, as they were traveling and couldn't arrange for someone to take care of him. Not quite the gift Pogo thought Santa would brings....but keeping things positive, Pogo got a nice fun couple months of vacation from the rescue, and is now reunited with his favorite Heart of Texas volunteer until his forever family comes along.

If you're wondering, it really was that simple. No knocks on Pogo, they just didn't have a plan for who would take care of him if they were out of town.

WELL - that aside, let me brag on this handsome yellow. He is roughly four years old, is good on and off leash walking and has great recall. He is potty trained, trustworthy in the house, and has had zero counter surfing incidents (which qualifies him as a dream dog in my foster experience...) and knows how to use a doggie door and isn't a barker.

Pogo loves to play outside, and is a strong and happy swimmer, although he isn't so much into retrieving. He would do best with an active family who loves to spend time outdoors, and he has taking to hiking like he was born for it.

He has gotten along with all the other dogs he has met, but has it in for cats...so NO CATS ALLOWED. Truly, he thinks they're sketchy and wants to protect you from them...a real dog's dog!

Pogo loves attention and a good ear scratching! He's a wonderful boy with a big heart and lots of love to give.

Does Pogo sound like a good fit for you and your family? Shoot us an e-mail, leave a comment, give us a ring! We are happy to help you start you adoption application (found on our website, here) and walk you through our adoption process!

Jingle

ADOPTED

Jingle bells..Jingle bells..Jingle all the way......

So Santa brought us a TON of chocolates this season, and Miss Jingle here is one of the sweetest!

Jingle recently joined her foster home and was able to spend her first Christmas in a cozy warm place!

So far we know that Jingle loves other animals - cats and dogs alike - is house and crate trained, but trustworthy enough that she is allowed to roam free in the house, just like the resident dogs.She is very calm, and will only get on the couch to snuggle if she has an invitation.

She walks well on a leash with a harness, but can let her nose carry her away without one (but what lab doesn't!?)

Loud noises don't seem to bother her, and Jingle has weathered the Fireworks of New Year's, thunder and the ever threatening vacuum cleaner!

She loves car rides and bath time, and has no reservations about her paws and ears being handled. Jingle does know some basic commands such as "sit" and "down" but could probably use a little extra training with her people, just to polish up her skills!

This girl about 3-4 years old and has a heart of gold and will make someone a very loving, loyal companion. Jingle is UTD on shots, heartworm negative, and spayed - i.e. ready to go.

We will keep you updated on her progress in her foster home (shout out to Stacey, a first time foster, who has been absolutely wonderful for this gal!!).

For more information check out our website, or comment below.