Dolly and Gibson
Dolly and Gibson. About all these two labs have in common is that they are yellow and came as strays from the Prince George's County shelter. Dolly is 6 years old and had been a Mom many times before entering LRR. Even after she was spayed, she retained a very motherly attitude toward the younger dogs and young people. A sweeter, more affectionate dog would be hard to find. Show her a comfy couch and strong petting fingers and she was happy. It was hard to understand why her owners were not looking for her. Gibson, on the other hand, seemed to have lived a harder life, as evidenced by the broken chains hanging from his tight leather collar when found. While most likely a lab/ Golden mix, it was impossible to turn down that smiling, gorgeous face. He came with fears that included thunderstorms and not wanting to get into cars, and also showed unfamiliarity with indoor living. But, it didn't take long before he latched on to the good life, and at only a year of age, we knew he would grow out of these fears. He was very sweet and got along well with everyone human, canine and feline. A MD family with older kids wanted an older yellow lab as a transition dog to their elderly Golden who had been adopted from GRREAT. Dolly seemed the obvious choice, but we encouraged them to look at Gibson too as our other yellow. He seemed instantly smitten with them, and we were quite surprised when the family said they wanted to adopt both Dolly and Gibson since their Molly would most likely not live many years more. They were dogsmart and comfortable with Gibson's non-aggressive quirks and fears. So, off the "dynamic duo" went to live with these folks. Follow-up has been fun, with Gibson making steady progress as you can see by this recent email:
Thought you might like an update on Dolly and Gibson... They are great. Gibs is quite a one-time learner and is adapting to things very quickly. He's goofy and very smart. I'm finding that he's a "guy magnet". I know we told you that during our party the guys were competing for who would cuddle with him in the chair. He also attracted a great deal of "guy" attention when we took him to the dog park this past weekend. Gibs ran like an gazelle for about 1.5 hours and played with the other dogs and chased the ball and was completely in his element. Dolly also seemed to have a great time... she went for the kids and puppies... very motherly. She was done a little earlier than Gibs who was not done after an hour and a half. Gibs was also very good with the kids... it was the only time he slowed down. Christmas was quite exciting. Dolly found the one quiet corner of the room, wedged between a chair and a lamp table... just in reach of Grandma's hand for head pats... and Grandma was quite willing. Gibs, as you might guess, was a little more active. He walked from ottomans to chairs to love seats, plopping down in paper and boxes and presents. We gave Lars two goofy gifts --- a battery-operated, singing and dancing chicken and "Robodog", also battery-operated and makes lots of dog sounds. Gibson was a nut case around both of these and we finally had to sneak the chicken out of the room and hide it on top of the refrigerator. A million laughs were had by all, and Gibs was having a blast. We've learned the true meaning and value of a "dog pile". Frequently, both Dolly and Gibson and Lee and I share the same set of chairs that are pushed together, and both have taken to sharing our bed. Gibson every night and Dolly more often than not lately. Molly is getting more into the action and Dols and Gibs are checking her out more. She even woofed and jumped around a little outside yesterday when Gibson was doing his run, dodge, crouch routine playing in the back yard. Gibs had a rough time during the night of the storm. We had mostly wind and lots of it and he could not settle down. He and I finally settled in the basement and he slept for a couple of hours. Also when we were walking in the snow, it started to sleet and he tried to find shelter under the bushes... not frantic, but with intent. After it was over, he was OK and doesn't seem to have any residual fears about anything as a result. I have a possible entry for your "You might be a lab owner if... you find yourself baking cookies on Christmas Eve made of canned dog food." As I was dropping the dogwood on the cookie sheet to bake it, I left the room for a phone call and Gibs helped himself to the "dough"! As I write this, Dolly is snoring like a lumberjack behind me. What a crew! That's about it for now. Hope you like the picture of the three yellows together. Everyone who meets the new kids and hears their stories says how lucky they are... I feel that we are truly blessed.