Normally all the lovable LEARN labs find their way into the homes and hearts of their foster family and then into the homes and hearts of a forever family. I want to share a little about our wonderful foster dog, Fanta, who touched our lives but recently lost his battle with cancer.

Fanta joined our family as a large guy (140 pounds) with a personality we immediately fell in love with. He wanted to be part of the family from moment one – trying to climb into bed with us that first night, wanting to lay/sit next to you no matter the size of the furniture (remember he was a BIG guy!), and never being out of arms reach to receive those all important pets.

LEARN always sends new intakes to the vet to make sure they are up to date on shots, spayed/neutered, and understand any medical issues before a lab is adopted by a new owner. During our first vet visit we had the doctor examine a seemingly insignificant lump about the size of the tip of your pinky on his chest that when tested turned out to be a Mast Cell Tumor (MCT). Fanta had surgery to remove the tumor and his recovery went well except for another tumor that appeared about 10 days after the first surgery – again another MCT. He enjoyed a few fun filled days with no activity restrictions and then had the second tumor removed. Sadly after the second surgery 2 more MCT appeared and the vet advised that the removal of the first 2 tumors had not slowed the progress of the cancer and removing these wouldn’t help prolong his life. Fanta always maintained his positive attitude as he underwent two surgeries to remove tumors and even when the cancer had began to overtake his body and affect the quality of his life. The only thing he wanted from us during the whole time was to be loved.

In the two short months we had Fanta he gave us many lasting memories of this special guy. He was a true lab: always happy when I grabbed the leash for a walk, the puppy like uncontrollable excitement Fanta had when he was going for car rides, his true love for playing in water coming out of the garden hose, his willingness to help me dig holes in my garden, and his desire to soak up as much human attention and contact as possible (a few good nudges would remind you to keep petting him) will be remembered. His enthusiasm displayed with our vacation at the cabin with not be forgotten. Especially his fetching the snorkel off my nephews head while they were swimming!

We are thankful for having the opportunity to welcome Fanta into our home and hearts and cherish all the wonderful memories he gave us.