Labrador Retriever : : Female (spayed) Learn more about the Labrador Retriever.
12/15/21 Hello labbie lovers!! Mabel here and I have got a story for you!! Before I came to LEARN I lived in a barn with little to no light. My food was dumped in the bottom of a cut off 55-gallon plastic barrel and the only time my human (if you can call him that) came in contact with me was to feed me and breed me. I am one of those backyard breeder dogs you sometimes hear about and was it miserable. If my human wanted me to move, he would have this stick and would get me to do what he wanted. I am damaged. I am broken. And I am now learning to become a dog again and to trust humans. My former human was not the best for me. Thank goodness for LEARN!! They brought me and my pups into foster homes to show us what it means to have a loving home and what it means to have a gentle hand to comfort us and heal our hearts. Compassion is something I knew nothing about until I came to LEARN. My foster four-legged brother is teaching me how to play outside. I didn’t even know that was possible!! One thing my foster home is teaching me how to do is to go potty outside. I never had to “hold it” before, and now we go outside, and I am working on what to do! If I go to the bathroom inside, it is typically overnight. When we go outside, I used to just lay down on the grass and melt into it so I would not be seen. My foster parents would have to put a leash on me to get me back inside because I would not want to go. But now I am REALLY HAPPY to go inside because it is nice and warm there. Plus, that is where I have my safe spot!! I have come a long way since being in my foster home. Some successful things I can be proud of, in no particular order of mastery:
I am looking for a family with patience and understanding of where I came from and who is willing to continue the work my foster family is doing to help me come out of my shell. Even though I do not play with the other dog in the house, I do take cues from him about how to be a dog. So, another family who has a dog in the house would probably be the best situation as I have never lived alone. There will be setbacks, but the right family will take that slide backwards and work with me to come forward. Will you be that family? If after reading all of this you are still interested in meeting me, please make sure you fill out an application at www.labadoption.org and once approved send an email letting them know you want to meet me. Maybe you’ll be my perfect family!
Hello labbie lovers!! My name is Mabel (6 years old) and I came into this wonderful rescue group in early October 2021. I'm not going to lie, I was very scared. I came in with two other dogs who I lived with since they were born (2 years). I was like their mother. When we were brought to this thing called "a house", the other two dogs looked to me to figure out what to do. They would not leave me side. And when I did move, they both moved with me. We were all shaking and nervous because we left the only place that we knew. Little did we know, we were going to live somewhere that was 200 times better than where we were. You see, we lived in a pole barn. And the only interaction we had with any human is when someone fed us. So we did not know what to do when there were three people trying to take care of us (bath and feed). We were put in a car and went three separate ways. Once I got to my residence, I got out of the car, ran to the middle of the yard, and crouched down whenever anyone would come near me. I was trying to camouflage myself to look like grass because I did not want to be near anyone. My foster dad tried to get me into the house after spending an hour outside. I would not go in because I have never been on the inside a house. I finally went in with a leash and found a place to stay for the next week. I called it my "safe zone". I would not leave it for anything, except to go outside because I was much happier outside. My tail would wag and I would have a smile on my face. Fast forward four weeks and I can go outside without assistance. I can come inside without assistance. I am willing to eat my food when it is put down. And now my foster family is getting me to have a feeding schedule to follow. I live with another dog and when he eats, I have to eat...otherwise I have to wait until my foster people leave the house and the other dog is in their kennel or at night when the other dog is locked behind a baby gate. When I am outside, I prance around and the other dog tries to get me to play. I am still not quite sure about the playing thing. I have picked up a Nylabone and started to chew it, and then the other dog took it away from me. There is an outside toy called The Flying Squirrel I have showed interest in, but then the other dog take it. I have a long road ahead of me with this thing called, "learning to be a dog". Check back for periodic updates...but in the meantime, I am going to chill here and learn from my foster brother (he is only a year old and has ALOT of energy). Other Pictures of Mabel (click to see larger version):
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