Chloe
Chloe, a beautiful 2 year-old female chocolate lab who is living in a Brookline foster home while recuperating from heartworm treatment.
February 22, 2011
Guess what everyone! I am ready for adoption! Woo Hoo! I am excited to find my furever family. To see my full description on Petfinder, check this out: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/18716761, or read below:
Hi Brookline Fans! My name is Chloe. My foster parents call me Chloe Bear because Im like a fluffy teddy bear. I am about 2 years old and am originally a Southern Belle, hailing from North Carolina. I have been in foster care since October and its finally time for me to find my furever home.
I am in great health now thanks to the great people at Brookline Lab Rescue. I had yucky heartworms but went through treatment and am now healthy. I will have to be re-tested in June of 2011, and then again every year. I am spayed, UTD on all of my vaccinations, and even micro-chipped! As you can see Im a very pretty little girl, if I do say so myself. Im about 52 pounds, so Im a very petite lab. I look ALL labby though! My coat could use some help, so my foster parents give me a high quality grain-free food and lots of fish oil. I would love it if my new family does the same!
No one knows exactly what happened to me before I arrived onto the Brookline scene, but its safe to say that I was either not treated very well, or I was never socialized. I am very, very nervous around new people and in new environments. It took several weeks for me to get up the nerve to walk over to my foster parents and sniff them. Theyve been working very hard with me to help me learn how to trust them. Now I come out of my crate all the time and enjoy getting pets, as long as my foster parents are sitting down or being pretty still. I still get scared when they are walking or moving fast and will run into the other room or my crate. I still need help with learning how to walk on a leash. I am okay with dragging one around, but when someone picks it up I tend to shut down and lay down & wont move. When I have to go to the car for anything, my foster parents have to carry me. They say that seeing how far Ive come in the last few months, they think with continued TLC and training I will hopefully eventually learn how to be comfortable on a leash. Until then though, its important that someone in the home is able to carry me to/from the car or the vets office when I need to go.
Since I cant walk on a leash though, a fenced-in yard (with a physical fence) is a must for my new family. Plus, I REALLY love to play outside, especially with my foster fur-brother. Did I mention that I LOVE other dogs? I really do, and they help me learn, so my new family ideally will also have another dog that likes to play. Chasing outside & tugging are my 2 favorite activities. Im about the same size as my foster fur-brother now, and I beat him at tug all the time!
Right now its just my foster parents, my foster fur-brother, and me in the house. Its pretty quiet. My parents have friends over occasionally but theyre usually very dog-savvy people and Ill just hang out in my crate. My ideal home will be similar pretty quiet. I love, love, love my crate. I will go in there when Im feeling a bit nervous, and whenever Im left home alone I go in there. In a lot of ways Im still like a puppy when Im alone, so its best to crate me. A family with older children (13 and up) or no children would be best for me, since I startle easily. My FM thinks its important that I tell you that when I get scared, my instinct is always to flee into another room or my crate. She has never seen an aggressive bone in my little cute body.
I know it sounds like I have a lot of wants & needs for my new family, but I promise that its only because my foster family wants what is best for me. They want to make sure I am going to a family that will love me as much as they do and will continue to be patient with me and help me thrive. I have grown by leaps & bounds since coming to live with them in October, and they know I will continue to grow with the right family! You can read more about me on my blog at www.BrooklineLabRescue.org.
Hugs and sloppy kisses,
Chloe Bear
February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine’s Day!! Today I heard my foster mom talking about chocolate all day. I mean ALL day. Apparently today’s the day the world shows love by sharing chocolate. Well guess what? I’M CHOCOLATE!! I guess that means everyone loves me? Hee Hee – I like the sound of that! My foster mom said I’m the best chocolate ever, and she can enjoy me and stay on her diet, which makes her even more happy.
So everyone, the point of my story is, if you want to celebrate Valentine’s Day you should celebrate the best kind of chocolate there is – dogs like me!!
The Best Kind of Chocolate
Hugs and sloppy Valentine’s Day kisses,
Chloe Bear
January 19, 2011
Hi Everyone! Guess what, my jailbreak is planned for Sunday – woo-hoo! That marks 6 weeks since I had to undergo treatment for Heartworm. I am so glad that will soon be behind me so I can really start living the good life. This week FM & FD have been letting me spend more time outside of my crate, to get ready for my jailbreak. I am getting very brave – I’ve been approaching my foster parents and letting them pet me and I even give their hands lots of kisses. My FM took a little video of me so you can see how brave I am getting! You can see it here: Brave Chloe! You’ll have to forgive my FM’s baby voice. I like it when she talks like that though!!
I’ll send another update once I break outta jail. FM says I have to make some more adjustments before I’m ready to look for my furever home. When I’m ready, it’ll have to be somewhere that can be as patient with me as my foster parents have been, and will continue to help me learn new things and gain confidence in a positive environment. I also would love to have a fur-brother or fur-sister to hang out and play with!
Hugs and sloppy kisses,
Chloe Bear
January 10, 2011
Happy New Year! In case anyone is counting along with me, I have 13 days left of JAIL until I’m allowed to play and run again. The last 4 weeks have not been too bad. My FM gives me yummy kongs with peanut butter and puts my kibble into a cool ball and I have to figure out how to get it out. She says if I can’t get real exercise, it’s important to keep my mind sharp. I think it’s fun!
A couple of days ago when I was getting out of my crate I tore my nail down really far and it bled a lot. My FD wrapped it in gauze and taped it, and kept on replacing it every time I had to go to potty. It started bleeding again yesterday, so this time he wrapped it and put a sock on top of it to keep the bandage on. FM wanted to take a picture and show all of you fans, but I convinced her that would be cruel. After all, I’m already stuck in jail – no need to humiliate me further. Good thing FM is a sap when she looks into my eyes!
I had a breakthrough this weekend when I came and sat by FM & FD for about 20 minutes. Normally I go over & sniff them and let them pet me a little, then go back in my crate. This time I decided maybe I’d just sit for a little while and watch TV. They thought that was pretty special and said that when I’m done with my 6 weeks of rest they think I’m going to improve by leaps and bounds. I hope so! I want to trust people, I just need to find my way.
Here I am being a brave girl!
I even let my foster mommy pet me!
Hugs and sloppy kisses,
Chloe Bear
December 29, 2010
Merry Christmas Lab Lovers! It’s me, Chloe (or as my FM calls me, Chloe Bear). I’m sorry I haven’t written in awhile, but boy have I been busy. I wish I could say I’ve been busy enjoying the holiday season and having fun, but I’ve been stuck in jail! I told you last time that I tested positive for Heartworm. Well, since those little buggers could have killed me, I went through a really painful procedure to make sure they will leave my body and won’t hurt me. FM and FD were SO worried about me but the really nice doctor lady told them I would be fine. FD kept reminding FM that I am a fighter and that I would win this fight too. The treatment to kill heartworms is very painful, and very risky. After the injections I have to be kept calm and quiet for 6 WHOLE WEEKS! That is why I am stuck in jail!
That was 2 weeks ago, so I still have 4 more weeks to rest calmly in my crate. I only get to go outside for potty breaks. And even then, FM and FD have to watch me closely to make sure I don’t run in the yard. I am technically only supposed to be allowed out on a leash, but since I don’t know how to walk on a leash and I just shut down, they have had to be creative. So now they watch me like a hawk. Can’t they give a girl a little privacy? It is SO hard to stay calm outside in all this white fluffy cold stuff we’ve gotten. Boy is that fun! I hear how much fun all the other dogs have in it but I’m not allowed to play in it. I hope we get more of it after I’m better (but FM and FD said they could do without it. How selfish!).
Let it snow!
I can tell you that I heard FM telling one of her friends that I’ve been a very good patient and haven’t been in much pain. She thinks I am feeling a little better and that my personality is starting to shine through. Just the day after my procedure I came out of my crate to stretch my legs and decided that FD isn’t so scary after all. I like to sniff his hand and let him pet me. They have learned that as long as they’re very still and quiet, I enjoy letting them pet me all over. It isn’t as bad as I thought it would be!
My foster parents went away over Christmas, so I got to spend time with my awesome babysitters. I learn a lot from their dogs, and the nice man who lives there likes to scoop me up and hold me and pet me. He’s not so bad either!
This is pretty cozy! A girl could get used to it!
My FM & FD say they are going to scoop me up to lay by them on the couch when they watch TV so I get used to being close to them. All I have to say is, as long as they keep giving me these yummy treats and being nice to me, a girl could get used to this!
Oh, and I forgot to mention the best part! Since my foster parents were away on Christmas, my babysitters got me some really nice Christmas presents! Then, when I got home last night, there were more presents waiting for me at my foster parents’ house! It was like a double Christmas! Woo Hoo! At least if I have to spend the next 4 weeks in jail, uhhhh I mean my crate, I can have some fun with the new toys and nice warm blanket.
Christmas was twice as nice!
Well, it’s peanut-butter in a kong time. That usually leads to naptime. I guess if I have to be in jail I’m really glad it’s a Brookline-sponsored warm, cozy, loving home! Feel free to write, I have lots of time on my paws!
Love and sloppy kisses,
Chloe Bear
Hi Brookline Fans!
I like tennis balls!
My name is Chloe, and I’ve been in a loving Brookline foster home for one week today. I am originally a Southern Belle, hailing from North Carolina. A really nice person transported me up north so that I could have a better chance at finding a family that could give me everything I need. There was only one problem - I am so shy and timid that it was hard to find that home for me. So the nice lady who transported me up here contacted Brookline to find me a loving foster home to try to teach me how to be a dog and teach me that it’s okay to trust people.
There is another dog in my foster home now, which is a good thing, ’cause I love other dogs! I love being outside in the yard. When I first came here a week ago, my foster parents had to carry me to go outside, and then carry me to come back inside, because I get really nervous when I’m on a leash. I won’t walk on it at all. But I made my foster mom (FM) really proud this week when I started going inside & outside all by myself! Don’t tell her this, but I just did it because I didn’t want my foster brother to think I was a baby needing to be carried! I got to spend a night with another cool Brookline volunteer when my FM went away for a night. That was fun because I got to meet other really cool Brookline dogs, Harley and Tully. Harley actually lived with my foster parents before, so she told me they’re pretty cool. I loved Tully. I tugged with him, and played with a ball with him, and had a great time.
My friend Tully
I am really nervous around people right now, but I am getting more confident every day. The first day I wouldn’t eat if anyone was in the same room, and now I will lick something off my FM’s fingers if it’s super yummy. I really like roast beef, and cheese! And I’ll eat my kibble in the same room too.
So all is well here. My FM says that the baby steps for a dog like me are really important. I’ve seen her eyes all wet and stuff when I do some new things, like lick her fingers. She tries to stay cool but her eyes give her away every time.
There’s just one not so good thing. FM took me to a really nice lady, who told FM that I have something called Heartworm. Can you imagine having worms in your heart? YUCK!! I am going to be in foster care for a really long time while we get rid of all those yucky worms. I heard FM on the phone telling someone that the treatment for getting rid of those worms is pretty dangerous, and will make me feel sick, so if it’s not too much to ask, keep me in your thoughts as I get ready for that treatment. The nice lady told FM and FD that she wants me to settle in and feel more at home before we start the treatment, so we probably won’t start it for a few weeks.
I’ll keep you updated on my progress. Thanks for being interested in all of us Brookline puppers!
Love and sloppy kisses,
Chloe (or as my FM calls me, Chloe Bear)
