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| Brookline Labrador Retriever Rescue Helping Labs Find Their Fur-Ever Homes |
| Lady |
mode” – where she seemed to freeze in place and get a faraway look in her eyes like she was
pretending she wasn’t there – whenever we touched her. She wasn’t the normal Lab who wiggled and
loved being petted. It seemed as if she’d never been shown affection before and associated being
touched with negative experiences. Lady was especially afraid of people since she’d had very few
positive interactions with people at the puppy mill. Lady spent her first week in our home hiding in
corners and avoiding us. Luckily, we had three other dogs and Lady followed their lead and seemed to
trust their judgment. After seeing them approach us for treats and pets, Lady slowly started to do so. As
the months went by, we saw her grow in confidence, but we still wondered if Lady would ever be ready to
move on to a new home. She was finally comfortable with us, but still hid when visitors came to our
house and went into “shutdown mode” when we took her to new places. We hated the thought of
making her start all over again with a new family. We knew that, eventually, she would learn to trust her
new family as she learned to trust us. But it could take a long time and it seemed unfair to put her
through that – especially since she’d been through so much already. Plus, we had to admit we’d fallen
madly in love with our Lady Bug. Words can’t describe how good it feels to have Lady greet us with
kisses when we come home and look at us with the happiest eyes and smiling face - this from the girl
who wouldn’t make eye contact with us for months. Our biggest thrill was seeing Lady joyfully leap into
the swimming pool to retrieve a tennis ball and wagging her tail as she swam, splashing water across
the pool. After almost six years, Lady had finally experienced pure joy and we were blessed to be a part
of it. A dear friend of ours told us that she’d been praying every night and asking God to find Lady a
wonderful home. She said one night she heard His answer – “I already have.” How could we argue
with that? I think Lady knew she was “home” even before we did – and that’s when she started smiling.
pretending she wasn’t there – whenever we touched her. She wasn’t the normal Lab who wiggled and
loved being petted. It seemed as if she’d never been shown affection before and associated being
touched with negative experiences. Lady was especially afraid of people since she’d had very few
positive interactions with people at the puppy mill. Lady spent her first week in our home hiding in
corners and avoiding us. Luckily, we had three other dogs and Lady followed their lead and seemed to
trust their judgment. After seeing them approach us for treats and pets, Lady slowly started to do so. As
the months went by, we saw her grow in confidence, but we still wondered if Lady would ever be ready to
move on to a new home. She was finally comfortable with us, but still hid when visitors came to our
house and went into “shutdown mode” when we took her to new places. We hated the thought of
making her start all over again with a new family. We knew that, eventually, she would learn to trust her
new family as she learned to trust us. But it could take a long time and it seemed unfair to put her
through that – especially since she’d been through so much already. Plus, we had to admit we’d fallen
madly in love with our Lady Bug. Words can’t describe how good it feels to have Lady greet us with
kisses when we come home and look at us with the happiest eyes and smiling face - this from the girl
who wouldn’t make eye contact with us for months. Our biggest thrill was seeing Lady joyfully leap into
the swimming pool to retrieve a tennis ball and wagging her tail as she swam, splashing water across
the pool. After almost six years, Lady had finally experienced pure joy and we were blessed to be a part
of it. A dear friend of ours told us that she’d been praying every night and asking God to find Lady a
wonderful home. She said one night she heard His answer – “I already have.” How could we argue
with that? I think Lady knew she was “home” even before we did – and that’s when she started smiling.
Lady spent the first five and half years of her life at a puppy
mill. She was used as a “breeder dog”, meaning she was
used to “crank out” puppies for profit. Lady lived outside in
a kennel run. She received no training and little
socialization. When Lady was no longer “useful” to the
puppy miller, she was turned over to an independent
rescuer who contacted Brookline for help. That’s where we
came in. We had the pleasure of fostering this beautiful,
sweet girl. It wasn’t easy, but it was rewarding. Lady was
not a typical dog and learning about her issues opened our
eyes to the horrors of puppy mills. Lady’s lack of
socialization caused her to be very timid and fearful.
Everything – even something as simple as going inside -
was new and scary to Lady. She’d never heard a TV or
hairdryer or even a toilet being flushed. All of these noises
made her run and look for a way to escape or a place to
hide. Lady would not approach us and went into “shutdown
mill. She was used as a “breeder dog”, meaning she was
used to “crank out” puppies for profit. Lady lived outside in
a kennel run. She received no training and little
socialization. When Lady was no longer “useful” to the
puppy miller, she was turned over to an independent
rescuer who contacted Brookline for help. That’s where we
came in. We had the pleasure of fostering this beautiful,
sweet girl. It wasn’t easy, but it was rewarding. Lady was
not a typical dog and learning about her issues opened our
eyes to the horrors of puppy mills. Lady’s lack of
socialization caused her to be very timid and fearful.
Everything – even something as simple as going inside -
was new and scary to Lady. She’d never heard a TV or
hairdryer or even a toilet being flushed. All of these noises
made her run and look for a way to escape or a place to
hide. Lady would not approach us and went into “shutdown
