Labradors & Friends Dog Rescue

Tag: Happy Tails

  • Tara, Part 3: Finally Home ❤️

    Tara, Part 3: Finally Home ❤️

    Some rescue stories take you through fear, uncertainty, and a lot of waiting before you finally get to write the words you’ve been hoping for.

    Tara is home. ❤️

    When we first shared Tara’s story, she was a confiscation case who had already endured too much. After months in the shelter, she was red-listed and running out of time.

    On August 26, Tara became a Labradors and Friends dog. That was the beginning of her next chapter—but it wasn’t the ending.

    Today, we finally get to share the ending we wanted for her: Tara has been adopted.

    Tara’s journey has been one we’ve shared from the beginning. If you’re just meeting her, you can follow her story here:

    Waiting for the Right Dog

    Once Tara was safe, she headed into foster care, where she finally had a chance to settle in and show everyone who she really was.

    And Tara began to shine.

    She loved everyone she met. She was house-trained, good on the leash, and quickly showed us what a friendly, happy girl had been waiting underneath all that uncertainty.

    Meanwhile, another kind of waiting had been happening.

    Tara’s future adopters had submitted an application with Labradors and Friends back in February. Friends of longtime LAF adopter Terry Deacon, they weren’t looking to rush the process. They were simply waiting for the right dog to come along.

    When we got to know Tara better, we started to wonder if she might be that dog.

    The Meet & Greet That Changed Everything

    After Fran began fostering Tara, she took her over to meet the family. And because the grandkids were there too, it gave everyone the perfect opportunity to see how Tara would do with children.

    Tara passed the family test. ❤️

    What started as a meet-and-greet became the beginning of Tara’s forever.

    Tara standing outside with her new adoptive family on adoption day.

    This Is What Home Looks Like ❤️

    Tara isn’t just settling in—she’s embracing her new life.

    Her family recently took her to a birthday celebration at Lazy Dog in Orange, where she did great. She’s happily meeting extended family, friends, and neighbors, greeting new people with a wagging tail.

    And after her walks? Backyard zoomies. 😂

    She loves meeting the neighbors while she’s out walking and seems very happy to make new friends wherever she goes.

    From a confiscation case, to months in a shelter, to a foster home where she could finally exhale, Tara’s journey took time.

    Tara sitting with her adopters in her new home.

    But somewhere else, a family was waiting too.

    They were waiting for the right dog. Tara was waiting for the right family.

    Sometimes, the timing really is everything. ❤️

  • Weekly Tail Wag 009: Sometimes Rescue Takes a Village

    Weekly Tail Wag 009: Sometimes Rescue Takes a Village

    Sometimes rescue takes a village. And this week, we saw exactly what that means. ❤️

    Harold and Maizy, two black Lab mixes rescued after being found abandoned in the Bakersfield area.

    Bob needed a village to help him fight pneumonia. Harold and Maizy needed a chain of people willing to say yes. More new faces arrived needing their own second chances, while Fremont and Mimi reminded us what can happen when those chances are given.

    And at the Rainbow Bridge, we honor Grandpa Cody—a senior boy who found safety, family, and so much love, and who did it all his way. 🌈❤️

    And through it all, one thing remained true: rescue is never just one person or one organization. It’s a community coming together for dogs who need someone in their corner.

    Tail Wag 009 is here—and it’s a big one.

  • Fremont: Why We Always Take a Second Look

    Fremont: Why We Always Take a Second Look

    When Fremont came to Labradors and Friends, he wasn’t the dog most people would have stopped to notice.

    He was in rough shape. He was hurting. And he needed more than simply getting out of the shelter—he needed medical care, including surgery for a painful ear condition.

    But underneath everything Fremont had been through was the sweetest boy.

    He just needed someone to look past how he arrived and see the dog who was still there.

    We did. ❤️

    Saying Yes Was Only the Beginning

    Getting Fremont to safety was the first step. Getting him healthy was the next.

    For dogs like Fremont, rescue often means veterinary appointments, diagnostics, procedures, medications and recovery before we ever get to the part everyone is waiting for—the happy ending.

    And that’s where our supporters became part of Fremont’s story.

    Your donations helped us provide the medical care Fremont needed. Because you chose to stand behind dogs like him, we were able to say yes—not only to getting Fremont out, but to giving him the chance to heal.

    Every donation, every share and every person who supported his journey helped move Fremont one step closer to the life he deserved.

    Fremont recovering from medical treatment while wearing a protective cone

    You helped make his second chance possible.

    And Then His Family Said Yes

    Today, Fremont isn’t a medical case.

    He isn’t recovering.

    And he isn’t waiting for someone to notice him anymore.

    Fremont is home. ❤️

    He has a family who sees exactly what we saw in him all along—and even a little pug sibling to share his new life with.

    His adopter sent us a message that says everything:

    “Please thank everyone who was instrumental in getting Fremont out of the shelter. He is exactly the type of dog that rescue is all about. He was in such rough shape I don’t think anyone would have looked at him twice, but he is the sweetest boy. He deserves to be loved and cared for and we plan to do just that. Thanks again 💕”

    Fremont with his adopter and pug sibling after finding his forever home

    This Is Why We Look Twice

    For the dogs who are overlooked.

    For the ones who arrive broken down, hurting or simply not looking their best.

    For the dogs who need more than a ride out of the shelter before their new lives can begin.

    Because sometimes underneath all of that is a Fremont—just waiting for someone to see him.

    And when we do look twice, we don’t do it alone.

    To everyone who donated, shared, fostered, transported, cared for or cheered Fremont on: thank you. This Happy Tail belongs to you, too.

    You helped take Fremont from a dog who might have been passed by to a beloved family member stretched out comfortably in his own bed.

    And really, that’s what rescue is all about.

    Fremont is why we always take a second look. ❤️

    Happy Tail, sweet boy. You are exactly where you belong!

    Fremont relaxing comfortably in his bed at his forever home
  • Blaze Is Home: From TPLO Surgery to Happily Ever After

    Blaze Is Home: From TPLO Surgery to Happily Ever After

    The Freedom Ride

    Blaze, a black Labrador, shortly after being rescued from San Bernardino City Shelter

    Sometimes in rescue, you know exactly what you’re taking on.

    And sometimes, you simply say yes.

    Just before the Fourth of July, Blaze and another dog named Gunner were at San Bernardino City Shelter. They had come into the shelter together, although they weren’t bonded, and both were on the euthanasia list for the holiday.

    They needed out.

    We said yes to both.

    At the time, we had no idea that Blaze was also carrying an injury that would require major orthopedic surgery. It wasn’t until after he was safely out of the shelter that we learned he had been limping.

    What started as a freedom ride was about to become a much bigger journey.

    First Safe. Then Healed

    Once Blaze was safe with LAF, we learned that he was limping. A veterinary evaluation revealed the reason: Blaze had a torn ACL in his knee and needed surgery.

    Blaze underwent TPLO surgery to stabilize his injured knee, beginning weeks of healing and rehabilitation.

    The surgery was only the first step.

    Recovery from orthopedic surgery takes time, patience and consistency. Blaze needed controlled walks, restricted activity and careful rehabilitation as his knee healed. And while he waited for his forever home, a dedicated group of LAF volunteers made sure he didn’t have to go through any of it alone.

    Day after day, they showed up.

    They came to take him on his controlled walks. They helped with his rehabilitation. They spent time with him, encouraged him and, just as importantly, made sure he got plenty of love and attention while he waited.

    Little by little, Blaze grew stronger.

    Those volunteers weren’t simply helping a dog recover from surgery. They were helping prepare him for the life we hoped was waiting on the other side of it.

    A Family Full of Boys Had Room for One More

    When the Gehrig family met Blaze, they already knew something about rescue.

    Longtime dog lovers, they had previously volunteered as foster parents for a Lab rescue while living in Dallas. Earlier this year, they said goodbye to their beloved 13-year-old black Lab. When they were ready to open their hearts and home again, they found Labradors and Friends.

    And then they found Blaze.

    With a house already full of boys, apparently there was room for one more. 🖤

    His new mom, Charlotte, shared:

    “Hi! My name is Charlotte Gehrig and this is my family—we’ve got a lot of boys and now another one, Blaze! Wouldn’t have it any other way—he’s simply the best!”

    Blaze with the three boys in his new adoptive family on their first day of school

    The People Behind the Happy Tail

    Charlotte knew from her own rescue experience that adoption can be a leap of faith. You’re welcoming a dog into your family based on everything the rescue has learned about them—and trusting the people helping you make that match.

    For the Gehrig family, LAF Adoption Coordinator Ruth was one of those people.

    Charlotte shared:

    “Ruth was our Adoption Coordinator and she was incredibly helpful and communicative about each step of the process. She answered my questions before I even asked, and spent countless hours discussing things with me and working behind the scenes.”

    She went on to recognize something we know is true of every successful adoption:

    “I know that she’s just one of many volunteers who make up this great organization, so thank you to all of you!”

    From the volunteers who walked Blaze through his rehabilitation to the adoption team working behind the scenes, so many hands helped carry Blaze from a shelter euthanasia list to his forever home.

    Blaze sitting with one of his new brothers at his forever home

    This Is What We Were Fighting For

    Charlotte summed up Blaze’s new life better than we ever could:

    “Blaze is honestly the sweetest dog we’ve ever gotten the pleasure to meet, let alone call our own! I cannot thank you enough for your passion, time and energy spent on giving these dogs a chance at a better life—we are beyond thrilled to spoil Blaze for the rest of his life!”

    Just weeks earlier, Blaze was sitting on a shelter euthanasia list. Then came the unexpected diagnosis, surgery, rehabilitation, controlled walks, volunteers who kept showing up, and an adoption team determined to find the right match.

    Today, Blaze is healed.

    He is home.

    And he has three boys to grow up with.