Three boys, two girls, and an incredible team of lifesavers!
When five puppies needed help at the Carson shelter, Molly and Old Blue Inc. stepped in to cover their veterinary care, and our extraordinary foster, Teri, opened her home once again.
All five puppies tested negative for parvo, received veterinary care, and are now safe, happy, and enjoying puppy life.
This week, we’re celebrating Cathy, whose journey from volunteer dog walker to dedicated foster and event volunteer reminds us that one small YES can change countless lives.
Some dogs leave pawprints on our hearts that never fade. Dottie was one of those dogs.
In 2011, Labradors and Friends rescued a tiny, three-month-old puppy from a shelter. Both of her front legs were broken, and she desperately needed someone to believe her life was worth saving.
Thanks to Dr. Hampel’s remarkable surgical care at Animal Medical Center, Dottie received the treatment she needed. And thanks to two extraordinary foster moms, Brooke and Irene, she found something even more precious: a family.
What was supposed to be a few weeks of fostering became a lifetime together.
Dottie grew into a spirited, fiercely loyal girl whose personality was every bit as unforgettable as her journey. From her mischievous puppy days to her adventures with her beloved pack, she lived a life filled with love.
On October 5, 2026, Dottie crossed the Rainbow Bridge after a courageous battle with cancer.
Brooke and Irene have shared a beautiful tribute to their precious girl. We are honored to share their memories in their own words as we celebrate Dottie’s incredible life.
Dottie’s Story — In Brooke and Irene’s Words
Dottie, Dec 2011 to October 5, 2026
When Dottie was spotted by Labs & Friends at a kill shelter, the poor girl had both her front legs broken. An animal cruelty case, a vet said. We were only supposed to foster this 3-month-old for a few weeks while she recovered from the surgery to heal the broken bones. Her baby eyes undoubtedly melted our hearts at the first sight. Irene and I kept reminding each other a good home was out there for Dottie, because we already had 3 senior dogs over 60 lbs and our HOA only allowed 2 dogs per household. We eventually managed to form our wonderful pack of 4 dogs – Dottie, 2 other foster failures from Lab&Friends, and Julie, as we couldn’t let go of the worry of this sweet girl encountering more hardship in her life.
Dottie’s Ballerina legs didn’t dampen her curiosity a bit; she was just happy and crazy like any puppy – she chewed on staircases and window frames, she dug holes in the sofa, and she “ate” my jeans and Julie’s leather collar… After she got tired, she fell asleep like an angel or a frozen turkey?! Thank God that as Dottie grew up, her tastes changed — she loved steaks and anything milky – not cow-friendly for sure.
Dottie gave people the most tender look one could imagine, but less gentle with dogs. We always wondered if she wished to be the only dog on Earth. However, she saw the pack’s safety as her responsibility and hers alone. She guarded us and her sisters with her whole heart, even when she was very uncomfortable at the end of life. A funny story: when a skunk crossed Irene’s path on a walk, Dottie jumped to stand between the skunk and Irene — while Julie, 7 years older and 20 lbs bigger than Dottie, hid behind Irene’s back. Dottie taught us what it means for a family to always stand together. She fought fiercely with Nita the younger sister who we adopted when Dottie was 6 years old, but she also looked after Nita so Nita didn’t feel scared when exploring new places.
Thank you, Lauren and Labs & Friends, for pulling Dottie — a pit bull with two broken legs — out of that shelter, so Irene and I could have over 15 years of sweetness and tears to grow our souls with Dottie.
Dottie, we knew you tried very hard to stay with us – a 3-week hard fight against the spreading cancer, when the vet said you probably had only days left. We will miss you dearly, but don’t miss us. Run free now, no longer dragged down by those ballerina legs, and run happily over the rainbow bridge with Julie, GiGi, and LuLu. Our precious, sassy princess Dottie!
Dottie, forever loved. Forever part of the Labradors and Friends family. 🌈❤️
There are some dogs whose stories stay with you long after they leave rescue.
Apple was one of them.
In 2015, Apple was barely a year old and sitting on death row at the Baldwin Park Shelter. She was a 46-pound black dog with one blue eye, one brown eye, and an old injury to one of them. She had been passed over, sitting in her kennel waiting for someone to notice the sweet, gentle girl inside.
We noticed.
Labradors and Friends said yes.
And for me, Apple’s story has always been a little more personal.
I was the volunteer who pulled Apple from the shelter. I spent time with her before she became a Toliver, and over the years I had the privilege of spending time with Nicole, her family, and the dog who had once needed us to give her a chance.
So when Nicole recently told me they had lost Apple, this one hit hard.
Because I remembered the young dog we rescued.
And I knew just how extraordinary the life waiting for her would become.
From Shelter Dog to Family
On March 17, 2015, Apple went home.
Nicole remembers that young girl perfectly:
“One blue eye and one brown… a love propeller that wouldn’t stop… that shiny black coat and the velvet bat ears.”
What began as a rescue quickly became something much bigger.
Apple became family.
The Toliver daughters grew up with her beside them. There were cuddles and swimming, homework sessions, dress-up and dancing. Apple joined them on family adventures and was there through the ordinary days that, looking back, become some of the ones we treasure most.
Nicole’s favorite memory of Apple is beautifully simple:
“Coming through a door and being greeted by her.”
Anyone who has loved a dog for a lifetime understands exactly why that can be the thing you miss most.
She Knew What It Meant to Welcome Someone In
Apple’s rescue story didn’t end when she was adopted.
Over the years, the Tolivers opened their home to foster puppies, too.
And Apple—the dog who once sat in a shelter waiting for someone to make room for her—became part of welcoming other dogs who needed somewhere safe to land.
Nicole remembers watching Apple with those fosters and seeing a side of her that she didn’t share with everyone.
“Seeing her with fosters and how she loved!!! That wasn’t anything she shared with many…”
There is something especially beautiful about that circle.
Someone saved Apple.
Apple found her family.
And then Apple helped other dogs along their own journeys home.
Quietly, Gently and Fiercely
Nicole describes Apple as a dog who “loved quietly, gently and never let you doubt where you stand in her circle of trust.”
She also protected fiercely.
“She was always where she was needed and more.”
And when Apple needed her family, they were there for her, too.
Over the years, she faced several medical challenges, including ongoing eye care, two eye surgeries, and surgeries on both knees. None of it was easy for her.
But her family surrounded her through every recovery—day and night.
Nicole says Apple answered all of it “with a grateful heart.”
That’s what family does.
Until We Meet Again
On September 17, more than eleven years after Apple first walked into the Tolivers’ lives, they had to say goodbye to their Ladybug.
Nicole shared a beautiful vision of where she hopes Apple’s next journey has taken her:
Chuckit! balls. Endless grilled salmon. Sir Matty, Mr. Bean, Monty, Sugar, Frankie, Delta Chance—and a comfy resting place in a corner with a view.
Until they meet again. ❤️
Nicole began her tribute with something that will resonate with anyone who has ever truly loved a dog:
“If you say it was just a dog…”
Apple was never just a dog.
She was the puppy pulled from a shelter.
She was a little girl’s best friend.
She was a protector.
She was a patient.
She was a traveling companion.
She was a foster sister.
She was the familiar face waiting when someone walked through the door.
She was family.
And perhaps that’s one of the greatest gifts of rescue: we may be there at the beginning, when a dog desperately needs someone to say yes, but sometimes we’re lucky enough to watch what happens afterward.
I pulled Apple from the shelter in 2015.
The Tolivers gave her the life we hoped was waiting for her.
And for the rest of her life, Apple never had to wonder whether she was loved.
Rest easy, Ladybug Apple. 🌈🐾❤️
With love to Nicole Toliver and family, and with gratitude to everyone who was part of Apple’s life—her veterinary team, trainers, dog sitters, fosters, volunteers, and the entire rescue family who loved her along the way.
Some dogs leave paw prints on our hearts. Others come into our lives and somehow change the way we see the world.
Cody was one of those dogs.
When we rescued this sweet senior, he needed someone to show him that he was safe. His foster mom Rachelle did exactly that. She gave Cody a soft place to land, took him on adventures, and helped him learn that the world could be a good place.
Then Allison and Ron opened their home and hearts to him, and Cody didn’t simply find a family.
He found his second beautiful life.
It wasn’t nearly long enough. But what a life it was.
In Allison’s words, this is Grandpa Cody’s story. ❤️
Cody Says, “I Did It My Way!”
When I first saw Cody on the Labs & Friends Instagram, he instantly stole my heart. He was a senior who they pulled from the shelter because he was being bullied.
My husband Ron and I already had three large young rescues, and we thought, what’s one more? We need to protect this sweet senior.
Cody was being fostered by Rachelle, one of the Labs & Friends volunteers. She was teaching him what it is to have a safe space. She took him out on adventures, like toy shopping in local stores, so he could see that the world is a good place.
Rachelle brought Cody to our house so we could ensure that it would be a good fit. I was concerned that my young dogs might knock him over with their “overexuberant” play style
There was no need to worry! In the way that only dogs can understand one another, there was an instant understanding between the four.
I’m not sure what Cody (who we affectionately named Grandpa) said to the others, but within a few days, something was clear.
Grandpa Cody was the BOSS.
The way my crazy dogs deferred to Cody warmed my heart and made us laugh that Cody surely must have a little “mob boss” inside of him.
Cody ran all of us, to be honest. He liked to wake up at the crack of dawn, and if my husband and I were too slow to rise, he would treat us to his special “goose honk” bark that was equal parts startling and hilarious.
We woke up laughing literally every single day.
Cody thrived here.
He went from a dog who was rather standoffish to a dog that followed me from room to room. He snuggled with us in bed. He tried all the extra culinary delights my house had to offer, like blueberries, green beans, yogurt, and salmon off his dad’s plate.
Cody loved his walks. He came to love cruising the neighborhood with his pack mate Harrington, because Harry likes to give some of the fenced-in neighbor dogs a fair amount of guff.
Cody would do his beloved “skippity bop” walk (the result of an injury in his previous life) over to the fence to heckle alongside Harry, and his face always looked so proud to have a brother to carouse with.
He liked being in a gang!
And in the summer months, I led Cody through some sprinklers to show him how to cool off. How he loved that! Watching Cody joyously run through sprinklers is a cherished memory of ours.
I think my proudest moment with Cody was one day when I was walking him on Lake Avenue, the main street in Pasadena.
There was a woman seated outside a café, enjoying a sandwich. Cody walked right up, sat before her and waited for his share of her lunch.
I laughed so hard, and was overcome with joy at the realization.
Cody feels loved and confident.
Cody thinks everyone wants to share their sandwich with him.
He felt SAFE.
I was so filled with gratitude every day that we had Cody. My husband will tell you that while he was here, I said many times, “This is the happiest I’ve ever felt.”
Cody did that. He brought so much happiness and laughter into our home.
We did not have him long enough. But every single day was a blessing.
We decided we will always leave room in our pack for a senior, our way of honoring Cody.
Thank you Labs & Friends, for one of the greatest loves of our lives.
Love, Allison and Ron Perlman
Forever Loved. Forever Remembered. 🌈
Somewhere over the Rainbow Bridge, we have a feeling Grandpa Cody is already running the place.
Thank you, Rachelle, for showing Cody that the world could be safe. Thank you, Allison and Ron, for giving our magical old man the second beautiful life he deserved.
You didn’t have nearly enough time, Cody. But you knew you were safe. You knew you were loved. And that means everything.
Run free, Grandpa. We have a feeling you’re doing it your way. ❤️
