Baxter has evolved so much during the past few months! We have really come to know his personality. He continues to be such a loving, friendly dog. We are half way through our 8-week dog obedience training program and I am pleased to let you know that I think Baxter is going to graduate as Valedictorian of his class! He came to us knowing the sit command but I can now get him to lay down, not pull on a leash and wait for the “take it” command before reaching for a treat in my hand. I have NEVER had such a good lab! (My last black lab Duncan was truly a Marley dog!)

Baxter has come to idolize my 17 year old son. When he comes home, Baxter wags his tail so hard that he falls down! I really think he enjoys have a male companion. My son just loves that dog and they spend so much time together. I have had my extended family in and out of the house and Baxter gets so excited when we are having company. He is just so well behaved - and does not “mooch” for food. My family can’t believe what a great dog he is - especially after knowing my last two lab retrievers!

Baxter also loves my orange tiger cat Pumpkin. Pumpkin is 17 years old and has always lived with a lab retriever in our home. Pumpkin continues to “snuggle” in right next to Baxter when he is in his bed - and Baxter tolerates it. Every so often, Baxter does realize Pumpkin is a cat and decides to chase him - but he would never hurt him. They are almost comical to watch in this situation because we always know that Pumpkin has the upper hand. Last minute, he jumps up on a window sill, dives through the cat door - or slides under the bed. You can almost hear him laughing at Baxter.

We are looking forward to Baxter’s birthday next month! My birthday and his are only a day apart and we are going to celebrate together! Again, we are so happy and so grateful to NEARR for in this dog and allowing him to become part of our family. We will stay in touch and send photos after the holidays.

Lia has been with us a month now, it seems hard to believe. It feels like she has always been a part of our family. She brings a smile to our face every day. I love watching her invite Seamus to play with elaborate play bows and kisses to his face. He looks like he can hardly believe his luck. Our other girls were not much for playing.

We took Lia and Seamus to pick out a Christmas tree. She was overjoyed as she got to do two of her favorite things; go for a car ride, and say hello to lots of people.

We couldn’t have asked for a better dog. She is charming, adorable, loving, and goofy! Every day is an adventure with Lia.

Tasha has a new name now to go along with her new home, she is Lia. She learned her name very quickly since it sounded similar to Tasha. It seems like she has always been with us, she settled in so effortlessly. She plays happily with her new brother Seamus, enjoys exploring the woods and fields nearby, and adores car rides! I am attaching a photo of Lia enjoying her favorite activity. She makes us laugh by immediately running to the car whenever we take her and Seamus out for a walk. She is always optimistic! She constantly brings a smile to my face, whether it is by falling asleep on my shoulder and snoring gently, or vigorously squeaking her hedgehog with joy. I can’t imagine life without her now. Thank you for giving us a bundle of happiness wrapped in wavy blonde fur.

Where does the time go?!

Archie turned 12 in early November. Unfortunately for him, his birthday passed without much fanfare as we also have a newborn at home. The arrival of our second child has been less traumatic for Archie than the arrival of our first; like us, he has become somewhat numb to the crying! I’m sure we’ll have some challenges when our second becomes mobile, but that’s months away and we’ve already been through it once. And as someone I work with likes to say, we now live in a ‘gated community’, so separating dog from child is easier to accomplish.

Overall, Archie is in great health. At a vet visit this past summer, he was diagnosed with a heart murmur that we’re keeping an eye on along with his veterinarian, but it doesn’t appear right now to be anything serious. Given his age, we’ll be seeing the vet every 4 months or so instead of just once a year just to stay on top of any health issues. Right now, Archie’s once-a-day glucosamine pill, along with a daily walk, seems to be all he needs to keep him in good health. And when he’s out for a walk, you’d never guess he was 12 years old – he stops because we do, not because he gets tired! When we adopted Archie, he was a little over 70 pounds, and he’s now down to just above 55 pounds, and we’re hoping that keeping the weight off of him will help keep his joints in good shape as he gets older.

I’m attaching a few pictures of Archie that we took recently. Life is a lot busier for us but even on days when the last thing we want to do is head outside for a walk, we always consider ourselves lucky to have Archie in our household. Who else would clean up all the food that our older child drops on the floor?! J

We wish everyone at NEARR happy holidays!

Just checking in! I think we were supposed to drop you a line last weekend but forgot….We are just having so much fun with Baxter. He is totally settled in and we are down to a daily routine. He seems so happy. He wags that tail ALL the time - from the time we get out of bed in the morning - until it is time to settle down for the night! He is starting to get very playful and he plays with his toys. We start in obedience training tomorrow - I’ll let you know how he does. He has been so wonderful with people - but he has not had the opportunity to socialize with other dogs. As I previously mentioned to you, we have a 15 year old “dog-savvy” orange tiger cat and they get along wonderfully. Baxter does occasionally realize he is a cat and chases him - but Pumpkin just dodges under a couch - or up on a counter. We can almost hear Pumpkin laughing at him and saying “Ha, ha! You can’t get me.”

We are amazed at how accurate Baxter’s profile was on your adoption site. It was wonderful having him in a foster home for a short time and having him evaluated. Our vet said he is one of the “most handsome” English breed labs that he has ever met. His disposition is just wonderful and I love showing him off to people. I hope I can say the same after we go to obedience school tomorrow!

Once again, we ask you to pass along a message to Donna, Baxter’s foster mom - and everyone else who was involved with our adoption. Please assure them that Baxter is loved in his “forever” home and we are grateful to everyone who helped us bring him home.

Our 12 week post knee surgery rehab is finally over!!!! Ruby’s knee has healed well with hardly a limp and we are trying to get her to go up the stairs now. Not sure if it’s a knee issue or just afraid of stairs, we have mastered coming down, but not going up! Fetching the ball, walks in the woods and searching for her independence (she has left my side!) are high on her list. She and Caly enjoy hanging out in the yard watching us rake leaves and helping whenever possible. On that note, Ruby decided to help clean up an old corn cob from the squirrels- that she found in the leaves. You Lab owners know where this is going….right into the tummy, unfortunately it got stuck shortly there after. We spent an entire night up with her, then early the next morning off to the hospital. A barium series and four x-rays later and Ruby was in surgery to have it removed……you gotta love a lab!!!! She is doing wonderfully now and looking to get those squirrels.
She had a visit from Grandma and Grandpa a couple weeks ago and they fell in love with her immediately. She truly is a sweetheart and loves anyone she meets, especially if they have cookies for her.