Sam has been with us for about 3 weeks officially. He is doing so well. I think it was probably a big adjustment coming to a new family and living in the city but he is doing great. He hasn’t had accidents and barks at the door to go out though now he seems to just need to go out on our scheduled walks. He loves his doggie sister. They don’t really play but he likes to lick her face. He also likes his kitty sister. That was a more of an adjustment but now he shares his dog bed with the kitty and let’s the kitty lick his ears. Sam loves to nap on the couch and we leave the tv on for him when we aren’t home. It makes me so happy to see both dogs cuddling on the couch. The first few days he was nervous and didn’t wag his tail but now it wags so much. We are so happy to have him.

She is a home body now. She keeps her eye on me where ever I go. A joy to have but she really can wear me
out as she has endless energy.

Luke is doing extremely well. He is relaxed, comfortable in our home environment, and also when we go out on errands and short trips. He and I have formed a strong and loving bond. He is a joy to be with. His health, behavior and social skills are fine.

I’ll keep you informed as to how he’s doing.

Hi - it’s Sheena just checking in again. My parents adopted me from NEARR a little over 15 months ago and I am still doing great! I have a great routine at home which keeps me happy and calm. I get a lot of exercise and fetch is still my favorite game. Around the house, I love to play with all of my squeaky balls and toys, in fact, I just love anything that squeaks. I love to go on car rides and to the dog park to play with all my friends. My parents are thinking of getting me a brother or a sister because I love playing with other dogs so much. I am a bit of a social butterfly, but just being around my parents makes me happy. It’s almost swimming season, and although I love the snow just as much as the next dog (maybe a little bit more) I am ready for a change. Well, that’s enough about me. I’ll talk to you again soon.

Paddy here! I am ready for my two month update! I am having a blast. Life here with my forever “peeps” is nothing but fun and love.

As you can probably see from the attached pictures I have learned a new skill in “doggie-school”. (Note the Peter-Pan quote…) Who would have thought they could teach you to FLY????? Look Out Squirrels!!!!!! (This may also make the chick-a-dee thing a bit less one-sided now!) I am enrolled in private lessons at Doggie School, as I am so much bigger than everyone else. I seem to be making great progress as I AM very smart. We even went to the pet store for snacks last week and I got to pick out what I wanted! Mom said I was very well behaved in public!

I have really been enjoying the weather, except that I no longer have access to all the fresh snow-cones that I could eat. They seem to have disappeared! The basketball practice is really going well too! I have 5 to choose from and when I go out for any reason , I take a basketball with me. Rain, shine, day or night! Gotta keep my skills sharp, ( in addition to exercising my “peeps”!)

There have been some very interesting smells around here lately on the above freezing nights… I believe that the “peeps” used the words “*#&%@!!! a skunk!”. Now, I am not certain what that means exactly, but I think it is people-speak for “don’t take the dog out!” I’ll get back to you all on that one!

I am fairly certain that I could be the poster-boy for NEARR! Lost and alone, I found hope with the good people at NEARR. I got to live in the big city for a bit and now they have found me the perfect forever home where I am loved and I give love in return. Thank you NEARR…Life IS GOOD!!!!!

Hi Dawn and fans of Barkley:

Barkley has been slowly getting the rhythm of things up here in Maine. We are all learning each other’s habits and doing well adjusting. Mr Bean seems a bit pensive about the new addition as no one has come to pick him up as we are usually watching someones dog during the weekend around here. So Bean is still working on sharing his “space” with Barkley.

They both had a duel vet appointment two weeks ago and things went well. They will be heading back tomorrow morning as Bean needs a few more shots. After that we will go to Barkley’s favorite woods and fields where he spends his time running ahead and stopping to smile while looking back at us humans. He has been very good at staying close and very social when we come across other dogs and humans. He enjoys the trips to town in Freeport and the dump where he and Mr Bean take turns sitting in the drivers seat while waiting for me to come out. It appears that he may be familiar with drive-thrus as he wants to be in the window. Perhaps he got treats somewhere along the line in his past.

We have been working with commands and habits with consistency. He seems to want to blast through a door as soon as you approach one even without a leash in hand. I have been making him wait at every door threshold until my command as I think this can save a dogs life. He is willing to learn and enjoys the praise and pats on the head especially those ears of his. I go hiking once a week to a place where I don’t think his fitness level and age can tolerate and he seems content enough to stay even though Mr Bean gets to go. I feel terrible doing this and have never come home to a mess of any kind so he seems to be adjusting well all around.

As far as the alpha in the house he has quickly adopted me as the boss and watches me intently and likes to lie either next to me or in front of me during reading and TV time. He certainly knows how to sleep!

I will be sharing some pictures as soon as I learn how to dump the million pictures I have on my camera.

I have been a very busy girl. For 6 weeks, I have been attending school with my Daddy. I have a personal trainer. She said I am very smart. Daddy is pleased with my progress. I have learned many commands and follow them well. Harley (also a Lab rescue) is my best friend. We love to play with our toys in our fenced in back yard. Daddy plays ball with us and I love to be first in bringing it back. Sometimes Harley wins, if the ball bounces just right. Our walks on the bike trail tire me out and we go to the beach on warmer days. I can’t wait until I can go into the water. I think that I will beat Harley in swimming too. At night I am so tired from having fun all day, I flop on the bed and it is hard to wake me. Tell Cyndi I said Hi and that yes I do my silly run sometimes, especially when I am excited. I love my life here and my Mommy and Daddy love me too.

Well bye for now, talk to you in 2 months. We are going on vacation to North Conway in May. Harley has been, but this will be my first time. Hopefully, I will be able to report to you about my swimming skills at that time.

Vegas had a great and special 10th Birthday! He had a fun day that included a special breakfast of his favorite venison followed by a long walk at his favorite hiking trails with his best friends & fan club (the 3 black labs) and then a long nap. In the afternoon we sang Happy Birthday to Vegas and had his special carrot Birthday Cake (special made just for him). He got some presents from his sisters, who of course, turned around and stole them. Lucky thing he doesn’t mind sharing, because he is such a sweet boy. Zuzu gave him a stuffed toy and Tima gave him his favorite lamb treats. Vegas also got a new bed and new collar from Mom & Dad. All in all, he had a wonderful day and we loved celebrating his 10th birthday with him. He is a special dog and we love him dearly.