“Charlie has brought such joy to my life. He has made me laugh every day for ten years. He is my best friend.”
Charlie floating in his pool at home during The Summer of Charlie
Charlie was a very special dog.
Returned twice for being an active pup, he eventually landed himself in a home where he and his family would have a huge impact on the rescue world.
As one of the founding foster dogs of Lu’s Labs, and the apple of Luisa’s eye, Charlie introduced over 200 wayward rescues to an indoor life and love. He taught them the joy of play, snuggles, and shenanigans.
When Charlie was diagnosed with cancer in 2018, the Lu’s Labs family was determined to give Charlie a summer to remember - “The Summer of Charlie”. Treatments and parties filled with love from the rescue community gave Charlie a few precious last months.
In memory of Charlie and all of his contributions to the rescue community, the Charlie Fund was born. It is a way for donors to provide direct support to the medical needs of rescue dogs brought in under the wing of Lu’s Labs before they find their forever homes.
Charlie under his favorite tree in his front yard
“Your contributions - big and small - help save dogs like these.”
Shipley
Shipley had been living on the streets in Texas for quite a while with 3 other dogs (all of which were also rescued) under an abandoned construction trailer near one of the shipping channels, hence his name, Shipley. Despite the rough shape he was in, Shipley is the sweetest boy! Even with the condition of his skin, his tail never stopped wagging and his butt never stopped wiggling when he was getting attention. When the lady who found Shipley and his friends would go out and feed him twice a day (while she was working on finding rescues for them), Shipley would stop eating to come over and give her kisses. He is truly one of the sweetest most appreciative dogs ever!
He transformed in the time that we had him, and will only continue to shine now that he’s found his happily ever after. Sometimes it just takes a comfortable place to land, regular food, water and care to see a real transformation.
Charlie Fund Beneficiaries
Suri (Survivor)
Ethan
Ethan was an owner surrender to a shelter, and he was in horrible shape. He had very clearly lived a life of neglect to the point where we were not sure if he was going to make it. It can be a delicate balance bringing a dog back from starvation.
Ethan ended up being adopted by his foster family. Ethan fell fast and hard for his human foster brother, refusing to leave his side when he was sick and sleeping in bed with him every night. He was already home.
Lopez
Lopez had been living on his own for a while and when he was found he was HALF of his appropriate weight – he was 35 lbs, when he should have been around 70 lbs. He was also covered in fleas. In order to safely nurse him back to health, he required weeks of professional care. While he loved all the attention he got from the sweet vet techs, the bills added up and we spent around $1,200 to get him healthy. We’d say it was money well spent!