Happy Tails

Alumni stories written by their forever families

Sasha

FKA Felicia
Adopted 4/3/16

Sasha is living the good life; she is massively spoiled. She loves snacks, sleeping, and visiting with her nana and pop pop. Sasha also LOVES water and dock diving! It's her favorite thing, and she is very good at it. She is so loved and we are so grateful for her.

Sasha was a part of the "F" Puppies litter. There were 5 of them, found in a box on the side of the road at four weeks old; no mom in sight. We couldn't have picked a better dog if we had had the choice. The "F" puppies were named after Forest, a dog that was rescued by Lu's but who passed away from heartworm disease.

I wasn't sure if Sasha liked water, she wasn't a huge fan of the bath or hose or puppy pool. When I took her to a lake I only had a 6 ft leash so she really wasn’t able to swim. So I went and got a 40 ft leash and tossed a toy in the water to see if she’d go get it. We did that a few times, and then we tried going off the dock and she ran off the dock back to the beach so she could walk into the water instead of jumping in…smarty pants. Then I saw dock diving on Dogs 101 and found a competition about 30 minutes from us. Her first competition jump was about 10’ 1” and her personal best is now 26'4"

We earned our invitations to worlds in February, 2019 for Big Air Master and Speed Retrieve Nitro. Sasha was competing in two disciplines. In Speed Retrieve, we had a new personal best of 5.937 seconds. We finished up our journey to worlds in 4th Place for Big Air Master, and in 5th for Place Speed Retrieve Nitro.

- Michelle & Paul K.

“Sasha is #4 and #5 in her divisions, in the world.”

Oakley

FKA Starsky
Adopted 3/11/2020
Origin State Louisiana
Lu’s Labs Team Jenice Palachick

Oakley means the world to us! He's the perfect fit for our family and we loved him from the moment we met him. We planned for a dog for over a year, and chose Lu's because we wanted a lab that we knew was loved and deeply cared for from the moment he was rescued. We can't imagine a better dog. He's a huge snuggle bug, a major foodie, a goofy back sleeper, an enthusiastic socialite, and probably part hound because his love for sniffing is second to none. We highly recommend Lu's Labs so you can find a perfect little Oakley for your family too!

- Amy & Matt V.

“We can’t imagine a better dog.”

Porter

Adopted 8/8/2018
Origin State Texas
Lu’s Labs Team Chloe Vaughn & Kelsey Goodwin (Fosters)

Porter is the best thing to ever happen to us… we wonder daily how he possibly ended up in a shelter or how we got so lucky to adopt him. He's a quirky goof that loves snacks, sleeping, car rides, ducks and special walks/trips (he knows it's special because he wears his harness). His favorite place to go is Grandma's… she's heavy handed with the snacks. But he has enjoyed wineries, family get togethers, parks, pools, and our summer vacation in Maine. Porter is low energy but gets the wildest zooms at the most inconvenient times. At the dog park he just stands next to us and tilts his head asking when it's time to leave. Porter has gotten more snuggly over the years and has progressed to "nose boops" as his form of a kiss. Since we've had him he’s been a foster brother, tackled his fear of the stairs, met many neighborhood cats (through their windows), and mastered the art of selective hearing when it's time to get off the bed (there's just no room!). We love our Lu's Lab so much and thank everyone involved in saving his life!

- Katelyn & Keith H.

“We love our Lu’s Lab so much and thank everyone involved in saving his life!”

“They’ve opened our lives to a great tribe of human and dog friends, ensuring my home is always filled with slobbery joy. ”

Sadie & Vail

FKA Erin/Roux (Sadie) and Jillian (Vail)
Adopted 10/21/2018 (Vail), 2/15/2020 (Sadie)
Origin State Louisiana
Litter Ghostbusters Litter
Lu’s Labs Team Jessica Beswick (Adoption Coordinator), Dina Hart (Vail’s Foster), and Nathan Sommers (Sadie’s Foster)

In October of 2018, I had the pleasure of adopting the spunkiest, sassiest pup I’ve ever seen. Upon first meeting, I had last pick of the ghostbusters litter, but after watching Vail bounce around I knew she was meant to be mine. Vail loves snackos, ball, sticks, her pack, walking herself, endless hours outside watching the birds, and trips to Grammy’s. Affectionately known as Vail the Loyal, she loves all her human and dog friends, particularly her fur sister Sadie. While most labs prefer to play fetch, we simply call it “ball” since Vail prefers to herd her dog friends with ball in mouth. Never shy to express her feelings, Vail is full of the best sass and spunk. There is never a dull day with this girl - she spends most of her time in a state of full body wiggle.

Vail has always loved spending time with other dogs so in January of 2020, I began thinking about adding another pup to our pack so she’d have a companion. Imagine the surprise when I saw that one of Vail’s former littermates was back up for adoption and sounded like the perfect level of sweetness to balance out sassy Vail. Sadie joined our family on February 15 and has been the perfect addition. Sadie loves her people and every dog and person she meets. Sadie has the gentlest soul, loves to play ball, chews like crazy, enjoys a good mud bath, and rips apart all the fluffy animals her sister loves. Much like Vail, Sadie is beginning to really enjoy trips to visit her Grammy where she can frolic in the fields and run the on trails. Sadie is the perfect balance to Vail, giving the best kisses, never far from my lap, and ensures regular baths for both dogs with her mud bathing skills.

Together, both girls have filled my heart and home. Each night I go to bed on the tiniest little edge of the mattress they’ve left for me and I always feel so grateful (despite the aches I wake up with) to love and be loved by these pups. They’ve opened our lives to a great tribe of human and dog friends, ensuring my home is always filled with slobbery joy. I can't imagine life without these two :)

- Katherine H.

You can follow Rufus’ adventures on Instagram at @rufustherescuelab

Rufus

FKA Chase
Adopted 1/25/2020
Origin State Louisiana
Lu’s Labs Team Julie Larro (Adoption Coordinator), Elizabeth Shae (Foster)

Rufus aka Chase aka Rufuloof was a long time coming! After saying over and over to friends and family how much I wanted a pup and window shopping on Lu's Labs for years, I finally decided to apply. These past few months have been filled with the most love, puppy cuddles on the couch, and dog fur on everything! Even though he's a southern boy from Louisiana, Rufus has been loving his life in the big city of Washington DC with all the new friends and smells to keep him entertained all day long (he is extra loving that now mom is home all day!) Mom also thinks Rufus would make a great comfort dog one day; he has a talent for finding the people that need a little puppy love on our walks who tell us how much he makes their day when he says hi.

I can't imagine having adopted Rufus anywhere besides Lu's Lab's. The adoption coordinator and the foster mom's (both southern and northern) were such an integral part in helping make sure that Rufus and I would be a good match, and I feel so grateful every day that they saved him. Lu's was also amazing walking me through the Heartworm journey with Rufus. He was adopted Heartworm positive, and Lu's was constantly with me, talking me through every step, for which I am beyond thankful. There's no way we could have done it without them. Thank you Lu's Lab's for all that you do! Love, Elena & Rufus

-Elena J.

“He has a talent for finding the people that need a little puppy love on our walks who tell us how much he makes their day when he says hi.”

Carson Running Trails!

Carson

FKA Barney
Adopted 1/20/18
Origin State Louisiana
Lu’s Labs Team Cassi Sung (Adoption Coordinator), Tanya Michel (Foster), Kathy Campbell (Foster), Pam Ohle (Home Checker)

There are no words that can fully express how grateful and lucky we feel to have Carson (aka Mr. Carson aka Pupface aka The Chocolate Meester) in our family and watching him grow over the past two years brought us inexplicable joy. When we brought him home, he was full of puppy energy (vet estimates put his age at about 1 year) and just so, so much love. He is the smartest, goofiest, bounciest, must exuberant dog ever, and loves a great round of fetch, a long walk in the woods, or just a good sniff. At the sight of his hiking harness or the fetch ball, he starts running around our apartment and bouncing up and down in joy and excitement. When he's finally tired out, there's nothing that makes him happier than to snuggle you as close as he possibly can. He is gentle, loving, sensitive, and extraordinarily polite. We can count on one hand the number of times he has gotten into mischief, and it was minor mischief at that.

Although Carson has impressed us in countless ways, we are most amazed by his focus and drive as a trail dog. We are an active family and began training Carson to run behind us as we mountain bike on our local trails. We expected this training to take a while, but Carson figured it out in one afternoon, and now, no one bikes without Carson. It is without a doubt his absolute favorite activity, and he will run straight past people, other dogs, squirrels, deer, and birds when he is out on the trail.

We love Carson with every fiber of our beings and cannot thank the Lu's Labs team enough for bringing him into your lives. He is perfect for us in every way, and we are excited for all the adventures we have in store together!

-Alana S. & Manny H.

“...watching him grow over the past two years brought us inexplicable joy.”

“And, I know, as I see him greet us with happy hops and tail wags - we all know those wags, that propel the entire body into a solo stadium wave- that he is happy and safe. ”

Caesar

FKA Jack
Adopted 6/11/17
Origin State Alabama
Litter Three’s Company
Lu’s Labs Team Donna McClaugherty (Adoption Coordinator, Foster)

Caesar is a love sent by the angels at Lu's Labs! He was five months old when we adopted him, thanks to Donna McClaugherty. He was a scared little pup who joined our family of three adults and two dogs. He felt at home immediately! He literally slept for 3 days as he acclimated into our pack. When his personality emerged, it turned out that he is a frustrated home decorator. It took some time, but his tastes and my tastes finally came to a happy understanding. Along that path of negotiation, he turned his nose up (or should I say "his teeth on'!) several chairs, two rugs, multiple pillows, and throws! Finally, we reached an understanding, and his chewing is now focused entirely on his toys and the ears of his big sister, Shadow. We call it "corn cobbing", as he nibbles on the back of her ears to the delight of both! Who knew!

We could not imagine our life without Caesar. And, I know, as I see him greet us with happy hops and tail wags - we all know those wags, that propel the entire body into a solo stadium wave- that he is happy and safe. He is completely confident in our pack. He loves his walks, romps with his siblings, and swimming. His smiles warm our hearts. We are so very grateful to the Lu's Lab team for bringing us the love of our life!

-Jean & Mike G.

Luna

FKA Bella
Adopted 6/16/19
Origin State Louisiana
Lu’s Labs Team Leah Kaiz Fellows (Adoption Coordinator), Lauren Czaplinski (Foster)

We are coming up on Luna's 1-year gotcha day, and what a year it has been! Luna has been the most perfect addition to our family. She had a dream vacation with lots of swimming at Deep Creek Lake, has successfully completed heartworm treatment, learned how to catch a tennis ball, and is on the verge of mastering walking on a leash with minimal reaction to other dogs. She loves chasing squirrels in the yard, protecting her yard from the people walking by on the street, her bedtime treat, and her disgusting stuffed bear she's been carrying around since Christmas. We have never had a dog demand so many belly rubs - she'll lay in her bed and look at us from across the room, lifting her leg to beckon us to rub it! Luna is the sweetest pup and although she was already perfect when she arrived in our home, she has come so far in becoming more comfortable and settling into her forever life in the past year. Thank you, Lu's Labs!

- Brittany T. & Jay M.

“Luna is the sweetest pup and although she was already perfect when she arrived in our home, she has come so far... in the past year.”