Zena, 6 year old black lab mix

February 2, 2018

We took her to a house today that has dog savvy cats!, She and kitties got along perfectly well together and neither were phased by each other, they did a sniffing thing and Zena tried to get one of them to play with her.

We also met a yellow male lab who is more submissive, they did a very happy intro with each other and got along very well, he tried at one point to start his male thing with her, she quickly told him that was not ok and he backed off and they were completely fine.

I would definitely say that Zena would be perfectly happy around dog savvy cats.

Jan 30th 2018

Zena or as she has now affectionately become known Zee zee.

Zena is still with us and we are still blown away every day by her sweet loving carefree nature.

Zena has been matched with two families since our last post but sadly neither of them worked out. We introduced her to other dogs and whilst she was happy to be friends with them, they were not as loving as we had hoped. We have learned that Zena is definitely an alpha dog and wants to be in charge. She would love to be with a more submissive dog, as she knows what she wants!

Zena has been fully immersed into all our family activities. She has joined our family Christmas party and instantly made friends with every guest in the house. She found her spot in the middle of the party and stayed there soaking it all in.

She was lavished with Christmas gifts and treats from our kids and although she loved the treats and toys she got, she was not in anyway interested in the unwrapping process (unlike our previous lab who almost didn’t care about the inside!)

She is un-phased by the mailman, by workmen in our house, by dogs who don’t seem to like her, by little kids who just adore and love on her, by big teenagers who storm through the house and slam doors!!

She knows when it is dinner time. She will follow you around the house on your heel until you say the magic words “Zena, you wanna eat?” at which moment her curly tail wags emphatically, as she starts in on her happy dance. She will follow you to collect her bowl, show you where her food bin is and wait patiently for you to put her bowl down.

Her happy dance is her signature move, when she wants to play or go outside. “Zena, wanna go out?” Happy dance! “Zena, wanna play?” Happy Dance and often a few barks! One of the few times she actually uses her voice. Completely priceless.

We have learned that her time on the streets has taught her to be somewhat self sufficient when she feels she is not being fed enough! She recently got caught rather sheepishly with a pigeon under foot as she lay innocently in the yard looking over to see if I was noticing! This time the poor bird was lucky to escape. Staying with a friend for a few days a text message arrived “Zena just came inside with Rabbit fluff all the way around her mouth, she finished it off before she came in and she has a look that says “aren’t I awesome?” the rabbit was not so lucky!

She loves to play catch and since living with us has learned the words “drop it” . She will run and fetch her toy outside. Sometimes she will start to bring it to you but on stepping forward will run, she relishes in the chase me!

She adores her spot on the couch. She knows she is not allowed on the couch without her blanket. If you are sitting on the couch and her blanket is missing, she will come over, give you a paw, look over to where her blanket should be and keep eyeing you until such times as you get up and put her blanket on the couch. She will jump right up and curl up into her warm cozy ball. If I am on the one couch and her blanket is on the other, that is unacceptable! I have to get up, fetch the blanket, put it on the couch next to me and give her the signal to jump up. She always waits for permission unless of course we are MIA.

Zena is still pining for her forever home and this sweet, lab natured love bug would be a wonderful addition to any size family with little ones, medium ones and big ones! She loves her doggy friends and at least in the shelter was very happy with her meowing friends (although we have not tested this out yet!). For more information on this sweet girl, contact olsonmvec@verizon.net.

October 13, 2017

{Zena or Zee-Zee as she is affectionately known is a dog that was found in Philly roaming the streets}

Hi! I am super happy to have found a foster home and am now ready for a new home. I am a black/brown lab mix with white spotty feet and a very cute and curly tail. I have big brown eyes that will seek your soul and make you fall into them. I LOVE everybody. I am calm, gentle, low maintenance and 75lbs of love.

I make friends with other dogs easily and if they don’t care for me, I am quite ok with that – I will just move on. Shelter evaluations told me I was good with cats and other furry things too, but do remember I am a lab at heart – the squirrels in the yard are a fun toy to chase!

I love my food and will eat most anything, I have been known to trash pick but now that I know peeps love me and are feeding me well every day, I have almost stopped this habit.

I absolutely adore being outdoors and would spend all my days and sometimes nights out there if I could. I like to find a nice little patch of ground, nest it around a little and just lay in it until I am called in for more important tasks (like eating). I walk well on a leash, sniff at the usual things and pull occasionally, but I will literally leap up and down if you get the leash out to walk me – that’s how much I love it!

I will miss you if you go out, but I will not whine and complain, I will watch the house and sleep on the couch to keep it warm for you until you return. I am completely house trained, no crate needed! Car rides are my thing, I could just sit and hang out with you in the car and tag along for any ride.

When I first arrived, I was showing signs of age, slowing down a little and having a hard time hearing, but with the correct tests, surgery and vet treatment I have proved that I am younger than I first appeared. I am around 5-7 years old. I have Lyme’s disease which will need some monitoring and occasional medicine and my ears were in rough shape. Following several rounds of meds, cleaning and check-ups at the vet, I am happy to say that I am doing so much better! I will need some TLC to keep them healthy.

My foster says I am the most easy going, laid back dog ever and would fit with just about any family unit, I just love to be with my peeps, hang out and know they are taking care of me. I love kids and am happy to have any other dogs around although I would of course prefer ALL of your attention!

I am just one easygoing, amiable lady!

Could I be your new best friend?

October 6, 2017

Great News!

I am all cleared for adoption. Who wants this beautiful smiling face and curly waggy tail?

My ears are so much better but will need checking regularly. All my Lyme’s symptoms are better and I have a few more weeks of medicine to finish.

My surgery scars are all healing nicely and Dr Lauren says I can find myself a brand new forever home!

Dr. Lauren has reassessed my age and based on my energy level, my new lease on life and how beautiful my teeth look, she thinks I am between 5-7 years old, but we don’t know exactly!

I LOVE everybody and everybody loves me.

I can’t wait to meet you.

Zena

September 24, 2017

Zena is scheduled for Surgery tomorrow morning and is her usual calm self about it all. Zena loves everyone. She loves having kids around and is extremely tolerant of any child’s behavior big and small!

She likes being around and with other dogs and once she has done her little sniff around dance, she is more or less unconcerned with any of their behaviors. None of our introductions have turned sour on her behalf; a few younger pups were not so impressed with her but she just turned her nose up and let them be. What a good girl!

Zena LOVES the great outdoors, walking, being in the yard, hanging out on the patio, sniffing around the yard and occasionally being a dog that likes to dig a hole. She has her usual potty places and does not deviate from them much.

She is definitely a couch stealer, so be prepared to not see your couch when Zena is around. She knows at our house that she is only allowed on the couch when her blanket is placed on the couch for her, then it is clearly her space. It is one of her fave places to sleep. Her other fave place is our front walkway tile, maybe because of the cold, maybe because of a past memory or routine. She will practically sleep anywhere. When she sleeps she is quite a heavy sleeper.

Zena has once or twice tried to be an escape artist. The first time she ran out the back gate behind me and ran across the street. She was easily brought back home again. This past week she did the same again, sneakly slipped through behind us, she ran to the end of the driveway, peed in our neighbours yard and when called ended up coming straight back to us. Such a good girl. Knowing she has a good home to go to and always gets fed made her realize she didn’t have to run.

She is finally recognizing her name and often coming when called now. She is slow to come in from the yard but she likes to take her time with her business and then amble in when she is ready.

Zena is an absolute sweetheart. She is always pleased to see you and will take all the loving she can get from anyone. Her curly wagging tail is the cutest thing ever and finally the sad face that she always seemed to exhibit is finally showing signs of happiness and contentment.

Being on Doxycycline for her Lymes has been incredible for her. She has become more energetic, wants to play chase around the yard and loves to play a game of taunt and tease with you where she does this cute little duck down with both front paws to wait for you to come closer. She seems lionlike almost at times with this game and often seems to prowl around the perimeter of the yard as if to say this is my territory.

She will make a great home for any family, old and young alike. She will be happy and content knowing she is receiving 2-3 meals a day and frequent snacks in between. Trash cans should always have a lid on with Zena around! She has only stolen an empty bag or two and never really any food. With her street history this is not a surprise to any of us, but knowing there is a constant food supply in the house, this has become almost non existent.

We love her!

September 12, 2017

Zena is a changed pup! She has been taking Doxycycline for about 5 days now and she has so much more energy and personality – Dr. Lauren could not believe she was the same dog when we went in for her check up today! She was amazed – she got to check her hips and leg joints out today. They are all good. It seems some of her back leg issue seems to be stemming from her lower spine. . We treated an ear infection with more long term antibiotics which should see her feeling 100% by the next visit.

We picked up her next dose of Whipworm meds to take next week and then that will be followed up with another dose at 3 months.

She was so good today Dr. Lauren managed to biopsy the skin tag on her leg which is actually going down some. I have used Frankincense oil on it a couple times and will continue to use that and hope that it heals up and doesn’t need surgery! Now that would be awesome!

Good news is she is spayed. Dr. Lauren was able to shave a little hair off today and found the scar!

She has had lots of bursts of energy around the yard, in fact just asking her if she wants to play and she will take off running around the yard, take a few very fast laps around the entire yard and then collapse at your feet before you even threw the ball, it’s pretty funny! I will try and get a video.

She is such a friendly pup toward everyone and all the dogs we meet.

She has definitely found her voice too and she will spontaneously come up to me and nudge me and bark when she is ready to play. She loves her kong and peanut butter very much! She is adorable and a love bug!

September 1, 2017

Zena has charmed her way into our hearts! Zena tested positive for Whipworms and also for Lymes, so she’s working with Brookline and the vet to get her taken care of!

She is learning well the rules and regulations for our house, although she has comfortably helped herself to the couch a few times. When we leave now we leave a blanket on the couch and she certainly uses it! (our typical dog policy is no dogs on the furniture!) When we are home she does get told to get down and is very obedient about it.

She has learned ” DO you wanna go out?” and she is learning to go to her bed when we all sit down to eat and not beg. She has a healthy appetite and likes her treats! She knows how to sit, laydown and “Out” (which my girls sometimes use in regards to their rooms!)
She is always so friendly and loves to meet us at the door with lots of love and wags.

She gets tired easily and likes to sleep, but every once in a while she just gets up, barks at you and wants to play. She doesn’t really play with toys so much as she lies to pounce! And she also took off running around the yard at quite a speed this afternoon – she ran around the yard and pool twice and then took herself over to her dusty corner and flopped down all out of energy!

Every day we see a little more energy from her. Her back legs are still a little stiff, but her energy level is up.

She is adorable and loves everyone. We are having a party this weekend so we will assess how she does with some family members here! I think she will win them all over.

August 20, 2017

Sometimes life just throws you a curve ball – that’s what happened to Zena. She was found as a stray and brought into a very noisy, overcrowded shelter where her life expectancy was very limited. But she stood out among the cacophony of dogs for her sweet, calm demeanor. The staff fell in love with her, and were really hoping someone would step up to save her. Along came one of our wonderful volunteers, and the rest is history.

Zena probably has more cattle dog in her than Lab, but the Lab personality definitely comes through.

She is amazingly calm and easygoing – even in a kennel full of barking dogs! She enjoys her walks, and doesn’t miss a scent. She will seek out anything interesting, and has already checked out chickens and cats while on the prowl. She is merely curious, and the cat she encountered let her know he didn’t like her sniffing him!

She has met numerous dogs. She’s not crazy about a dog that is in her face or climbing all over her, but she is fine with more laid back dogs. She even did well with a loud barker, once he calmed down. With a very passive dog, she did a little play bow, inviting him to play.

She takes treats very gently, and appears to be housebroken. She settles nicely after a good walk, and loves being with her people. She has such a sweet personality, and would do well in a variety of settings.

Zena is looking for a family like the one she must have had at one time, as she is such a love!

August 16, 2017

Meet one of the new kids on the block at Brookline, Zena. Zena was rescued from a high-kill shelter and she couldn’t be more grateful. Found as a stray, it’s quite clear this girl had a loving family at some point because she is as sweet as can be. She does well with all people and has also been extensively dog-tested. She does wonderfully, and has shown she has a lot of pep with her play bows and wagging tail. She would do well in just about any home.

Look for her to be available very soon. For more information on her, please contact olsonmvec@verizon.net.

Adopt Your New Best Friend!

PLEASE NOTE: While this Lab may not be available for adoption by the time you complete the adoption process, other great Labs are always finding their way into our Rescue.

If you are interested in adopting this Lab or any other Lab from our Rescue, please visit our Web site, www.brooklinelabrescue.org, for more information on our adoption process. If you need additional information about the adoption process or whether you are in our coverage area, please send an e-mail to our Rescue at info@brooklinelabrescue.org

Even if you are not ready to adopt, you can still help us help our Labs!

Brookline Labrador Retriever Rescue is a 501(c)3 non-profit volunteer organization funded entirely by donations. Donations are always needed to help with veterinary costs, transportation, and supplies for our dogs. For information on donating to BLRR please click here. https://brooklinelabrescue.org/get-involved/donate/ Donations are accepted via PayPal or you can mail a check to: Brookline Labrador Retriever Rescue, P.O. Box 638, Warrington, PA 18976-0638