Copper #4 Fox Red Labrador Retriever Male 3 Years Old ID #3047

October 28, 2022

Well folks I got to meet my foster dad finally! He was on a super long work trip. My foster mom thought I’d be nervous to meet him but my tail was swooshing from side to side when I saw him come through the door.

I have loved all the extra attention, head scratches, and walks.

Sometimes I don’t know who to follow around the house so I get even more steps in checking on the humans throughout the day. My foster dad has been practicing with me to relax and not to get so zoomie when I first get out of my kennel. He says I’m doing really well.

One big update – I am getting more and more fearless and have been climbing the stairs all the way up to the 2nd floor. Who would have guessed I’d be climbing so many steps when 2 months ago I couldn’t go up or down 3!

It took me a little while to understand the game but I am now enjoying fetch. I really didn’t understand why they would throw a ball and expect me to get it but it really is fun to run after it and chase it. I’m not the best at catching but I get the ball either way. I also seem to have really taken to my kennel and barely need treats to convince me to go in it at night and even during the day.

My foster parents say I’ll be available for adoption soon. So please keep a lookout for the most handsome boy on the block (that’s me if you weren’t sure).

October 13, 2022

I am still wearing the donut cone. I don’t mind it as much now. My foster mom thinks maybe a few more days and I should be good.

I have been helping with school drop-off in the morning. We sit a little bit away from where all the kids are so I can watch them without too many hands coming to pet me at once. It is just the right amount of attention and the kids smell delicious and are so good at giving me head scratches.

My foster mom thinks I am completely done marking in the house. It has been a while since I slipped up which she is excited about. I have gotten even more comfortable in the house and don’t stress out too much when she disappears up the really tall stairs. I am not a fan of coming down them, it’s a bit slippery and smooth at the bottom of them so I try to avoid going up there.

I used to exclusively lay on a rug behind the couch when my foster mom and sister sat on the couch but now, I like to lay right by their feet in front of the couch. My foster mom jokes that between me and my fur foster brother she is locked in. They said I get to meet my foster dad in a few days when he gets home from his trip. Not gonna lie, I am a little nervous with new people in the house but my foster mom said he would give me treats and head scratches so I’m sure it’ll be okay.

I got to try carrots this week and I was a big fan. I am not that coordinated when it comes to catching a treat in the air but I have no problem finding them fast when they land on the floor. She says my sitting and staying are improving as well

October 5, 2022

Can you believe your paws I have been off the farm for just shy of a month?! I can’t either. It’s been such a wild ride.

I have been trying to take it slow this past week healing from my snip surgery. My foster mom gives me a B- on that. She is rather happy that I haven’t popped my new donut cone and I haven’t been licking my incision. The donut is so much better than the massive cone and I can actually move around in my kennel at night which has helped us all sleep a bit better. My love for my kennel however hasn’t grown and I have learned to have some self-control when my foster mom tries to lure me in with a treat. Once I do begrudgingly get in it, I do seem to give up and settle in for the night.

My foster mom says I am the definition of Velcro. I do not understand why anyone would want to do anything alone. I mean why wouldn’t she want company while she is going potty? She comes with me when I go. Speaking of which, my foster mom took me with her and my foster sister on their walk to bring her to school. There were so many children! We stayed to the side so that I had space around me in case I got nervous, but I was pretty relaxed. A couple of medium-sized kids asked if they could pet me, and they let me sniff their hands and they smelled great. I really enjoyed their head pats. I also have been going for walks with my foster fur brother. I like to be in the lead but otherwise, we do pretty well together. My foster mom says the only problem she seems to have when she walks both of us is making sure she has enough bags for our business.

We did have a new friend stop by. My foster sister had a playdate and her little friend’s dad dropped him off. I’ll admit I was a little nervous meeting a male stranger, my foster dad has been on a work trip since I got here so I haven’t hung out with any men since being off the farm. After initially defending my foster home by barking, I very slowly sniffed this new person’s hand and let him scratch under my chin and pat my head. When he came by after their playdate, I was still a bit nervous but warmed up to him when he sat down to say hello.

Wow, I didn’t know I’d have such a big update for you! Woof it’s been a busy week. I’m going back to my nap under the kitchen table.

September 29, 2022

Well humans, this has been a busy week. I assure you I have been the goodest boy ever.

I went to a playground and I watched my foster kid sister play with other little kids. It was interesting to watch. I got some sweet head scratches from one of the big adult strangers and I happily just put my head in her lap. It was bliss.Yesterday I had my neuter surgery, my foster mom said I was a little drunk and stubborn walking out of the Vet’s office with my obnoxious plastic cone on my head. If it’s not already obvious from my use of words to describe the cone, I am really not a fan of it. It doesn’t let me sniff the ground very efficiently or pick up treats. I don’t seem to fit all that well in my kennel with it on either but my foster mom insists I have it on when she isn’t around to watch me closely. She also keeps telling me I need to relax and not fly down the stairs too quickly. She doesn’t seem to realize how I have gone so much of my life without going down the stairs and now I just can’t help but sprint up and down them.

My foster mom said she ordered me a donut collar so that maybe I wouldn’t dislike having to wear it as much as the giant plastic cone. We shall see. Oh I almost forgot – while at the vet they checked my ears and said all of the nasty infection was gone. Woo hoo!

Weird things I got to try this past week – carrots and broccoli. I was hesitant at first, but my foster fur brother seemed super excited about them even though they didn’t smell all that meaty. So, I gave them a crunch, I am not entirely sold on it, I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a proper treat but it wasn’t too bad.

September 21, 2022

Well readers, that Vet appointment did not get me any chips. I can’t believe I was misled. The day started off great. I had breakfast and got a walk in. Then we had to get in the car, and I am not saying I am scared of it but really can’t we just walk everywhere? My foster mom insisted that I get in the car and picked me up when I politely declined. Once I was in, I laid down and tried to enjoy the adventure.

When we got there, I happily hopped out and hustled away from the car. Inside I was really nervous. There were a whole lot of smells I wasn’t used to; other dogs and I think a cat but my foster mom didn’t let me investigate too closely. She scratched my head and told me I was being a good boy and I started to calm down. There was a nice man sitting next to us who let me sniff his hand and gave me a pat on the head and said I was such a handsome good boy.

The nice vet tech said it was my turn and tried to get me on this very slippering silver thing. She said I was around 83lbs but they aren’t 100% sure since I scampered off pretty quickly. When the Vet came to see me and they found that I had a really bad ear infection. She tried to clean it but I was not enjoying myself and they said they would clean it properly when I come back for my snip (neuter) surgery in two weeks. I did get my shots and had some other tests done. Other than my ear being gross the Vet said I was in great health and all my tests were negative!

Other than the Vet adventure, I have been going on walks every day and have gone a full 3 (maybe 4 days) without marking in the house! My foster mom is very proud of me and for all the learning and listening I have done. I did try and snatch a ball of yarn off the coffee table but it smelled kind of farm like so I really can’t be held accountable for that. She did give it back without too much of a struggle and it didn’t unravel at all for what it’s worth.

September 14, 2022

One week into my permanent vacay from the farm or as some would call it my retirement except I’m not that old. Some days have not been as relaxing as one would think. The stairs were a lot but I am a smart boy and figured those out in 3 days. Since then I had a bath and had to battle this thing called a hose. I am not saying I lost but I much preferred the handfuls of water from my foster mom’s hands over the hose snake and especially over the bucket of water. I am not sure why my foster mom was trying to attack me with the hose snake but I was very relieved when she stopped. It was a slightly traumatic experience for both of us. Thankfully now I am clean and hopefully won’t need to battle that thing again any time soon.I have gotten less against going in my kennel and appreciate the blanket draped across the top of my kennel at night. It helps to make it cozy. I sleep soundly until I hear the rustling of paws and the drip of coffee in the morning. My foster mom says I definitely don’t need any caffeine to start my day. I am full maybe even overflowing with enthusiasm the second she rounds the corner to let me out of the kennel. I settle down after a potty break outside and find my spot in the center of the living room and dining room to lay down and watch the bustling morning commence.

One other thing I am learning about is being a good listener. I am starting to get better at sitting but sometimes I am just too excited to keep my butt on the floor. I have maybe had a few more moments of weakness and have marked in the house but I swear it’s just because they were some curious smells I wasn’t convinced should be there and I wanted to make sure I covered them up. My foster mom keeps alluding to some kind of snipping in my future that she thinks will hopefully help with this. Needless to say, I am confused but I have trusted her so far so I doubt she will lead me astray. She says I have a visit with a doggy doctor tomorrow for some shots, a test, and some kind of chip. I’ve never had chips but I am excited to try them. I’ll keep you posted on how it all goes. I might see if we can bring my (not very stuffed) fox toy in the car. I think its my favorite and might help me not be too nervous about everything.

September 9, 2022

So, my foster mom tells me win some you lose some. Today I woke up probably a little too early but, in all honesty, I heard my fur brother up before I got up, so it’s not actually my fault. After a few deep breaths I not so gracefully and begrudgingly went down the stairs to go potty. While my foster mom was making breakfast, I thought it necessary to mark her dining room chair just a smidge. She was not excited about my actions and made it very clear to me. I will say that’s been my only pee misstep so far.

My walk went far better today than yesterday. I actually took the front steps down on my own. My foster mom was jubilant and a little shocked. I had much more confidence exploring the neighborhood today than I had yesterday and took the crosswalks with far more excitement.

One of my quirks, as my foster mom likes to call it, is to collect things, albeit gently, that aren’t mine. Like her shoes or my foster sister’s stinky socks that I found on the ground. I just like to carry them; I don’t actually try to eat them. I told them I promise to be gentle; I haven’t left any teeth marks I swear.

This afternoon I surprised my foster mom and went down the back steps to go potty and then didn’t hesitate at all and went back up them!

The neighbor came out to see why my foster mom was cheering so loud. She was so proud of me and my tail could not stop swinging. I proceeded to run up and down, back-and-forth to show her and the neighbor my new skills. By the way, not to brag, but the neighbor said I was so handsome.

So, today’s win is I conquered the stairs and we just won’t focus on any of my potential missteps with the dining room chair.

September 8, 2022

Well guys I slept hard. But I was ready to go when my foster mom was letting my fur brother out. I’m still a little unsure on my paws as I seem to ice skate a little through the house. But my foster mom helped pull some rugs around to help me get from point A to point B. Once I accomplished that obstacle course, I was faced with a downhill battle of the stairs to get to the backyard. I don’t know how you humans do it but those stairs are tough. My foster mom had to encourage me and maybe carry me a little down the stairs. I did my business a few times and then it was time to go back inside and boy was that terrifying, those four steps really took it out of me. I don’t know how my fur brother does them so easily but I’m studying up on his technique.

When they left for the walk to school, I begrudgingly got in my kennel. I patiently waited while my foster mom and fur brother to return. Then it was my turn to go for a walk! Let me just say it was a little sensory overload and my foster mom says it’s a quiet street but all the sights to see and the smells to smell. WOW! We took it slow and I practiced going up and down curbs to help with my stair skills. I told my foster mom – slow and steady wins the race.

I know once I master the steps there will be no stopping me. By the end of the day, I already felt more comfortable on my paws walking around the house. My foster mom caught me snoozing behind her on the couch with my toy rope. I’m still not sure if it’s my favorite but it’s up there.

September 7, 2022

Hi my name is Copper; I am a happy tail wagging stud of a boy.

My foster mom says I’m the slimmest and trimmest foster she’s had yet. I told her I’m off the market for girlfriends, but I am available for new besties. 

In the little time I’ve been off the farm I’ve had a few car rides, some ball chasing, lots of snacks and a zillion pees. I’ve met my new foster fur brother and my new human foster family. It’s been overwhelming to say the least but also in the best of ways. Did you know that they make fake squeaky squirrels that I’m allowed to chew on? I’ve never seen one before and now I have a kennel full of toys and I don’t know which one is my favorite just yet. I’ll make sure to report back soon because I know you’re on the edge of your seat waiting to hear which one I’ll choose.

I was a little hesitant to go in my kennel even though they had a covered my new bed in treats. I think they underestimated how smart this pup was because I could easily stretch my neck and snag a few of the close ones without putting my paws on the bed. I will concede that my foster mom was able to get the upper hand because I couldn’t refuse the shredded cheese on my kibble and reluctantly climbed in to try it. 

 We’ll see who wins next time.