Baloo Black Labrador Retriever Mix Male 8 Years Old ID #3190

This weekend, Our Boy Baloo moved to South Jersey.  His foster parents had been doing a great job with him but felt that his continued recovery from an ACL injury would be easier in a house with fewer stairs and no other dogs. All foster parents know that parting can be tough but after some initial anxiety, Baloo has settled in nicely and new Foster Dad seems to have mastered getting the leg brace on and off – no small feat!

Hi Friends! Hope you all had a fun 4th of July. I helped host a party here for foster Grandma’s birthday and we had the family here. I love parties cause I’m so happy to see so many people who want to play with me and pet me and tell me I’m a good boy.

I think I may have gone a little too hard a little too early. Or maybe it was all the work I did supervising the foster parents cleaning and cooking. But I had to take a nap halfway through the party. And I didn’t even have my couch because they let people sit in my spot! In my defense, it was quite hot outside.

At night my foster parents wanted to watch for fireworks on the deck. I did not find them as cool as they did so I decided to go inside. I don’t know what the big deal is with all those pops and booms. Doesn’t seem like something we should be sticking around for.

Anyway, the next day was stinking hot too! I do not like that at all, and I asked foster Mom if she could turn off the heater outside. She says it doesn’t work that way. Well, today foster parents decided it was too hot to go out or hang out outside and so they did inside stuff. I decided to take a Me Day on the couch and catch up with all the naps I have been missing. Foster Dad took a nap with me too and that was pretty nice.

Well, I’m doing pretty good still with my brace and but it only goes on for the price of a lick mat with yogurt. One time Foster Mom thought we were going to ” just put it on really quick.” Well, I went and sat next to my empty lick mat and hid my leg till she got me my yogurt. It’s only fair.

I hope the heater outside turns off soon. I miss sitting outside on the deck and guarding the yard from all the strange animals that wander in. Who knows what’s going on out there when I’m not on watch! Well, I hope everyone is having a fun summer! And if you happen to be looking for an adoptable buddy like me, I will happily hang with you in the A/C on days like this!

Since Baloo’s last update, we went back to My Pets Brace to pick up his new brace and have it fitted. While Baloo wasn’t the least bit cooperative, including trying to use his trial walk down the hallway as an escape plan, we were able to complete the mission, and with time have been able to get him used to wearing his brace on a daily basis.

The staff was very patient and helpful and here are a few tips that have really helped the process.

1. A positive distraction is good so that Baloo can associate putting his brace on with something good. Brookline has sent me one of the best distraction tools that has worked perfectly: a silicone lick mat. Baloo is a big fan of the whole milk plain yogurt and it is very effective keeping him busy while I strap the brace to his leg.

2. Once a day sprinkle a little cornstarch onto the inside black padding for comfort and dryness.
3. After taking off the brace fold back each Velcro strap to attach to itself to prevent all of the straps getting tangled and stuck together.
4. The brace should not be worn to bed. We are working up to wearing for 8-14 hours a day.

Baloo is not exactly ready to manage flights of steps and really shouldn’t. However, he had already figured out how to operate downstairs on three legs and does choose to use that method with the brace. He just can’t get back up the stairs, so then the brace has to come off for him to climb back up. Unfortunately, stairs continue to be the most challenging part of his foster home. It took some time to get used to getting this brace on correctly and somewhat quickly, so I have put together a couple of informational videos here and included the last video of Baloo’s first walk with his brace! Right now, he can do a couple of short walks a day.

Baloo has also enjoyed some time on the deck in the nicer weather so despite what he might tell you, life isn’t all that bad.

Dear Friends,

It was a rough day. Everything was going so well… The sun was shining…foster Mom let me lay in the grass at lunch. Foster Dad came home much earlier than expected. I even found out I was getting a car ride! Little did I know, this was leading somewhere.

We ended up at yet another new place with the same kind of office and more people waiting there just to torture me. Foster Mom had bags of treats and told me we were gonna have fun. She lied to me. They showed me a sample of what one of these brace things look like and I went and stood by the door. But foster parents said we had to stay for the rest of the appointment. Next thing I know Foster Mom is holding my head while two people wrapped my leg in some kind of weird warm tape. What a betrayal! The only good thing was when it was all over I finally got to have treats from my goody bag.

While I don’t hold a grudge and politely wish everyone well afterwards, once the big wood door opened I made sure to help Foster Dad quickly find the exit. I heard one doctor ask ” And.. what’s wrong with his legs? ” Well they work just fine when it counts and now they are carrying me outta here. Then I heard someone say something about next week. NEXT WEEK?? What’s NEXT week????

I talked to no one on the way home and wanted to hear from no one…other than my favorite girl on the radio. Thanks for another great day guys.

Hi everyone! Hope you remember me…it’s Baloo! April was a tough month for me. There’s a lot of stairs in my foster home and I slipped one day and it hurt my leg. Foster parents took me to the doctor who said I have a full tear in my back right to match my left tear. It was ruff for a few weeks, especially with the stairs but I’m getting around a little better now.

Next week we’re going to get my leg measured for a brace to see if this is helpful for me. I don’t think it sounds like fun but I’m going to give it a chance.

My foster parents say it would be great for me to have a home where I don’t have to go up and down stairs to go outside. Other than that, I am a happy boy. I like that I know everyone’s schedule during the week and that I can keep my foster mom company while she works. I’m very patient and only demand attention when I know everyone’s done their work stuff. I know when it’s dinner time, and I know when it’s Cookie time and make sure everyone remembers. I will look at the clock to give my foster parents a hint if I think they are late.

I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather. The sunshine makes me smile, but it was cool and then all of a sudden hot! I’m not a fan of being hot so I appreciate the AC and fans being on to keep me cool. Foster Mom gives me some over the counter allergy meds if I seem a little itchy, but so far no need for prescription which is good cause I already take pills to make my legs feel better, but also I always get my pills in treats, and I’ll take as many treats as you want to give me! (Between you and me, sometimes I spit out the pill so I can get another treat… hehehe).

Well, I will let you all know how everything turns out. I gotta go…it’s almost Cookie Time!!

Hi all, it’s Baloo here checking in. It’s been far too long I know. You can blame Foster Mom.  Anyway, not much new here, but the weather has been getting nicer so my walks smell even better these days. I guess people come out in the nice weather because we’ve had more visitors recently. Some come to hang out and meet me and some come just to help my foster parents with house stuff. I like everyone and I am super excited when visitors show up, but my foster parents say I need to be gentler with my greetings. I like to get as close as possible to make sure everyone smells ok! But at least I know four on the floor and I never jump on anyone. I think that’s perfect manners! Last weekend was the first time we had smaller visitors. Three children that were very interested in playing with me were here. I was told I was a really good boy that day. Foster Mom made me wear a leash to make sure, but I didn’t cause any trouble. Anyway, I slept really good that night.

I always love to have my toys around and greet everyone with them.

I love when people come in and I can show off my toys. I try to take them on my walks, too, but Foster Mom doesn’t allow it anymore because I won’t carry them the whole way. I think that’s a lot to ask, and I don’t know why she just can’t carry them for me, but it’s ok cause I still enjoy my walks. I was a little annoyed to find out I have toys that are hidden from me! Foster parents say sometimes I just make too much of a mess when I’m not being gentle with my toys. I couldn’t believe it when I was handed my missing ducky! I missed ducky so much! I felt very betrayed that ducky had been here the whole time, and Foster Mom gave me some lame excuse about green fluff all over, and she said if I rip up ducky she would have to throw him away! I love my ducky and I don’t know what she’s talking about. Come to think of it….I haven’t seen him in a couple days. Hmmm… I may need to nap on this…. Here’s some words from my foster mom.

Update from Foster Mom:

Baloo has been doing very well. I can tell his paws are a little itchy, but some occasional Benadryl has been helping with that, and we will keep an eye on it. As the spring progresses, sometimes those allergies pick up for all of us, so we will see how Baloo does and if he may need some prescription help. Baloo does really well on our walks. There is a nice quiet trail we walk on that’s pretty open. He still pulls when he wants to get to a smell. When we see other dogs he also pulls but we are working on focusing on treats. He is not to the point yet where we can easily walk by and he can focus only on treats but his reactions are improving. Other than those occasional moments, he keeps a nice loose leash through most of our walks. We will be making an appointment to have Baloo evaluated for a brace to help with his torn ACL and will provide more updates on the process.

Hi Everyone!

Sorry it’s been a while but it’s been real busy here. There’s been plenty of people that come over and do their work in our house. Sometimes my foster mom’s brother comes and helps at the house and I love him! There’s also been a stranger here this week that works downstairs, and that’s just fine with me as long as my foster Mom is ok with it. I like him too, and his shoes smell like dogs, so he must be a cool human.

I visited a doctor recently too. I didn’t like him so much. Doctors aren’t my favorite. They are always bothering me and I never know what they are going to do. Anyway, this doctor says I have ACL injuries in both of my back legs, which I guess is not the best news. So more to come on that, but I still get around here just fine.

I’m still enjoying the new neighborhood and ooh yeah the best news is my foster parents got me a new sofa. It’s so comfy cozy, and I love it so much.

I even have a special blanket I lay on just for me, and a nice view out the window so I can keep watch and let my foster parents know when someone or some dog gets too close to the house.

I told my foster parents I was willing to share with them, too. Comfort is very important to me. I love a good resting spot. I’m also a big fan of belly rubs and will give you a big smile in exchange for one. I am told I can be a bit pushy when I want attention. Well, I’m patient all day long while everyone works, so I just think when everyone is home and not working, the focus should be on my adorable face. Not the TV…not a conversation that doesn’t include me….and definitely not your phone…even if you are writing about me.

Well, that’s about all for now! Wishing you all a comfy cozy weekend with lots of belly rubs!

Hi Friends!

Hope everyone had fun holidays! I did but things have sure been different since my last story. Well, it all started after my favorite day with the turkey. All of a sudden all these boxes started appearing out of nowhere. Foster Parents kept walking around the house and wouldn’t just sit still and cuddle. It was all so strange. Then one day we went to this big empty house. Foster Dad left for a while and then came back and all these strangers showed up in a truck. I hung out with Foster Mom outside for a while that day. Then when we went back in….all our stuff was here and so were all those boxes! It was a crazy day. So now we stay at this house every day.

I kinda like it here and I think I know why we moved to this house. Almost all the floors are soft! They are much more comfortable than the floors at the last house. This house also has some fun stairs to run up and down. Foster parents were worried I wouldn’t like them, but turns out they’re the ones that aren’t so great at them. Another fun thing is that right near our house is a walking trail, and foster Mom and I love going for walks on it. I get to smell so many new things which is my favorite thing to do. And we like to go see these big weird birds that honk all the time. I like to watch them play in the water. They don’t bother me at all so I don’t bother them.

So not long after we moved to the new house, I woke up one morning and it was Christmas already! There was no tree in the house so I was so surprised. I got my own pile of presents and surprised foster parents with my expert present-opening skills!

I got a bunch of new stuffies to tear up and some delicious treats. That was such a fun day. I even have a new bed now. They said I deserved a nice big comfy one. So now I am even more cozy at night!

Anyway, so it turns out Foster Mom still works her boring job all day in her new office and Foster Dad still leaves all day so that part is still the same, but I like my view from the top of the steps so I can make sure to let Foster Mom know whenever I see another dog….or human….or truck. I think she appreciates it. Anyway, I’m back to getting some good snuggles at night so I’m happy about that. Well, that’s all for now. It’s a no work day and cold and wet out so I think I’ll try to get some early snuggles tonight. Hope you all get some good snuggles too.

So, my foster parents have been super busy around here, but they include me in most activities, which is how I like it. We all even got to spend a weekend together at the beach. We got to stay in this nice little house with a sofa I was allowed to lounge on and a big fenced in yard I could explore with nice grass to lay in.

I got to take nice walks on the beach and smell all the different things. It was so fun! Definitely quality family time.

And then the next week, it smelled so good in the house for a whole day and I saw giant bird go in the oven! Then lots of people came over to see me and eat the good smelling food and they called it Thanksgiving. I really like Thanksgiving. Turkey and pumpkin pie and lots of pets. It was really a good day.

Sometimes when foster parents are so busy running around the house, I take a nap and dream of that turkey. I wish everyday was Thanksgiving. I hope all of you got to have a yummy smelling house too!

It’s me, Baloo, checking in again! I have good stuff and not so good stuff to share. Well good stuff is I got a really cool new toy after my last bath time cause I was so good and not even nervous. Foster Mom says it’s an octopus because he has eight legs! Well, this guy only has seven legs now, and I can’t say what happened there. But I love to have a stuffy to greet when my favorite people come home.

My last news I shared was that my foot was bothering me, but that’s actually not quite right. It’s my knee. I went back to the vet and they examined my sore spots and heard a weird noise. So, they tried to take pictures of it. Well, I quickly shut that down. They sent me home with some medicine to take every day to help with pain. They also told my foster parents to give me some special pills before I come back and try again and it would help relax me. Well, it worked cause I didn’t really mind the next time. Foster parents thought maybe there would be nothing wrong because when I take the everyday medicines I am so much better. But they said the pictures show a tear in my CCL which is in my knee. So, I have to go to another doctor to see what to do about that. I have to say, I am kind of sick of all these doctors.

Anyway, I also got a little maintenance done while I was all relaxed, including a nail trim which I also rejected on a previous visit. Well, that was a long day so I am taking it easy this weekend and enjoying a little relaxation.

Baloo here checking in with another update. It’s been a busy couple weeks here. My foster parents had some special plans last weekend so I got to spend the weekend with an awesome Brookline volunteer who said that I was a really good boy. I love meeting new people so I was pretty happy with this …much better than being left alone. But I can’t say I wasn’t a little disappointed with foster mom and dad for not spending the weekend with me. I made sure to ignore them completely on the drive home so they knew.

Everything else is pretty much the same which is the way I like it. My favorite thing is when foster mom takes me for nice walks during the day. I love sniffing around the whole neighborhood. There’s so many interesting smells and I make sure to thoroughly inspect every one of them. I also like hanging out in the backyard on a nice day. I find it very relaxing to lay in the grass and enjoy a cool autumn breeze.

Foster Mom’s work is still pretty boring but I make sure to give her my best irresistible faces so she takes breaks with me.

I love snuggles and kisses and nuzzles on the couch. That’s my other favorite thing.

My itchies are so much better than they used to be and I don’t even have to take pills every day for now. One new thing is my foot has been bothering me. So, I heard I have to go back to the vet. I am not looking forward to that at all, but I hope they can make it better.

That’s all for now. It’s definitely time for a nighttime snooze. Sending lots of Lab love!

Baloo here checking in with you all for an update. I’m officially ready for my forever home, but my forever home hasn’t found me yet. It’s ok because I find my foster home to be satisfactory for now. I always get my meals on time and have great places to nap. The bare necessities of life, ya know?

I continue to be my foster mom’s favorite co-worker and she continues to be my favorite snuggle buddy. I am pretty fond of my foster dad too and I am good at spreading the love. I am happy as long as someone is here with me, not so happy when no one is here.

Today was fun because there were a bunch of people here. I was told it was a birthday party, but I was pretty sure everyone came to see me and I was so happy to have so much attention. I love to greet people with a toy in my mouth. I sometimes try to get a little too close and you have to watch your toes around me. I think everyone liked me must though.

Then after the party there was another sports game on and my foster mom and dad kept clapping and cheering. They even made me  wear this bandana for good luck. I feel like this is every day now with these noisy TV games, and it is very disruptive to my nap time. And I really needed a good nap after all the work I did entertaining at this party. Thankfully my foster dad likes to nap too, and I happily match him snore for snore.

I’m doing great on my prescription allergy medication and now taking every other day, with a regular allergy pill in between if needed. I’m so much less itchy now. I’m really good at taking pills because I love treats. You can just stick them right in a soft treat. I’m getting a lot better at taking gently, but I have to be reminded and it takes some concentration.

Well, that’s about it for now. I have to get my last snooze in before I retire for the evening.

It is wonderful to report that Baloo is doing fantastic. The vet prescribed Apoquel to help with his allergies and we saw a huge difference in his scratching almost immediately. Baloo also started shaking his head dramatically the day we were going to the vet, and she was able to confirm that he did have a bit of an infection. So that led to 10 days of trying to squeeze ear cleaner and antibiotic cream into a squirming 114 lbs. dog every day which was super fun for everyone. He was definitely not a fan, but you can tell he knew we were helping him, and the large biscuits afterwards were at least a little bit of an incentive. Baloo’s tests at the vet came back showing some signs of tick borne illnesses. After an additional blood test, it was determined that the levels he is testing at are not concerning and do not require any treatment since Baloo is not symptomatic. So, it has been all good news since.

Since Baloo is feeling good and less concerned about scratching 24/7, more of his happy, fun-loving personality has been shining through. This boy is a total love bug and wants to hang with his people as much as possible. He is very smart too and has had fun tearing through puzzles for treats. He is more playful and was overjoyed to find out a package that landed at the door contained all kinds of goodies just for him. Baloo sure did love his Brookline goody box and is looking awfully sharp these days in his brand new royal blue collar.

Baloo is much more enthusiastic with his food. A scoop of pumpkin mixed in really made the kibble more appealing, and now he will even dive right in without anything added. Baloo loves his walks and cannot wait to inspect the scents around every street sign, telephone pole, mailbox, and pile of leaves he can find. He has even completely disregarded small groups of deer that are suddenly right in front of us on the lawns we are passing by. I think he could pass a herd of elephants with his nose stuck to the ground and never look up. He loves to snuggle up to you at night, but can be very pushy for attention, too. However, he is so good and patient during the work day, it’s impossible to resist his cheesy smiles and nudges at night. We are trying to work on gentle play since he can get a little over excited and happy and start flailing his gigantic paws all over the place, sometimes a little too close to the face and then roll right off the couch. The boy is a bit clumsy and has no sense of personal space or his size, but he is a lovable and loyal friend and loves to be loved and make everyone laugh. There’s nothing better after a long hard day than a friend like that!

Now that Baloo is on the right track he is about ready to find his forever home. He will sure be missed around here, but we know he will provide so much joy to the right home. Look for Baloo’s posting soon!

Loveable, Huggable Baloo has been with us for one week now, but it feels longer. He has adapted so well. He continues to be an easy home office companion. Baloo is a simple sweet boy that just loves to be loved. We have now had visitors in the house and he greets people like they are his old friends. He will grab a stuffed toy and proudly dance around you with it, then try to wrap his big body around your legs to give you a hug.

It was reported that Baloo is not a fan of being left alone, but is trustworthy in the house. A test with a camera proved that to be very accurate information. We left for just a couple hours here and there and Baloo does bark and pace around and whine almost the whole time, but he is not destructive. It was also reported that he will be more relaxed being left alone if he has another dog with him. Today, for some quick errands we asked Baloo if he wanted to go for a ride.  He danced around in circles with more enthusiasm than we have seen all week. And after all that hopping around, he mostly took a nap in the back seat.

We also took Baloo for a bath with an oatmeal shampoo to hopefully relieve some itchy skin until he can see the vet on Tuesday. Baloo was not exactly enthused about this turn of events, but same as last time, he eventually cooperated by getting into the step up tub. He sat patiently for the most part, including when a 10 month old pup was hopping around the room and leaned in curiously to see him. Then, once he was freed of the tether from the bath, Baloo made a quick hop out of the bath, trucked out of the tub room, and with a quick splattery shake, booked it to the doors, nearly taking out a standing rack of greeting cards in his path as he headed for the exit. Everyone standing at the registers in the front of the store clearly received the message that Baloo was done with this adventure. But there has definitely been a difference in his scratching after he is bathed so hopefully this week we can get Baloo some more help from the vet.

Baloo here to report on my third day in my foster home. So, it all started out the same as yesterday. I ate a little breakfast and that seemed to make my foster mom happy. We went back to her office and she did a lot of more boring stuff on that machine she has. I don’t know why she would rather do all that tapping instead of maybe watch TV on the sofa with me, but she said she has no choice. So, I kept her company, but like I said, it was pretty boring so I took some good naps. Foster Mom says I give my foster dad competition in the snoring department. She even has proof now.

Well one thing that has really been bugging me is all this itchiness and I can’t stop scratching my itchies. My foster parents say I have to get to the vet so I can get back on my allergy meds. I told them I didn’t want to talk about that. Well after everyone was done working today we all got in the car, and what I thought was going to be some quality time turned sideways really quick. I mean I was all excited to go into this store because it looked like it had all good things in it, but the first part we stopped at was a room with tubs….oh no. I really tried to get them to leave that room but it turned out that wasn’t an option. I finally agreed to get in. I tried to get away from the water spraying from the hose, but it turned out it was actually a little warm, not freezing cold. So then foster parents massaged me with some magic soap and it actually kinda felt nice. They hosed me off real gentle and wiped me with some towels. And the best part was we got to walk through the store and pick out a bone. So, I guess it all turned out ok. And for now, I have less itchies so I guess that’s a plus!

But now I think we are all pretty tired. It might be an early night. Foster Mom is in for lots of snoring for sure.

Baloo had a great first night here. He gladly plopped down on the bed and comforter laid out for him in our bedroom last night and slept through the night. About 5:20am was the first we heard Baloo starting to get restless.

Baloo quickly learned how boring weekdays are when foster mom has to spend all day working in her office. But he was very patient, enjoyed some nice nap times, and any time to break away was spent walking in the yard to stretch the bones… for both of us.

Baloo seems to be on somewhat of a hunger strike, looking disapprovingly at the kibble in his bowl that he was previously eating. Today he ate a little more of his dinner than yesterday so hopefully that will start to improve as he gets more comfortable in his new environment.

Tonight, we went for our first walk and Baloo did really well. We didn’t go too far because he may need to build up to longer distances. He did pull a bit to get to certain spots he thought smelled particularly interesting, but mostly he walked at a nice pace without pulling and without a harness (which Baloo politely declined). While there were other people walking around the neighborhood tonight, Baloo was way more focused on the scent trail and seemed to ignore their existence. No dog sightings to report, but so far so good.

Hello Everyone! I’m Baloo and this is my first day in a Brookline foster home. My owner couldn’t give me the care I need any more so they decided to ask Brookline for help to find the best forever home for me. It was strange getting in a new car with new people, but they seemed ok so I decided the best course of action was to take a nap. I’m kind of a go with the flow kinda guy so I didn’t worry too much. When we got to my new foster home I went right inside without hesitation and ran from room to room checking out my new digs. Then I was given a bowl of water and a snack and decided this place would do just fine for now. I used the back yard right away because I learned house etiquette a long time ago. I also came in knowing basic commands so I already have a good head start.

My foster mom laid a blanket across the couch and said I could come up. I gave her lots of smiles and some gentle kisses and she told me what a good and handsome boy I am. I already knew all that, but I enjoy the validation.

My fosters say so far I have sweet loving eyes and a laid back personality. More to come on my foster care adventures. Today I am taking some “me” time to rest and take it all in…..and also trying to determine the most comfortable position on this couch.