Billie Chocolate Labrador Retriever Mix Female 2 Years Old BLRR # 2655

 

chocolate labrador retriever mix

 

If you are looking for an 70lb cuddle bug, Billie is absolutely the girl for you!

Billie, a 2 year 11 month old lab mix, came to Brookline Labrador Retriever Rescue as an owner surrender after being hit by multiple cars on October 31, 2019.  Billie sustained a complete radial and ulnar fracture of her left front leg.  Apart from a few contusions and scrapes, she survived the accident with no other injuries.  Unfortunately, surgery was beyond the means of her owners and she was presented for euthanasia.  The vet discussed surrender and rescue with the owners which they eagerly accepted.  Billie was temporarily splinted while she was awaiting rescue.  Brookline received Billie and provided her with reconstructive surgery on November 5.  The fracture was fixed through internal fixation with a plate and she was left with a 10” incision that was stitched up along the length of her left leg.  Check out her blog (read from bottom up!).

2 year old chocolate lab Billie is so sweet

January 13

What great weather we had this weekend to explore outside!  On Saturday, Billie joined her foster brothers on their usual State Park walk but this time we had company.  A family friend and her two children, ages 11 and 12, and their adorable senior poodle joined us on the walk.  Billie was a gracious host and everyone walked beautifully together.

Chocolate Labrador Retriever Mix

On Sunday, Billie tried out her running legs with her foster brothers.  I didn’t want to push her too far on her first run, so we started with one mile and then walked the remaining two miles.  She loved it!  It’s been 12 weeks since my two boys had a good run so they needed to be eased back in too.  Everyone was ready for a nap when they got back in that day. Billie even let Max make her his pillow.

Chocolate Labrador Retriever Mix

January 6, 2020

Chocolate Labrador Retriever Mix

Has it really been almost 12 weeks that Billie has been recuperating with us? Billie made an effortless transition into our daily lives and hearts.  After January 10, Billie will be off of all her remaining exercise restrictions and will be ready to make her biggest transition yet by becoming available for adoption and finding her new furever home!  Please keep watch for her status to change.  She will be so excited to run, and jump and play with her new family.  Billie is a beautiful girl with a gentle, carefree and happy soul which makes her so easy to love.  Billie is willing and able to take all the affection and activity you have to give and will return it to you twofold!

Chocolate Labrador Retriever Mix

 

We have really got to know Bille during this short time.  Even with her traumatic injury, she always greeted us and my dogs with affection and happiness.  She has shown that same enthusiasm for every new person she has met and there wasn’t a person she did not like.  She loves to be around her people when they are home, especially my kids who range in age from 16-23 yrs old.  When the kids are home, my husband and I are left in the dust, though she will check in exactly at walk time, lunch time or if she needs a bathroom break.  She especially likes to go watch movies in the basement.  This might be because dogs are allowed to snuggle on the couch with their people down there and Billie loves a good snuggle.  The good thing is that when no one is down there or when no one is home at all, Billie prefers to be snuggled up in her dog bed on the first floor.  She would really love to sit on our couch on the living room with us and does try to sneak up but she will sit in her bed when instructed instead.  When we are not in the living room, we always find her on her dog bed or laying on the carpet where the action is taking place.  She does like to try and push the rule limits though, but sometimes, it’s hard to resist her sweet face.

Chocolate Labrador Retriever Mix

Chocolate Labrador Retriever Mix
Billie’s compromise on no couch rule.

 

Billie has had free roam in the house with my other two dogs when we’ve been away from the house.  We have never come home to an “accident” of any kind with Billie.  We do keep our house lab proof.  All pantry, bathroom and bedroom doors are shut all day and there is an easily accessible toy box full of stuffies and chew bones whether we are home or not. Chocolate Labrador Retriever Mix

Billie enjoys playing with her squeaky stuffies alone or with a person. She will bring the toy to you to join in the fun.  We have been working on drop it and she will drop and retrieve many times with kibble treats but would much rather play tug.  Her sit, down and stay has gotten pretty good!

Though she would prefer her family to be home more than not, Billie has proven herself to be well-behaved and dependable when she is alone.  Billie enjoys to be around her Labrador foster brothers and will try to initiate play.  If she gets too excited or the other dogs don’t want to play, she will listen to my command to sit in her bed or will back off if the other dogs give her that cue.  She has quickly learned what my dogs will and will not allow during game play and rarely tries to push the boundaries.

Chocolate Labrador Retriever Mix
Snuggle time in the basement with Jet.

Currently, Billie is going on a 3-4 mile morning walk every day.  She has healed very well and has no physical restrictions.  As she is a young girl with a curious mind, Billie would love to work with someone to learn more commands/tricks and a back yard to run and play.  She would do great with either a solid or electric fence.  Billie has a passion for rolling in green grass on her walks but thankfully never comes up stinky.  Her coat is sleek and shiny and doesn’t have a strong smell which makes her the perfect snuggle buddy.

Chocolate Labrador Retriever Mix

 

Billie is a great companion.  She will definitely bring a smile to your face everyday and you will bring one to hers.  I hope that she is YOUR girl!

December 26, 2019

Billie has had a lot of activity over the holidays which has made for a lot of training opportunities.  We were able to work on appropriate greetings of strangers and return visitors, sit, stay, come, and drop it.  We are still having Billie greet visitors on a leash to allow us to reinforce proper greeting behavior.  She still really wants to greet everyone with a big hug on her hind legs but when asked to sit, she will sit and wait for hugs and kisses.  After about a 5 minute introduction, we can let her off the leash and she goes about her business.  When the visitors are of the small furry kind, she can come off the leash after about 10-15 minutes.  She initially really wants to play with her furry guests but does realize when they are done or if they don’t want to play at all and will give them space.

chocolate labrador retriever mix
Billie getting some training with Foster brothers.

Billie has become an expert at sit and stay when we are eating a meal or if there are food items out on the counter.  Warm weather has made it possible for us to get out in the yard and to work on “come” on the long leash.  She really got the concept by the end.   Her play time with us has greatly improved.  She will now listen to the drop it command (initially with kibble) when she has a toy.  We can toss it and she will happily go get it and bring it back to us.  She doesn’t need kibble every time now and will drop the toy when asked but she always does it quicker when kibble is involved. Billie got a lot of new squeaky toys for Christmas and played non-stop until most of the squeakers stopped squeaking.  She was ready for a nap after long day of unwrapping gifts.  A few squeakers actually made it through a whole day with Billie but not many.

chocolate labrador retriever mix

chocolate labrador retriever mix

Billie has really enjoyed getting out on longer walks.  She is doing well on the leash.  I am able to walk Billie and my two labradors by myself.  She recently has had a lot of exposure to other dogs, horses, and people on our walks in the park.  She will tug on the leash when she is passing other dogs but does not bark or whine at all.  The first time she saw a horse she was very interested and wanted to get a closer look but did not bark or act inappropriately.  Billie is a great walking partner and will only get better with experience.

December 21, 2019

Billie went for her 8 week post surgery check yesterday.  After a one hour car ride during which she slept soundly, she happily walked into VRC.  She greeted all the people in the waiting room with plenty of kisses.  No one turned down her head in their lap and some even let her give them hugs.  She really wanted to go and visit the other Labrador in the waiting room and let me know with a bark but was able to settle down when I asked her to sit.  She had to get sedated to get the X-ray which meant no breakfast or treats so I was really happy when she followed commands to sit in the morning during our breakfast and at VRC.  We were thrilled to learn from the X-ray that Billie’s fracture is clinically healed!  We can gradually increase her physical activity on leash over the next 4 weeks but she is still not allowed to run or jump.  After this 4 week period, she will be allowed to run and jump off leash again.  After the X-ray, Billie was still very sleepy but slowly made the walk back to the car and slept for the hour trip back home.  Good thing I work out because I had to carry sleeping beauty from the car to her bed inside as she was still very sleepy from the sedation.

chocolate labrador retriever mix

I am happy to report that we were able to give her some water with a syringe shortly after we arrived and she put her tongue back in her mouth.  She didn’t get up from bed for another 4 hours but finally woke enough to eat a full meal.  Billie is happy to be off of stair restrictions as she can now follow the family and my labs when they go upstairs.

chocolate labrador retriever mix

This morning, Billie was totally recovered from the sedation and was able to join our two Labradors for a shortened version of our regular weekend walk in Tyler State Park.  She has come a long way in her leash walking behavior using a Martingale collar.  During the walk, we passed other dogs and she went by all of them without any issue.  She tugs and is very interested in getting squirrels when they ran by but she recovered quickly when I said come.  I’m sure as Billie takes more of these longer walks, she will become a great walking or running partner.

December 11, 2019 

Billie’s life in pictures with her foster family

December 9, 2019

2 year old female black lab Billie
We are happy to see Billie using her left leg pretty consistently since the last update.  Her leg seems to be getting stronger every day.  She still walks with a slight limp but she is putting her foot down on each step instead of holding it up in the air.  We go back to VRC on December 20 for a final clearance x-ray and hopefully she will be off of exercise restrictions. She really enjoys going outside and is curious about everything she sees.  She seems to be wary of cars going by her on the street which I think is normal given her accident.  Once off restrictions, I can really work on leash behavior by taking her on longer walks. She’s a quick learner so I don’t think it will take very long. Currently, she doesn’t walk in a straight path next to me. She goes wherever her nose takes her and really tries to take you where she wants to go.  Billie has been outside on the leash while my dogs have been playing fetch.  She definitely wants to chase after the toy and my labs as well but unfortunately she can’t join the fun at this time. I think she will really enjoy getting out more and expending some energy. Inside she will bring a toy over to us and the labs to play. She LOVES stuffed squeaky toys and plays with them a lot. Unfortunately, the soft squeaker animal toys don’t make it long but she still plays with the toys once the squeak has left.  I got her an indestructible hard rubber squeaker but she doesn’t seem to enjoy it as much.  She lets my labs steal a toy from her without incident and then follows them and wants to take it back and play chase.  We put her on a leash during this play time to control the activity so no rough housing can get started.  She definitely is eager to play and often instigates play by pushing her muzzle under my lab’s necks or swatting them with her long arms.  Sometimes I think she might be part kangaroo!
2 year old female black lab Billie
Have I mentioned that Billie loves being a lap dog?  It doesn’t really matter who you are, or if she’s met you before as long as you have a nice soft lap to sit in or lay her head on.  She met one of my sons, William, for the first time over Thanksgiving break.  She took every opportunity to lay on him when he was sitting or laying on the floor.  She really has an affinity for young men and is extra happy to see them come home or visit for the first time.  She was really interested in my son Thomas’ friend, Evan.  The first time she met Evan, she was following him around until she got some hugs and kisses.  She would love to sit or lay with people on the couch but we have a no dog on the couch rule.  (Though William and his girlfriend did let her get a quick snuggle his first night back from college over Thanksgiving break.)  She likes to lay her head in any lap when we are sitting on the couch and will slowly try to make her way onto your lap if you let her.  She does listen to down and goes to the dog bed instead for petting and snuggles while we are watching TV at night.  We initially treated with kibble when she returned to her bed but now she’ll go and is happy with petting and kisses.  She prefers to have the dog bed next to one of her people in the family room or lay directly on a nice warm body on the floor so she can get petted a bit before falling off to sleep.  She loves her blanket on top of her and snuggles her nose underneath too.  She seems to know that when she’s on the bed and covered with a blanket, its time to settle down.
Over Thanksgiving, we had lots of family and guests visit including a small terrier mix .  She’s been doing great learning how to greet people appropriately when we come in the house and how to greet new visitors. She was used to standing up, putting her hands on your shoulders and giving hugs and kisses. She’s tall (16″ legs and 26″ to top of back) so her paws can reach my son’s 6’3” shoulders!!  Occasionally, Billie still needs to be reminded to sit when we come in but does listen to that command.  If I’m gone for a short period of time her greeting is appropriate with no jumping.  If I’m gone for 2-3 hours, she still needs to be reminded of down and sit but responds immediately.  She gets a bit more excited when any male from the family comes in the door, but again just needs to be reminded of down and sit.  We always then come down to her sit level for hugs and kisses which she will happily wait to receive. Correct greeting behavior is greatly improved but still a work in progress. She still needs to be leashed when meeting new people especially young men to help her contain her excitement and to reinforce the proper greeting.  She was also very interested in the terrier.  We had to keep her on the leash for a while because she really wanted to play pounce and chase her around.  Eventually she settled down and responded appropriately to Jessie’s cues to back off.  All of my four children are 16+ years but we did have two younger children (12, 13) here at Thanksgiving.  Once the excitement of meeting new people wore off, Billie listened to the kids when they told her to sit and played appropriately with them without jumping.
2 year old female black lab Billie
Billie is very interested in playing with soft toys with people and other dogs.  She will encourage you to try and grab the toy and wants to play tug.  Initially, Billie was a loud play growler which can be a little unsettling when first meeting and playing with a dog. She has learned that if she growls while playing with us or Max (one of my labs), we stop playing or my alpha boy (Jet) comes over and stops the play. Now when we play with a toy, Billie doesn’t really make a sound, only maybe a grunt or two.  Other than during play time, Billie has a very soft and gentle mouth.  When hand feeding her any food, she gently takes it from your fingers.  She takes it so gingerly that sometimes the food will drop on the floor.  During regular feeding time, she sits on command and waits for her bowl to be placed down in front of her, even if the other dogs are getting their bowls first.  She is a slow eater and doesn’t gobble down her food like my labs.  They finish first and hover around her until she is done.  She doesn’t mind the audience and is not food aggressive at all.  I can take her bowl from her mid meal without a problem.  She even lets my labs lick her bowl dry when she is done.
Billie is 100% housebroken.  She will talk to you if she really has to go out.  She has been great free in the house and hasn’t chewed on any inappropriate items.  We have left her out free while we have been in other parts of the house or outside for short periods of time and we usually find her asleep in bed with everything in the house intact.  As a side note, we don’t have any accessible food or trash in the house and we keep all bathroom doors closed due to our resident labs love of food, trash and toilet paper cardboard rolls.  I’m pretty sure Billie would also help herself to those items if they were made accessible. Usually, if she is looking to play, she will go and find one of her stuffed toys.  With four kids home over break, there were plenty of shoes, socks and bags laying around and she didn’t once think to pick them up and run.

November 21, 2019

2 year old chocolate lab Billie looking regal

Billie went to her 2 week post-surgery appointment at VRC yesterday.  The doctor took out the stitches and said that she was on track in her recovery.  Over the last couple of days, Billie has been taking more steps, albeit tentatively, on her left paw.  The doctor was able to press on the plate without any adverse reaction from Billie so she felt Billie just needs to get more confident that it won’t hurt when she puts it down.  She’s allowed to take a 5 minute walk now so I am hoping the confidence will come.  Billie is a strong girl and gets around quite adeptly on 3 legs so sometimes it’s a challenge to get her to even try.  The slower we make her walk, the more she will step down on the paw.  She will have the cone for another 2-5 days to allow the scabbing from the incision to fall off naturally.  Billie has been enjoying extended supervised time with the cone off as she not as interested in licking.  When the cone comes off, it is apparent that Billie is a huge fan of squeaky toys which Max is absolutely loving. They sit opposite each other and squeak away.  Jet watches them wondering what the lure is.  Sometimes Max just can’t help himself and decides that Billie’s squeaky toy is much better than his.  She doesn’t put up a fuss when he takes it and just waits for him to drop it or finds another one.  I have also been able to feed all three dogs in the same room.  My boys are typical labs and finish at the speed of light and hover around her while she finishes up her meal.  She doesn’t seem to mind being watched and usually doesn’t even look up from her bowl.  Billie has been quick to learn the routines of the house.  She knows when it’s time to head back to her room for a late morning nap so I can walk my boys and do some errands.   She loves being with the family or near the other dogs when we are home but will always sit where you set up her bed without a problem.  I still need to remind Billie to sit on her bed when I am preparing food, but she does stay sitting after a couple of treats for good behavior.  I’m looking forward to working on more commands and behaviors now that she is feeling better.  She is definitely a quick learner and responds well to treats and praise/love.

2 year old chocolate lab Billie asleep 2 year old chocolate lab Billie snoozing

November 16, 2019

2 year old chocolate lab BillieBillie’s incision is healing nicely, and her swelling is almost completely gone.  She really enjoys being around people and other dogs.  She is quick to come and lay her head in your lap when you are sitting down.  She likes close contact, hugging, kisses and scratches so much that she even tries to climb on top of anyone who is lying down on the couch.  According to doctor’s orders, couch surfing is strictly prohibited so she has learned through treating and scratches and love that next to the couch on her bed or the carpet is the place to be.  She still thinks that she is a lap dog as she will try to sit in anybody’s lap that sits on the floor. Under strict supervision, Billie has been able to take off her cone for short periods of time and snuggle up with my 16-year-old daughter on the floor.  She doesn’t try to lick her incision, and really loves the opportunity to get her neck scratched and usually drifts off into a sound sleep.

 

2 year old chocolate lab BillieBillie definitely prefers to be in the same room as her people but will still willingly go into her room and lay on her bed (with a kibble treat as reward of course) when we need to go out and run errands or are unable to supervise her with our two labs.  Billie goes back for her two week recheck on Wednesday, November 20.  We are hoping that the stitches will come out and we can take off the cone for good.2 year old chocolate lab Billie

 

November 12, 2019

2 year old chocolate lab BillieBillie is progressing well. Her incision wound looks great and the swelling has gone down significantly. She received her treat box from the rescue yesterday and loves her new toys!  She’s still not putting a lot of weight on the paw when she walks.  She will use it when she’s eating and going to the bathroom to help balance and when she’s stretching or sliding into a laying position. Her spirits are good, and she follows basic commands and lets me know when she needs to go out.  When the incision is healed and the cone can come off, she will need to be trained to the leash.  Even on three legs, she is a strong dog and can really pull hard.  She is coming out of her room and spending a lot more time with the family.  She is very sociable and loves people especially men.  She initially liked to stand up and give you a hug for a greeting but we have taught her (through kibble treats) that it is better to sit to say hello! She is a quick learner and easy to train using Eukanuba kibble.  She has taken to my husband who works from home and will quietly sit in the office with him while he works. She will also follow my two labs around and take good behavior cues from them (which they don’t seem to mind at all). Initially she would want to sit right at the dining room table and even try to take a sniff of a plate but learned quickly (again through kibble treats) that her bed was the best place to wait.  She will now sit through a whole meal with Jet and Max without coming off her bed.  I can take her cone off while eating and she doesn’t try to lick her injury but as soon as she’s done eating, she allows me to slip it right back on without trying to evade it. She is a good dog.  We are happy to see her progressing.2 year old chocolate lab Billie

 

November 9, 2019

We went back to vet this morning.  She was out of pain medicine and she wasn’t putting her foot down yet.  The vet said that Billie’s injury was healing nicely, and she was progressing in the use of her leg normally and was prescribed new pain meds.  After the hour ride to Malvern and then back again, she was content to climb back in bed and rest for most of the day.  She’s happily eating full kibble meals now and settled into a daily routine. She actually decided to come out of her room tonight. Venturing out to the main house to socialize and enjoy the fire.

2 year old chocolate lab Billie

November 7, 2019

2 year old chocolate lab BillieBillie arrived at our home at 6:30pm after a long drive. She had a long drink and some chicken & rice lovingly provided by her first foster. She was ready for bed and fell asleep with some gentle petting from my daughter Meaghan. I slept in the room with her to keep her company on her first night. She woke up at 12am and let me know she had to go out. She had a bit more chicken and rice after she came back in and went to sleep. At 1am she was unsettled and whining.  She went out again and I gave her some more pain medicine.  I sat with her until the meds kicked in and she slept the rest of the night. The poor girl did have quite the nightmare but stayed asleep. She woke up around 6am and ate her breakfast which was a mixture of chicken & rice and Eukanuba kibble. She met my two labradors, Jet and Max. They were gentle and knew she wasn’t feeling great. Billie gave Jet a kiss on the nose.  She’s been friendly and sweet despite her pain. She’s been giving me lots of tail wags and I even got a big kiss.

2 year old chocolate lab Billie

 

 

November 6, 2019 

Billie was transported to a temporary foster home immediately after surgery.  She has been restricted to very limited activity for the first two weeks of her recovery.  Crating Billie at this point to restrict her activity is very difficult due to her long legs, her injury and the sedation.  It was very difficult to get her in and out of the crate.  It was decided that it would be in her best interest if she could recuperate in a home where she could have her own private bedroom on the first floor.

2 year old chocolate lab Billie

 

 

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