Champ #6 Yellow Labrador Retriever Male 7 Years Old ID#3461

Meet Champ!  Champ is a handsome yellow Labrador Retriever that was being used as a stud dog on a breeding farm.  Thanks to a dedicated volunteer who worked with the farmer to surrender him to the rescue instead of selling him through a newspaper ad, Champ is now safe in a Brookline foster home.  Please read his blog from the bottom up to learn more about him while in foster care.

November 9, 2024

Just a quick update to say that Champ‘s neuter surgery went well on Wednesday.  He seemed to be uncomfortable the first 2 days, but is now acting more like himself and doing a great job not licking at the incision site. He continues to sleep well at night on a mat beside our bed. He is also doing well with house training.Champ will be resting for the next week before he is fully recovered. He is looking forward to longer walks and running around with the resident dogs, but for now, he will settle for snuggles with foster mom.

November 4, 2024

Champ has almost been here a week now and he settles in a little more each day. We didn’t realize how much he looks to the resident dogs for confidence until foster mom took him on a walk by himself this morning. He has always had one of the resident dogs along on his previous walks. He trotted along nicely, but he was definitely more cautious and hesitant.. He was very happy to see his furry friends when we got home. He is starting to try to run around with them but isn’t quite sure how to play yet. It is very heartwarming to watch.Champ will be neutered on Wednesday. His blood work looks great and he is ready to leave the breeding life behind. After his surgery, he will start doxycycline for his lyme as a precaution, but he is showing no signs of the disease.As you can see from the picture, Champ has decided that foster dad isn’t very scary after all and he gives great ear rubs!

Champ met a friend’s service dog at our house this weekend and was the perfect gentleman. He also traveled an hour to visit foster sister at school. He is a great car rider! He met some college kids on the trip – he was shy at first but the kids were patient and he did warm up to them quickly. He was exhausted when we got home from our adventure and slept on the couch through the Penn State football game (FM and FD wished they had too!)At this point, Champ just needs time and patience to increase his confidence as he adjusts to his new life. We are working on learning his name and sit. We will update again after his surgery.

October 31, 2024

Champ had a much better second night. He slept on a mat beside foster mom’s bed. He woke only once during the night and went back to sleep after some reassuring pats. He had a longer walk this morning and saw some different sights in the neighborhood. He did not react at all to a squirrel that crossed our path, nor did he react to any of the dogs we saw.

Champ’s bloodwork came back and he tested positive for lyme, which is not surprising as we took several ticks off of him when he first got here. We will get him started on some antibiotics tomorrow.

He is eating well and getting a little more comfortable with foster dad.

Here he is taking a rest with Kota on the mat.

October 30, 2024

We have had Champ just over 24 hours now and he is doing so well! He had a stressful day yesterday being pulled from the farm and then washed and vaccinated at Tractor Supply. He did a great job in the car and was content to sleep in foster brother’s lap on the way home. He is timid, but super sweet and loves attention. He perked up a little when he met the resident dogs and they have all been good with each other. He is my shadow and I have no trouble finding him…he is always right under my feet! He is a really nice dog and eager to please. He seems a little more on edge around foster dad (who is very tall) but we often have that with the farm dogs. Foster dad is a master belly scratcher and treat giver so I’m sure he will warm up quickly! Champ did a great job eating a small dinner last night and both meals today. He was a little unsettled overnight so foster mom slept downstairs with him. Fingers crossed we all get some sleep tonight. We went on a short walk in the middle of the day so we wouldn’t see many people and Champ did surprisingly well on leash. He also had a trip to the vet today for an exam and pre-surgery bloodwork (his neuter is scheduled for next week.) He did much better than he did at Tractor Supply. He was very brave and super cooperative with the vet. Our vet and staff were so patient and understanding with him. He refused treats at first, but by the end of the visit, he trusted them enough to take one by hand. He does have ear infections which they treated him for and a possible UTI. We are waiting for results.He was not willing to try the stairs to the second floor yesterday, but tonight he decided that he was ready and went up cautiously but fairly easily. He followed the other dogs down without issue. He is sleeping at my feet as I write this. We are so glad that he is with us! He is going to be a wonderful companion for some lucky family!