Hunter #11 Chocolate Labrador Retriever Male 4 Years Old ID #2907

September 15, 2021 On Monday Hunter had his surgery and is now home and recovering. The vet said that the surgery went well and Hunter will need to stay quiet and rest for 10 days until he comes back to see her. That is going to be a challenge! He was very groggy when we brought him home Monday night. Since Tuesday morning, he has been more alert and acting like himself. We are keeping him on a low dose of trazodone to keep him calm as he is very energetic. Unfortunately, he cannot go on long walks or play with the other dogs for the next week. He is not a fan of the cone, but has accepted it (for now at least).  Here is a picture of him taking a little break from the cone. Around the house, Hunter continues to make progress. He is getting better with his manners and is walking very well on the leash. He continues to do well with the other dogs in the house and is especially playful with our younger pup. It will be hard to keep them separate for the next week while Hunter recovers! Hunter still has some puppy behaviors like collecting things that don’t belong to him – shoes, pillows, magazines. He often just shows them to you for attention, but will chew them if given the opportunity. He is easily corrected and only exhibits these behaviors when he hasn’t had his usual exercise. He is getting better at sitting before going out back to do his business, however, he will still try to escape out the front when we have a visitor. Hunter will be available for adoption within the next week. He is such a sweet guy and he can’t wait to find his forever family. Hunter will be looking for a home with older children as he can be energetic and, at 90 pounds, he may accidentally knock over small children. He will also need a fenced in yard where he can run and play. While he would love a home with another dog, he could also be placed as an only dog if he is not left home alone all day. Hunter has not been cat tested. September 3, 2021 Hunter has had a busy week and is adjusting well to our home and routine. He is sleeping through the night consistently and has no problems with our hardwood floors anymore. He only had one accident in the house and that was within the first 24 hours. I think we missed his signals, so we are considering that our fault. He loves his walk and is doing much better on leash. We tried 3 different harnesses and none of them worked but the gentle leader is working like a charm. He walks just over 2 miles in the morning and has a shorter walk in the evening. He does get excited when he sees other dogs, but that is improving with each walk. Hunter knows sit and shake very well.  He is pretty good with down and stay, but we are still working on them. We also need to be very careful going in and out of the door as he tries to run outside, so we are working on controlling ourself and sitting before putting the leash on. He is very easy to correct and wants to please. He is an absolute love who will just come up to you and put a head on your shoulder and want a hug. ❤️ He seems to be getting more confident all the time. Yesterday we took him on a hike and he was happy to sniff and explore, not nervous in the high grass or woods.

He does not love the car. He is good, but a little nervous so we have been going on short fun trips to try to get him a little more comfortable.  He does bark sometimes when we come home but stops as soon as he sees us. On Wednesday he went to the vet and he has an ear infection in one ear, so we are treating that. She said he looks great otherwise – healthy pup and good weight. He is still scheduled for surgery to neuter on September 13. All in all, he is your typical lab – friendly, energetic, and wanting to please. He is a very good boy!

August 29,2021 On Thursday evening, Hunter arrived at our home. Hunter was surrendered by his owner because the family was not able to give him the attention he needed. He is a 4-year-old, male chocolate lab who is very affectionate and seems to be getting more confident each day. He weighs 90 pounds and has no medical issues. When he first arrived Thursday evening, after 2 long car rides from New Jersey to Lancaster, PA, he was understandably anxious and spent most of Thursday night pacing and panting. I slept on the sofa in the living room with him as he wanted nothing to do with the crate. We didn’t sleep much. Friday morning, I spent time just sitting with him, taking him on a walk around our property and a very short walk up and down the street. He definitely needs some leash training and is a very strong boy!  He knows a few basic commands and is very easily corrected. He is eager to please and would cry if I went out of the room. He seemed very hesitant on our hardwood so I am assuming he only had carpet at his former home. We have carpet in the living room, so he mostly sticks to that. Around lunchtime on Friday, he finally started to settle a little as long as I was with him. He was curious about the other dogs, but I was still keeping them separate. By later Friday afternoon all dogs had done so well on the opposite sides of the baby gate, that I slowly introduced them one at a time – Lucky (115 pound, 8-year-old foster dog) and resident dog Tucker (1-1/2-year-old and only 60 pounds.)  Since Hunter has not been neutered yet, I was a little worried about how he would get along with the other dogs and very cautious. They did great! Here is a video of Hunter and Tucker playing in the living room.

Lucky is fine with him too, but since Lucky can’t see very well because of cataracts due to his diabetes, he doesn’t take part in the wrestling matches. Lucky does occasionally give a bark when he would like the youngsters to settle. Hunter is adjusting quickly to our home and routine; he is such a great pup! He is getting more comfortable with the hardwood floors and has been sleeping through the night in our bedroom with Tucker. They woke up to play at 5:45am this morning, so we need to work on that!  Lucky prefers his mat downstairs and a probably a little time to himself. Hunter is currently scheduled to be neutered September 13, but if there are any cancellations, the vet will get him in sooner. We have a houseful with these big boys, but we are enjoying them and seeing incredible progress!