Jack #8 Silver Labrador Retriever Male 9 Years Old ID#3313

Jack is a 9 year old, silver with chocolate undertones, male breeder Labrador who was pulled off a farm and is now looking forward to spending his days in a loving home.  He is currently in a foster home learning the ins and outs of living in a home.  Please read his blog from the bottom up.

May 19, 2023

Jack is recovering with ease from his surgery just this past Tuesday. It was as if nothing happened to him! The day following he was up and ready for breakfast. He is taking it easy now, but is ready to find his forever home. He is sweet and smart and VERY loving, gets along good with other dogs, doesn’t mind cats but wants lots and lots of love from his human(s). Jack does okay with kids but favors adult females.

Jack walks okay on leash, no tugging but a little wandering. He is pretty well housebroken but I have a dog door so he may need a little training to give warning if he can’t let himself out. He doesn’t like hot weather much.

He is great in the car, but kind of hard to get in, he resists but settles down once in the car.

So much love for this guy! If you are looking for a gentleman dog, he is it!

May 13, 2023

Jack had a big week! He visited the vet and got an all clear on health issues. He visited lots of people and pets. He does not show any interest in cats. He gets along with all sorts of dogs and is super friendly but does not seem to need their company. He loves people with a slight preference for women. He likes kids even when they get loud. He walks well, but his walks shouldn’t be too long until he gets a little more fit. He does not like the heat.

Yesterday was very warm and he would come out on the deck with us, but then go through the dog door and back inside. I filled the wading pool and a couple of the resident dogs got in, but Jack showed no inclination.

Tuesday he is booked for his neutering and so we will be stressed all day!

I’ll repost when that is done.

May 8, 2023

Jack had a successful vet visit on Friday and I was hoping to hear the results before I updated his blog, but I feel I am overdue. We had a good weekend! After his vet we went to my friends house. She owns a cat and a tiny grouchy terrier dog. Jack and the little dog got along fine and he totally ignored the cat. We all had a longish walk, maybe 3/4 of a mile and I could tell Jack was tiring. He is a chunk so hopefully with some weight loss and continued shorter walks he will become more fit.I have noticed that he seems to get along with all dogs, but steers away from my hyper BC mix. He will probably do better with a calmer dog friend. On Thursday I am going to take him to visit my friends farm to see how he gets along with her Chesapeake. And there are lots of cats, so I will see if he continues to ignore them.I’ll post back when I do hear from the vet.

April 30, 2023

Sweet Jack showing his happy face. He is very well adjusted and gets along well with people and other dogs. Not tested with cats yet. We are having a really wet weekend so walks and housebreaking slipping a bit. Weather is supposed to clear soon .

April 26, 2023

Time for the daily Jack report. Yesterday evening was so mild and nice that we took an extended walk down to the nearby school. Jack does not pull, but I did let him dawdle and smell at will. He shies a little at cars and I got wrapped in the leash once or twice. A dog in a yard barked, but he just looked up and wagged. He did not pull towards it.His health seems good, and soon he will be getting his full vet check. We are going to drive to the school the next time, to avoid the traffic and practice walking habits.

April 25, 2023

Jack is very comfortable with his situation. Every morning he is full of wags. Today I actually got the hops of joy. He is eating well, making strides with the housebreaking. Jack is a very loving boy.

Jack had a visit to VIP for his fecal test (which was negative), microchip and distemper booster.  His other vet tests, including blood work for his neuter procedure are coming up in early May. He’s a treasure!

April 24, 2023

Jack is doing wonderfully. Progress on the housebreaking issues, he now walks to the door when he wants to go out. I have a dog door on the back and he will go in and out. Though my initial instructions said not to let him in the yard unleashed, I do have very strong and high fencing because one of my resident pack is an escape artist, so this is entirely safe. I am pleased to see Jack coming out of his shell a little and enjoying the space and pleasant weather.
Yesterday, all the neighborhood kids were playing loudly in the street so we went out to see how Jack felt about that. He wagged his tail and sat politely for pets.

He has a good appetite but likes a little topping on his kibble, and since I often cook for my pets, I always have a little stew of some kind.

He is unfazed by noise, like the project obsessed neighbor who is making some really loud noise behind us. All in all, I think he checks all the boxes for an even tempered family dog. He doesn’t mind other dogs, but I don’t think he would need one to be happy as long as he has a person to give him lots of love. (No signs of separation anxiety though!)

April 23, 2023

Jack just continues to improve. It is still very hard to get him in the car for our needed appointments, but I think he is slowly getting better.

Yesterday he got his first vet appointment at the local VIP Petcare and it went well. I left him in the car while I queued up and that was probably best because there were a lot of young, large and active dogs. It all went well.

So I’ll hear back about that soon.

I think his favorite thing is lounging on the deck and it looks like it is clearing off from last night’s storm (didn’t bother him). So a quiet Sunday today.

He’s a

April 22, 2023

Jack continues to do wonderfully. He is a very social dog, and though we did follow the introduction guidelines to my other dogs and to the household routine, he kept pushing the envelope and after a few days he is fully in the mix. He wags whenever the other dogs approach, shows zero aggression and just blends right into the pack.

Yesterday he went to the groomer for an extra bath. Still difficult to get him in the car, but easier to get him out. He behaved well while there and she just feels that his fur is extra dry. I feed them all pro-plan salmon and am also giving him fish oil supplements.

Still having some housebreaking issues, but I think they will just fade away in time.

Here he is sharing breakfast with some of his new friends.

April 21, 2023

Jack is just fitting right in. He is remembering to take himself outside to do his business (most of the time). He is fine with the resident pack and they are with him.

He is a little Velcro and tends to be right wherever I am, which is kind of dear.

Early predictions, fine with other dogs, very loving with people.

Today he will be getting a bath and brush out, I’ll report how he does with that tomorrow. I also hope to introduce him to some kids after school.

Tomorrow I will be taking him to the nearby VIP pet location for some basics, so a big couple of days for Jack!
Here is Jack with my crazy little hound pup.

April 20, 2023

Jack is doing so well. He is calm, but a little bit shy. He is figuring out the household routine so quickly. He loves to be brushed and is getting several a day to clear some of the excess hair off of him.He has met most of my other pups and all are ok with each other. I had a standing grooming appointment for one of them, she doesn’t need it and the groomer is going to see Jack instead. I think he will like that and she can evaluate his slight skin issues. I’ll cover this.

Eats well, some housebreaking issues, but actually pretty amazing how fast he is coming along.

April 19, 2023

We were all very tired last night when we got home. It was a long drive, but Jack behaved beautifully. At first, he was kind of unresponsive and my ride along friend thought he might be hard of hearing but she coaxed him with clicks and whistles (and her royal Farms biscuit) and by the time we got home he was responding to his name.  I had no trouble coaxing him out of the car with a snack. At first he didn’t want to come up on the porch, so we just sat on the steps for a few minutes and then when I stood up, so did he and willingly came into the house. Jack is doing well after his first overnight off the farm. He definitely wants some quiet, but also seems interested in meeting my dogs.  We had a tiny walk down the street last evening. He is curious and seemed to like watching the children on their bicycles. I’ll post again later. Everything is an adventure!

April 18, 2023

Today was a major team effort in getting Jack off the farm.  I didn’t get him out quite in time to celebrate his 9th birthday off the farm as I promised him, but pretty close (his dob is 4/2/14) and he’s a forgiving guy.  I picked up Jack from the breeder and drove back to home and met another volunteer who helped me give him a good bath and then that volunteer drove him to Harrisburg to meet another volunteer, who then drove him back to Malvern to meet his foster, who then took him back to her home.  A lot of miles today!  We all got a work out as Jack was not a fan of getting in or out of the car.  But once in, he rode beautifully.  When I reached back to pet him, he gave me appreciative licks. He got good report cards from all the other drivers too.  He’s a very nice dog.  Look for updates as he settles into foster care!