Kelce (FKA Amber #4) Fox Red Labrador Retriever Female 4 Years Old ID #3208

March 29, 2024

Kelce is doing well. It has been a tough few weeks for her, but she is doing well and starting to come out of her shell!

Things going well for Kelce:

1. She has been spayed and now officially retired from breeding! She is so happy!

2. Kelce loves going for her nightly walk. She starts getting excited the moment I get home from work until we go out. Kelce is great on the leash.

3. Kelce gets along ok with younger children. We have a house full now and Kelce tolerates them. She does not like the noise, but knows to seek a quiet place.

4. Kelce gets along well with other dogs too. She has really bonded with our resident and takes her cues from her. Kelce love sharing a bed with Evie. Evie? Not so much. Evie is now a pillow.

Things not going so well for Kelce:

1. Kelce is still afraid of strangers. She will not go near anyone she does not know. They try, but Kelce not so keen to get to know them!

2. Kelce is learning that pets and belly rubs are good. She will now at least let us pet her.

3. Kelce is still really nervous around us. She will let us near, but on her terms. If we are outside, she will come near and lay down just out of reach. Her tail is wagging, but still not sure. At least she does not sit 5 feet away from us!

4. Commands are still being worked on. Not going so well due to her nervousness.

Kelce is a very good dog who is working through some issues that seem to be deep down in her brain. Not really sure how she was treated on the farm, but she still has issues that need to be worked through. We do not want her to move on and have to start all over again. This would be devastating to her. So, we will keep working with her to help her get out of her shell.

Not much has changed in her journey, but we are willing to work with her to get to where she wants to be. Kelce is a playful, sweet girl that just needs time!

February 23, 2024

Kelce is now officially retired from breeder duty! She did great and is now resting comfortably.

Oh, she was also the best patient ever!

January 26, 2024

Kelce is doing great in her new environment! She still has a lot of learning to do, but she is slowly coming along!

As with any foster,, Kelce has some good points and some that still need to be addressed!

Good points:

1. Kelce is a very friendly dog! She gets along with everyone from ages 3 to 63.
2. Kelce loves walks and is getting better each day. It took about a week for her to pee on a walk, but now is a champ. She does not pull, but does not walk straight either!
3. No accidents in the house since day one.
4. Her fetch skills have improved, but her return skills have not! She would rather carry a stick around.
5. Kelce has conquered her fear of the stairs! The first two times up she would not come down on her own. Next see walked down with some help. After that she went up and down the steps all day just to show us she could do it! Kelce is now a pro!
6. Kelce does not bolt out of the front door. She has really improved here!
7. Kelce is a great cuddle upper, but you have to be another dog. She is always lying on top of our resident dog Evie. Lucky for her Evie does not mind. Kelce also likes to cuddle up to the bed next to our radiator but who doesn’t!
8. No counter surfing, but has taken some snacks out of the pantry when the kids leave it open.

Some things Kelce has to work on:

1. Trust. Kelce is still not sure about pets. She might let you, but you have to work on it!
2. Kelce gets very excited to see you in the morning g and night for feeding time! We have been working on that too, but progress has been slow.
3. Kelce takes her cues from our resident dog. Might not be an issue, and it has really helped her, but not sure how she would be alone. Grew up with her Mom, so I can see why this happened!
4. Does not like the car at all!!!! Just hunkers down when the door opens. We have been trying to work on this too, but, again, progress is slow.

Kelce really loved running around in the snow.

Eating it was even better. She did not enjoy wearing her coat though!

We will see how things go with her!

December 28, 2023

Kelce is slowly coming out of her shell, well, very slowly! She is now up for pets, but only in the house. Outside she always just gets within in hands touch. She licks my hand, but still keeps her distance. That is still better than the 15 feet she kept the first day. Baby steps!

Kelce is also showing her 4 year-old self. She gets the zoomies and flys around the yard. She also will play fetch, but does not live up to the retriever part. She will go get the ball, but does not bring it back to you.

Her favorite thing is making small sticks out of big sticks! She likes to walk around with a stick!

Kelce still loves cuddling on the same bed as our resident dog. Kelce usually ends up with her head on Evie’s back. She is taking cues from Evie, which really helps her.

Kelce is also getting really good on the leash. We walk every day, and her only bad point is that she does not realize she is on a leash. She stops to smell something, and usually runs ahead on the opposite side she started on. Kelce does not pull at all!

Very good for a farm girl.

Kelce is very good with young children too. We currently have a full house of young children and she lets them get close. She will walk away if she feels she is getting too much attention or the noise level gets too high!

Let’s see what the next few days brings!

December 15, 2023

Kelce is getting better with her new surroundings, but not with any urgency. She is still very shy but I can now pet her. If our resident dog comes up for pets, Kelce will follow and get some head rubs. She is also wagging her tail, not holding it between her legs! Kelce comes into the house without to much prodding.  Baby steps.

I did get some background on her and why she was retired. She just had two stillborn pups in November. That explains the teats. They are so swollen!

Kelce is starting to play fetch too. She bounds after the ball, sometimes picking it up and sometimes not. She does not bring it back to me yet.

Kelce is also pretty attached to our resident dog. She follows her around like a shadow. We do have two beds, but Kelce loves to cuddle with Evie!

More to come as we get to know Kelce and she gets to know up!

December 14, 2023

Kelce is a beautiful fox red English lab. She is said to be 4 years old. She is a retired breeder mamma that appear to have birthed a number of puppies! Her belly hangs really low and her teats are swollen. I am not really sure when she last had puppies, but because of the way she looks, it was recent.

Kelce is a nervous Nellie. Her ride from the farm to meet with us was filled with fright. She jumped out the car quickly, but a strong hand kept her close. I had to pick her up and carry her to the car for the ride to our house. The trip was uneventful and she was better getting out of the car at our house.

The meeting between Kelce and our resident dog Evie went off really well. After the initial intro, Kelce followed Evie around the yard. Kelce was still very fearful and it took her a couple of hours before she got close enough to me to touch her. She is slowly getting better, but will need some time to decompress and feel safe in her new environment.

Getting Kelce into the house was also an experience. She was not sure what was in there and not interested in finding out. After about 30 minutes or so, she decided that she would check it out. Kelce is still not keen about being inside but she thinks it is better than outside. She is still not so sure about it, but has improved a little.

Kelce has decided that is she stays as close to Evie as possible, more or less sleeping on top of Evie. Kelce really likes being with Evie and Evie likes her equally. Kelce’s first night went great. I did sleep downstairs with her and she did wake a few times, but she was great.

Kelce has not had any accidents in the house. We have gone for a walk and she is not too bad for never having been on a leash. She walked pretty straight and no pulling. A small win, but we’ll take it.

We feel Kelce will come around, but it will take some time. More updates to follow!