Merida Yellow Labrador Retriever Mix Female 6-7 Months Old ID#2962

Merida is a 6-7 month old yellow Labrador retriever mix that was found as a stray by a good samaritan in MS.  Merida was in tough shape, very underweight, with large patches of missing fur and a broken tibia.  Thanks to this person, Merida and his sister, Ariel got preliminary medical care, and are now both headed to Brookline foster homes.  They are both very sweet in spite of their past.  Read their blogs/journey from the bottom up

October 23, 2021

Merida is now available on Petfinder:

https://www.petfinder.com/dog/merida-53330980/pa/warrington/brookline-labrador-rescue-pa06/

Foster mom wants to know where the week went.  Well, there have been a lot of dog walks and play sessions for one.  Meri is doing very well, and we managed to get her a few play dates with dogs closer in age to her.  One was female, the other male- and she loved playing with both of them.  And boy did she nap well after those play dates. Almost as happy as she  were the resident dogs who enjoyed a break from her antics.

She’s such a happy girl and just loves to play.  But she’s still pretty good about entertaining herself with toys and chew bones when no one else wants to play.  And she’s taken to doing the roomies in the yard (with me sometimes playing chase but not always needing to).  Boy is she fast!

The last few nights I have left the crate door open in the bedroom. One night she came out, hopped on the bed, but then jumped down in short order and joined one of the resident dogs on the comfy dog bed.  The next night she slept in the crate anyway and only came out when she heard other tails starting to thump in the morning

October 16, 2021

There’s not a lot of news to report on the Meri front, but what there is is good news.  She continues to be a great guest and she’s fitting right in.  We are noticing from the walks and play sessions that she is getting stronger!  She is also now comfortable going both up and down the stairs, a good thing since she is eating well and getting bigger and heavier to carry. Merida is also getting more playful (and downright silly at times), although she can’t always get the resident labs to engage.  She has also gone on several car rides and is more comfortable as well.

October 12, 2021

Meri continues to be a fabulous foster.  I’m usually pretty tired running around after foster dogs the first few days, but she has settled in beautifully.  No accidents and she has figured out the routine.  Wake up, do business, eat breakfast, nap, morning walk, nap, mid day back yard time or inside play, lunch, nap, afternoon walk, play and nap until dinner, go out, and then nap, cuddle (she’s invited up on the couch if we’re watching TV) and play until one last potty opportunity, then bedtime.  REPEAT.  She’s got this.

She’s fine in the crate and sometimes crates herself, but she is quickly proving that she is reliable free roam.  She isn’t a chewer of what isn’t hers (although she has been a tiny bit tempted by the hem of the slipcovers on the kitchen chair).  She definitely understands NO and doesn’t even need a stern voice to get the message.

She’s a doll (and a professional napper)!

October 11, 2021

Merida had  great first night-  she slept in the crate in the master bedroom from 10pm to 7am without making a peep.  No doubt she was tired from her long journey.  No accidents today although she started to do the telling “circle” to go number 2 but we were able to scoop her up and redirect her in time.  Good girl Meri (pronounced Mary)!

She happily went on two dogs walks today- each about 40 minutes long.   She was happy to follow the pack and did quite well.  She also went to the vet for booster vaccines and a microchip.  She has almost doubled her body weight since being rescued in the south – she is making up for lost time- so suffice it to say she is food motivated!    The vet put her on a short course of antibiotics for her irritated skin, but I predict in a few weeks she’ll have a full glossy coat.  The best news is that her tibia fracture has completely healed.  She does need to work on her muscle mass (she has some carpal hyperextension), but with her daily walks, this shouldn’t be a problem. And she now weighs 27 pounds.  Still a peanut, but a huge gain from the 15+ pounds she was when she was found by her guardian Angel.

Like her sister Ariel, she too is a fan of the furniture and it’s hard not to oblige and cuddle with her. She loves sot be close and give kisses. We’re enjoying every second with her. We now know he was named for Merida in the Disney movie Brave, and I have to say that’s perfect for her.  She is very Brave!  She has been through a lot, but she is going to end up on top!

October 10, 2021

I’m finally back home with Merida.  She was a very good girl for the car ride, with only the occasional whimper.  Both she and Ariel got on transport on Friday evening in Mississippi, so it has been a very long two days for them.  When we got home, my husband was out walking the dogs, so Merida got a chance to explore the yard and the house without them.  She was very aware that they were somewhere, though, and checked out all their sleeping spots.  Dog intros went very well, and she definitely is going to get confidence from following their lead.  I’m happy to report she was just as happy to see my husband, so she doesn’t seem to prefer women.

I gave her a light meal and now she’s resting while the Steelers game is on.  Tomorrow she goes to the vet so I’ll have more to report then.  I’m not seeing signs of limping (she has the fracture rear leg) but she is tiny and has no muscle mass to speak of.  We’ll have to work on that.  She also has some minor skin issues and is in need of a major pedicure.

She is beyond sweet though- another testimony to how wonderful (and resilient) dogs are.  She and Ariel were clearly abandoned (and the leg break easily could have been from being tossed out of a car, a commonplace occurrence).  But it’s all good stuff from here on out little girl.  Welcome to Brookline.  I can already tell she’s going to be another dog that takes a huge piece of my heart when she gets adopted.

Now to look up who she was named after- I understand it’s a Disney princess, but I don’t know which one!