Nickel Silver Labrador Retriever Female 2 Years Old ID #3307

July 28, 2023

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick update to let everyone know how great Nickel is doing. Nickel was left with the other girls for 3 hours and was totally fine when we got home. We will keep extending the time. She enjoys spending time with Molly our new foster. She and Molly like to hang out and use each other as pillows.

Nickel loves other dogs although she can be a little timid until she gets to know them. She did love Phoebe and Molly from the start. I have shared a picture and video on how nice they all get along.

The important thing I wanted to tell everyone is that Nickel will be at Petco in Warrington tomorrow ( Saturday) 7/29/23 from 1-3. Please come down and meet her. She is very beautiful and sweet. Nickel hopes to meet her forever family.

July 26, 2023

July 23, 2023

Hi All,

Sadly, Nickel has not found her forever home yet. I know it’s out there.

Nickel has been busy keeping foster dog Molly entertained and she is doing a great job. Nickel loves to come over and flop down to let Molly bite her. She is a good big sister.

Nick has no issues going for car rides anymore. She goes up and down stairs without issue. If you are feeling down and need someone to adore you, Nickel is your girl. If you are chilly Nickel will be your blanket. Nickel’s separation anxiety is getting better. She was left alone (no Phoebe) for an hour maybe a little more. She was a good girl.  She is incredibly sweet and gentle. She is happy just to be near you. Two months ago, Nickel was scared of everything and now she is helping Molly feel safe.

Please consider Nickel to be part of your family. She is good with other dogs. Loves everyone she meets.  A fenced in yard would be best. She needs a confident resident dog.

July 16, 2023

Meet Nickel, a 2 yr. old silver female Labrador. Nickel came from an Amish farm but was never bred.  She is a sweet girl who loves to snuggle and give kisses. Nickel has come a long way in 2 months. She was very scared and shy when she first arrived.  Now she loves to play with her fur sister Phoebe. She has been meeting new dogs and people and is coming out of her shell. She still gets nervous in new situations so baby steps and repetition help her. Nickie loves to play fetch and get belly rubs. She is still working on her separation anxiety. She is fine for 2 hrs. with a resident dog. A new family will need to go slow with her. She doesn’t like to be crated, it scares her and makes matters worse.

Nickel needs a loving, patient family that can help her continue her journey. She needs a resident dog (a must) that is confident and playful. She needs a fenced in yard. She hasn’t gone for many walks, so a fence will help Nickel transition easier to a new home. Nickie also needs a family that is home most of the time.

Nickel is very loving and sweet and deserves her own family.

July 14, 2023

We went to Phoebe’s drop in play class. Nickel jumped in the car, she was panting but no pacing she sat between the seats or laid in the back. The only time she seemed a little concerned was when I approached a stop sign and came to a stop. All she did was back up and make a tiny sound.

We went to the play session. There was a new dog who she really liked. He was a Weimaraner. She followed him around, maybe it was a gray/silver thing. Who knows. She ran around with all the dogs. She would get a little spooked , one of the dogs sneezed 3 times. That scared her but she recovered fast. She seemed to enjoy herself. She jumped in the car and we headed home. She laid in the back panting. I couldn’t be prouder of all the progress she has made in the past 2 months.

She is an amazing girl.

July 9, 2023

Hi All,

We have had a slow week most of Nickel and Phoebe’s play session were canceled due to the hot weather. We did go to one play date and took 2 car rides. We also walked down 2 flights of stairs. She wasn’t feeling confident to go up both flights. We got up one then she decided this was not fun,  so we went down them again. We will keep practicing. I can have Phoebe show her.

The car rides have improved vastly. She is still nervous but jumps in the car on her own. Huge improvement. She whines a little but is no longer pacing. She lays down in the back. I should mention that I drive a Honda element without seats in the back. I imagine that in a vehicle with seats she could be belted in and that would help her settle down.

She met some new dog friends. She was a little shy. One of the boys really liked her but she corrected him and told him she was not that kind of girl. She was very happy to meet all the new people and showed them her pretty belly to get it rubbed.

Nickel is very affectionate, loves to snuggle. She has a great recall and loves to be with her family and Phoebe. She loves to play fetch; ball is life to her. She does not care for the rain. I imagine it has to do with life on the farm. She is now a house dog. She runs to the door to come in. The couch is her favorite hangout.

As I have mentioned before Nickel needs a confident friendly resident dog. She takes cues from Phoebe and it helps with her confidence. Nickel also needs a patient understanding family who will help her continue to work with her and feel loved.

She is a big sweetie. Her tail is always wagging when you speak to her. Her coat is looking great. She is a very pretty girl who would love to be part of your family.

July 2, 2023

Hi All,

I wanted to share a couple of videos to show how Nickel is changing.  She is happy tail wagging butt moving little girl.  She is more relaxed meeting new people and dogs. She got a lot of attention from some friends that came over for dinner. No more submissive smiling. She kept going over to them seeking attention. She is meeting new dogs and is more relaxed. She is doing fantastic.

I think Nickel should be ready to be posted available soon. She is house trained, signals to go out. She loves to play fetch. She loves to snuggle with her people and Phoebe. She can be a big couch potato.

She is a counter surfer. So, keep an eye on her. She will sometimes take things that don’t belong to her. So, pick up your stuff FD.

She still doesn’t like you to leave her for a long time. Recently I left her alone for about 20 min while I dropped Phoebe off to daycare. When I came in she was chilling out in her favorite spot on the couch. She is solid for 2 hrs. with Phoebe.

She is a little blossom, but with a caring patient family she will be a beautiful flower. I can see it already.  Stay tuned.

June 29, 2023

Hi All,

Another Nickel update. It was a quiet week. We found out Nickel will drink out of the toilet, so lid down now. She has been doing well. She is in a routine and Nickel does well with routine. We can go out for a couple hours and she is fine when we get back.

Today was a big day though. We had Phoebe’s drop in play group. I got Nickel ready. We all walked to the car and she jumped right in. Wow right. We drove to the play group. She is still anxious in the car. Next time I will throw the ball to burn off some of the anxious energy. She is nervous in the car, a lot of panting and can’t settle. Something to work on. On the way home she jumped right in and plopped down. Exercise helps.

We walked over to the gate. She was pulling but fine. She met 2 more dogs and 1 new person. She wasn’t as stuck to Phoebe like last time. She wanted attention from Mike and Virginia. She was interacting a little with the dogs. Then she would go off on her own.

She is finding her confidence and seeking attention. Those are big steps. She has been with me 6 weeks. She has come so far. We will go to the play group on Sunday. I expect her to make more strides. I am very proud of her. She was so scared when she arrived and now look at her. Awesome!!

June 26, 2023

Hi All,

Nickel made huge accomplishments this weekend. She met some new people at my house and handled it very well. Minimal fear smiling. Virginia came by and met her then puppy sat for her and Phoebe for 2.5 hrs. while we went out. We got home 1.5 hrs. after Virginia left and Nickel was very calm. She also snuggled with Virginia. No destruction occurred. We know Nickel is solid for 1-2 hrs. being left alone. We will slowly increase our time away. The goal would be 3-4 hrs. away.  Baby steps.

We spoke to our vet about Nickel’s separation anxiety. He suggested keeping her on trazadone 1, 100mg pill 2x a day. This is just to take the edge off.  We can take her off it when she is feeling more comfortable/ confident. We have started her on trazadone she seems to be less nervous in new situations like meeting people.

Phoebe goes to a walk-in play session at BCK on Sundays and Thursdays.  Virginia suggested we bring Nickel, so we did. She let me put on she harness without any fuss. When I clipped the lead on the harness she did roll over to show her belly. I said come on let’s go and she got up and ran to the fence. She was excited to leave the back yard. We made it to the car. She didn’t want to get in. We pulled her to it and she hopped right in with Phoebe. Big step wow!! She was nervous and panting in the car but gladly ate treats. She jumped out of the car and walked to the fenced area at BCK. She was nervous but remained upright. She met a number of dogs and a new person. She did well. She mostly stuck to Phoebe but did venture out a little on her own.  She did great. She did not want any treats at BCK. She walked back to the car and hesitated about getting in the car but them jumped up on her own. She was happy to come back home to her safe spot. She got very excited to be home play biting Phoebe. Then a big nap.

I am very proud of Nick. She did great. We plan to go to BCK on Thursday. Repetition helps Nickel. I think another couple of weeks car rides will get her there.

Stay tuned for this sweet girl. She has come so far. Nickel needs a confident resident dog to help her. She needs a patient loving family which will help her transition into a new home. She needs someone home more often. Ideally someone that works from home or is retired would be perfect. She can’t be alone for a full work day. That would be hard for her. She doesn’t like to be crated. It’s very scary even for a short time.

June 23, 2023

Nickel had her stitches removed yesterday. She is doing well. We have gone for 2 car rides. One with Phoebe to get ice cream. She was pretty stressed,  panting and we had to carry her the last few steps to the car. She is getting closer each time. She panted the majority of the 10 min ride. She and Phoebe had ice cream. At first she wouldn’t eat it because she was nervous but finally she relaxed enough to eat it. Phoebe was hoping that Nickel wouldn’t like it.

The 2nd trip was to have her stitches removed. I put her harness on . I want to mention vast improvement getting the harness on. No showing belly or being submissive. I even adjusted it and she remained upright. Little victories. She was better getting in to the car. She still is nervous getting near it but was more relaxed on the ride. She was alert, still panting but willing to take treats and checking out the places we passed as we drove. That was a huge improvement. If you recall her first ride to the vet she was totally shut down. I got her in the vet’s office using a towel under her belly and holding the harness. She remained upright the majority of the time, another success. She only pancaked on the scale. The other times she had to be carried. She walked out of the vet’s office. She wanted no part of getting in the car but I was able to use the harness to get her in. When we got home she got out of the car and ran to the back yard.

I know it doesn’t seem like much but these are big moments. Nickel had never been in a car prior. She associates the car with bad things leaving her mom, going to the vet. My job is to show her the car is actually okay and brings you to fun places. It won’t happen overnight. Just tiny successes.

I have to say she is incredibly sweet. She is very loving. She gives a lot of kisses. She loves Phoebe, they wrestle all the time. She matches Phoebe’s energy. When it’s time to chill she relaxes. I think she would match the resident dog’s energy in her new home.  When Phoebe is at daycare Nickel hangs out on the couch.

We still need to work on car rides and she has some separation anxiety. She is fine if you leave her for an hour or 2. She gets anxious if it is longer even with Phoebe at home. We will gradually increase the times. She hasn’t been here that long so it’s understandable. She needs to trust that we will be back. That takes time. We are taking baby steps forward. I am confident we will get there.

June 17, 2023

Nickie is 8 days post-surgery and is healing nicely. The trick is to keep her and Phoebe from wrestling too much. She has learned how to play like Phoebe. Lots of play growls and paws being thrown. She is having a blast. She was much more submissive with her mom,  going under her mom’s legs. When she first arrived she did that with Phoebe too. Now she is an equal with Phoebe.

She would also run in front of me in the yard, flop down to show her belly. She was very submissive. I could walk 2 -3 steps before she would hit the ground. It was constant and tricky to walk. Now she only shows me her belly for rubs. She will show belly if I put in her harness. I ignore that and throw her ball. She forget about the harness she is wearing.

We have done a little crate work with her. We have been able to crate her for an hour or 2 max. We did try on Thursday and left her for 4 hours. She was really upset when we came home, very submissive and crying. She had an accident when she got out of the crate. That was the first accident since she has been here. The crate is too scary for her. She will go in and get a toy or lay in there with Phoebe but this was too much. I felt horrible. She was a little nervous the following day she is back to normal now. I will not crate her and would advise any adopter to go slow with her. We gate her so she and Phoebe have access to the FR, DR, and kitchen. We puppy proof those rooms.

She is a counter surfer. So, make sure there is nothing that she can get at. Not just food, that dish towel looks fun to chew. She does take direction well though. If you say leave it she stops.

Nickel is still a puppy who has not had any training. She is learning. She needs someone to be patient and gentle with her. She is very loving, tons of kisses. Loves to be close to her people, she is my Velcro dog. Where I go she is always there.

We are going to take her and Phoebe in the car and get an ice cream on  Monday. I want her to see that the car is safe. Nickel could be content just being at a home where she doesn’t have to be walked. She is happy to play fetch and have another dog to play with. She will eventually have to get in the car to go to the vet’s or do other fun things. So that’s my job for the next week or 2.  She is smart she will get it. She needs to experience things a little slower.

Nickie will have her stiches out on Thursday. As soon as she starts relaxing in the car I will post her. I would love to bring her to one of the upcoming events when she is ready. Everyone could meet her and see how great she is. She is lovely inside and out.

June 12, 2023

Hi All,

Nickel was spayed on Friday and is healing well. She is feeling good and wants to play. On a side note Nickel also responds to Nick and Nickie.

Nickel walked 90% of the way to the car upright then got scared and had to be carried the last 5 steps.  She was very scared in the car for the first 5 minutes. Then she stopped shaking and came up between the seats for attention. The unknown is scary for her but she relaxed pretty fast. FD carried her to the vet’s office.  I picked her up after surgery she was excited to see me and came over immediately. When we got back to the house she walked/pulled me to get to the backyard.  She is making huge strides walking on her own outside the fence. She is getting more confident.

The plan is to start taking her for car rides and go fun places. Go get an ice cream. Go to lake Nockamixon for a swim. Then gradually go to places where there will be people. I want her to know the car is a safe place too.

Nickel is a little mischievous at times. She is getting more comfortable now. When she walks by fast I know she has something. Hey what do you have…dishtowel, wine cork, slipper, husband’s sleep apnea mask, bag of cheese rinds. I never know what I will find. She has counter suffering potential.

She also seems happy. She used to be so nervous especially in the kitchen. Now I look over and she is standing there wagging her tail with such a sweet expression. She loves to snuggle with me and Phoebe.  She gets on the couch where Phoebe is lying and squeezes herself into the space to be close. Nickel sees Phoebe after a brief separation, Nickel rushes her gives her exuberant face kisses and gently bite her snout. Pure joy to see your friend.

What does Nickel require in her new home:

1. She needs to live with a confident playful dog. A resident dog will make her feel safe. She loves me but it’s really Phoebe that has helped Nickel to grow and become more confident.
2. She needs a person that will help guide her, be patient with her, and be gentle with her. She is a sweet gentle soul. She has so much love to give. This is the most contact Nickel has had with people so everything should be a positive.

Those are the main things. Nickel hasn’t walked up many stairs. I imagine that will be scary. She can walk up the 2 stairs to get on the deck. That is on the list. The more things she does the more confident she will become.

She is a sweet, playful girl.

June 4, 2023

I am pleased to say Nickel continues to eat her food. She gets the same meal as Phoebe. No more eggs or cottage cheese. I also don’t need to coax her or tell her to finish her food.

We have been walking around the yard on leash. She is doing better but still will flip on her back and chew the leash like a puppy. I can call her to me in a happy voice to distract her.

We attempted to take Nickel and Phoebe for a car ride.  So, she did better than she did the first time. FD had to carry her to the yard when she first came, she was flat on the ground until she met Phoebe. This time she remained on all fours. That was a big step. We made it to the car, Phoebe even jumped in. It was clear that she was very stressed. So, we aborted and gave her tons of praise. She ended up climbing on my lap after and giving me tons of nervous kisses until she fell asleep.

Nickel needs to do things in small increments to gain confidence. It took her a week to walk in the kitchen. Now she lies in the kitchen in my way.

We will keep trying. I don’t want to push her to much.

Things Nickel is doing well at. She is house trained no accidents ever. She will go in the crate now; she doesn’t like it but she is doing better. She is good at getting on the couch and snuggling. She is good at falling asleep on me and snoring. She is good at giving tons of face kisses. She is good at chasing the ball and bringing back to me. She is now barking for me to throw the ball and play bowing. Phoebe does help her feel more confident and is her best friend now.

Things we need to work on. Sit is a tough one. I have tried to lure her in to the sit position putting the treat on her nose then moving the treat back. That seems to scare her. She will let me push her but down if I am sitting and she is in front of me. I praise her. I think it’s me standing over her. It’s a dominant position which makes her nervous. She tends to do the submissive teeth baring smile.

I just need to keep building her confidence. She has come a long way in a short time. Her new family will have to be willing to do the same. It’s baby steps with Nickel. She will get there.  Nickel will be spayed on June 9th.  She will need 2 weeks to heal. I will continue to work with her and see where she is in her confidence. If she has made progress I will post her.

May 31, 2023

Nickel has discovered she is a Retriever. She just started bringing the toys I toss back to me. She is really good. She is dropping or at least releasing the ball when I ask, unlike Phoebe.

She is beginning to relax more. Loves snoozing on the couch, she needs her solid 18 a day. She is finally eating her food without any coaxing.  She does get a little nervous with new experiences. She will do her submissive smile if you make an unexpected noise but she is improving. Considering she had little interaction with people she is really doing well.

She and Phoebe are becoming good friends. The love to play. Nickel gives her kisses, another submissive behavior. Phoebe just let’s her give them. They mouth wrestle or play tug of water. They love to chase each other around the yard. It makes me happy to see her happy.

She spent a few hours in the crate. She cried in the beginning.  Then when my husband got up she cried and barked to get him to let her out. She stayed in the crate for 3 hrs. without a peep. I want her to get used to it. She is getting spayed next Friday so she will need to have some quiet time in there.

I am trying to let her have new experiences but at the same time not overwhelm her. Slow and easy. We plan to take her on a car ride. Phoebe will join her to let her know everything is okay.  Her first car ride was to come here and it was scary for her. I want a positive experience for her.

Nickel definitely needs a resident dog in her new home. She is very sweet and affectionate with us. Having Phoebe has really helped her to blossom.

May 26, 2023

Nickel continues to do well in her foster home. One of the challenges I had was trying to get her to eat. Finally, she started eating all her food which was a relief. It took a lot of trial and error with different food add ons to her dry kibble. She was a grazer on the farm. Phoebe is a vacuum, she would of inhaled all of Nickel’s food too. Slowly I will increase her kibble and reduce egg and ground chicken. She also loves cottage cheese.

Nickel is starting to relax. She loves to run and play with Phoebe. Her personality and play style is coming out. She is beginning to trust Pheobe. I love watching them chase each other across the yard or wrestle. When Phoebe comes home from daycare, Nickel greets her by gently grabbing her snout with her mouth. She is so happy to see her. Foster dad reports she is less anxious when we leave.

We have been walking around the back yard on lead with mixed results.  We only do it for 5 min at a time. She flops down and rolls on her back I coax her up. She is slowly catching on. This is all new and sometimes scary for her. I want to take her on a short car ride with Phoebe to get her used to it. Eventually graduate to a walk of going to a pet store. That’s for the future.

She is also less nervous around us. She met my contractor yesterday and greeted him. She really didn’t have a lot of interactions with people prior. Her favorite thing to do is snuggle on the couch with Phoebe or us. She is very sweet and gives lots of kisses. It’s nice to see her becoming comfortable in her foster home.

May 22, 2023

Nickel is beginning to be a house dog whoo hoo. When she goes outside to pee she runs back to the house to come back in. Her recall is excellent. She goes in the crate often although I have not crated her for any length of time. I am going slow and easy with this sweet girl. She sleeps on the dog bed in our room every night. She walks in the kitchen no fears at all.

She has had 0 accidents with us. We left her out crate for 5 hrs.

We did have a couple of casualties since she has been here. One destroyed remote (our fault), one chewed corner on a pillow, and this morning she took the TP and chewed  little bit of it. She did try to steal our cookbook. She got caught walking away with it. I want to believe she was going make us a gourmet dinner.

She got up on the couch when I was out, my husband sent me the picture. She and Phoebe were both hanging out on it. Since then she has crawled up on the couch and snuggled with me. She is so sweet and gives lots of face kisses.

She is really adapting fast. She is not as submissive when I walk by her. She no longer runs off nervously as much. All positive stuff. She was allowed to graze for food on the farm. That won’t fly here Phoebe is a vacuum. I have  to really coax her to eat. She will eat about 1/2 then I hand feed the rest. I am hoping she will not need to be hand fed much longer.

The goal this week is to put her harness on and walk around the yard to get her comfortable. Of course, Phoebe will assist. If that goes well we can try a car ride with Phoebe. I don’t want to go to fast with her. I am extremely happy to see so much progress in a short time.

May 19, 2023

Nickel is starting to relax more. She is still nervous around my husband and myself especially when we walk by her. I believe it’s because she didn’t have a lot of human interaction before, she is improving. She is very submissive when we are standing. She does a submissive smile.  She will come over when we are sitting and is more relaxed.

She is more comfortable inside now. She even walked into the kitchen. At first she would only come in a foot at most. Today she walked in all the way and went to the front door to check the rest of the room out. She still is nervous but I try not to make a big deal of it.  Inside I am celebrating hard. She also slept in the dog bed in our bedroom. Then today when I went to get Phoebe from daycare my husband sent me a picture of her lying in the crate. Who is this dog??? Phoebe loves the crate and naps in there. I just turned around and she and Phoebe are sharing the crate.

She and Phoebe are playing and Nickel is initiating. Phoebe always took toys from the other dogs but Nickel stands up for herself. Phoebe went to take her bone and Nickel said back off. Nickel is helping Phoebe with boundaries.

I have to say Phoebe deserves most of the credit for all the changes we see with Nickel. Nickel watches Phoebe then imitates her. She is using her paws to wrestle which is Phoebe’s patented move. It’s very exciting to see all the changes with Nickel. She wants to come in the house, she races to the kitchen to get a cookie. Thanks Phoebe for being my helper.

Based on what I am seeing Nickel needs to have a confident resident dog in her new home. She is scheduled for her spay June 9th.

May 17, 20233

Nickel is beginning to relax a little bit.  Her first night inside she was frozen to a spot on the rug. Yesterday she began to move around the house wandering from room to room, nervously checking things out. She would tentatively approach me while I was working at the dining room table. She comes only so close then belly crawls the rest of the way. She is very submissive with people especially if you are standing. If you are sitting she comes over to see you for head rubs. I am rubbing her head as I type this. Her tail is tucked as you pat her. She seeks out love but is unsure.

I am not crating her because she is still nervous. Having Phoebe helps her. She is following Phoebe’s lead. If Phoebe tries  to get rough Nickel puts her in her place. Good girl Nickel. She loves to run after the ball with Phoebe.  She won’t take it but you can start to see her relaxing.

She has been really good no accidents.  She is afraid to go in to the kitchen, I think she will eventually. She has checked out all the other rooms. Last night she kept coming into the bedroom and licking my hand. She was not ready to sleep on one of the dog beds. I am letting her go at her pace.

This morning I got her to eat her breakfast inside. She is feeling more comfortable. She needs a bath but I am trying to go slow with her and not scare her. I did manage to wash her with a face cloth with a little dog shampoo and rinsed her off the same way.  She was pretty freaked out. She is not so dirty and smells much better. It’s baby steps with this girl. She has made a lot of progress. She is no longer panting and is relaxing on the rug now.

Her coat is very sparse I have been adding salmon oil to her food. I think in time it will look healthy and shiny. She has been good about eating her food.

I think she doing great considering all the changes she went through. She is getting spayed next week. Hopefully she will be able to walk into the vet’s office. She was a rubber chicken dog our first day there. My husband carried her everywhere. She is a solid 78lbs. We have some time before that happens.

May 16, 2023

Big welcome to Nickel a 2 year old silver female.

Nickel is from an Amish farm but was never bred. She is doing well considering how scary and confusing this is for her.

She was pretty shut down when she came to our house. She basically melted in the backyard.  Phoebe came out and that seemed to help her relax a bit. She is very shy right now. She comes over to get pets but is very submissive.

We brought her to the vet and she weighs 78lbs. She is in great shape. Needs a bath but she has had enough stress for today.  So, it can wait.

She definitely likes having another dog. She is more relaxed with Phoebe. Not only has she left her home but she also was separated from her mom. But I am impressed with how well she is doing.

She has managed to step onto the deck. She has entered the house but is extremely nervous. This is her first time ever entering a house. She needs some time to decompress. I think she is doing great.