Raven #8 Black Labrador Retriever Female 7 Years Old ID#3237

Meet Raven! Raven is a 7yo AKC certified black Labrador who was surrender by a breeding kennel since she had not produced any litters during her 4 years with the breeder or with her first breeder.  Please read her blog from the bottom up to learn more about her.

September 11, 2024

Another week with Raven and we’re gently making progress helping her adjust to life as a house pet and blossom into her best self.We’ve been able to better establish some daily routines for her which we think are already helping her further decompress and relax.  She is a calm sound sleeper and will snooze for 8 hours in the bedroom with her foster sister Ruby sleeping on her dog bed next to her.  Then when we wake her up at sunrise we head downstairs and out to the backyard for the day’s first bathroom break.After that first pee break, we invite her to go for a ride in the car and she and Ruby hop into the backseat without pause.  This new part of the morning routine includes a short drive to one of the two nearby parks where we then get her on her leash and out for a walk until she goes #2 for us.

She’s still tentative on the leash and nervous about any unexpected sounds or sights, but each day seems to get a bit better and she’ll walk further as she learns both that it’s fun to explore and be out on a walk, but also that this is her time to go poop.

This repetitive set of activities each morning is paying off and that we’re building her confidence while getting her reliably house trained too!When we’re back inside the house, Raven still has her safe spot and comfort zones, but every so often she’ll try something new like hopping up on the couch for a snuggle with FM or sitting in the sunroom where she can look at the squirrels through the windows.It’s so nice to see her increase her confidence inside and outside the house and ease into this new life of hers.

September 3, 2024

Raven’s third week off the farm has allowed us to get to know her more each day.  We can now confidently say that she is a complete sweetheart and very gentle girl.  She loves pets and massages and there’s no better way to soothe away a nervous moment than some calm TLC from FM or FD.  Raven is the typical people-focused lab who will lean into pets and look deeply into your eyes to show her love.She had a visit to the vet where she got another dental exam now that the swelling and infection in her gums has cleared up.  She got the good news that her teeth may not be in the worst shape in the world and we’re hopeful that after a good cleaning to get the years of tartar off, she may get out of the proverbial dental chair without needing too many extractions or any serious repairs.  She’s got a teeth cleaning set for September 30th and will hopefully have her shiny smile back afterwards.

In her regular day to day life with us, Raven continues to be most comfortable in her safe places around the house and with at least one of her people nearby.  Going outside is her primary source of stress and at times she has been too spooked to go out even for a quick pee break.  We’ve had a few indoor accidents as a result of those moments, but she reacts to the verbal correction and we think she definitely understands that bathroom activities need to be done outside.  We expect she’ll be fully house trained soon.

We’ll be trying a new strategy to get her to relax and enjoy the outdoors where we sit outside with her foster sister Ruby and leave the door open so that Raven can decide when she’s ready to come join us.  A few days in and we’ve had a couple of victories, including a nice relaxing hang on our front porch to enjoy the gorgeous Labor Day weather.  Raven was calm as she sat and watched the neighborhood wake up and start its day.  She even saw a car drive down the block and didn’t flinch, so we’re very happy with that progress.Since she was doing so well, we put the two dogs in the car and drove up to the top of Bald Pate Mountain and showed Raven the beautiful views over the Delaware River and into Buck’s County.  She was up for some light exploration of the Strawberry Hill Mansion grounds up there and her curiosity to find some new smells, sights and sounds was enough to overcome her nerves for a bit.  It was a lovely little field trip and shows us that she is gaining confidence.  We’re very happy to keep that journey going in the days ahead. Raven is probably going to thrive in a quiet home where she can be with her people and pack most of the time.  She behaves very well with her foster sister but we also think she’ll be OK as an only dog. She will likely be more of a homebody and couch potato than she will be an adventure dog, but we know that there are many great homes out there which fit that bill.  Anyone following her story who would love a gorgeous, sweet, gentle girl to snuggle with and shower with love and pets… Raven could be the perfect lab for you!

August 26, 2024

Raven has now been with us for a week, and completed 2.5 weeks since she was rescued from her former breeder’s kennel. She still has more progress ahead of her, but she continues to learn all about this new lifestyle of hers and is settling in more each day.

Raven remains anxious about new sights and sounds so we are working on building up her comfort levels by continuing to show her these new things are normal and not a threat.  Leash walks are pretty scary for her (passing cars are her biggest fear right now), so we’ll be working on that little by little.  We are doing some car rides and she is learning to relax and enjoy them.She is most comfortable inside the house and happiest when she has both FM and FD nearby.  She’s definitely forming a bond with us and is showing us that she loves pets and affection (and will turn and give you adorable puppy dog eyes if you stop the pets before she is ready for you to finish).  There’s a snuggly lovable labbie in her beginning to come out and introduce itself to us.

Raven has mastered going up and down the stairs and is working on making herself comfortable at night on her dog bed in the bedroom, instead of requiring FM and FD to take turns sleeping on the couch.  She had a bath and although she was a bit nervous when the water was on, she did enjoy getting soaped up and rinsed and the towel-off seemed to be an acceptably pleasant way to finish up that new experience.  She politely humored us and wore her bathrobe afterwards to finish drying off her wet fur.  She’s looking and smelling great now! As we get to know her we feel like she’s going to be a wonderful pet for an adopting family who wants a snuggle buddy who might be a bit of a couch potato.  She’s probably going to do best in a home where her people don’t have to leave her alone for the workday and can make her a constant part of their day.  A nice backyard where she can explore at her own pace while her people sit nearby will also be right up her alley.Next up is a recheck with the vet to make sure she’s beaten the UTI and to discuss the care she needs to get her teeth clean and healthy. We’ll update again soon!

August 21, 2024

With 3 days of Raven under our belt, we’re happy to report that we have been learning a lot about her and she is learning a lot about us. She’s certainly anxious with her new situation, but loves reassuring pets and rubs and is very comfortable receiving attention and affection from her new people.Raven spent her former life in a breeder’s kennel without much (or any?) time outside.  Now that she lives with us in a house, exploring the big outdoors is intimidating for her.  So our first 3 days with her have been focused on gently showing her that the yard is a safe and fun place and that chirping birds, chattering squirrels and the neighbor’s car in their driveway are nothing to be nervous about.  Each time we go outside we make some more progress and we expect Raven will adjust and find her comfort levels soon.  We know that the changes she is experiencing contrasted with the life she previously lived in her kennel would be overwhelming for any dog, so every tiny step forward is a cause for celebration! Inside the house she has a coupe of “safe spots” where she likes to rest.  Having a couch to lean into gives her comfort, so her doggie bed is strategically placed in the corner where two couches meet keeping her comfy and calm. We can see her begin to trust us and look to her resident foster sister dog for cues and she will now follow us around the house without her leash and come when called.  This morning she came upstairs to our second story for the first time to see the rest of the house and we are getting started taking short walks on the leash down the block.The days ahead should deliver more milestones as she settles in and also feels the healing effects of the medications she is on to clear up her infections. There’s a beautiful happy Labrador soul in there waiting to blossom and we’ll share more soon!

August 18, 2024

Raven has capped off an eventful first 10 days with Brookline by joining us at our home to begin her long term foster life and prepare for adoption and her forever home.  Being completely new to life outside her kennel, Raven was understandably nervous about the change, but she met her new resident-dog sister Ruby, her new FM and FD, and got to explore her new house with plenty of bravery.In the days since she left her kennel, Raven was able to visit the vet where she was diagnosed with infected teeth and a significant UTI which were surely both making her life much less enjoyable than she deserves.  Antibiotics and anti inflammatory pain meds are now doing their thing to heal and soothe her.  We learned that her comfort levels have improved each day and look forward to her feeling better as we tackle those problems.  We’re very grateful that Brookline is able to get her the medical care she has needed and we suspect that she is too!Her first day with us has been filled with gentle pets and napping to allow her to get to know her new pack and decompress.  She found a “safe space” next to the couch where she’s getting her rest and it’s so gratifying for FD and FM to see her look into our eyes to request more pets and love.Raven has a gorgeous thick wavy black coat that does, indeed, shine like raven feathers.  We can see love and calmness in her eyes and can’t wait to see her begin to wag her tail once she feels at home here. She opened herself up to trust us right away and we’ll encourage that and show her what life with a family is all about.Welcome to our home Raven!  We’re going to have so much fun getting to know you and finding you an incredible forever family!

August 9, 2024

Sweet Raven took her rescue ride off the farm yesterday, with fellow Brookline fosters Angel, Cookie and Merilee.

Raven was very shy when it came time for her to be handed off to her new foster mom. Being outside on leash was scary but she did manage to relieve herself and was happy to jump up into the safe confines of the back seat of the car for the final leg of her journey.The first order of business when we got home was a thorough bath to wash off that farm smell! Raven hasn’t spent any time in houses, it seems, and going inside seemed pretty overwhelming, so we just hosed off, sudsed her and rinsed her clean right in the driveway. Her beautiful, thick, wavy coat was much improved!

Once she was nice and clean she consented to come inside, but not too far! She wanted to stay right by the door into the sunroom, so we let her rest and decompress right there for a while.We hadn’t planned to work on crate training her right away, but it seemed clear that she was going to be most comfortable if she had a spot that felt like it was safe and all hers, so we got the crate out of the garage. As soon as she saw it, she got more relaxed and interested and she could barely wait for it to be all set up before getting in!She’s been drinking a lot of water and she ate almost all of her dinner (along with her flea and tick and worm chews). She’s still anxious and uncertain on the leash but she is willing to relieve herself outside on leash when she needs to. She passed a quiet night in her crate and came out of her shell a little bit this morning, conducting a very limited exploration of the sunroom and sitting down near me for some head pets and ear massages, which she seemed to appreciate very much! It’s going to take a little time, but I think once she settled in she will really blossom into the sweet girl she’s meant to be.