Sierra & Kodak

Hi Safe Harbor! Remember me? My name is Sierra. I'm the pretty black girl. Mom and Dad adopted me February 2, 2006. Oh my, life in the mountains as an only baby was great! I loved going to the park to see all my friends and playing in the pond. In January mom and dad left and came home with Kodiak.

How I love having a little sister. From the start I would not let Kodiak out of my site. I got to teach her all the good things mom and dad taught me. We love to play chase and keep away. As you can see from our photo our favorite time is snuggles.

What can we say. Sierra and Kodiak are a perfect balance of naughty and nice. The girls are inseparable. It's as if there was never a life without the other. Dinner time was a challenge at first, but they figured out which bowl they wanted and all was perfect. Both girls will be entering obedience school and then off to beginner agility classes. Kodiak is still young for agility, but has a natural curiosity for new and fun things.  We would like to thank SHLR for our two wonderful girls....lots of big lab kisses heading your way.

Molly

Hi Everyone!

Molly has adjusted to our home with no problem. She loves to play with her big brother, Oscar.  Their favorite game is tug-o-war.  She has a great appetite and TONS of energy!  We thank you so much for her.  She is a wonderful addition to our family!

Sincerely,
Don, Cari, Oscar and Molly

Chester

(Pictured are Chester and his new big brother, Jake.)

The boys are doing wonderful.  Chester is just a sweetheart and so smart.  I am impressed with what he will do.  He gets excited when he sees people and loves to play with other dogs but calms down so beautifully that our friends cannot believe him.  He is a very vocal little guy, cracks us up.  He will sit, lay down (not his favorite), wave, give you five, wait (my personal favorite and it is his best!), stay (a little harder but doing pretty good), starting heel and picking it up quick, and walks on lead beautifully (unless he sees Charley!!).  Chester weighs in at 52 pounds now, just a perfect little guy.

We have been keeping in touch with Cindy and Berry who adopted Charley (Chester’s littermate from Ruby’s litter) and have had play time with Charley.  It is so cute the way Chester & Charley know each other.  They really have a bond that is darling.  The times we have gone to the dog park they amazed us by seeking each other out if they were separated.  Charley is a love.  The first day they saw each other at class was too cute.  Cindy, Berry and Charley were in class when we arrived.  We took Chester to the window and were looking at Charley.  I think Chester's tail was spinning in circles when he saw Charley.  Charley turned, saw Chester and the two of them could not wait to see each other.  It was as if, through the glass, they knew each other.  I never underestimate what dogs can do.  They seem to have remembered each other. 

It is always great when such wonderful people come into your life.  I think about the day you called me back to go visit Chester.  We are so grateful that you did! 

Bella (formerly Belle)

Hi Safe Harbor!  First I want to thank you for taking me in and giving me such a great foster home back when I was a little girl.  I know I was quite a handful at 8 months, and since May of 05, have settled down very nicely according to my mom.  She didn't quite know what she was getting into with me at first!  I was very scared of everything for awhile and liked to hide behind a chair in the corner of the room.  Now I'm queen of my house and chase away the animals and protect my mom.  I still like to stay as close to my mom as possible though (and like to sit next to her on the couch best!).  I grew from a stubby 45 lb 8 mo pup to a 90 lb tall lean girl in less than a year!  I knew my paws seemed big and awkward when I was little.

My new home in Nederland was nothing I could have ever imagined growing up in Kansas.  I have a whole mountain to run around on, chase animals, dig holes, and play with the neighbor dogs.  At first my puppy wiggles sent me in every direction and at mach 5 speed all the time, but I've grown out of that.  I like to backcountry ski with my mom and dad, go snowshoeing, hiking, running, and mountain biking.  I can even beat my mom when she's on her bike when we race uphill.  Of course playing stick is one of my favorite things though.  I like to find elk bones and bring those home too.  Basically, I love to play outside all day and curl up next to the fire and rest quietly at night.  I'm partial to snow and will seek it out even if there is only a patch left. 

I'm a pretty happy pup, though I have never gotten over whining for some lovin and pets.  Oh, and I still hate the vaccuum.  Now, I hear we may get a brother or sister for me to play with, which sounds pretty fun to me.  I think we'll have another one of these to write pretty soon! 

Thank you for saving me and giving me a family I love so much.  My mom tells me every day I'm the sweetest dog in the world, and I believe it!  I would do anything for my family.

Bella (formerly Belle) and her family:  Lindsey and Zac

Fred

Attached is a photo of Earl (my husband) when he got Fred as a gift for Christmas.  EVERY DAY, and many times, MORE THAN ONCE during the day, Earl comes to thank me for giving Fred to him.  He tells me that Fred is the gift that keeps on giving, and that he enjoys him SO MUCH.

Fred is dearly in love with Earl.  When Earl was gone for a couple of days, Fred had no interest in playing, but the minute Earl got home Fred was right there with a tug toy in his mouth.  However, when I’m gone during the day on an errand, etc., Fred gets very excited when I get home and nothing will do but that Earl opens the cellar door so that Fred can run down to greet me in the garage. I told Earl that is because Fred considers that I am another one of Earl’s possessions, and he thinks I should be HERE not someplace else. I don't feel left out because when Earl is gone on a trip, Fred stays wherever I am…right at my feet almost.

Adrienne

Adrienne is doing great!  We love having her as part of our family and she is very happy. At first, she was a little anxious in her new home but a class with Kari from Wag-and –Train helped fix that. We discovered that she knows many commands and just needed a chance to brush up a bit. (She’s an especially good listener when treats are involved!)  

Adrienne and Oliver, our pug, were able to share space from day one but now have become best buds. It was difficult to take this family photo because the two of them were trying to get to one another! They follow each other around all day- in and out of their doggie door- upstairs and down. Adrienne is now even giving Oliver kisses whenever she gets the chance. Oliver loves the attention.   

We take Adrienne to Washington Park at least once a day. She has turned into a great jogging partner and can now run 4 miles at a consistent speed. She loves to meet new friends, 2 legged and 4, while we are out and about. The children in the neighborhood think she is great and Adrienne is always very gentle when they are around. When off leash with other “big dogs” she loves to play keep-away with a tennis ball. Adrienne is always the fastest so it ends up that the other dogs chase her all over the dog park. We are really looking forward to taking her to the mountains when the snow melts for some hiking.   

Thank you so much Safe Harbor for helping us to adopt Adrienne. We would like to especially thank Kateri for her patience, guidance and love for labs!   

Sincerely,

Greg, Katie, Oliver and Adrienne

Moose (formerly Kacy)

We adopted Moose (formerly Kacy) earlier in fall.  I can’t put into words how much we love him.  Last night at dinner my husband, Tim, said, “Let’s give Moose some love,” and we laid on the floor with him and rubbed his belly and ears for an hour!  

In a way, not only did we rescue Moose, but he rescued us. Tim and I were married in June and relocated to Denver, anxious to begin our married life with a faithful companion.... Moose is our buddy! We love to hike and so does he. I run him every morning in Wash Park. I think he'd prefer I let him off the leash to chase the geese. :) Tim is looking forward to fishing with him this summer, too! He's peaked at 103lbs... and is steady... a big boy with a LOT of love! He brings so much joy to our lives.

Thank you Safe Hharbor for all that you do.... taking pride in finding the right fit is so important ---  Moose is the perfect fit in our lives, all 100 and change pounds of him!

Thanks again! Keep up the great work!

Sue and Tim

PS Moose also just graduated from intermediate puppy school!  :)

BoJangles (formerly Ella)

Here are the girls after much play and in their favorite spot!  They are wonderful friends and BoJangles (formerly Ella) is learning to leave Hope alone when Hope hurts too badly. We have trained BoJangles to bring us things she picks up for a treat instead of chewing them up. Boy has that caught on as she brings us water bottles, slippers, the newspaper and then we give her a piece of kibble. It may not seem a worthy treat but she is doing this often throughout the day. On Christmas morning instead of chewing off all the bows we had her take all the wrapping paper to the person who had the garbage bag and it was Bo's job to clean up all the wrapping paper for a treat. BoJangles was thrilled to have a job and to serve while our 11-year-old Hope (black lab in picture) was happy to be quiet amongst all the commotion.

BoJangle's nurturing side is developing as she has sat or laid gently next to a sick member of the family on several different occasions.  She is eager to please and is no longer getting up on the counters and is quite the guard dog. But she is learning from our older lab to eat slowly and to stop when she is full and the food will be there later. Unheard of for yellow labs and she is calm but playful at 8 months. She loves the baseball mitt we bought for her to destroy and works on it every day. Both dogs love to lie at my feet as I cook.....what better place for them to be. It has been wonderful to have our new addition!

BoJangles loves to bury herself in the snow banks! Sometimes it is hard to find her then her head  pops up with snow packed on her face but her lovely brown eyes peering through the soft white! What a clown!

Thank you for such a wonderful dog and service you provide.
The Simon Family

Hanna (formerly Henna)

My name is Hanna (formerly Henna).  When I first arrived to my new home I had a new sister, Aspen (black lab in picture) and a new brother, Murphy (yellow lab).  We all played together, took walks, and went to the park all the time!  At the end of the day we would all snuggle up and sleep together in one large bed with Mom and Dad (if they could fit).  My new parents trained me well and now I walk on a leash like a million dollars!  I have also mastered many commands like “Leave It” and “Take It”, I am so proud of myself.   When my parents come home from work I always greet them with their shoes in my mouth.  Don’t worry, I never chew the shoes.   I just hold on to them for my parents.

 I forgot to mention that I also have 2 cat siblings.  I tried to play with them a lot at the beginning but now we just all lay together and purr.  One of my favorite things to do is to be my mom and dad’s shadow whether we are cooking, cleaning, or playing.  Another favorite thing is treats and I earn them all the time when I do a good job!  

This has been such a great year with my new family, now I truly feel at home.  Even though we lost my new brother, Murphy, this spring he is always our hearts.  With my loving family I look forward to many more wonderful years together.
J

Lily (formerly Jackie)

“I just wanted you to know that Lily (formerly Jackie), the black lab/border collie puppy we got from you, has developed wonderfully.  She has become quite muscular but not too large and has a glossy coat and bright eyes.  You may remember our Brittany puppy, Guinness.  Although he continues to be the super active aggressor, Lily is much stronger and handles him with ease. 

She is the boss dog but he will never admit it.  All things considered this is an outstanding dog.”  

Happy Holiday's
Ken and Diane