Lelani

Lelani is the sweetest little cuddler around, and she has found her forever dream home with Margaret, who will make sure she gets plenty of belly rubs, daily walks, and lots of play time with the neighborhood pups and their people. Five-year-old Lelani is still full of puppyish charm, and has been busy making new friends whenever she and her mom step out for a stroll. Being a reasonable girl, Lelani appears to have reached an agreement with her new feline sibling that they will just ignore each whenever possible.

Margaret tells us: "Lelani is a sweet heart. She loves everyone - people and dogs, and especially children. She's well behaved in the house and loves belly rubs. She can be snoring, but the minute I stop rubbing her belly, she looks at me and wonders why I've stopped! She behaves like a puppy when we walk, and loves to run and play with the other dogs."

Kody (formerly Lakota)

Lakota is very proud and excited to announce that he has found his forever home with Lori! This happy, handsome, and energetic one-year-old yellow Lab youngster found the perfect place to hang his leash, set down his bowl, and set up his dog bed, and is quickly making himself right at home.

Lakota's new mom tell us: "He is doing great. He goes by Kody now and he's a sweet little boy. His personality is emerging more each day and he is getting more confident. We are working on some things and are enrolled in Canine Academy starting next week. I'm sure he will love this...except the part where he has to walk on a leash. He protests heavily to being on a leash and is trying to convince me that he should be allowed to run at his own free will and be off leash at all times!, Overall, he's a giant love bug who has stolen my heart. He does know this by the way and tries to use it to his advantage to convince me that he should be allowed on the couch :)."

Allie

Connie and Chris have adopted from Safe Harbor before, and lost their most recent Lab about a year ago. It took them some time before they could think about adding to their family again, but when they saw Allie's profile they thought she might just be the one to open their hearts. They had never adopted a dog as young as three-year-old Allie, and were a little anxious about her energy level. Once they met her they realized what a sweet and easy girl Allie is as long as she gets a good run around every day. She is totally reliable in the house and did so well coming to them off the leash that they knew she was just what they needed, and they were quickly sold on this pretty little black Lab girl. It was clear that Allie had found her people when all she wanted do during the adoption was lie on her back and wait for belly rubs until it was time to head home. Allie truly struck gold with her wonderful new forever family, and can boast to all her dog friends about having two homes now, as she splits her time between her new city pad and her mountain cabin.

Connie reports: "Allie is doing really great. She and I walk twice a day. Some of her favorite things - she loves to bask in the morning sun, she never turns down a belly rub, and she loves her squeaky toys. If I'm busy and not throwing them for her, she throws them and plays by herself. Her most favorite place to be is our cabin which we go to every weekend. She has 40 acres to run and play. I have never seen a dog run as fast and as graceful as she does. She truly has won over our hearts and has found her forever home."

Aspen

Sandra and Ken recently lost their Lab and felt their house was much too empty and quiet. Ken missed having a running companion, and Sandra, a quiet pal to keep her company at home. They started to keep an eye on our website, and when Aspen appeared they wondered if she might be a good fit. Lovely 18-month-old Aspen was delighted to meet them, and impressed them with her ability to heel on command, ease on-leash, and fitness to be a running partner. She is just the right mix of athlete and well-behaved girl to suit their home, so Sandra and Ken said 'she is it!'. Aspen will keep Ken company as he runs to stay fit as a soccer referee, and will also enjoy just hanging out during the day with Sandra, who is home much of the time. What more could lovely Aspen ask for?

In an update, Sandra told us that Aspen is adjusting well to the family routine, and particularly loves her daily runs with Ken. She will soon begin obedience classes to brush up on commands and learn to control some of her youthful enthusiasm. Sandra says that Aspen "is a sweetie" and has filled the empty space in their hearts and home.

Maizie

Treasure brought two-year-old Maizie into her home as a foster dog, and Maizie soon decided that she'd like to stay — so she showed her family that she could be the life of the party and danced her way into their hearts forever. After recovering from a recent surgery, Maizie is feeling fine and ready to let the good times roll.
Treasure sent us this update on Maizie's new life: "Maizie has been a wonderful addition to our family, and is always eager to greet us with a big wag and smile. She is learning how to share toys with our other dog, Cinder, which makes playing "fetch" much more enjoyable for everyone. One of Maizie's very special characteristics is that she loves to DANCE! If we play some music with a good beat, Maizie quickly turns a normal afternoon into a dance party! Cinder isn't sure about the dancing, but enjoys "singing" along."

What a perfect home for this charming "party animal"!

Izzy (formerly Gizmo)

With their children off at college, Jack and Deb decided their home was a little too quiet and that it was time to bring the pitter-patter of little feet back into the house, and one-year-old Gizmo happily volunteered to be the new resident kid. Although still just an overgrown puppy, Gizmo, who now goes by "Izzy", is a pretty well-behaved young Lab girl, and is quickly discovering all the joys of family life.

Deb reports: "Izzy is doing wonderful. She is such a good puppy and we are so excited to have her in our family! She is both house and crate trained. She plays with her toys and hasn't even showed interest in picking up shoes, socks or anything else. She love to go for walks, runs and rides in the car. Izzy is getting to know the neighborhood dogs and loves having play dates with the young golden retriever down the street. They love to chase each other and wrestle in the snow. Our college kids have been home and now have returned to school and they miss Izzy more than us! We are so grateful to have found Izzy and have her company now that we are new 'empty nesters'."

Riley (formerly Quimby)

Helen and Al really wanted to bring two-year-old Quimby home before Christmas but he wasn't ready to go until Dec. 26th, so Christmas came a day late for this family. It was definitely worth the wait for everyone, and sweet Quimby, now renamed Riley, was a very happy and healthy boy on adoption day, and he went home to the best possible place. With his terrific new parents and a new Lab big sister to pal around with, he will now truly be living the life of Riley!

Helen and Al tell us that Riley is doing very well and learning the ropes in his new home: "Riley must have come from a loving home because he is very sweet and gentle. He sleeps very soundly on a pillow next to our bed and is fully house trained. He does like to cruise the counter tops but understands no very well. Needs some correction just to get his enthusiasm in control! He is playfully sweet to our 7year old Sugar and if he oversteps his bounds, she let's him know in dog language!! He has blended very smoothly into our lives and knows he has a home and our love for life."

Max

Sweet ten-year-old Max found a wonderful new home for Christmas with Jen, Jason, and Sister, his new feline friend. Max was on a trial adoption for a few days to see if he and Sister would get along and all went very well — no real surprise to us because Max is such an amiable fellow.

While Lab kids always enjoy accompanying their parents to the office, lucky Max will have double the fun as both Jen and Jason are park rangers and he will often get to join them at work. After a hard day on the job, Max can go home and relax, and live the luxurious life of a well-loved family Lab.

Max's new parents report that he is fitting in beautifully: "Things with Max are fantastic. He has been the best Christmas present!! He and Sister Cat are settling into a routine and we are all very happy. Thank you so much for taking such good care of him."

Bella

James met our young Bella, a pretty, little 1 1/2-year-old black Lab girl, just before Christmas, and recently shared their story with us:

"Bella and I have moved very quickly in our relationship. We actually moved in together within hours of our first blind date. We are telling each other that although this may be the time we believe that we have found what we have both been looking for, that we must take our time and make sure that we are not letting the first blush of new love to overcome our sensibilities.

So, we are still together and hope that this is a lifelong story.

Best,

Jim and Bella"

Now that's a tale of true puppy love!

Rosy (formerly Tory)

Two-year-old Tory has found the home of her doggie dreams with Scott and Michele and their children, Corrie and Cameron. This beautiful yellow Lab girl knew she was home almost as soon as she walked through their door, and has since been busy letting all the local rabbits and squirrels know that they'd better stay on their toes if they want to come visiting in her new yard.

Tory's new parents tell us: "We are just THRILLED with our new family member! We "adjusted" her name to one could call our own, and "Tory" is now "Roxy"! She is such a sweet little girl! VERY mellow and wants constant loving, which is just fine with us! She fit right in with our family within hours. We brought her home and after sniffing around a little, she snuggled in on her new doggie poof and took a 2 hour nap! She is having a ball "stalking" the bunnies and squirrels that occupy our back yard. We are sure that our family lab of 12 years, which we lost about 4 months ago, sent Roxy to us! She is just perfect and we are SO HAPPY to have her as part of our family. We love her!"

What a lucky girl she is to have found such a wonderful forever family!

Fanta (formerly Jennie)

When Santa Paws heard that all little seven-month-old Jennie wanted for her first Christmas was a forever family of her very own, he immediately thought of Mark and Betsy, who were looking for an adorable Lab to join their family. They had been looking for a smaller Lab, both for themselves, and for their grandchildren to enjoy, and Santa P. was pretty sure that this very sweet and lovely little black Lab girl would be the perfect gift for all! So he arranged a meeting and soon everyone's wish list was filled, and Jennie was home for the holidays and forever.

Jennie has been renamed Fanta because she reminds Mark and Betsy so much, in looks and temperament, of Phantom, their previous Lab of 16 years. They tell us that "she is very loving, trains quickly and has fit into our home very readily."

Fanta has apparently decided to help Mark with any New Year's resolutions he may, (or may not), have made, since he reports that he's a little stiff and sore these days because of all the extra daily exercise Fanta is making sure he gets.

Beauregard (formery Lambeau)

One-year-old Lambeau has a new life and a new home with Jennifer and Tom, complete with a great new canine sister named Sophie, and a big back yard to run around in. This handsome young Lab, who is know known as Beauregard, is more than just another pretty face — he is also a champion snuggler and an expert retriever.

Jennifer sent us this update: "Beau is turning out to be a fabulous dog. he is very sweet, gentle, and mild mannered. He learns quickly and wants to please. His favorite thing to do even more than eating is to retrieve. We take him morning and evening and he never tires of getting the ball! His sister, Sophie loves him too and when he is not following my husband or I all around the house, he follows Sophie. They love to cuddle together for a nap. Everyone loves Beau including our dog trainer who constantly says how lucky we were to find such a great dog. We agree, and wouldn't give him back for the world! We feel very fortunate for having found Safe Harbor."

And young Beau is very fortunate to have found such a dedicated, active, and loving forever family of his very own!

Layla (formerly Rosie)

This is one-year-old Rosie on her adoption day with her new dad, Mike, and canine sister, Abby Rose. Rosie, now renamed Layla, is enjoying the good life with her new forever family. The girls go for walks or runs three times a day with their dad who enjoys outdoor fun as much as they do. Layla will also have daily playdates with the dogs next door because Mike is the go-to guy in the neighborhood for help with taking care of the pups. Layla is learning many new commands, as well as the joys of off-leash play. Riding in the truck is also high on Layla's list of favorite activities.

Mike tells us that after a brief case of the settling-in blues, Layla is doing absolutely wonderfully and fits in beautifully with her new family.

Layla is one very lucky Lab girl to have such a devoted forever dad and terrific canine big sister!

Many thanks to Audra and Becky for fostering Rosie/Layla!