You never know who you’re going to fall in love with when you take a peek at all the beautiful faces peering out of the adoptable dogs page on our website. For Staci and Jim, it was eight-year-old Pebbles, a handsome full-figured gent with soulful brown eyes and a ready smile, who caught their attention and won their hearts. This very special senior pup now answers to the name Frederick and is thriving and loving life as a cherished forever member of their family. 
Staci and Jim tell us:
When the last of our five kids went to college, our five-year-old Yellow Lab, Pearl, was lonely – she missed the hustle and bustle of our busy household. We kind of missed it, too! We decided to adopt another Lab to round out our canine family and provide Pearl with a friendly companion.
We got approved to adopt through Safe Harbor and watched the website regularly for a smallish, youngish, female Yellow Lab (might as well just have one color of hair to deal with, right?). We ended up with a senior, super-sized male Black Lab who fits our family perfectly. When we met “Pebbles” he was quite overweight, suffered greatly from arthritis, and was feeling a little lost after the only family he ever knew left him at a shelter. Thankfully Safe Harbor stepped in and got him the medical care he needed and placed him in a loving foster home. Despite his physical condition and confusion, he greeted us with warmth and enthusiasm. And that was when we knew he was the one.
Since joining our family just over a month ago, Frederick has blossomed. With daily walks and lots of fetching (his absolute favorite thing), Fred has gotten stronger and we can already tell he’s moving around much better. He’s also losing weight! He and Pearl – both “only dogs” in their previous lives – have formed a strong bond and are always together. Fred loves to snuggle on the couch with his head in someone’s lap and puts himself to bed in his cozy dog bed when he’s ready to retire for the night. He has the sweetest temperament and loves everyone he meets. We’re working on socialization (not sure he got out much before), and he’s a quick study on how to manage yourself in public places.
Fred is living the life he always deserved, and we feel so blessed that Safe Harbor entrusted him to us.