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Lab rescue group is saving lives What makes the Labrador Retriever the most popular dog breed in America? “Labs are funny and kooky and sweet,” said Lois Mickiewicz, who owns a Labrador named Bailey. “They’re like kids that never grow up!”
What makes the Labrador Retriever the most popular dog breed in America?
According to the American Kennel Club, Labradors possess a number of appealing traits. They tend to be outgoing, eager-to-please, friendly, intelligent and adaptable.
“Labs are funny and kooky and sweet,” said Lois Mickiewicz, who owns a Labrador named Bailey. “They’re like kids that never grow up!”
So when these affable animals wind up in shelters, unwanted by their original owners and often only days away from being euthanized, the Lab Rescue of Greater Richmond tries to save them.
“Our mission is to rescue Labrador Retrievers and provide them with foster homes and veterinary care until they can be adopted into new, loving homes,” said Amy Turpin, one of the founders and current president of LBGR, a not-for-profit, all-volunteer organization serving Richmond and its surrounding counties.
“The most difficult part of doing rescue is when we can’t take a dog in,” said Turpin. “There are some days when I can handle it better than others. Some days, I can’t even bear to walk into the shelter, know that most of the dogs there won’t make it out.”
Mickiewicz, who lives in Mechanicsville, says that she and her husband became a foster family with LRGR about a year ago. “We had two Labs, and one had passed away,” she said. “So we thought instead of getting another dog from the shelter—well, we’d only be helping one dog. If we became a foster home, we could help several. We’re on our eighth dog now!”
Most of the dogs she and her husband care for are between one and four years old, says Mickiewicz.
Foster families are crucial to LRGR’s ability to save the animals from homelessness, or worse. “They can only pull out the number of dogs they have foster homes for,” said Mickiewicz.
And once these dogs find what Mickiewicz refers to as “forever homes,” they thrive.
LRGR’s Web site includes a section entitled “Happy Tails.” Here, images and stories of dogs basking in the affection of their owners provide testaments to the program’s ability to successfully match Labs to people.
The organization works with both prospective adopters and foster families to ensure that a Lab finds the home that will best meet its needs. Volunteers who serve as adoption coordinators assess the dog’s levels of socialization, activity and training, and its temperament.
They then consider the lifestyle of the adopter when recommending a particular dog for a particular family.
“We like to keep our dogs in foster homes for about two weeks so we can learn as much as we can about them,” said Turpin.
To prepare Labs for their new lives in their new homes, foster families provide basic behavioral skills, including housetraining, crate training and leash walking.
“My heart truly is with doing rescue,” said Turpin. “I can’t imagine not doing it.”
And, she said, “Watching these dogs get placed into new loving homes is what makes it all worthwhile.”
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