Behind the Dog House: Stacy

Ever wonder how a dog rescue runs when it’s 100% volunteer? It’s all because of our amazing volunteers! This volunteer spotlight, we chatted with Stacy, one of our long-time volunteers in Orange County.

Born and raised in LA, this southern California girl is all about dogs and has a heart of gold. Stacy lives in OC with her loving husband Warren and her furry baby Harlow, whom she adopted from Labradors and Friends last year. A proud momma of two grown-up kids and a loving mom-in-law, this kind-hearted, beautiful lady chats with us today about her life and volunteer work with Labradors and Friends.

Stacy and her L&F adopted pup, Harlow

L&F: Hi Stacy, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Stacy: I worked as a Deputy Probation Counselor for 16 years. My job was working with juvenile delinquents of ages ranging from 11 to 18, counseling them to encourage and make changes to their existing way of life. My job was all about working with children and young adults. At times it was a little challenging, as you want these kids to change, thrive, and have a better life. But they usually go back to the same environment and resist to change unless they really want to. Anyway, after 16 years of service, I retired from my job to raise my children, as they were young adults at that time and needed me more. We decided to give our full attention to raising them well at that hard age.

L&F: How did you get started with L&F?
Stacy: When I retired from my full-time job, I had more time on my hands than before, so I started volunteering at the OC animal shelter and continued to do so for 4 years. Not to upset anyone, but at that time they were putting a lot of dogs to sleep and it was frustrating. Then someone at the shelter mentioned about Labradors and Friends rescue and how it would be a great fit for me, as these animals are all rescued and just waiting to go home. It just felt right to help this wonderful organization, and it has been 4.5 years of volunteering with Labs and Friends. I couldn’t be happier helping this amazing rescue organization.

L&F volunteer dog walkers on a pack walk in OC

L&F: What is your role with L&F?
Stacy: I am a walking facilitator for L&F. Everyday I am there from 7:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the boarding facilities, rain or shine, all 7 days a week. I figure out who is coming that day to walk the dogs and match the people to the dogs. After I pull the dogs from the kennels in the back, we all start walking at the same time. We call it the “pack walk.” We take each dog for about 45 mins to 1 hr. We have a group of 20 wonderful volunteers devoted to walking these dogs. Any given day at least 4 people show up for daily pack walks, and during weekends the attendance is a little higher. In addition to being the walking facilitator, I also help with meet & greets at the boarding facilities, vet runs, and administering nonprescription meds. Prescription meds are usually administered by the people at the boarding facility.

L&F: What is the most rewarding and difficult part of your job?
Stacy: Well, it is very rewarding to watch these dogs find a loving home. And sometimes the dogs come to our rescue with severe medical issues like cancer, congestive heart failure where they had to be put to sleep. It is very sad and difficult when that happens. But most of the time it’s a happy story.

L&F: What does volunteering mean to you?
Stacy: It means everything. Ever since I was 15, I have volunteered whenever I could. Later, when I had kids, I volunteered at their school events. And now I am so happy to be helping these dogs get out of their kennels and get their daily exercise. When I wake up every morning, I know I don’t have to, but I choose to go to the boarding facilities to walk the dogs, because these dogs are getting out of their kennels only when we get them out. So rain or shine I show up every single day and hope for more people to show up. You are only as good as the people who support you. I would like to take this opportunity and give a big shout out to all my volunteer friends with big hearts who help these dogs. I couldn’t have done all this and continue to serve without all you wonderful souls by my side.

L&F: That’s wonderful!! Do you also help any other rescue organizations?
Stacy: Yes I do. In addition to Labs & Friends, I also help German Shepherd Rescue, Barks of Love, Wish for Animals at Dana Point. I pretty much help the other rescues in the same way as L&F.

Stacy and other L&F volunteer dog walkers

L&F: What are your hobbies and interests other than volunteering?
Stacy: [a big hearty laugh] O Boy!! You caught me off-guard. I guess dogs are my interests and helping them is my passion. I love dogs and get very attached to them. That’s the reason I don’t choose to foster, as I know I would be a foster failure. But I like to bring them home for a day away from the shelter, organize park lunches with dogs, or just drive them around to a bunch of parks around the area with a bunch of my volunteer friends.

L&F: Before we conclude this interview, tell us a little about your family.
Stacy: I live in Villa Park, OC, with my loving husband Warren. We have two beautiful children. Our elder son got married recently. Both my son and daughter love dogs, so we got them Yorkie puppies when they were young. Sadly, we lost the two dogs to old age last year. They both passed within the same week and it was a very hard time for us. Being surrounded with the friends from pack walk group helped me to heal and coming to these loving furry babies everyday, helping them walk did help considerably. This year we adopted Harlow, a rescue from L&F, and couldn’t be any happier. We love our Harlow.

Stacy and her family

L&F: On behalf of L&F, we would like to thank you for your service and support. We appreciate you and are so grateful that you are part of the L&F family.
Stacy: [a warm laugh] That’s good to know. Sometimes you know you just do your thing and leave. It’s nice to be noticed and acknowledged. Thank you!!

Fospice

If you haven’t heard the term before, fospice isn’t an exotic spice or some millennial slang. Fospice is, however, something profoundly indescribable. It’s an experience that juxtaposes all that is happy and joyful and melds it with an excruciating heartbreak. In the dog rescue business we have plenty of families looking for puppies and bouncy dogs.

josiahs shelter photo
Josiah in the shelter

Josiah came into the rescue not so young (approximately 10-11 years old) and not so bouncy (limited vision and hearing, raspy breathing, vomited frequently).

So how would rescues convince families to foster a hospice dog? I won’t even try, so instead I’ll tell you a story…It’s The Life of Josiah. There’s a bit of drama, a throne, a Pinocchio transformation, and Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Jillian and Amanda were excited to be in their first house, and in September of 2018 fostering Josiah would make it a home. Of course Josiah was going to make Jillian and Amanda work for it. The dangling of food would not fool Josiah into giving free kisses. He was aloof, and his fosters were going to work to gain his trust. Slowly Josiah was opening up, and before long he was described as being their shadow, following Jillian and Amanda around. It might not seem like a major milestone, but the first time Josiah elected to sit on the couch was an exciting moment. After that, the couch was described as his ‘throne.’

And after the conquering of the couch, Josiah discovered that belly rubs felt pretty good.  

He was transforming. Josiah went from a shell of a dog dying in a 4-by-8 box to a real dog with adventures, warm beds, and a loving family of his own.

But the magic didn’t stop there. It happened during Josiah’s other favorite thing: ‘walk time.’ Suddenly this 10-11 year old German Shepard mix that was hard of hearing and seeing, curiously turned into a young bouncy puppy.

Josiah passed on August 25, 2019, having experienced a wonderful life with his moms Jillian and Amanda. Although Josiah’s loss was sudden and can be described as an excruciating heartbreak, there are zero regrets. Fospice is a profoundly indescribable experience and if anyone has the opportunity to foster a senior or hospice dog, I am certain you would feel the same.

Keep Tabs on Your Pooch With Whistle

There are plenty of devices out there to help humans track their physical activity, but what you may not know is that the same technology is out there for your four-legged friends! Whistle is a small device that attaches to your dog’s collar and tracks its activity and location. It’s not just for counting steps, though – if you’ve got an escape artist, it can quite literally be a life saver.

Tony Stark is a wonderful dog who decided that he needed to explore the world, so back in July he managed to escape his boarding facility and went missing for two weeks before he was found. When he was placed in a foster home with our volunteers Jessica and Jose, we put a Whistle on him to make sure he wouldn’t give a repeat performance.

With the Whistle on his collar, Jessica and Jose could always keep tabs on Tony. All they had to do was put in their address, and if Tony ever managed to get out, they’d immediately get notifications from the Whistle app and could track his location in real time. Luckily he hasn’t tried to escape since, but it never hurts to have peace of mind that your pup is safely at home even if you’re not.

notifications about tony not being at home, then returning home safely

Whistle has a wide range of features beyond just tracking location and steps. It allows you to set fitness goals for your pooch, and if you’re not sure how much exercise he needs each day, it can give you recommendations based on his size, age, weight and breed. If life gets hectic and your daily walk gets forgotten in the shuffle, the app will give you gentle reminders to help make sure you’re hitting your goals.

Whistle even monitors your dog’s licking, sleeping and scratching, so you can be proactive if a health issue starts to arise. With a battery life of at least ten days, you also don’t need to worry about constant charging.

You can buy a Whistle at https://shop.whistle.com/, and until October 3, you can get $20 off a Whistle GO with the code GO20. Whistle has a monthly subscription fee of $9.95, which we think is a fair price to pay for peace of mind!

Our intrepid explorer Tony is available for adoption – if you’re interested in meeting him, fill out an application today!

tony stark wearing the Whistle GPS tracker on his collar

Dogs Seeking Humans to Foster

No we didn’t get this backwards. While we are grateful to our fosters and volunteers, let’s be honest…part of the reason why many people choose to foster or volunteer (besides being a good human being and earning good karma points) is because dogs give back that unexplainable, unconditional thing.  It’s not really all that selfless.  If you are a dog person you’ll know exactly what I mean.

San Diego has the largest concentration of military personnel, which means San Diego is home to many people from other parts of the country and most likely missing their homes.

volunteer with pitbull mix
Kaitlin and pittie, Annie

Our volunteer Kaitlin from Wisconsin has been in San Diego since December 2017 and is currently a Navy Operations Specialist. Kaitlin expressed that when she first moved to San Diego she felt homesick and lonely.  Her mom suggested finding a rescue.  Annie (pittie mix, 8 years young), in the pink scarf, had only one prerequisite; that her human share in a bit of fashion sense.  Annie approved and is happy to foster Kaitlin during her stint here in San Diego. 

volunteer with lab mix
Tyler and Labrador/Shar-Pei mix, Pepe

Tyler from New Jersey didn’t grow up with a dog but is unquestionably a dog person. Tyler has been stationed in San Diego for two and half years and plans to go to college and study finance when he completes his tour.  Until then, Pepe (lab/shar-pei mix, approximately 1 year old) certainly doesn’t mind fostering Tyler and being his ‘wing-dog’.  Having a ‘walking dog’ date is the new Tinder for meeting girls. 

volunteer with two lab mixes
Grace and Labrador mixes, Layla and Rudolph

Grace started out as an aviation electrician and is now a Marine barracks manager. Of the four military branches, the Marines has the lowest percentage of women.  It could not have been easy for Grace in this tough male-dominate environment.  She certainly missed her dog Pepper back home in Virginia, so she sought to find a rescue with larger dogs.  Layla (lab/golden retriever mix, 2 years old) in the pink scarf, and Rudolph (lab/dane mix, 2 years old) were looking to help any human but specifically sympathized with shy humans.  Looks like all parties are all smiles.

Hopefully in some small way we (Annie, Pepe, Layla, Rudolph and the rest of the Labs and Friends team) are able to provide a little bit of comfort and support.  Thank you to our service men and women!

When There is Hope There Is Always A Hero or “Two”!!

A Bonded Pair, Hope & Hero needs a caretaker or foster! Won’t you consider helping them get a new start?

On a chilly wet spring day in San Bernardino Robyn, a teacher by profession and an angel by heart, found a beautiful black lab roaming near her school. The dog was obviously lost and didn’t have any tags on her. It was evident that this sweet dog was a new momma as her milk ducts were full of milk. Sadly, Robyn couldn’t find her babies anywhere.  Yet she didn’t give up! Robyn brought this sweet momma food and tried to follow her everyday hoping to find the puppies. Everyday this sweet dog would be patiently waiting, on the same street corner, day and night with such hope in her eyes. She seemed to be waiting for her family to come back and pick her up…sadly no one did.

About 4 weeks later another dog started hanging out in the same spot. The two dogs bonded instantly! They kept each other company and endured the unusually cold and wet winter we had in So Cal this year.  Robyn, with her big heart started to feed both dogs. She new she couldn’t take them home, but still needed to help care for them. Everyday this sweet couple would stand outside the school greeting the students and other teachers who passed by. Soon this bonded pair won over the hearts of everyone at school. The kids and the teachers would buy them extra lunches and the kids loved how they would walk them up to class and to the corner every day.

With every passing day it was evident to Robyn that no one was ever going to come back for these two sweet souls. She feared with the school year coming to an end something would happen to both of them. She didn’t have the heart to call Animal control in San Bernardino. Why? Let’s just say we are thankful that she didn’t make the call. After everything they have endured, no one wanted them to go to San Bernardino City Animal Shelter. So, Robyn decided to make a plea on behalf of this sweet helpless couple and she did.  As luck would have it, we saw it! Immediately we mobilized the team and put in a rescue plan together. Everyone in the team was heartbroken after listening to their story and jumped right in to help. We let Robyn know that we heard her plea and were coming in to rescue the dogs. Robyn was teary eyed when she heard the news. With the promise of better life, we rescued this beautiful bonded pair the very same day.

As soon as we met this pair we knew they were special and we named them as such. Hope, because she never lost hope that someone would care and Hero, because he showed up to help protect her on the lonely, cold streets of San Bernardino. They were taken directly to our vet who ran blood work and fecal tests. Later they were bathed, given flea/tick meds, spayed and neutered, micro-chipped and vaccinated. They are both healthy and ready to go home now, preferably together, who can break up this love story? Originally Hope weighed about 80 pounds and was looking very thin and frail. Now she weighs about 90 pounds and looks happy, healthy and strong. Hero is a smaller guy weighing about 65 pounds.

They are technically not a bonded pair, but it will make all our hearts happy to have them go to a loving home together. They are kindred spirits who got each other through the cold and loneliness on a small street corner… The hopelessness and heartbreak they felt when they were left behind feeling cold and hungry is beyond any of our imagination. Now it is time for these sweet souls to want for nothing and have all the love and warmth they can handle and more… Both dogs are incredibly sweet, affectionate and light up with any attention. Any home would be blessed to have these two happy souls.

Please consider opening your home and heart to Hope and Hero. They are great with kids, good with other dogs, ride well in the car and are truly sweet pups. Our heartfelt thanks and regards to Robyn for being their Angel. We pray that they find their forever happy home and family soon. Please email us at dogs@labradorsandfriends.org for any further inquiries or fill out our online application at www.labradorsandfriends.orgto take Hope and Hero home with you. Currently they both are in Southern California. Thank You for taking time to read our Hope and Hero story.

About Our Rescue Group

Labradors and Friends Dog Rescue Group is a 501(c)3 animal rescue group whose mission is to help save the lives of homeless Labradors, Labrador-mixes, and Labrador “friends” from kill-shelters in California and across the southwest. Founded in 2007, our all-volunteer group of dedicated men and women have placed over 4,500 dogs in loving homes in Southern California and the surrounding areas.

volunteer holding dog at rescue eventOver the past few years, Labradors and Friends Dog Rescue Group has noticed a dramatic increase in the number of senior dogs and dogs requiring medical care who are in need of rescue from high-kill shelters. In response to this need, Labradors and Friends Dog Rescue Group created two special funds to help these deserving dogs. The “Agnes Fund” was created to help cover the costs of caring for senior dogs and the “Paw Up” fund was created to cover the cost of both major and minor medical needs. Labradors and Friends Dog Rescue Group is dedicated to changing the fate of Labrador Retrievers, Labrador-mixes, and Labrador “friends” by placing them in loving forever homes. Labradors and Friends Dog Rescue group plays an important role in the local community by uniting people with their 4-legged companions and helping to complete families.

Labradors and Friends Dog Rescue has a lifesaving percentage of 98%. Labradors and Friends Dog Rescue takes in approximately 350 dogs (adults and puppies) annually.