Hi my name is Kerry and I'm happy to share our story of adopting an incredibly sweet lab named Abby from the LVLR.  Our family waited many years for the right time to adopt a dog into our lives.  Over the past year the subject would come up now and then and we'd debate is this really the right time?  What kind of dog?  Are the kids ready?  Our kids have birthdays in the spring and as the birthday season approached and their ages seemed so perfect for having a dog we felt that this was the right time so we just needed to find the right dog. 

First of all we didn't think we could handle a puppy this much we knew!   We wanted a dog around 1.5 - 2 yrs old.  We knew we wanted a lab because they have so many positive qualities and they're so gosh darn cute, loving, and loyal.  So it seemed like a great idea to rescue a lab who hadn't had a great start in life and needed a home.  I knew there were probably plenty of potential dogs to choose from, but I just didn't know where to start.

I started at the animal shelters and went to 2 or 3 shelters.  As hopeful as we were we just couldn't find any potential prospects at first.   Disappointed and discouraged I came home and turned to my computer for help.  After a quick search I discovered the Las Vegas Labrador Rescue website and the moment I clicked on the button for Available Labs I saw Abby's big bright smile pop up and I was smitten.  I read her story and my heart strings were tugged.  Her previous owners had just let her loose in hopes she'd run off and they'd be rid of their responsibility for her.  I couldn't resist so I decided to go ahead and fill out the adoption form for the LVLR and at first I was a little surprised by what seemed like a lengthy adoptive form and at the same time reassured that they really take the time to make sure the right dogs go to the right prospective owners so that it can be a successful adoption.  At first I thought oh they'll be so excited our nice family wants to adopt this dog Abby!  Then I realized there are lots of nice families who'd probably want her and we'd be lucky to get her.

Well we DID get lucky and thanks to the LVLR we've had Abby a little over a week now.  The first day I think we were just as nervous with her as I think she was with us!  It was just plain strange having a dog in the house!  By the second day we all started to relax and started to really have fun with her.  Abby is such a sweet sweet dog, smart as a whip, incredibly playful and eager to be loved.  She already has her own nickname: Abby Wigglebutt.  Like so many others have said it's been a very positive and rewarding experience.  She was already a very loving dog to begin with but as each day goes by she gets more and more loving and more and more playful which were the two most important qualities we were searching for in a dog.  We start obedience training next week and we're looking forward to it.  She's already a pretty obedient dog but she's still young (1.5 yrs) and since we don't know a whole lot about dogs we feel dog AND owner have plenty to learn!  She's also pretty afraid of other dogs so over time we're planning on helping her to socialize with her fellow canines.  When we think of the owners who were so negligent in just setting her loose to an uncertain fate it's hard for us not to judge and even more difficult to understand how they couldn't appreciate or want such a great dog.  Whatever the reasons I can sum up how we feel with four words:  Their loss our gain!

We encourage anyone willing to open up their home to a dog in need to trust in an organization like the LVLR.  They took such good care of Abby when she was in a foster home and they were completely honest and upfront about all of Abby's good and bad qualities (the latter being very few!) and as fate would have it Abby was the right dog for us.  We've had a very positive experience and we want to say a heartfelt THANK YOU.