My name is Maisy!

MAISY is a 1 year old spayed yellow female Lab who weighs 52 pounds. Note: Maisy is a happy and outgoing. bouncy puppy who would like a quiet and patient family to help her blossom. She needs a quiet neighborhood and a fenced yard while she gets used to the noises of the city or the suburbs. Apartment living is NOT in her future. She is more tentative with men and will want to have a quiet
place to go if workmen come to the house. I suspect that man in the family will have to work to build a relationship with her but will have no problems after a while. Maisy must go to a home with another dog because she blossomed pretty quickly and starts to bounce as soon as the resident Lab is around. She wishes he would play more. Maisy has been well loved by her previous owner and it shows. She may take a bit to trust but once she trusts it's full trust. Her family will have to go slowly with her and introduce her to new things one at a time. The inner puppy is dying to get out but her fears are holding her back. A happy, fun loving and confident family with a bouncy puppy to play with will be perfect for her. Maisy is approved for kids ages 10+

Update (1/29): Maisy has been such a good puppy while her foster mom has had to be gone more for work. I'm leaving her with fun things to do in the crate when I go. She shreds paper towel rolls with joy, chomps down on a filled kong or bone...all the good things a puppy likes. She barks for a bit after I leave and is VERY happy to see me when I'm home but is doing great with the crate.

Update (01.20): Another fun week for Maisy while she waits for her forever family. It's been another great week for Maisy, filled with growth and new opportunities. What was new this week? Well, Maisy had more overnight guests in the house and thought they were grand. It took her almost no time to say WELCOME. It was a rainy day so our house guest had to throw her jeans into the laundry because they played ball and Maisy completely forgets that she's supposed to be afraid of someone with tennis balls. New opportunities? Well, we're investigating the world from the inside of a car. Maisy loves going for rides in the car and everything scary on the street is easier to digest inside a car so we're going for rides almost every day....ride to the kiss in ride to see people. Ride through the drive through for McNuggests...drive to the schoolyard to get to know it. Ride to meet our new house guest who sat in the car and said 'hi to Maisy' with no fuss no muss. I know I've said this before but Maisy is 90% puppy. Yes she has her special needs but once she settles in she's yours! Yes when people come over she barks and scoots away...if your house is like mine...that's 3x a week and she rolls with it and settles in just fine. The only other thing that stands in the way of Maisy having a home is walking through the neighborhood. Now, I'm 1/2 a block from an elementary school so there's lots of people going through my neighborhood. We have a route we walk with minimal people but we still see about 10 people per walk - mail carriers, ups deliveries, people walking or leaving their home. She does better and better with this. 6 weeks ago she was in never ending search for threats but not any more. She enjoys walks and does fine with most things now. But we limit and use lots of her favorite treats and she's getting braver and braver. Time and safe exposure to the things that scare her have already made a huge difference with Maisy. Her 'fear times' are less than an hour a day...that's nothing! For such a special dog who's going to grow out of her silliness...it's nothing. The 90% loving puppy is sooo worth the time and effort. She LOVES!!! She CUDDLES!!! She PLAYS beautifully with other dogs! She's smart as a whip and learns something new every day. Her house manners are impeccable which is good because sometimes she runs through the mud and needs to trot to the bath :-) If you have her checklist - another dog, a quiet home, a quiet neighborhood and a fenced yard...give her a chance!

Update (01/12): Maisy says 'rainy day...boooo'! I had a zoomie run around the yard and played tug of war with the resident dog and decided to spend the day catching up on my sleep and letting my foster mom work. This sweet girl continues to blossom again. We had people over yesterday and everyone was able to pet her and get to know her after a few minutes of barkiness and keeping her distance. Maisy definitely prefers the company of women over men and women with dogs she connects with really quickly.
I know I've said that Maisy needs four things so I thought I'd expand on what and why.
1. A playful pup - they open the door to new relationships and she did great with a visiting 14 year old lab yesterday. They're a role model and she follows their suit and gets more curious as they visit new people.
2. A fenced yard - she really likes to run and when she gets the zoomies she'll go around and around for about 10 - 20 minutes
3. A quiet home - the more people in the home the harder the transition. She'll definitely be drawn to the mom in the home than the dad but she's spent a week with a big man in the house and did fine
4. A quiet neighborhood - lots of comings and goings scare her still, though it gets better every day but if you live up against a school yard or near a shopping center then the people coming and going will scare her.
Believe it or not, she loves going for walks. I pick up her harness and she starts to dance but sits while I put it on. More and more I see sniffing and a tail in the air.
If you like a snuggle bug; Maisy's your girl. If you like a dog with personality; Maisy's your girl. Every minute you invest in helping her get more comfortable with the world will be rewarded with kisses, cuddles and love. It's amazing to see how far she's coming in one month! WATCH OUT WORLD...Maisy's coming!!!

Update (01/07) SNOW DAY! Maisy was in heaven. Boy did she love the snow and played on and off all day with the resident dog and we invited another golden retriever friend over. She ran and ran and ran and then ran some more. Then she slept and started all over again.

Update (01/05): The holidays are over and Maisy's ready for her foster mom to get back to work. We had holiday house guests and lots of visitors over the holiday and she did great with them. It took her a bit of time to warm up but she did with both men and women; though men took a bit longer. She enjoyed being petted and playing with the houseguests. We've learned that Maisy is great at getting baths...the mud over the holidays made it hard to stay clean. She can do a day with a walk only exercise regime and then she has to RUN and run ...so we had a couple of 'mad half hours' that ended up with Maisy in the bath. Maisy's ability to adapt amazes me...she's doing so much better on walks when people appear. We've spent a few weeks turning walks into treat dispensing opportunities so that she'll be attentive to her foster mom and learn to enjoy the random appearance of people. Mission accomplished. Maisy sniffs on a walk and her tail sits mid air instead of being tucked between her legs. And pulling to go home...happens only at the very end. In short, she's learning to like her walks...loving them comes next. Maisy's been with us for 3 1/2 weeks...she's not the same dog who walked through my doors. She's ready for her family...able to meet her new family and will be a great member of her new family.

Update (01/01): It's official....I love this dog. Fireworks last night just two doors away...she rolled with it quietly though didn't like it. Five people on a walk this am...she rolled with it...even followed someone for almost a block. Now, three stripped tennis balls - check! One de-legged dinosaur - check! First 'OMG did she eat that?' - check. That's all puppy...love her puppy! But we've also done houseguests - check....let me keep my distance and we'll be OK. Overnight, come in the house whenever houseguests - check...same...I'll keep my distance until I'm ready. Meet the houseguests and move from bark to sniff to close to pets...check! She moves slowly but she's got it all. I love her puppy charms and fabulous house manners. I love how she brings out the playful in my resident lab. I love her smarts to learn something new every day. I love watching her grow...every day is just a bit more growth. As I move close to celebrating a first gotcha day anniversary with my resident fearful lab I look back and say..."Maisy...you ain't got nothin' on him....and today he's the Lab that everyone wants to adopt...just took time and treats". They're a lot alike these two...seriously...someone save me from keeping her...she'll go down as one of the ones that I let get away.

Dec 29, 2014: Maisy is just a love bug. She's settled in so well here and as she gets more comfortable just keeps growing. She's pretty much perfect in her foster family's eyes. Well manner, cuddly, quiet and fabulous with the resident dog. We have house guests staying for a while and she's doing really well with their being here. She gives them space and hangs out with the family but is being a good host while they're here and enjoys the treats they give her. She's getting more and more comfortable on walks. Loose leash all the way and she's enjoying them more. She show this by sniffing more and her tail goes up and even wags. Time, patience and practice are working wonders with walking and we do better and better when we see people. She is interested in them but we keep going. I love this girl. She's so wonderful. Everything a young lab should be and more. If you have a fenced yard and a young lab to play with she would make a wonderful member of your family. She likes a quiet home and neighborhood. It's great fun to watch her blossom!

Update (12/26) Maisy is a good, brave girl! Maisy's doing so much better on walks. She is mostly walking on a loose leash and doesn't get too stressed out when we see a person. We can pause from a distance and let her absorb people ahead of us and then move on with just a bit of back tracking. Huge progress and every day gets better. But the big news is that Maisy's foster mom hosted Christmas eve dinner for five, including three men and she did great. She was a bit barky and tentative in the beginning but chose to stay with us throughout and just stayed quietly near her foster mom. She would take treats from the guests but didn't want to be petted on the first date. I was very proud of her and impressed with her ability to roll with all the people in the house. Every day I grow to love Maisy more and more. She's a darling house guest with great house manners. On top of it she's cuddly and affectionate and just a real character. After two days of rain the backyard was a pond and mud puddle. She finally said 'I HAVE TO RUN!' and run she did, through every puddle but with such joy. Then, she had a bath and is now soft and shiny again. Easiest bath I've ever had to give to a dog to date. She's a great companion to both me and the resident dog. One of my favorite foster dogs ever! With a bit of time and patience she'll make a wonderful family member for you too. It's amazing to see how far she's come in just over a week.

Update (12/22): Maisy has had even more new and positive experiences. Play dates, meet and greets, and, she accompanied the resident Lab when he went to agility class. She got to see lots of people and took treats but everyone just let her be while she gets used to the environment. She did great and I think she was jealous of the resident dog's fun.
She had visitors yesterday and definitely warmed up to the woman faster than the man but she was taking treats from him by the end of the visit. She retreats to her foster mom when she encounters a man; either hiding behind her and barking or sitting in her lap for safety. I think she'll get better with this over time and with the help of treats...she loves being won over with deli roast beef, deli turkey, bologna and cheese. Maisy has mastered the clicker and it's helping with her fears. We click for calm and play training games when she gets a bit scared and she comes around in no time. And, she's getting more comfortable on walks. She still doesn't like seeing people but unless they're moving around a lot or very loud then she's able to move past them more comfortably. We've gone from 'pulls like the dickens' to loose leash and sniffing unless something unusual happens.
She is such a good girl. she's teaching the resident lab the 'way of the play'. They now gently wrestle and seek each other out for company and he has started waving toys in her face to get her to play with him. Sleeps through the night, great house manners, doesn't counter surf and great with dogs. Those pesky fears are melting away.
Maisy's Holiday Wish is to have a quiet home in as rural a place as possible; a home with one or more dog...the more the merrier. She will reward you with kisses and laughter.

Update (12/19): Maisy...wow...day three is like a transformation for her. It's a pleasure to watch. We decided to do our first meet and greet and she did so well and was offering kisses to her new friend in no time...of course she did bring a big bouncy dog as a housewarming gift which is the key to Maisy's heart. We did a road trip and she just smiled and wagged the whole way and met someone else during our outing. I see a young girl coming out of her shell! Or is she breaking out of it?
Maisy has GREAT house manners...doesn't even sniff at the counter. She only chews appropriate things and hasn't gotten into any mischief at all. She's smart as a whip. In the list of things that Maisy knows...sit, lay down, touch, watch me, stay. Each day I teach her something new and she learns it quickly and doesn't need a reminder the next day.

Update (12/18): Maisy is a great little house guest. Fully house trained. Crated like a dream when I had to go out yesterday for a few hours. A peanut butter filled bone helped her want to get in the crate and she was calm and quiet when I got home. She likes toys but hasn't destroyed any (yet). Loves tennis balls and is currently defuzzing one at my feet. She likes the routine in her foster home. Three miles of walks a day and some ball play in the back yard and keeping her nice and tired. When her energy builds up, well she gets bouncy. She's quite the cuddler too. Curls up with her head in your lap while you stroke her soft head and muzzle. She loves having her ears stroked.
I don't know who told her she was a lab...she eats her meals very slowly and doesn't clean her bowl *gasp* but the resident lab is happy to make sure that the bowl is clean. Inside the house I don't see many skittish behaviors at all. Outside, she doesn't like when we encounter people on our walks and wants to move on quickly. So, we keep our distance and move on. She's quiet as a mouse about it.
Quite the delight to have during the holiday season.

Update (12/17) Maisy did fine through the night. She shared the bed with her foster family and pretty much curled up through the night. She woke up a couple of times and checked in with us to make sure that we were as happy to have her here as she is to be here. We had our first long walk this morning. A harness is a must for Maisy. She pulls like the Dickens and can get a bit fearful if she's over stimulated i.e. we were at the end of the busy street and turned the corner just as a man came out the front door of his house. She didn't make a peep, just did a bit of a spin and tried to run away. We'll work on that with treats while she's here. What can I say except that Maisy is 90% puppy and about 10% 'WHAT'S THAT?' kind of fearful. So far, giving her time to process and then pick up and move on to fun stuff again works great. But the key is to take it in stride rather than be too sympathetic to her fears. She's a real hoot! Bounce, bounce, play! She can sail across the room onto the sofa with a toy in her mouth. And she runs back and forth - resident dog...touch...foster mom....touch....back to the resident dog for a boop with her nose. Loves squeaky toys. Loves tennis balls. Not a fan of the camera but we'll work on that. She settled in for a cuddle last night and was just writhing with glee in my lap until the snoring started. Definitely thinks she's a lap lab...oh wait...she was a lap lab ;-)
A resident dog is a must for Maisy. A playful one at that. She would really like nothing more than to run around the yard with him. She's a bit boisterous for the lab here but she keeps trying and is very fun loving puppy about it. Bowing and nudging for him to play.

Update: (12/16): Early days. Maisy arrived a few hours ago and at first she didn't come closer than a few feet from me. But, a squeaky tennis ball and the resident Lab turned her from scared to bouncy and so far she hasn't looked back. She thinks dinner is grand. Mud in the backyard is fun to jump in. Balls are fun to play with and so far she has spent about 20 minutes writhing around in my lap while I break the crusted mud from her body...hey what can I say...one it dries it's easy to vacuum.

This dog is available for adoption from Lab Rescue LRCP. The rescue has between 50-80 dogs available for adoption.

If you are interested in adopting. please visit www.lab-rescue.org and complete an adoption application. Within a few days of submitting an application you will hear from an Adoption Coordinator who will guide you through the adoption process.

An adoption fee is charged to cover the cost of veterinary care and a house check is required.