San Francisco, CA - Labrador Retriever. Meet Velvet a Pet for Adoption

My basic info

Breed

Labrador Retriever

Color

Black

Age

Young

Size

Med. 26-60 lbs (12-27 kg) (when grown)

Weight

–

Sex

Female

Pet ID

–

My details

Good with dogs

Good with cats

Purebred

Shots current

Spayed / Neutered

Housetrained

Has special needs

My story

Here's what the humans have to say about me:

VELVET: 1 ½ Year Old Black Female Lab Spayed 45 Pounds

Hi! My name is Velvet.

My owners gave me that name because I have a beautiful soft shiny coat that looks like Velvet. I am what people call a “special needs” dog. In my litter of 6 brothers and sisters, 3 of us were born with a condition called “Cerebellar Hypoplasia” which causes me to have jerky movements, tremors and generally uncoordinated motion. Cerebellar_hypoplasia_(non-human). I sometimes fall down and have trouble walking. My tremors increase when I am excited and subside when I am calm and at ease. My condition will not get better or worse with age, and I have already learned to somewhat compensate for it and should have a normal lifespan. Dogs with my condition can, in theory, lead a fairly normal life if special considerations for our disability are taken by our owner.

Now, for the fun stuff about me! I am on the petite side at about 45lbs. I am as sweet as they come. I love to play with other dogs and have fun playing with the two labs in my foster home. I think the cat is sort of interesting too, but she pretty much avoids me. I can eat and drink like any normal dog and am very much aware of sights and sounds around me. I love to follow my foster mom around the house and be wherever she is. I am potty trained and crate trained. At nighttime, I go to sleep in my crate. When I am home alone, I am gated off into one of the backrooms. I am a relatively mellow girl and do get tired easily from walking around. I will not need more than a ¼ mile walk each day and have fun just trotting around the backyard. My most favorite thing is to lay on the couch (did I mention I can jump up there on my own?) and rest my head in my foster mom’s lap. I try to get up on the bed as well, but usually miss. If you lift me up to the bed, I will just lay down and go to sleep. I also ride well in the car and am quiet for the car ride. Lots of great labby traits about me, I am just a wibbly wobbly girl!

I lived with my prior owners for a year in their apartment, but they were moving and could not take me with them. I was then brought to a shelter where there were lots of loud noises that made me nervous. The ideal home for me would be a one-story home (my condition does not allow me to navigate stairs easily) with a quiet and calm environment. When there is excitement around me, I get excited as well and that is when I lose my coordination. For this reason, a home without kids or much older kids would probably be best for me. I would be fine with another calm dog in the house. If you are gentle and calm with me, I remain that way and have much better balance. So, if you are looking for the greatest cuddle buddy and think you can be my owner and give me the love and understanding I need, then call my rescue rep below and ask about me! Oh – be sure to watch my video. Foster mom says that my condition just looks like I am dancing…..and who doesn’t love a dancing lab?

If you have want to adopt this wonderful girl, please contact Liz at 415-613-6374 or email liz@jobshopsf.com

(Please keep in mind we are all volunteers, most of us work full time and we all have personal lives. I do call everyone back within 2-3 days so please be patient and I will be back in touch with you. When the dogs are in foster homes then it may take longer as we need to touch base with the fosters for updates on the dogs. We work very hard to make the right matches for the dogs and for the new owners. We get 3-5 dogs per week and we do not have a facility that we keep the dogs housed in. They are scattered all over the Bay Area.)