Mr. Butch came to us as a 30th birthday present from my husband. At 1 and a half years old, and hypercharged, he was both the same age and activity level as our other dawg, Billie. What a match Butchie was for our home! Every other day Butch, Billie and I run 7 miles at Town Lake. They then wrestle hard at home for at least an hour after running. On the days we don't run they play hard at Red Bud, chasing marsh bugs and galloping through mud and water at full speed. They have even gone to see the Zilker park musical and Blues on the Green. They are wonderful companions for us and a constant source of entertainment. Billie is a lot happier too now that she has a furry friend to play bitey face with. Many thanks to Kathleen for helping us make such a good match- We really appreciate all the wonderful work Blue Dog Rescue does!
 

I just wanted to send you a quick note to let you know how all the kids are doing.

Lindy is as goofy as ever and she has fallen in love with one of the cats (Wilbur). They clean each other all of the time (it is really quite yucky when a cat  drenched in Lindy slobber jumps up on your lap).  They follow each other around and Wilbur will even do the dog "play pose" of two outstretched legs on the floor when he wants lindy to play chase.

Tahoe is quite the smart sack of potatoes.  He can get this expression of total sadness (ears down, brow furrowed, eyes big) if 30 seconds has elapsed and he is not in my lap.  Imagine if you will, the comfort of a 35 pound brick jumping onto your lap.  In fact, Tahoe likes to sit up like an old man; he will jump up in my lap and then lean back sitting up.  The picture below was taken one Sunday morning and he had to sit beside me because I had a notebook in my lap but he does this all of the time.  In fact, I am at my desk (in an office chair) with Tahoe sitting straight up in my lap right now.  He is becoming quite the typist.

Fitz is still doing well.  I am sure that Tahoe has added quite a few years to his life.  You can't see it in the picture above but Fitz and Lindy were on my other side with Fitz growling at Tahoe.  Of course a Fitz growl is to lie in a completely prone position, not even lifting his head or looking around and just growling at random intervals.

Anyway, that is the update on our little family.  Thanks again for all that you do.

Regards,
Tres
 

Thanks for the sweetest puppy on the face of the earth!  He's been a delight since the night Jenny & Laura brought him to us!  Our older dog, Griffin (who came from Aussie Rescue- thanks, Joann!), wasn't sure about this "new kid" the first couple of days, but as you can see from the pictures, he warmed right up and now they are together all the time and we are seeing a whole "younger" side to Griffin....

Thanks again, Blue Dog, for all the lives you are saving....
 

Shadow came to our house a year ago and we've been Best Buddies ever since! We took puppy classes together and she's taught the whole family lots of good tricks.  We now put away our shoes, don't leave our toys out and eat all our snacks at the table.  She even does cool stuff too!  We do everything together and I love my best friend!  Thanks Blue Dog!
 

Nola has been a wonderful addition to our family.  She is a very happy, loving and loyal dog, and provides my other dog Mojo with a playmate, loving companionship and cleans his ears for him too.  We recently drove to NY to see my parents, and Nola saw her first snow.  She loved it!  We want to thank Debbie and Blue Dog for saving Nola even with all of the medical challenges she had when first rescued.  The money and time you all put into getting Nola healthy was worth it.  She has made Mojo and I very happy.

Thanks so much.
Shannon, Mojo and Nola

My new family came to get me in early May. It was love at first sight! From the moment of that first meeting we have truly bonded! Some of the time we are in Austin but we spend more time in Montana where it is cooler especially in the summer. They tell me I am a wonderful traveler. My crate goes with me so I will feel secure anywhere I go. In Montana I get to feel free and go mostly where I please within my boundaries. I have an acre to roam in and there are plenty of squirrels to chase as well as deer and turkeys. It is my job to guard and scare away anything that comes in my area including bears. I haven't seen any of those things however. My family is proud of me as I am well "potty" trained, sleep all night without making any sounds, go to bed and get up when they do. I love my toys and there are lots of them. I get to go to the grocery store and the Post Office and many other places. People always say how beautiful I am and then they want to pet me. They're always shocked to hear I'm a "pound puppy"... whatever that is. They tell me I'm gorgeous. Sometimes I chew on things I'm not supposed to but I am learning what is okay and what is not. I found out that the steering wheel in our new car was a "no-no" so I never did that again. I know that I am loved and they say I am so, so special. I want to thank my foster mom, Kristin, for keeping me safe until my family could find me... Life is good! Thank you, Blue Dog Rescue!
 

From the moment Doc entered our house, I knew he was here to stay.  He promptly adopted a floor pillow as his bed, and seemed to say, "Well, here I am. Thanks for adopting me!" Here is a photo of Doc hanging with his cousins (from left: Darwin, Mucky and MacGregor), and one of him looking out the front window.  Doc is the perfect addition to our family.  He has the most comical personality and always keeps us laughing with his funny facial expressions and silly Gumby body.  He is so flexible and gets himself into the funniest positions. Even one of our cats (who was scared to death of Doc the first month he was here) now loves nothing more than to boss Doc around, and he loves the attention----he thinks it's great fun. Thanks for helping Doc find his way home.  We're sure glad you did. Janna, Kris, Sasha, Sonja, Diabla & Doc

Hi All,
Just checking in to let you know that Pablo (aka Pablino, Pabaloni, and Petey Pablo) is THE sweetest dog on the entire earth.  Every day we're in awe of how sweet & special he is.  When people come over, they coo over him and say how they wish their dogs could be as well behaved as ours...it shouldn't be this easy with such a young guy!

He and our other dog Sassy get along perfectly.  They have a blast playing in the yard or cuddling on the couch.  We're so happy that we used Blue Dog Rescue to find a fine home for a fine dog!

Lisa, Mark, and Sassy

When I saw my new family and my new big back yard I got so excited I tinkled a little.

Since that time I’ve put on 4 pounds and I have a lot of toys and blankets to play with.  I am crate trained, however my mommy said I can sleep anywhere.  I choose on the bed under the covers.

I’ve gotten to go to my grandparents’ houses and play.  I love to go for car rides.  My grandma has a new puppy and I go to visit him all the time…I’m Uncle Lars.  Everyone just loves me because I am so good…I can now do tricks like sit, stay, lay down, and crawl on my tummy.

I love to give kisses to everyone.  It’s been 6 months since finding my family.  They love me more than I could ever say.  They saw me for who I was, not what I looked like.  My life before Blue Dog is a blur to me.  I remember some angel came and rescued me from a horrible place.  I had window screen matted into my fur and a bad case of fleas.  I got a haircut and was shaved from my chest down and cleaned up, but I had bald spots all over.  I was on antibiotics for my skin rash.  I was not the best groomed dog but my mommy saw into my eyes and new I was meant for her.  

My Blue Dog angel Lisa took care of me until my new mommy called.  I just wanted to show you how I’ve grown up.  Thank you all at Blue Dog.

Love,

Lars Templeton
 

Dear Foster Mommy,

So much has happened since I last saw you.  I am such a big girl now, my Mommy says I weigh 51 pounds; I have gained 5 pounds in the last 4 weeks alone.  I have had to go visit the vet a lot because I had a really bad bladder infection.  I don’t like pills, Mommy tells me I don’t have to take any more, but, I don’t believe her…. I still sniff all my treats really well because Mommy might try and sneak a pill in there.  One time Mommy told me she was making me a treat and she scrambled up this egg, I was so excited, but, one sniff and I knew a pill was all smashed up in there so I didn’t eat one single bite, I showed her.

My new sister Lola is yellow like Louise.  I think Lola is a little over the top in the energy department and lacks the sophistication and class that I have.  One of my favorite things to do is nip at her legs while she runs!  It keeps her from going so fast and then she’ll usually stop and bark at me and then we will chase each other around.  But I would prefer sitting with Mommy and watching  a little TV.  Daddy likes me to give him lots of wet sloppy kisses, especially after I have just had a big drink of water.  Mommy thinks I’m the most precious little girl that ever lived, even when I try to dig up her crepe myrtle tree.  Up until about 2 weeks ago Lola always got the blame, but, somehow Mommy figured it out… might have been my dirty nose and muddy paws.  I’ll have to be more careful next time.  Daddy really likes to play hide and seek and I am always up for a good game.  When it’s nice outside we go and play ball.  Mommy and Daddy both tell me I am a good ball player because I just lay the ball at their feet so they can keep throwing it for me.

Mommy has been telling me that soon we will be going out on the boat to the lake.  I am looking forward to showing Lola I am a much better swimmer than she is.  Even though Lola is a lab and is supposed to be a good swimmer she is a big ole scardy cat and won’t even jump in the water.  Another example of how Lola just isn’t as cool as me is her fear of stairs.  I like to run up and down stairs as many times as I can whenever I am around them.  Mommy or Daddy has to carry Lola up and down stairs when she encounters them and she cries the whole time.  I laugh and laugh at her and Mommy doesn’t even get mad at me for laughing. 

Mommy and I were sad when we read that my sister Louise was missing me.  I missed her too, we read the update every week and we were so happy when she got a new Mommy that loves her.  I hope you are doing well and please tell my sister I said hello and I hope she is having as much fun as I am.

Love,

Thelma Francisco-Harris
 

Hello Everyone!!
I'm so excited to tell you about my new "forever" home.
My new Mom picked me up from Triple Crown Dog Academy right before Christmas. I was kind of scared to leave, because I really liked my trainer. She was very nice and pretty.
I have 2 big dog brothers They are also adopted. Troy is alot of fun and boy can he run fast! Ozzy is an old grouchy Blue Heeler and he's teaching me some herding tricks! I love to annoy both of them! We have over 10 acres to run on with real cows and horses. I wasn't too sure about living in a house and I had a few accidents, but I'm all trained now! The dishwasher, washer/dryer, and vacuum took some getting used to also!
My favorite thing to do is cuddle up with Mom on the bed after Dad leaves for work and chew on my toys. Oh and the groceries are pretty darn good here too!

Thank you Blue Dog from the bottom of my heart. I love my forever family!

"Zeeb" Walker
 

Dear Foster-Mom,

Just thought I'd let you know what's been happening with me. I now have a title, "Canine Good Citizen", which I tested for. Got a real pretty certificate from the AKC. I needed it for my activity as a Therapy Dog. I go around to the places old folks live and cheer them up. And now I'll be going to a school to help kids read. This is a new program being tried so kids read better.

I've also gotten back into Agility, but we had to take some time off because my Dad had a new shoulder put in. I was not happy when he was gone for 3 days.

The attached picture was taken at the river with my good friend Codie.

Love,
Nixon

Timmy always woos fellow dog owners with his well-behaved, playful demeanor. He passed with flying colors his "puppy basics" class, learned to swim and loves other dogs. Unbeknownst to him, 2003 would be filled with more changes. Phil's employment would take us to CA, and we took a 4 day road trip to CA. For a little stray, he has experienced so much and in the process has learned/grown up proudly. On our road trip, he made the car his home, and cherished the rest stops. He explored the deserts of NM, AZ and the Grand Canyon. Tennis balls are his favorite toy. He's an excellent retriever. He loves the beach, any water, and his newest experience was playing in the snow. He LOVED it. It was a first time for me seeing his stubborn-side. He just didn't want to come inside, no matter how long the icicles were on his chin! (grin) He is now a leggy 53 pounds and 17 months old. He is still timid of alot of things, but has certainly come a long way. Needless to say, he continues to bring great enjoyment into our lives.
 

Greg and I adopted T-Bone almost two weeks ago. Since that time, his heartworms are gone and he's gained six pounds! That's because Greg likes steak and so does T-Bone. We both now have a new exercise partner. He's wonderfully affectionate and pretty smart. Sometimes he decides to relocate things (sometimes big heavy things) from a high shelf or inside a pantry in one room to another but never chews, never rips anything open or damages anything. He gently relocates :-) Since he's so big, he can reach anything on the counters, including his favorite treats. Instead of helping himself when we're not home, when we are home and not looking, he'll retrieve a bag of whatever he wants from the back of the countertop and drop it in your lap so that you know he wants one. Pretty cute. Thanks so much to Lisa and Blue Dog Rescue for bringing T-Bone into our lives!
 

 Josh has a great life. If you've traveled the small towns of the Texas Hill Country you may have seen him on one of his frequent trips strolling the streets with his Dad, as Mom shops for antiques.  His favorite part of the trip is getting a tasty treat as Dad eats ice cream. But, back home Josh loves walks in the park and pursuing fleeing squirrels - never to be a winner.  When people see him on the trails they say he looks like the Lion King. Josh no longer has the shabby chic look because he has his standing appointments at the groomer...oh the life of a dog.  Thank you for letting him become a member of our family.
 

One Friday in March 2001 my husband and I packed up our truck and drove from Dallas to Austin for a meeting that would change our lives. We were going to meet a potential "playmate" for our unsociable red-headed Aussie (also a rescue).

Having found him via an Internet search, I had spoken with Blue Dog representatives by phone about his happy-go-lucky personality and his foster parents' hopes for his forever home. After a pretty uneventful introduction staged in a neighborhood park, the two proved well matched as they engaged in their first frenzied game of chase. These games continue to this day.

In addition to sneaking into the bed every night, Eli enjoys clicker training and, like his sister Lucchese, has proved to be quite an athlete. Together the family participates in several dog sports. One sport in particular, flyball, allows us to stay in touch with his foster parents who often attend regional tournaments held at Hutto's Triple Crown center. 

We thank Blue Dog and, in particular Parker and Betsy, for taking such great care of this little (now lanky) guy so that he could find his way into our hearts.

Jennifer, Jason and Lucchese
 

Ebbie then

LillyPig now
 

Lacey then

We are very excited to have that cute dog we first saw on the internet in our home and part of our family.  We have two older dogs, a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix and a rat terrier mix.  All the dogs are getting along fine. Lacey is very reserved but is doing more tail wagging, seeking affection, and revealing more of her own special personality. 

She really enjoys the attention we give her.  We especially enjoy giving her lots of love and attention knowing her history of neglect and health problems. We are so grateful that Blue Dog saves dogs like Lacey and gives them a new start in loving homes.  We are thrilled to have Lacey.
 

Banjo has now been renamed Django (pronounced Jango) and lives with us, Jeanne and Russ in South Austin. We bought a house in March and brought Django to live with us and two house cats. With the help of Blue Dog Rescue and the Lee Mannix Center for Canine Behavior, Django has learned to trust us, our family and our friends. He is now very playful and is making up for the puppy-hood time he had lost. He loves to play fetch and chase his kitty siblings. He has learned to sit, lay down, roll over and goes running 3.5 miles with Jeanne several times a week. He is a completely different dog from the shy, frightened one we first saw at the Blue Dog Rescue event. We couldn't love him more!