LAZY DOGS

We used to have the DOG OF THE MONTH...but with all of our fab guests and these amazing photos coming in....it looks like we are going to have to have the DOG OF THE DAY! Check out these two on such a lazy day.

BLUE EYED BABES

Meet Alex and Maya...two local lovelies hailing from Yancey County. Their proud owners Steve and Jose can't get enough of these two and I just had to share this pic as they stare lovingly into their Pops camera.

HOW DAWGS DO TRAVEL

Meet Mulligan, Tyler and Sage....all packed up and ready to go. But heh you guys...get out of the car. You're not due to Ponder Cove until October. See you then. In the meantime enjoy a nice Fall in NYC.

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Maizey Grace, LAB

Karen and Meredith Hall, Owners

My name is Maizey Grace and my humans caught me in the middle of one of my beauty treatments! A girl has to work hard to maintain her looks you know! A Southern lady tries not to let her secrets out but I was ambushed! I am another LFS dog. I am originally from the great state of Texas and was brought to Georgia as a Christmas gift. While my original family loved me, my parents both worked full time and crated me for 12-15 hours a day! That does not make for a happy puppy! Fortunately they found Labrador Friends of the South and asked them to find me a new forever home! My first and only adoption event was on a cold,sleety Saturday in February of 2006. I was under the table when a sweet young girl named Meredith found me. Her first Labrador Grover had passed away after ten years with her and she was looking for a new friend! We fell in love with each other immediately! Her Mom saw the love and gave in pretty easily! I joined Meredith, Divot her brother dog and her two cats Uba and Peaches! I was so happy and while I had some bad moments--what's a girl to say? I have now settled in and also have another brother Hank the Tank --another LFS friend! I am living proof that blonds really do have more fun!!!

Love, Maizey Grace and Meredith

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Hunter, Boxer
Neena Gulley, Owner

My name is Hunter but this past December, my parents decided to name me Rudolph the Big Nosed Boxer. I was very unhappy with the new moniker. You see, my parents decided to bring a screaming, ear-pulling baby into our lives this past November. Not that anybody asked me what I thought about that. We were all just humming along happily, and suddenly this horrible red screaming thing arrives and ruins everything. Except, around Christmas I decided to finally give her a chance, very reluctantly, mind you. Turns out, she's not so bad, although please don't think that I like her or anything. Because I don't. I really don't. Except for sometimes, when no one is looking, I like to sneak over to her and give her a few kisses. Definitely not because I like her or anything, but us red-nosed boxers like to stick together. Happy year, everyone! The holidays are long over, but the celebratin' is just beginning.

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Ginger, doing the Downward Dog, Australian Shepherd
John Martin, Owner

She is a smart, devoted, energetic, and talented dog. She knows the
tricks of a circus dog, and will perform on command. Her tricks
include "beg", "shake hands", "crawl,"weave between legs", "jump
through arms", "jump onto lap","roll over", "crawl", "fetch your
ball", "bark", and sneeze on command". As you can see, she also
practices yoga.

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Ginger, Lab/ Pit Bull Mix
Mark, Krista, Brittany and Taylor, owners

Ginger has been a wonderful addition to our family. We were so lucky to adopt Ginger
from Labrador Friends of the South on December 31,2006. It was a wonderful way
to ring in the new year. Our entire family is crazy about her. She absolutely loves to
be with her family. She has a weak spot for squeaky toys. Ginger loves to wake our
girls. Every morning she serves as the alarm clock. She loves to shower people with
kisses. I can't imagine our life without her. We feel very lucky to have her as a member
of our family!

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Cerys ( pronounced Kerris), Lab Mix
Kiki and Phil Jones, owner

Cerys is the Welsh word for love. We went to a Labradorfriends meeting on 15th Dec 2007. They had a 'Box of puppies done up with Christmas tape' and were hoping to find homes for them. They had named them after Santa's reindeer. Cerys was then called Cupid and was the smallest. She was wrapped up in a little blanket and despite that was shivering all over. She was about 12 pounds in weight and beautiful, but very, very frightened. We had not thought of adopting a dog before that day but our hearts melted when we saw her. She was described as a Lab mix and people are still amazed when they see her for the first time as they expect her to be bigger.

She now weighs about 26 pounds at 11 months and is like a mini-lab (as a friend called her) perfectly proportioned and a wonderful honey colour. As she grew it was obvious that she was quite a nervous dog who still tries to run the other way when we get close to storm drains, but she was probably wild for a time with her family, so who knows what happened to her. She has changed our lives, but for the better..We have had nothing but support from Labfriends in the early teething stages when she was so terrified of everything, the dishwasher, the car, the friendly baby rabbit in the garden. You name it and she was terrified initially. With patience and few cross words she has settled into her new life and made ours richer. We think she has 'Star quality' but that will have to be left to your good judgement

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Belle , American English Coonhound
Neal and Joy Anderson

We searched everywhere for the dog that needed us. That's when we met Belle. When we arrived to meet her, a wiggly ball of mud burst forward into Neal's lap. Her lot was only 15 feet square and she shared it with her brother. She informed us she needed a home with places to run and fun things to do. We brought her home and after her first bath we discovered she was not red but white with red spots. The wiggly didn't wash out. As we have lived together we have found we need her much more than she needed us. She takes care of everyone around her, not just her family. Once she found a young rabbit injured in the yard. She brought him to us and we rushed him to the vet where they saved him. The vet said Belle saved him by finding him so soon after the hawk attack. We would never have seen him without her excellent nose and concern for others. She even found Ponder Cove while she was watching TV one day. So for our 6th anniversary we took our 3 year old coonhound to Ponder Cove and she wanted to stay forever. She is such a big part of our family she even visits Joy's classroom from time to time. Everyone seems to know Belle even if they don't remember our names. She was shy but has blossomed into a loving, sweet, and friendly pup. We feel blessed to have her in our lives.

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Katie, Casper and Kenzie, Labs

Anne & Matt Hare, owners

Katie is a rescue dog we got because our two other labs, Casper & Kenzie, were so attached and we knew that Kenzie’s passing would devastate Casper. Needless to say, the three of them formed a wonderful pack and Kenzie tolerated Katie’s youthful energy and exuberance like a champ. Kenzie lived for a year with her little pack and though we were crushed to lose our ‘old girl’ we knew that Casper & Katie had each other. Casper is a certified therapy dog, visiting patients in a local hospital and working with patients in a rehab facility. She loves to retrieve the newspapers they throw for her, pull them in their wheelchair, or just go for a slow walk next to their walker. She never met a stranger and her full body wag delights everyone she meets. Katie filled Kenzie’s big shoes well, for she is always up for a jog whether it’s 90 degrees or 20. Summer jogs are always rewarded with an immediate dip in the pool and then a long, hard belly-up nap in the air conditioning. Casper’s always ready to reward anyone with a big, slobbery kiss, but Katie is a little more reserved - must have something to do with her previous life before rescue. We’ve only recently been able to get a quick flip of her tongue on our nose, to which we squeal with delight and she excitedly jumps in circles. She’s a real sweetie who doesn’t realize she’s outgrown the lap dog stage. We’re so lucky to have been blessed by all of these wonderful dogs.

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COBY, PUG, MOLLY, BASSET

Jessica L. Ewert, Owner

Coby’s Bio as told by Coby:
I used to have a little girlfriend who passed away from a heat stroke a couple weeks before her 4th birthday. It was real hot outside and mom and dad were on vacation and the kids that were watching us took us for a walk, I got tired and stopped. The sweet kids put me under the shade while Casey (my girlfriend) wanted to make them happy so she kept going. They brought her home and brought me some water. That was the best. Life was looking good once the water got there then after a while I noticed that Casey was gone and wasn' t coming back. Mom and dad tried all they could but it did look good. So now it is me a cat and Molly.

Molly was brought home in a Hush Puppy shoe box for her new Daddy. Around Christmas her Daddy passed away in a car accident and her Mom wanted to pass her on to a loving family that could give her the love and attention she needed. Turns out that was my Dad, so now I am living with a long eared drooling pupper that has the longest body and shortest legs I have ever seen! She is great when she is sleeping which is nota s much as me but it is still great. As you can see in the picture I have learned how to make my size dominate her!

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MACK, Labrador

Randall & Angela Wilson, Owner

In early 2007 we lost our nine year old Labrador, Annie to cancer. Our family (my husband, our rat terrier, Jasmine, and I) were lost and devastated. I found Labrador Friends of the South (LFS) through an internet search as we began to talk about possibly rescuing a Labrador. Last June, we decided to attend a LFS adoption day in Atlanta. I had been feverously scanning their web site, and had noticed Mack. He didn't have a foster family and had been kept in a kennel for several months.

My husband wasn't sure we were ready for another lab, so we really weren't sure that attending the adoption day would result in finding a good match. Our rat terrier, Jasmine attended the adoption day with us. She has pretty discerning taste, and she immediately let us know that some of the labs did not feel right to her - then she met Mack - a 55lb (he was a little thin) Labrador with sweet submissive energy.

Like many rescue dogs, Mack came to us with his own set of issues. He was left in a shed in Atlanta with no food or water for over a week when a landlord found him and contacted LFS. He was obviously abused and while he bonded with us from the very beginning, we soon saw signs of him not trusting people, especially if they tried to approach him.

We brought him home to our farm Hartselle, AL where he had 20 acres and a really big pond to explore, but despite the safety and comfort of a forever home, his struggles in meeting people continued. Not willing to give up on him, and with the help of LFS we took him back to Atlanta to meet with Susie Aga, the Atlanta Dog Trainer. We were complete novices in how to deal with a pooch who had not been well socialized. Since that time, we work with him constantly on being comfortable with people he doesn't know and helping him understand that WE are the alphas and its our job it is to protect the pack.

He has come such a long way. In December we took him back to Atlanta to LFS's Christmas party and fundraiser. Outside of a very rainy and cold December day, we were thrilled at how he trusted us and that he was able to be around a large group of people (we think it helped that everyone smelled like wet dogs)

As you can see from the photo, Mack loves the outdoors and would stay in the pond through all seasons, if we would let him. We chose this photo to reflect the calm silent strength and beauty of the Labrador retriever.

He has come such a long way and we would love to have him as part of your 2009 calendar.

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Shala, Siberian Husky

Owners-Phillip & Brandy Jones

Shala was rescued at the age of 4 from the Charlotte Animal Shelter in August of 2001. It was love at first sight and I couldn't wait to take her home. My beagle, Lacy, wasn't so sure of her new playmate, since she was three times her size. Eventually Shala became the protective big sister and we adopted 2 more dogs. Lacy and Chase have been to Ponder Cove twice and they LOVE it. Shala had to stay at Grandma's house with her brother because we didn't want any problems with the resident cat. She would have loved the mountains. We hiked a lot together before her hips wouldn't allow her to go with me anymore. She passed away suddenly from cancer in June of '08 and we miss her terribly. She loved her daddy and they would "woo woo" back and forth to each other. Eating was her favorite pastime and she never missed a meal. She was a therapy dog and visited nursing homes and the Ronald Mcdonald House. She walked in Christmas parades with the husky rescue and all the kids would ask if she was a "Snow Dog". Shala never met a stranger and we were lucky to have been a part of her life.

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Dylan, Rescue
Megan Reynolds, Owner

This is Dylan, our first-born. He was rescued at about one-year's of age and we have no idea how anyone let him go. He was full of energy, but so well-behaved. He loves all people, especially children when he can give them kisses. His most favorite thing to do is chase tennis balls - which he will do until he can hardly stand any longer. Running, walking, hiking, and swimming also top his list of great plans. This picture was taken during a rare snow in Atlanta. It was his first time to see the white stuff and he had a blast, running in circles, trying to eat it, and catching snowballs that would just melt away.

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MALI, LAP DOG
Megan Reynolds, Owner

This is Mali, a recent addition to our family. She is close to 5 years old and joined us when her first "mom" tragically got sick and could no longer care for her. Mali believes that she was created for loving on and will anything in her power to get you to hug her, pet her, or preferably, hold her in your lap. (80 pound lap-dogs are the best, aren't they?!) She loves being outside, but never wants to exert too much energy. Lying in the sun in a field is more her speed. This photo was taken early one morning two days after we got her. She had no trouble making herself at home - and seems to have changed our rules about no dogs on the furniture. :)

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Duece Redd, German Short-haired Pointer

Owner, Jason Redd

Duece will be 3 years old in September and judging by the photo you can
see he is quite the dude. He works Beale Street most nights representing
several ladies of the evening.

He loves to hike, go for long rides in the car, and obsesses about
anything he wants you to throw. He loves to wear hats or any article of
clothing. When we first got Duece he broke his leg at 9 weeks, so I made
the decision of performing the $2500 surgery and don't regret one penny.

He is so thankful he has chosen a life of crime to pay me back. He has
played an important role as a companion and a son and will continue
to do so if he can stay out of the slammer.

PONDER COVE NIRVANA

Oh MY... Ms. Honey had a heck of a time while visiting Ponder Cove. She took a stroll down the Laurel River and stopped to work on her tan line. Baby, baby.... oh baby.