Rudy's Rescue

Schatzi:

2011-08-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

We adopted Schatzi about eight months ago when he was just a couple weeks over a year old. When I think back to those first few weeks and look at where he is now, it’s amazing! He had many fears (even to the rustling sound of his food bag), but now he’ll even get within three feet of me when I’m vacuuming! I tutor full-time in my home, and he quickly learned that I would allow him to alert bark each time a new student came in, but then he had to be quiet behind the gate in the kitchen while I tutored. (The student and I sit right where he can see us the whole time.) He still is a bit of a challenge when we have visitors at other times of the day, and he’s not behind the gate, but we’re working on it!

Schatzi has been to obedience classes and has earned the Good Citizen Award. At Christmas time, he traveled to Virginia with us, which included visits to the homes of our children/grandchildren, staying in a motel, etc., and he adjusted beautifully. Recently we took our first camping trip with him. I wasn’t sure how he would do in the confined area of the trailer, but he behaved wonderfully, even with the other dogs and different people that were around when we were outside. The most fun we had with him on the camping trip was when we attempted to play tennis while he was in the court with us. Of course, he thought he had to chase every ball because we play with tennis balls a lot with him at home. We had to stop after a short time because we didn’t want him to get overheated, but I wish someone had video-taped it! While we were playing, a lady came over who had recently had to have a lab put down, so we told her about Rudy’s!

Schatzi is definitely a retriever. When we play with him, he usually will put at least two toys in his mouth at once. Outside he can hold a stick, a Frisbee, and a rubber bone in his mouth all at the same time! One day he was barking furiously at the ground outside. When I went out to see what the problem was, I found a poor, little, petrified bird who must have fallen out of a nest, opening and closing his mouth, while this huge lab barked three inches from its beak. Schatzi didn’t hurt it though; I rescued the bird on a piece of cardboard (to put it outside our fence), and Schatzi settled down immediately.

We adopted Schatzi a couple months after we had had to put our two older dogs down for two different types of cancer. Because Schatzi is so much younger than our two older, thoroughly trained dogs were, we’ve definitely had challenges; at times, he can act like a rebellious teenager. However, there’s no question he’s firmly entrenched in our home! A special thanks to Rudy’s and his foster family (who gave us tons of support through the first few months) for giving us this opportunity!

Millie:

2011-08-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

5 years ago my husband and I adopted our first rescue dog and the bond that formed between us was like no other. Over the years, I always knew that a second dog was in our future but it was really up to our current canine to accept another pup into the “pack.” When my husband and I decided it was time, we happened to come across Millie; a sweet, young, yellow lab mix who was just rescued from a high-kill shelter in South Carolina.

When we first laid eyes on her, we knew that she was destined to be a part of our family. Cute, sassy and a young spirit, we knew that she would give us a run for our money but we could not have been prepared for the level of excitement that she was about to bring with her. The second that we met her, it was meant to be; we were her new family and as an early birthday present, I was going to be her forever Mommy (couldn’t have asked for anything better in the entire world)!

No doubt the transition period was just that; a transition. We went from a household of relaxation and comfort to a whirlwind of puppy terror. Millie was ready to rock, ready to play, run and terrorize our senior dog and extra senior cat. Oh boy, we needed to switch gears and get this pup into obedience school and run her like crazy.

Millie graduated adolescent kindergarten, has learned boundaries and is in love with her older brother. More importantly, she has found where she belongs and knows that she will always be taken care of no matter the circumstance.

We can’t say enough wonderful things about rescuing animals. From the love and bond that they form to the feeling of joy and fulfillment that comes with knowing that we’ve saved a life – we will forever adopt and are HUGE advocates for others.

Millie is truly the love of our lives and as an early birthday present to me, she has fallen head over heels in love with her Mommy. My heart swells every single day that I wake up to her or come home to her smiling and waiting for me. We love her so much and thank each of the Rudy’s Rescue volunteers for all the work they do and for choosing us as Millie’s forever home.

And on behalf of Millie, she thanks you too; for finding the best fit for her as well.

We are forever grateful,

Karen, Dwight, Charger, Millie and Bubba

Maggie:

2011-08-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

Just an update on our new member of our family. I lost my yellow lab after 14yrs of a wonderful long fulfilling life. I enjoy having 2 dogs and thought we would try a lab rescue. Specifically Rudy's Lab rescue. Well we found Maggie after keeping watch of the site, saw her an immediately wanted to meet her. It was truely love @ first site. She stole my heart and continues to do so everyday. She and Clover, my chocolate lab get along great. Clover older then Maggie was a very good teacher. Although MagMoo didn't need much training. I did take her to dog obedience 2 wks after she joined our family. We continued through a couple of sessions and Maggie obtained a AKC good citizen canine certificate. My only regret is not having her since she was a puppy. She brings a smile to my face daily she is truly a joy. We enjoy our walks in all the seasons. We take both dogs most every where we go, as long as its not to hot or to cold. Last year was the end of the swimming season. Maggie, not familiar with swimming in an above ground pool and a bit heavy she still jumped in while we were in the pool. We helped her up the pool ladder. She would look at Clover with astonishment as Clover would jump high and far into the pool. Well, this year Maggie has truly mastered the swimming pool. She is like a life guard keeping watch for us to throw her water toys into the water as she rescues each toy back to the deck. She, actually swims under water to retrieve them, she is amazing I have seen it on u-tube, but for my dog to do it, its unbelievable. She also enjoys just swimming the perimeter of the pool with us as we swim laps. When I first adopted her she was almost 100lbs her legs were bowed she was so heavy, a short walk up the street she would pant, I thought she would have a heart attack right there in the street. With exercise and a good diet she is a healthy 72lbs and solid. Thank you for giving us the chance to adopt Maggie. She is truly beautiful inside and out. We just love her.

Tina

Ms. Bea:

2011-08-04T18:12:00.000-07:00

I have attached a picture of my wonderful lab rescued in January 2011. Ms. Bea came to me with some hip issues, and in early February 2011 she underwent a TPLO procedure at Veterinary Specialists of Rochester. After a short stay at TheraVet, a wonderful rehab hospital for dogs, and continued PT, she is now ten weeks post op and is doing fantastic! She is able to now walk pain free for two miles a day, and on weekends we can go 3 miles! She is the love of my life, and has one of the best personalities anyone could ask for!
She and I are a great team, and I am so thankful that Rudy’s found her and sent her my way!! P.S. Ms. Bea would like me to pass along that she is no longer a “Full-Figured Girl”. She has dropped down to a svelte 87 pounds, and has a gorgeous waistline! I would like to report that her diet inspired me, and along with both of our walking and caloric restriction we are both sporting healthier figures!!!

Sincerely, Jennifer

Addy:

2011-08-04T18:10:00.000-07:00

Addy has been a part of our family since we fostered to adopt this wonderful dog on Valentines Day 2011. Everyone who meets Addy is amazed that anyone could abandon such an amazing dog. Now 2 + months later and Addy is sister to our senior pet and our two kids and we couldn't imagine our lives without her. She has just completed level 1 of dog obedience and is looking forward to canine good citizen. She LOVES our backyard- giving me a disappointed look when I disturb her as she is stalking the birds at the bird feeder or keeping an eye on the squirrels. She can't stop herself from trying to chase the fat robbins when walking around the neighborhood on her leash.
Addy is wonderful with the kids- letting them chase her around the yard gives all of them much enjoyed exercise. As active as she is, she is a huge teddy bear- always ready for a snuggle with her human or canine siblings. We can't thank Rudy's Rescue enough for rescuing Addy - She is our special valentine!

Thank you!
Loretta

Phoebe:

2011-04-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

Phoebe, (used to be Molly) was rescued by us March of 2010. She had been in foster care in Rochester NY. Phoebe has now been a part of our family for just over a year. She and our other chocolate lab love each other dearly. He protects her and she takes care of him. Our male is 4 years older then Phoebe and acts likes an older brother. During summer months Phoebe has learned how to hike and swim, which we do quite often. She loves it. She is a traveling dog and has been on many adventures with us. Her longest trip so far was to Virginia for Thanksgiving. She is amazing in the car and behaves so well. She was happy to go and my family loved her. She continues to play fetch and loves to go for walks. She has now learned how to lay down, stay, and give paw. And she comes when she's called better then our male lab! Thank you for being the rescue center you are and for caring for dogs like her who so desperately need good homes. Here is a picture of them together.
Sincerely
Shannon and Mike

Doppler

2011-04-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

We adopted Doppler (formerly known as Echo from the E litter) when he was 9 weeks old and now he has just turned 2. He's a ball of energy and a great companion. We have bonded over our love for running and he is currently helping me and my husband train for the Seattle marathon. Doppler is a great motivator; he certainly doesn't let us miss a morning run!

On his "rest" days, Doppler plays with his girlfriends at Camp Bow Wow - where he is apparently quite the ladies man. We also discovered that his litter mate, Basil (from the same Rudy's Rescue litter of pups) attends Camp Bow Wow and the two of them are inseparable!

We couldn't imagine our lives without Doppler, he's just such a wonderful dog. Thank you Rudy's Rescue!

Ellen and Pete

Hudson:

2011-03-06T16:43:00.000-08:00

We adopted Hudson (Duke), August 2 of last year. Boy did our quiet lives change quickly!!! The first few months with our little huddy buddy were quite challenging, asking ourselves daily what we had got into. We often found his head in the toilet bowl, wanting to go outside every 5 mins and I'm pretty sure we didn't get more than 5 hours of sleep the first 3 months. We quickly made the decision to send Hudson to an obedience residence program, and it was the best decision we could have made. He surely didn't come back perfect, because we can't forget he is still a one year old lab, but our experience was both positive and effective. Hudson enjoys a 4 mile walk almost everyday, even during this cold winter with his brother Max (an 8 year old black lab that I rescued in North Carolina in college). Hudson had progressed so wonderfully he is now even sleeping in our bedroom on his own bed for almost 7 hours now. He loves cuddling on the couch while we watch TV at night, enjoys his KONG, and lives for meal time. He is so sweet and goofy and we are so happy he is in our lives. We are looking forward to warm weather so we can introduce him to the lake. We still have a lot of work to do, but wouldn't trade him for the world.

Jennifer and Ken

Florence:

2011-03-06T16:42:00.000-08:00

A big Thank You to Rudy's Rescue for helping us bring Florence into our family! We love her so much! She is a wonderful dog who loves nothing more than to receive affection from our family. The children fight over who gets to sleep with Florence. She loves to play tug-of-war with any brown stuffed animal and we are trying to teach her "fetch" by tossing the stuffed animals--we hope this will easily translate to tennis balls in the Spring. She has adapted well to our 17-year-old cat Pearl, and has decided (mutually) to avoid the 9-year-old bully cat Milkshake. After a couple weeks, of transition, Flo proved that she could be trusted alone in any area of our house, and she now has free reign. She adores jumping on the furniture to sleep--and we've spoiled her by allowing this luxury. Florence has learned to look out the windows when the children are due home from school, and she happily greets them every day at the door with her tail wagging crazily--the children have nicknamed her "the wagger 3000" because of this! All in all, we couldn't be happier with Flowsie/Flo-Flo/Florabee/Wagger 3000. Thank you Rudy's Rescue!

Christian, Annette, Abe, Mia, Jed, & Max

Miley:

2011-02-20T13:28:00.001-08:00

Luke:

2011-02-20T13:27:00.001-08:00

This is Luke. He was one of the pups born March 23, 2010. (once named Gizmo from the rescue) Luke was one of the all black pups. He is American black lab and Great Dane we think and weighs 90lbs. He is such a great dog. Luke loves other dogs and just finished his 3rd obedience class. If anyone is interested they have a class at the Hilton Middle School on Tuesday nights. The dogs get to play off leash and he LOVES that. Luke knows all his basic commands but we are still working on his jumping when we meet people. His favorite things in the whole world are his ball and swimming. We are so glad to have him and his sister Lady (a 7lb mini long haired dachsund is finally warming up to him) he is great with her but is so big he sometimes steps on her feet by mistake. Thank you Rudy's rescue for completing our family!

Hoover:

2011-02-20T13:26:00.000-08:00

My husband and I adopted Hoover from Rudy’s about a year and a half ago. Young Hoover arrived one sunny summer afternoon for what we thought would be a quick visitation to see how he got on with our other pets. Well, Hoover never ended up leaving that day. He was readily accepted by our 8-year old lab, who proceeded to tucker him out that first day. Hoover effortlessly worked his way into our hearts. He is a joy to have around; always eager to see who is coming to visit, or all about knowing when his next trip down back to the pond is. We think he’s part cheetah, but we’re not sure. It is not usually our style to let the dogs on the furniture – all that went out the window when Hoover arrived . He learned his basic obedience commands quickly, and now walks like such a gentleman on the leash. And yes, he does manage to make it to his own personal bed when asked. He is a joy to bring to his vet visits (my first dog ever to actually lay down and SLEEP on the floor of the waiting room…) He is, and always has been, completely housebroken (knock on wood – all dog owners know even the best ones have accidents!). I could easily go on and on about how much we love this dog but I’ll close with this thought. He is not perfect, but he’s as close as I’ll ever get in this not-so-perfect world. Thanks, Rudy’s Rescue, for all you do. We are looking forward to finding a little sister dog soon!!

Missy:

2011-02-20T13:21:00.000-08:00

We adopted Missy in May 2010. She is an excellent family dog, quiet and attentive and great with children. She LOVES food, pets, and walks. Squirrels are always in danger when Missy is around though she has yet to catch one. This winter she learned snowshoeing! She loves Molly and Myles, and they like to walk with her, but I can't get them to pick up after her! Missy is always nearby. We are a lucky family to have her, and are so happy to have found Rudy's Rescue.

Honey:

2011-02-20T13:20:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of Honey (used to be Ginger). SHe is absolutely wonderful. Loves the river, swimming and chasing ducks off the dock. We are training to sit on board for stand up paddling. SHe does great riding in the canoe. SHe is a princess. One of the best things we ever did was rescue Honey!!

Fraley:

2011-02-20T13:17:00.000-08:00

Fraley has made life around here so interesting. He has taken us to Boome Towne for 2 sets of puppy classes (a dog's person needs to know how to take a walk, you know) and wants to go back again in March for more. He loves his kid, and whines when she goes out of the house without him. He gets along with his new big brother and can almost get the better of him in a game of tug, but needs to get a little bigger before he can really take him. We are planning on having a bon fire in the spring with all the big sticks he collects on our walks. He will carry just about anything which makes him a great sledding companion!

Tobey:

2011-02-20T13:14:00.001-08:00

Where to begin? Tobey goes for a walk everyday and is stopped at least once by someone he knows or doesn't know who wants to pet him and compliment him on how handsome he is (he even made the front page of the paper)! When Tobey first arrived it took him a while to eat a bowl of food and he did not even know what a treat was but now he happily eats his breakfast and dinner and knows it is treat time when someone opens "his" cabinet. He is extremely well behaved and loved by everyone who meets him, you could put a steak or chicken on the floor and he will not touch it! He loves to meet new people and new dog friends, he loves to go on walks and run freely in the field near our house, he loves to go for car rides and visit his cousin the cat but more than anything Tobey loves to be home! He has his own dog bed and also knows when it is appropriate and not appropriate to cuddle with mom on the couch and he will even "go to bed" when told to. All and all Tobey is a wonderful boy who is happy to be out n' about exploring but also enjoys the comfort and warmth of his home!

Dubb:

2011-02-20T12:37:00.000-08:00

Hello, I just wanted to update you on Dubb (we renamed him Duncan) and he learned it immediately! Just wanted to let you know that he is doing great!! He has seen the vet who says he is in great shape. He is so loved here. We all adore him! I really wasn't sure if Bella would ever enjoy the company of another dog, but she definitely does. The often lay together, she licks his ears and they play all the time. He follows me everywhere and loves snuggling with the kids. I am so glad we adopted him. He tolerates the crate while we are at work and greets us with a wagging tail and kisses when we get home. He has been wonderful with the kids and their friends! We will begin obedience soon! Thank you again for saving him and giving us the opportunity to have such a wonderful dog. Kim

Emma:

2011-02-20T12:28:00.000-08:00

We hope all is well with you and Rudy’s rescue. We just wanted to let know how well Emma is doing. We will have had her four years next month and she is an absolute pleasure to be around. She is a confident, strong, intelligent, healthy and very well behaved. Her energy level is perfect, she can ramp it up quickly when we go running in the fields, which she lives for, and turn it down just
as fast. We take her everywhere with us and she has met hundreds of people in the four years and everybody adores her. She has that silly loveable personality that makes her so much fun to be around. Emma is welcome everywhere with open arms. If you ever had to describe the perfect dog it would be our loveable Emma. There isn’t a day that doesn’t go by that Carol and I say
what a good dog we have and we are so lucky to have her in our lives.

Gary & Carol

Nellie:

2011-02-20T12:21:00.000-08:00

Nellie and I have been having the best time! We are experiencing many new places and new people. She goes with me almost everywhere. She has continued to be very well mannered. She has stayed overnight at my Mom's house with me and also at my friend's house. She is enjoying roaming free around the house at home and actually will leave my side now when she gets tired. She goes to the bedroom and jumps right up on the bed and makes herself at home! She also goes into the crate all on her own during the day when she needs a nap. She has made friends with the old lab next door and has come to an understanding with my Mom's kitty. Everyone loves her and is amazed at how well behaved she is already. I haven't decided where I want her to have her obedience classes yet but we will begin somewhere in October. She barks now! She lets me know if there is another dog walking by or if there is a kitty around. Thanks again for taking such good care of her. She is a real sweetheart. Here she is in her forever home!

Dotty

Loki

2011-02-20T12:20:00.000-08:00

Here's Loki (aka; Dallas) who we adopted two years ago at the Waterfront festival. He's two now and as handsome as ever. He is such a lover boy, especially in the morning. Still loves his walks and bike rides with Bill. He's taken to the water like a true lab. We have to be careful of what he eats along the way as he has a 'sensitive' stomach. We continue to work on not jumping on our guests but he gets so excited when he meets everyone, people and dogs alike. Not a week goes by without someone commenting on how good looking he is :). He's weighing in at about 80# with a beautiful coat and shiny brown eyes. We love him more today than the first day he arrived. Thank you again for all your hard work. He's the best!
sincerely,
Bill, Jenny and Loki

Phoebe

2011-02-20T12:16:00.001-08:00

Seneca:

2011-02-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

We just wanted to send you some pictures of Seneca. She has become a wonderful party of our family. She goes everywhere with us and just loves all who she meets. Loves the water and loves to run! She has completed the puppy class and is a star puppy. We will be taking her to the next level soon.
We just love our girl!!
Thanks to all at Rudy's
Mike, Kim, Jack and Erik

Bailey

2010-07-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

Hello! Just wanted to share a photo of Bailey, adopted as a puppy at the end of May 2009 (one of the 9 pups at that time). He is a wonderful dog. He loves going on long walks in the country and LOVES to play. He has a lab playfulness but have very different "helicopter" ears, so we aren't sure what else is in him. Bailey is a very smart dog--here he is doing his sit-stay for the camera :)

Christine

Macy

2010-07-20T05:38:00.000-07:00

We adopted Macy (aka Faith)in May 2009. She was just 5 months old. She has been the love of our lives! She is very active and to say the least spoiled to the core. She loves walks,car rides,playing fetch,chasing chipmunks and greeting the kids as they get off the school bus. This summer we plan to take on her vacation with us and worked around finding a rental house on a lake that accepted dogs. The thought of boarding or leaving her in someone else's care was too much. Her favorite place to rest is in the corner of the sectional couch perched on cushions. We have tried effortlessly to have her use the "cadillac" of dog beds, but being the stubborn lab that she is, she has won the battle. I am grateful that there is a reputable organization such as Rudy's Rescue. Thanks so much to the foster family. They gave so much of their time to make this adoption a rewarding experience.

Julie, Mike, Sarah and Hannah

Emmy

2010-05-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

I wanted to send an update for our dog Emmy (formerly Mungi) who we adopted in July 2009. Emmy is just the perfect, perfect dog. She adjusted really quickly to us and has truly become part of the family. There is usually someone home at our house during the day so she is never alone for long periods of time, and she really loves all of the attention that she gets. We take her for lots of walks, and she never tires of smelling everything on the street. Everyone who meets her falls in love with her. She is an incredibly happy dog, and wags her tail so much when she sees her family that her whole body wags! We feel very fortunate to have found such a great dog.

Benny

2010-05-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share this picture of the two "boys". This picture just goes to show how fast dogs can bond and love each other! I wanted to share with all the volunteers but I don't have everyone's email.
I also wanted to thank you again for all the hard work you do. Im so happy I found you guys because I've truly never felt so much joy doing something in my life. Finding your rescue was definitely meant to be for me, its truly changed me as a person and I thank you for that.

2010-05-02T18:19:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween!
Love Zack, Max, Jacob & Kobe

Soco

2010-05-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Soco[ formerly Gina] wrestling with her new sister

Gracie

2010-05-02T18:16:00.001-07:00

2010-05-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

Kobe update - He now lives in Angola, New York (20 miles from Buffalo). His new family is in the country with 3 little boys and 150 acres - with a stay at home Mommy. He sleeps at night with his crate door open and has the run of the downstairs. He actually sleeps in the crate with his head out but could go anywhere. He is getting really good at the commands "sit", "no"and "down". We are working on "come" and walking on a leash. Max is 4 and took Kobe's picture to school on Friday for show and tell. Kobe goes to the beach and does a "sea lion" impression (He lies in the water and blows bubbles like a sea lion.) In the 2 weeks that we have had him - he went to the beach, had a beach fire, went for a walk in the woods, went to a birthday party and went out in the boat (on leash and he sat between us). We walk him everyday & brush him every night. Friday he starts "companion class" (it's obedience school for older dogs).

He is meeting all the family and everyone just loves him.

I'm not sure what kind of life he had before he was surrendered but he truly has the perfect dog's life!

Dixie

2010-05-02T18:13:00.001-07:00

Just thought I would send you an updated picture of Dixie when we were up at out camp on the St. Lawrence over the summer. She absolutely loved the water and was wet most of the time we were there. We had so much fun with her. She was completely exhausted when we finally got home but she had a great time and made lots of friends up there.

Guiness

2010-05-02T18:10:00.000-07:00

Guinness was introduced to us in December 2008. He was calm and polite when he came into our house, and as a 6 month old puppy, we knew he was the dog for us. We adopted him quickly and he has been a pleasure ever since. He is a fast learner, keeps me exercising and keeps the stories coming. He remains calm, is a fast learner, and we love to watch him stalk squirrels, birds, rabbits, the sprinkler, whatever.

Guinness recently learned to swim - by accident - but loves it. Although at first he did not like getting his paws wet, he seems to have over come that. Two sessions of obedience at Lollypop (for us, not him) and he is a great dog!

2010-05-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

Princess is doing great. She has completed her training with Dog Tired in Macedon and is really
a good dog.She HATES thunder & lightening storms and tries to hide. Quite a
job for a dog her size. All in all Princess is a great dog.

Seneca

2010-05-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

Wanted to give you an update on our adopted dog Seneca was known as Junkyard.
She has been a wonderful addition to our family. Has been spending weekends at Seneca lake and loves the water. Loves to play with other dogs and has made friends with everyone on our block! People included. Being a Coon hound she is smelling everything all the time. She was annoyed with me last week when I was petting another dog. She kept on sniffing my shoes over and over! She is finally realizing that our cats are not her playmates and the cats are starting to accept that Seneca is here to stay. We have had some challenging moments but she is a puppy after all. Loves to counter surf and dump over the garbage. We are working on correcting those two issues. We have started our puppy class and the first week went well. We are very happy with the addition of Seneca and she is a very sweet girl!! We will you keep you posted on her progress.
Baying and barkingly yours
Mike, Kim, Jack and Erik

Lexi

2010-05-02T18:03:00.000-07:00

Just a year ago our 10 1/2 year old yellow English Lab, Blondie, passed away. We were so sad and lonely without her. Rather than getting a new puppy, we decided to look for a mid-aged lab to bring into our family. Through Rudy's Rescue we found a beauty, Lexi. She had been held captive by a breeder who apparently treated his labs like cattle, not the wonderful dogs that they are. She had been kept in a chicken coop and did nothing but have puppies for the 4-5 years of her life. When we got Lexi, the wonderful Rudy's families had already taught her to walk stairs and introduced her to walking on grass! She was very timid and her eyes would often glaze over like she was in shock. At first I wondered if she would ever look me in the eyes. It was a little scary. What if she never acted like a real dog? Well, she did settle in and has become such a love! I remember the first time I walked in the house and she wagged her tail! I was overjoyed!

Lexi has learned how to play with toys, give "kisses" (very important in our family!) and gladly receives our love. Her greatest fear had been of older men. My husband has been so patient waiting for her to warm up to him. It took nearly a year but now she comes seeking his attention, as well!

We did find that Lexi was happiest with a second lab to keep her company. For a while we would bring our children's 12 year old lab, Cooper, to have playdates but we really wanted a fulltime playmate for Lexi. Our son heard about a younger lab, Troy, who was with a very good family who just could not be at home enough for him. He was crated, out of necessity, for many hours per day. Their love for him lead them to look for a good home and we gladly took him. He and Lexi are best friends, now, and we believe that two are better than one!. Lab puppies may be cute but we highly recommend looking for adult labs who need a good home.

Gus

2009-06-23T04:41:00.001-07:00

Gus (formerly Buddy 2009) has been with us almost six months now and is just a wonderful love dog. Even though I don't know his history other than he's from a shelter in Kentucky, I have to hope he had a good home at one time. From the minute I saw him at the foster's home, I knew he would be a part of the family real soon. He knows his name and listens very well. We are in our third week of obedience class and Gus is doing great. He is very smart, but like all labs sometimes he has a mind of his own. He knows general commands but still pulls on the leash a little. He gets tons of attention and is spoiled rotten. He has found a family that will love him forever.

Leroy "AKA Harbor"

2009-06-06T05:33:00.000-07:00

Bella

2009-06-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

Just a little update from all of us here in Pulaski. Bella has adjusted wonderfully!! She is eating well, and getting a lot of love from the kids. We took her to the dog park today, and Devon threw the ball around with her. I am not sure who got the bigger work out. She has been sleeping with the kids at night, she is so spoiled! Believe it or not, today while the kids and I were enjoying conversation Bella walked over, went into her crate and fell asleep. We all giggled, because she didn't have to be coached, she just went in. Ever since she just goes right in a lays down for a nap...who would have thought.

Lacy

Beau

2009-06-06T05:29:00.001-07:00

A happy ending for Beau!! Our family has fallen in love with him and vice-versa. This is his "new boy" Jake. If he looks tired in this photo It's because he does a lot of jogging with moms, swimming at Durand, hiking in the parks and goes to all of the family parties and sporting events.
Thank you Rudy's. You are a top notch organization. We have been very impressed with the love and care you give to the animals. Special thanks to Shimiah for introducing us to Beau.
Sincerely,
Patty, Diane, Jordan and Jake

Marni

2009-06-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

We adopted Marni (Arianna) in January of 2008. Now that she is an adult she looks like a mix of a few breeds, with some lab, almost greyhound like, and something else we cannot figure out. Our vet wants us to do DNA testing, but she is perfect to us so she is whatever she is! Marni is a shy girl, very skittish with new people, but very loving and comfortable with us, and the regulars at our home. She loves her home, and is in heaven when she has a nice lap to cuddle. Probably more than anything, she loves her sister Coco. Coco is our 7 year old chocolate lab. They hit it off immediately, and have been best friends ever since. They wrestle all of the time, and whatever Coco does, Marni does. Marni has her routines in the house, and lets us know when it is time for her to go up and go to sleep. She makes little noises to let us know that she wants us to go up with her. She has been a wonderful addition to our home. As I said, she is a very shy dog, but with us (and that is all that really matters) she is an affectionate, happy, and loving dog. We are very happy that she is part of our family, and could not imagine our house without her. Here is a picture of her with her best friend, Coco.

Winchester

2009-03-07T15:47:00.001-08:00

Hello to everyone at Rudy's Rescue. We wanted to give you an update on our favorite yellow lab, Winchester. We adopted Winchester a little over a year ago. Winchester is such a great friend. He is a big boy (nearly 100 pounds), but gentle as can be. He has made friends with our neighbor's 10 pound poodle. They always play together so well despite the size difference.

Winchester LOVES to play with squeaky toys. To celebrate his birthday (we consider the day we adopted him as his birthday...October 29th), we bought him a new "Quacking Mallard" squeaky toy. Of course, he loved it. Winchester also likes to tease us with his squeaky toys. He will retrieve the toy and bring it over to us. Just as we are about to grab the toy out his mouth, he will turn his head so that the toy is just out of our reach. It is hilarious to watch and he enjoys this game as much as we do. Winchester also enjoys car rides and walks at the local park. We tried to introduce Winchester to swimming over the summer and he is taking to it kind of slowly. We'll revisit that again next year.

Winchester also love to cuddle. He is a very affectionate dog and is always vying to get someone to rub the underside of his chest. Winchester knows several commands - paw, sit, lay down, out, walk, hungry, get it and come here. Winchester is not very good at "give," but that is part of the keep-away game he likes to play with us. He likes to tease.

At the end of the day, Winchester likes to curl up on to his bed. Winchester does not fit onto most dog beds, so we set him up with a comforter and one of our old pillows. Winchester has a bed in our living room and another one at the foot of our bed.

Winchester is such a loyal, sweet, loving, and well-behaved dog. Although we are sad that Winchester had to spend time in a shelter, we are so happy that Rudy's saved him and we are thrilled to have him as part of our family. A million thanks to Rudy's Rescue. Winchester is an awesome dog and he truly is a member of the family. Could you post Winchester's story on your Happy Ending Tails? Thanks.

Sean and Gretchen

Sawyer

2009-03-07T15:44:00.000-08:00

Sawyer is doing great! He had a stomach bug a few months ago and couldn't keep his medicine down, so he did have a short seizure then but other than that his seizures are about every 35-40 days.

We had almost 20 HUGE turkeys in our backyard a few weeks ago & I didn't notice them until we were walking out the door for his morning walk and he just walked right into them and tried to sniff a few before they realized he was a dog and flew away. He didn't bark or even chase them! Sometimes I wonder if he could get any more mellow, 20 turkeys are supposed to be a dogs dream come true, right?

We made the decision 8 weeks ago to give him the house to himself uncrated during the day. So far he's had no accidents (we block the stairs so he can't fall down them in the event of an upstairs seizure) and has been doing great! Every seizure he has had with us has been in the early morning hours anyway, so we figured a during the day one was not likely. He did figure out how to open the recycling bin and he fished out the rinsed out peanut butter jar and licked it clean - you can't really blame him for that one because we put PB in his hollow bone sometimes as a treat - and our couch is starting to have a distinct sleeping dog indent on the one side he likes!

Anyway - a big thank you to everyone there. The follow-up call was great, the whole process at Rudy's was amazing and we got the most beautiful, loving dog as a part of our family out of it...he was definitely meant for our family and we can't imagine life without him!!

Julie

Maggie

2009-02-28T15:43:00.000-08:00

Maggie is doing great! Her and Jetta get along really well and Maggie has found a new friend with the neighbors cat. Her health is very good although the vet did find that she has a low thyroid problem so with the help of meds she is doing fine. Very loving, always wants to be with me no matter where I am or what I am doing and has proven to be an exceptional lab in that she has never caused any problems. Listens well and is very gentle and sweet to the point of thinking she is a small lap dog even though she is a really large lab. If I was ever in need of another lab, Rudy's is the only place I would even consider!

Kathy

Dixie

2009-02-28T15:40:00.000-08:00

I have finally gotten computer savvy enough to get pictures of our beautiful Dixie Belle that we adopted. This sweet girl came into our home on Aug 11, 2008. She has quite a personality as well as a little devilish streak in her!! She completed her Simply Basic Obedience Training from Boom Town on November 3, 2008. She made some new friends there and did very well. She has traits from both of our previous black labs, Hailey-our female who went to the Rainbow Bridge at age 11yrs and Sebastian-our male who went to the Rainbow Bridge at 16yrs of age. We miss them still and always will but Dixie has traits that resemble both of them. I can't imagine not having her in our lives. It's like it was meant to be. She is spoiled and likes to lounge in the recliner when she wants to chill. She likes to "play" with our cat, Cleo, which can be quite comical at times. We are so grateful for Rudy's Rescue and tell everyone interested in getting a dog to consider adoption. I would take them all if I could. Thank you for bringing Dixie into our lives and letting us be her forever home.

Keep up the great work:)
Louise

Lily

2009-02-28T15:37:00.000-08:00

Lily is a chocolate lab who came to live with us after her stint in a puppy mill. Initially, she was very shy and easily frightened. She was readily accepted into our home by our three cats and our other dog, a 3 year old golden retriever mix. We immediately saw positive changes with Lily, more confidence and less fear. She loves going on walks and rides in the car, she is just a joy to have around. We recently completed a "clicking to calm" course designed to reduce fear by rewarding desired behaviors. She enjoys working with the clicker, and has really responded well to the training! While she was once fearful of strangers, she will now approach them and allow them to pet her! She is a lovely girl, and we are thankful we can offer her the kind of life she deserves.

Daphne

2009-02-28T15:33:00.002-08:00

Daphne is docile when exercised. She had just come in from a long walk when those pictures were taken. She is very much the little imp, always on the go. I am constantly taking things the tv,vcr,dvd remotes from her. But for me, she is a life saver. Sadly, our Hailey passed away unexpectedly in November. I still get very emotional when I think of her.. Daphne doesn't give me enough time to wallow in self pity, because when you are with her she makes you feel loved & needed. She loves everybody. She-even at 60+ lbs-loves to jump in your lap. Her relationship with our chow-terrier , Webster, is like a young child & a cranky, but lovable old uncle.
He has grudgingly accepted her. Daph will try to & has succeeded in stealing goodies from Webster. But she knows not to disturb his nap. If he is napping she will go out of her way to avoid waking him up.
She has a great personality and I can't thank you enough for bringing her into our lives

Riley (Chloe)

2009-02-28T15:33:00.001-08:00

Riley is wonderful!! She adapted to us, our kids, and our older dog right
away. She still has some puppy in her (she will be 2 in April) but overall
she is very calm. Everyone that meets her wants to take her home - she is
so friendly!! She has made several dog friends in our neighborhood and
loves playing with them. Having her around has also helped our 9 year old
dog become more active (not sure how happy she is that Riley came to our
house!). One of her favorite pastimes is stalking our poor cat. She also
loves playing with the kids and our older dog. They LOVE playing in the
snow (needless to say it's been a good winter for them)!
We are so happy to have found her through Rudy's Rescue. When I hear of
people looking for a dog, I tell them right away what a great organization
Rudy's Rescue is!!!

I will send some pictures soon - Riley has been trying to lick the camera
so getting a picture is harder than I thought!

Kristin

Chloe

2009-02-28T15:31:00.001-08:00

She's been such a joy and it's as if she's been here forever! Her she is sharing her bed with Wilson. Chloe is on the right. I love her to pieces!!!

Alice

Archie

2009-02-28T15:29:00.000-08:00

We adopted Archie in May 2007 and he's been our very devoted friend ever since--although he quickly learned that the cat is the real master of the house! Archie is absolutely convinced that he is a lapdog (despite the fact that he weighs 80 pounds!), loves walks and car rides (especially to the doggy park), and behaves very well on a leash. His basic obedience training was very successful; he often "follows" our commands before we give them...and he will do just about anything for a slice of bread! Archie is also exceedingly gentle and tolerant with young children, which bodes well for the arrival of our firstborn in a few months!

Thanks,
Amy & Andy

Roxie

2009-02-28T15:25:00.000-08:00

The floor contains the present wrappings that Roxie opened. We adopted her in June 2007. She now weighs 62 lbs, loves swimming and snow. She likes to roll in the snow regardless of the temperature. Chasing her dummy toy in the snow seems to be her favorite exercise when outside.

Bob and Karen

Walter

2009-02-28T15:21:00.001-08:00

Abby (our Mix from Lollypop) and Walter are the best of friends, and we are so lucky to have not one, but 2 great dogs!! (The cats seem to think Walter and Abby are ok too:) )

Thank you for checking in on us, and thank you for finding Walter for us, he is such a perfect part of our family, and we couldn't imagine our family being complete without him.

Wishing you all the best!
Julie, Ben, Abby, Walter, Napoleon and Mulligan

Emmy

2009-02-28T15:19:00.001-08:00

Cocoa (Kona)

2009-01-30T11:29:00.000-08:00

Here are some recent pictures of our big girl. She continues to have an endless capacity to love, give kisses, and wag her tail. We couldn't possibly be any more in love with her than we are. She's just the perfect dog.
Last weekend was a longer one for us, and we spent most of it enjoying the sun and leaves. Cocoa was out with us the whole time, and did really great without her leash on staying near us and on our land. We also took her on a couple of "field trips," one to the Pumpkin Patch to pick out pumpkins, and the other, to walk the Keuka Lake Outlet Trail, (nature trail), where she met some new friends and admirers.
Cocoa sticks pretty close to her 18 month old pal, Madison, who delights in feeding her every meal, by lobbing food over the side of the tray, and squealing when Cocoa scoops it up. We'll send more pictures (and a happy ending story) soon! We'd like to get a family photo with all of the kids and their big dog together, but so far, no luck.

ENJOY the rest of the weekend, and thanks again for sharing Cocoa with us. You'll always have a special place in our (and hers!) hearts.

Sincerely,
The Bishops

Daisy

2009-01-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

Hello to everyone at Rudys Rescue-
We are proud parents ... Daisy has passed her 1st set of doggy training. She has passed her Begginer training class at the local Pet Smart and she will be starting her Intermediate training on March 13th. After some thought we have have decided to persue more classes in hopes to have her pass her Good Citizen exam and become a Pet Therapy dog. Daisy has such a great deminer and loves all ages of people. We also have been working on yard training and she has not tried once to escape her yard and she love to play football in the snow with her daddy!

I have included a few photos from Christmas time, she is getting very big since you saw her in August when she was only 4 months old.

Emma

2009-01-11T11:45:00.001-08:00

Emma is sweet, confident and well behaved. She is intelligent, fearless and affectionate. She is the first lab we’ve ever had to live with, and will not be our last. We now understand the importance of their breed in society. Their willingness to learn and the desire to please is truly amazing to us. Did we mention the perpetual happy tail?

Gary & Carol

Brooks

2008-12-31T05:54:00.000-08:00

As 2008 draws to a close, I just wanted to share one of the best things that happened to me this year. The beginning of August I adopted Brooks who is 90 pounds of Chocolate Labrador love! He is quite the goofy boy! He loves to give kisses, go for walks, meet friends (two legged and four legged alike!), lay in my closet while I shower, eat, and chew his nylabones or tennis balls. He is such a slob when he drinks that I had to put his water bowl in the bathroom! I had a dog trainer come to the house shortly after I brought him home so I could get ideas of how to work on greeting people since not everyone wants a kiss on the lips! Brooks did quite well when I hosted my bookclub this month. The trainer also gave me some tips on what to do when Brooks decides to vocally insist on getting some attention or nudge my arm while I'm working on the computer. Now he has learned to lie down and be patient and he will get some undivided attention! With Christmas presents under the tree, he seems to know which ones have dog toys in them so I have to be vigilant or he would open the ones he is giving to his four legged friends! He has certainly enhanced my life and now I can't imagine the house without him!

Kim

Loki (Dallas)

2008-12-30T16:59:00.000-08:00

Loki has quickly become the love of our lives here at our home and is getting along very well. He has been growing at a considerable rate over the past few months, averaging 10lbs a month. At last weight check here at home he was at 65lbs (7 months). He has a beautiful coat with a little white spot on his tail and a some white fur on his hind legs. He is a "Looker" as everyone tells us how cute he is and wants to know what we're feeding him! Dog food and treats....no people food. He took to his crate immediately and continues to go there when he needs a sound sleep. Santa did bring him a bed that he uses at night protecting us outside our bedroom door.

Everyday he has been getting an average of 2 good walks and when time and weather permits a good dose of exercise as well running or X-C skiing on the cinder paths in the park behind our home with my wife Jenny or next to me on my Mtn Bike of which he really loves. He loves to carry a stick in his mouth along the way for good measure when he's feeling really proud! We continue to work on taking a ride in the car as he has some issues with motion sickness and we're hoping he will grow out of this as he gets older. He has also taken to playing with the "Chuck-It" and tennis ball, retrieving like a labrador should! Socially he has been wonderful with both canine and human friends. Loki passed the YMCA dog obedience class with flying colors this summer and we continue to work on commands and obedience as he continues to grow. He follows most commands very well and is eager to please. Of course at times his active little brain will go on the fritz while sniffing around and he reminds us that yes, he is still a puppy! House training him has been a no-brainer with an occasional minor accident that is to be expected. We've found that the natural rubber Ruffwear and Zogoflex Westpaw toys seem to hold up with his chewing very well as he has demolished any fabric type toys we've given him in a matter of minutes. :-)
We greatly thank Rudy's Rescue for letting us have Loki in our lives...
Looking forward to attending a Rudy's rescue function this next summer if possible. Thanks!

Kayla

2008-12-29T18:30:00.000-08:00

We adopted Kayla a few days before Thanksgiving. It is as though she was always part of our family. Our son Devin and Kayla are best buddies and when the Elizabeth, Nicole and Marissa are on break from school Kayla has lots of friends to throw her ball, and give lots of love and attention. We all just love her and are so happy to have found her!
Tom & Sandy

Annie

2008-12-29T18:25:00.000-08:00

Annie has made a fine adjustment to her new home! She just loves her older sister Abbie, especially when they can curl up together for a nap. Annie does snore however and it is a wonder she is not waking up the whole neighborhood! Annie also loves to go for walks with her family and just can't believe all the wonderful things there are to smell on a walk! Annie's family is glad she has joined them and wonders what they did without her!

Copper

2008-12-29T18:19:00.000-08:00

We are so happy and grateful for Copper. He is an important member of our family and a blessing in our lives.We love him so very much. Copper was born with the workings of one ear. I taught him hand signals (incase he loses the hearing in his other ear). Copper is very smart and catches on to new things very quickly.
He rings bells to go out and to come in. Copper makes us laugh he tries so hard to talk to us. He is very vocal. Copper has a real appreciation for music, he loves to be sung to. If you dance he joins in. We started agility in our back yard this summer he seems to enjoy it. Copper is a very loving and gentle spirit and everyone who meets him enjoys him. Copper has made many people and dog friends in the neighborhood and shares play dates between their home and ours. I have not found anything Copper does not enjoy doing and I know I truly enjoy him.

Merry Christmas to all of you at Rudy's Rescue and may God Bless in the work and lives you save/change in the new year.
Thank you so very much,
Pat, Lisa and Copper

Sunkist

2008-12-29T18:09:00.000-08:00

I adopted Sunkist from Rudy’s Rescue in June, 2007. I’ve been thinking lately about how I just love him more everyday! I can’t believe how far he’s come since I first had him. He seems to finally be settling down, and the vet said that he was really 2-3 when I got him, which was hard to believe because he was so hyper. He’s become my best friend. I broke up with my boyfriend shortly after we got him, and Sunkist didn’t miss him at all, because I was the one he followed around (and still does) every minute of the day. Right now he just ran upstairs, and I know he’ll start barking in a few minutes, because he won’t come down by himself, until I go to the top and say “it’s o.k.” He definitely has some challenging behaviors, but the improvement is amazing. He used to bark at lamp shades like they were his worst enemy (still don’t know why). He also locked me out of the house this summer by tearing up the rug by the door, trying to get to me, because he figured out I hadn’t really left, and was just cleaning the dog hair out of my car. My crazy dog can’t be kept in a room or put in a crate (he breaks them), but once I figured out he just wants free-run of the house, he’s never destroyed anything when I’m gone. My favorite thing about Sunkist is his amazing talent for jumping. He doesn’t jump on you (thanks to dog obedience classes) but to greet you he jumps straight up in the air, amazingly high for a 90 pound dog. With his beautiful smile, when we go for walks, everyone loves him. He is pretty happy here. I even got him a dog walker to come play with him when I’m at work, and he loves to go hiking with me on the trails at Ellison Park. My kids at school love hearing stories about Sunkist, and if he does something naughty now I just chalk it up to another great story that will make them laugh! Thank you so much for bringing me Sunkist!

Mischa

2008-12-23T13:34:00.000-08:00

Four months ago Megan and I adopted Mischa (at that time she was known as Lexi). Since then she has become a great addition to our home. Mischa's "rap sheet" was rather intimidating from the prior owner however after talking to the Foster Family we where certain that she would be the right dog for us. Mischa is very playful dog who enjoys long walks around the neighborhood. She has also made many friends in the Neighborhood on those walks. Besides a few exceptions she was practically potty trained on day one of the adoption and we could not ask for anything more! She is currently being enrolled in obedience class more for Megan and I than her as we need the training the most:). Mischa has more personality than any other dog we have ever met her excitement every day was a great addition to our home. We are also currently training her for hikes in the Adirondacks with her own back pack and proper boat etiquette. We really could not ask for anything more out of a dog! One picture was after a long walk near the lake, the other is our Pittsburgh Steelers fan!

Emma Daisy

2008-12-19T17:48:00.000-08:00

We adopted Emma in July 2007 and she has been quite a joy! It was a bit rocky at first as Emma chewed up almost everything in sight -- from expensive shoes to furniture to every blanket and toy we ever gave her! She is quite the Houdini as well, as she can open her solidly latched crate at will. She gave us a couple of scares when she downed a pound of fudge and Easter candy -- wrappers and all, then proceeded to eat everything off the refrigerator -- including the magnets! She must have a cast-iron stomach, though, because she was fine a day later.

She has successfully passed several training classes, including the Advanced class and is now an extremely well-behaved, generally submissive young lady. She loves her doggie classmates and the social interaction of the training classes, so we are going to try the tricks and agility classes next.

We all suffered a great loss recently, when our beloved yellow Lab, Beau, passed away on December 6th at the ripe old age of nearly 14. Emma has been quite depressed without her constant companion, but we are trying to provide her with extra love and attention. She is quite skittish now and jumps at every noise and sudden movement. She is eating and going outside less, but this is improving.

She is very attached to her human mom, Michele, and has a love/hate relationship with her 3-year old human brother, Brendan. She enjoys taking walks with human dad, Paul, and 9-year old human sister, Sydney.

Emma Daisy has been a wonderful addition to our family, especially now that we are missing an important member of our family. We are very grateful to have had the opportunity to adopt her.

Coleman

2008-12-16T17:41:00.000-08:00

Coleman is doing great. He really is the greatest dog i have ever had or been around. He listens so well and picks up things so quick. He was sleeping in his bed next to mine but after the first week he has made it up there with me. I know i should have stopped it but, he makes he laugh every morning. I have the laziest dog ever he likes to sleep in, only way to get him up is to feed him. He likes to sleep to bed back to back.
His training was very very easy. He knows sit, stay, come, down, lay down, no, kennel and his fav belly ( falls right on his side ready for a rub) He will not come lay with me on the sofa unless i invite him. Walking was easy also.
I had a party at the house and he is so good with people of all ages. Also he gets to see a lot of other dogs. My Aunt takes him a least once a week to play with the girls (two lads she has) which he loves. He loves to be outside and watch the people around the house but he never barks. One day he just was sitting and watching the kids play for about 3 hrs.

I added a few pictures.. My favorite is the first day he found out what mud was. All i could do is laugh.

Michael

Maggie

2008-12-16T12:53:00.000-08:00

Maggie is doing so wonderfully! It is amazing, you know what they say about 1 year—people miraculously feel better 1 year after a big surgery, etc….well, this month makes 1 year that Maggie has been with us and how she has grown this month is amazing. She used to only lay on her beds in our house—her dog beds which we had in 4 different rooms. And she also ate her dog food mostly in the middle of the night and showed almost no desire to eat any human food (a little unusual for a Lab). Well now, Maggie comes downstairs to the kitchen if she smells something good that I am cooking and she lays on the rug in the middle of the kitchen floor just behind me. In fact, she looks interested in what I am cooking, if we give her some, she eats it, usually then and there and will come back and give a sit, down, or belly for more

She loves the snow and this year with 1 ½ acres of our property fenced in, she is loving running with our son in the snow. She is truly puppy-like in snow! It is a joy to see.

In general daily life she is so calm and happy. When we are outside, she often stops to sit by the ponds and just listen to the world. She sits and looks around and takes slow, big deep breaths and looks so peaceful. It is glorious.

Happy Holidays, Caroline

Ella

2008-12-16T12:52:00.000-08:00

We wanted to update you on Ella. She is a joy to have around and so well behaved. She has adjusted well with her new family and surroundings. We have taken her for walks everyday which she loves. She greets us with love everytime we walk through the doors at home and is always looking for the next person to rub her belly!
We are so lucky to have found her and feel like she has been with us forever. You can be assured that she will be loved and well cared for. Ella has alot of toys, in this picture you can see one of her favorites her Horsey! a $ 1.99 Petco Special. We will be very excited to share Ella first Christmas Holiday together, we would keep you updated. I would also like to say that our experience dealing with Rudy's Rescue was a joy to work with from the first time we visited the website and meeting all the great volunteers, to the final adopting process.What a great organization! This was the first time we have adopted a dog through a rescue program, and everyday we feel very special to have had this opportunity and make a difference in Ella life.

Regards,
Mike & Annette, Nicole

Marie

2008-12-16T12:51:00.001-08:00

We adopted Marie a little over a year now and she has become a great addition to our family. She is always with one of our two daughters Grace and Elizabeth. After Christmas of 2007 Marie and I did some extensive dog training. She ended up winning the "most improved" dog award in the class. Since that time Marie has been learning her place in her new home.

Eli

2008-12-15T12:13:00.000-08:00

As an older large black dog Eli (formerly Bear II) would not have made it out of the pound alive if it weren't for Rudy's rescue. For this we are eternally grateful as he is a fabulous dog! He came to us completely trained and passed his AKC Canine Good Citizen test earlier this year. We are scheduled to attend a seminar with Intermountain Therapy Animals in January. Since Eli loves kids we hope he can become a therapy dog, specifically in the READ program. Reading Education Assistance Dogs help kids who need some extra help with reading by providing a calming non-judgmental environment where kids read to the dog which makes reading fun again and gets them the practice they need. We'll keep you posted on his progress! Eli gets along famously with his younger sister and they often play and wrestle together which keeps the old guy young and is very entertaining to watch.

Anne.

Brady

2008-12-15T12:05:00.001-08:00

We adopted Brady last winter when he was about 6 months old. He is an absolutlely beautiful black lab. He was very timid at first and would hide when strangers came to the door but he has since gotten much better. We also had at the time an older mixed breed with some corky habits that Brady has now picked up not typical of the lab breed but with the other dog's influence there's not much for us to do. He is a huge chewer despite our efforts and has weeded many of our 1000 stuffed animals for us.. He is quite affectionate and loves to be with us. A little stubborn as well but he is wonderful with our 3 small children and has pepped up our old dog Frankie. He has been a welcomed addition to our family and has found a forever home here.

Molly

2008-12-15T12:02:00.000-08:00

We adopted Molly at the end of August. We originally went to the foster home to see a puppy. Molly had just arrived and was very sick, but even so she was beautiful and caught my eye. When things didn’t work out for us to adopt the puppy, I immediately contacted the foster about Molly. We found out that Molly had been dropped off at a shelter for being too active. That did not frighten us away and we pursued the adoption. We already owned a black lab that was around the same age as Molly and hoped that they would become friends. Well, it has been a match made in heaven from the start! Molly has fit into our home nicely and she has a new best buddy. Molly and Lily (our black lab) hang out together all the time. They love to play, especially wrestle or keep away with the toys. When it is nap time, they will often snooze together, even though they have their own dog beds and crates.
Molly is proving to be quite smart. When she came to us, she had no training and really no “manners”. I am happy to say that she now sits on command and she is getting better and better at staying. She knows how to lie down and of course, shake. But the things I love the most are, that she has learned to wait outside the room where we feed the dogs until we call her in, she lets the “pack leader” (us) go out the doors first, and she will let us go up the stairs before her. Of course, this is only when you tell her, otherwise she is too eager to wait! Molly is great at walking and was from the start. She never pulls, she just walks at your hip. Love it!!
Molly LOVES to play! Two of her favorite games are tug of war and fetch. She is finally learning to drop the ball for you. We have recently introduced a new game to her: find it. We make her sit and stay while we hide a toy. Then we call her and tell her to use her nose to find it. She is getting pretty good at this game too.
The other thing that Molly loves is people! She always wants to be with someone, but we don’t mind because we love her!
Tomorrow we are off to see Santa at the SPCA. Molly and Lily will be getting their picture taken with Santa. Can’t wait!
Hope this gives you an idea of just how happy we are to have Molly in our home and our lives! It was meant to be!

Al

2008-12-13T10:23:00.001-08:00

Al is doing great! We are so happy he has joined our family. Al loves going to Spring Lake Park in Penfield to play, run and swim with other dogs. He has successfully "graduated" to being able to stay out of his crate at night and when we are gone without getting into any trouble. He likes to play with any kind of toy, especially balls and a kong. He took puppy obedience and advanced obedience at Lollypop Farm with Bob and loved being around the other dogs. He was a quick learner and did very well. This summer Al came with us on two camping trips and a trip to a lake in Connecticut where he caught his own fish! Al is looking forward to the arrival of our little baby boy in February! We are confident that he will be a really good dog with the baby.

Have a nice holiday,
Kate, John & Al

Trixie

2008-12-13T07:22:00.000-08:00

Trixie has adapted well to her new home. She has been with us about 2 years now and we couldn't imagine life without her. She was an addition to our one lab home in May 2007. She is the most loving, mellow addition to our family. Her "older brother" Wyatt has also tolerated her extremely well. We had to teach her alot (she was a puppy mill dog) but she has adapted well and has gotten over her shyness. Trixie loves to run with Wyatt in our backyard to burn off her puppy energy, and loves to lay frisbee and fetch. We could not imagine life without her!

Thank you Rudy's Rescue! Keep up the wonderful work!
Greg and Jamie

Cocoa

2008-12-12T17:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a recent picture of Cocoa, taken when we went to a Christmas tree farm over Thanksgiving weekend. Cocoa had quite a time frolicking in the snow, while we went on the "great tree search. " Snow seems to be both new and puzzling to her, but we're trying to continue our daily walks whenever possible...though we both frown when it's below 32 degrees!

Cocoa continues to be a love, and is such a wonderful part of our family. Our 20 month daughter loves to squat down next to her and say, "Good girl, Cocoa! Good girl!" The boys love her, too, but she and Maddie are definitely good buddies. A stray cat friend who has made our house his home has adopted Cocoa, too, and they often can be found cuddling together, though Cocoa isn't as fond of this as Nuisance is.

We'll continue to send pictures and updates. Take care, and thanks again for everything!

Julie, Cocoa, and Family :0)

Annabel

2008-12-12T17:28:00.001-08:00

We thank Rudy's Rescue for our wonderful little AnnaBel. She came into our lives last January, she arrived in Palmyra with her 9 other siblings and her mother, and we were lucky enough to adopt the smallest pup. She has been a joy, she loves to cuddle, especially under the covers, she can leap like no other, and she has great speed. We are going to try agility training at Boom Town in Farmington to see if she likes it. But most of all she is a devoted little princess, but does not like to share with her baby brother Sydney, who came in to our lives 6 months ago, he is a yellow lab, and twice Annabel's size, but you wouldn't know it. She is healthly, vibrant and has beautiful brown eyes.

Thank you for all the work you do, Annabel donated her allowance to her sister Ariel, who was recovering from a leg injury. She likes to visit the Rudy's Rescue Website to keep updated on everyone.

Anna, Terry, Annabel & Sydney

Bernie

2008-12-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

We can't imagine our lives without Bernie! Not only is he a fantastic pet, we consider him to be a member of our family. He loves to roll in the snow, play frisbee and visit with his buddy Fenway who lives down the street. Bernie recently became a "big brother" and he has been very curious and interactive with his baby sister, even if he gets a tiny bit jealous from time to time.

We can't tell you how many times we have said to ourselves, "Who would give up a dog that is as wonderful as Bernie?" He is well behaved, energetic & extremely loving, However he ended up at a shelter, we are thankful that Rudy's Rescue found Bernie and brought him to Rochester because we truly feel that he was meant to be with us.

Keep up the great work Rudy's Rescue!

David, Julie and Josie

Dixie

2008-12-12T16:50:00.000-08:00

Dixie is doing a great job as the office greater at our insurance agency. I bring her to work every day where she has made many friends with our customers and their children. She also makes regulars stops at the NAPA store next door to make sure the guys are working. Dixie is doing such a great job that we have made her the employee of the month and she has her own plaque by the door.

Max

2008-12-12T16:48:00.000-08:00

We love our dog that we got from the rescue!!
We recently had to put our female black lab down due to cancer and we were not actively looking for another dog yet, that is until we went into Pet Friendly to get cat food and we saw Max! We knew right away that we wanted to add him to our family. We opted to utilize the 2 week foster to adopt program and have had him ever since! Max continues to think he is 10 pounds instead of 75 pounds and likes to sit on your lap or right next to you on the couch. He loves playing with his sticks and bones and he loves chasing the cats around. We are very glad we went into Pet Friendly that day and saw Max!!

We want to send a special Thank You to Sue and her family!! They were the ones who had Max at their house when we got him!! You are wonderful people! Thanks for doing what you do!!
Attached is a picture of our son and his best buddy Max.
Sincerely,
Trisha

Remmi

2008-12-12T16:44:00.000-08:00

Remmi has adapted well to is home. I've been thinking of you guys alot lately...Dec 23 will be his one year anniversary coming home! At first we thought he had no voice, after a few weeks he was barking his head off if we left him. He absolutely loves the lake. We spent many afternoons there. He swam more than the ducks and chased far more balls than any pro baseball player. He seems to be afraid of thunderstorms but not much else. He remains incredibly affectionate and loving and is strikingly handsome. He is my new favorite child. Have a very merry Christmas and continue to be a true angel to so many dogs and families.
All my Best,
Jeanne

Abby

2008-12-12T16:39:00.000-08:00

We adopted Abby (chocolate lab) ,you know from your records, a year ago. She is such a love and has brought great joy to my life. She is a very good girl and has the run of the house when we are at work, She gets along well with our cat, Sunny. It is as if she has always been with us. She loves to ride in the car and is great when taking walks. I love how she barks to alert of visitors or unusual outside noises when I am home alone. We visit our vet regularly (for them to clip her nails for me as I do not have a knack for that) and checkups and she behaves so well while we are there. Her health is good for a senior dog, but I do have to work hard at keeping her weight down. I just love to spoil her.
I will try to get some pictures to you for your site.
Thanks again to your wonderful organization for bringing Abby into our lives. I love her more than words can say. Happy Holidays to everyone,
Betty

Riley

2008-12-12T16:33:00.000-08:00

Riley is now one happy dog and doing very well. Did you know that she can catch and deliver live mice? We actually had to teach her how to play (she was a puppy mill dog) and now she loves to run and catch her squeeky ball. She also loves her long walks every day and has some new friends! Talk to you soon! Karen

Andy

2008-12-12T16:32:00.001-08:00

Andy is an awesome dog! He is very, very healthy and he's never alone - comes to work with me every day. Everyone LOVES him from the UPS guy to the receptionist downstairs in the architects office. At home he has our huge back yard to wander and explore in (mostly with his nose!). We had an invisible fence installed from the back of the house into the woods and he seemed familiar with it from the start - he hardly needed any training at all!

Maggie

2008-12-12T16:22:00.000-08:00

Smokey

2008-12-12T16:18:00.000-08:00

We love Smokey; she has been a wonderful addition to our family.
My daughter Mia (age 8) begged for a dog once she accepted that she was never going to have a sister (she has 3 brothers!). After one year of research and pleading, my husband and I accepted that getting her a dog would be a great thing. We were so lucky to find Smokey at Rudy's Rescue. Smokey was 9 1/2 years old when we got; she had been abandoned by her previous owners after a divorce. She is wonderful with all 4 children, indifferent to the 2 cats, and a walking companion late every night for my husband. She is very accepting of Mia's "pampering"; Smokey gets her nails painted bright colors by Mia, often wears colorful handmade "accessories" and is an ever-constant friend. As I said, we have been very lucky.
After Mia had Smokey for about 6 months, she went about starting a fundraiser for needy animals at Rudy's Rescue. Mia made and sold jewelry to family and friends; I believe that she ended up donating around $40 to Rudy's Rescue (at $1 a piece, she certainly made a lot of jewelry!). We were all very proud of her. Also since adopting Smokey, Mia has decided to be a vegetarian. When people ask her how she came about this decision, she simply says that she loves animals and can't stand the thought of them being killed for her sake. She's been a vegetarian for a year now! This is quite a feat for a now-9-year-old!
We are so glad that we came across the Rudy's Rescue website. Whenever we hear of someone considering adopting a dog, we always recommend Rudy's. I have attached two photos of our happy dog!
Happy Holidays!
The Danaher Family

Ranger

2008-12-12T16:17:00.000-08:00

Ranger has now been with us about 41/2 months --we adopted him from Rudy's July 27th ---- life has been going pretty well --we love having him with us and believe he loves it here to ---
We thought at first he was an angel -after a month or so more energy started to kick in !!!! Ranger is definitely a energetic boy ---he just turned 2 in October --- we have been trying to adapt the ways of the "Dog Whisperer" -Mark German- things have gone pretty much ok --Ranger continues to have one problem ---wanting to jump up on people ---we keep working at it ---
Ranger gets long walks every day --at least twice a day --and looks forward to them --he loves to play ball and has now got it down that if he brings the ball back & drops he gets to keep playing -----during the warm months he enjoyed playing down in the creek -- Ranger gets to check out the woods on a leash as we have lots of animals running around in the woods that are very tempting to chase!
As you you can see from the photos he has it made ---the chair in the living room is his favorite place to hang out --he can watch what is going on outside too! He can chill out but when the energy kicks in --whew!!!!!
He is great when kids come to visit after the initial "Hello" --
Ranger is a joy --- he can be a bit of a challenge sometimes but we would not trade him for the world ---he listens to "Mom" better than "Dad" but so did our "Chauncy"boy!!! Donna , Craig & Ranger Nielsen

Sweeny

2008-12-12T16:14:00.000-08:00

My husband & I adopted Sweeny (previusly known as Sweetie/Maggie) in August of 2007. It was believed that she was approximately 3 1/2 years old and from Ohio. Not much was known about her history...only that she had been given up twice. I am happy to say that today Sweeny is a wonderful dog...we love and enjoy her so much! She is great with kids, people and other dogs.
I must admit the first few months were a bit hard (to say the least!) ...we really had to gain her trust. She was also a "runner" which proved to be a challenge. We were determined to make her a part of our lives! Her "foster family" the Valicenti's worked with us tremendously. Suzanne Valicenti was so supportive during Sweeny's transition period...we will always be so grateful! I am sure they would be thrilled to see Sweeny run freely along Lake Erie with us!
Being a family who have always loved Labs (Sweeny is our third) this past Thanksgiving we had 3 in our home....our 2 daughters each have very young labs...so we had a black, choocolate, and thanks to Rudy's Rescue our yellow Sweeny!
Thanks to all & Happy Holidays
Mike and Jan

Eli

2008-12-12T16:13:00.000-08:00

Eli is doing good. He gets along great with his brothers Colby and Roscoe. They love playing and cuddling. He is very good with the little dogs, is a great big brother, and part of our family.Tara & Scott

Riley

2008-12-12T16:12:00.000-08:00

Reggie

2008-12-12T16:08:00.000-08:00

Reggie is doing very well, he can't wait to go to work everyday. He is very attached to me he whines at home if I leave his site! I was so blessed to find such a great dog and partner. Here are some pictures of a demonstration we attended over the summer.-Kevin

Moe

2008-12-12T15:58:00.000-08:00

I adopted Moe, the 2y.o. Black Lab back in July 08. I am Mike, pictured with Moe at my sister’s house in September 08.

Moe has come a long way since I got him. He went to Don Morgan for obedience/ gun dog training in Lima, NY during the months of August and September. In September Moe and I moved into a new home in Henrietta NY, and we went pheasant hunting in October. Moe is showing off his first bird in the one picture. He has been a great companion for me and my kids. He is always happy and full of energy all the time. Sometimes all this energy gets in trouble, but for the most part, he is just an over sized baby, that wants your attention “ALL” the time. Moe loves everyone that comes over to visit. He loves to go for rides and long walks. We can’t wait until pheasant season again and maybe duck season next year too.

Thank you to Rudy’s Rescue for bringing us together !!!!

Leroy

2008-12-12T15:50:00.000-08:00

We renamed Harbor to Leroy and we are Loving & Enjoying every minute with him!!! He is such a loyal and smart cookie!!!! We took him to the vet back in November and our vet told us that his disposition is what they look for in a guide dog. He is such a social butterfly, loves the kids and anyone he meets. He will cry at them just to get them to come over and pet him…… I never have had a dog that is as smart as him!!
We have been working on training him and have continued the sitting before he goes out and have trained him to sit when he comes in so he can have his feet wiped when he comes in. He knows when he is told to stay, come and are biggest one is the NO BITE! Since I am home with him during the day it makes it nice for me to work on the training with him.
He is house broken and sits at a door and barks when he needs to go out. He has a basket of toys that he likes to take and choose which ones to play with. He is just as spoiled as my kids!!!
We go for walks almost every morning when the weather permits, he has to walk nice and when we get home I extend the leash out and we play tug a war and run in circles. He has lost most of teeth already; our vet thought he was a little older since he had already had some adult teeth.
I am rambling on here…….
Overall we have adopted such a wonderful, smart, loving dog!!!!!!
Oh, he has to sleep right next to you when he wants to take a nap or at bed time and he likes to snore!!! When he is ready for bed he is a total veg!!!
Okay, I think I better get going here…….
Have a Happy Holiday.
The Sents’ Family :o)

Logan

2008-12-12T15:47:00.000-08:00

Here is the true Logan in all his glorious happiness. He could not have been a more perfect dog for me. In a year when I had lost several animals to very old age. I was feeling pretty lost without the companions I had been with for many years: 2 cats 17 and 19 y/o, a fantastic and gorgeous greyhound 14 y/o, and my beloved horse 26 y/o. It was a large loss but Logan popped into my life and made everything seem ok again. He is the perfect dog.

Now, he has taken my opinion of his perfection to new heights. Two days ago, a 14 y/o toy fox terrier was left needing a home after her beloved family, an elderly man and woman passed away a week apart. She was a tough placement due to her age and timidity. My co-worker and friend, also a rescuer, brought her to my home and sweet wonderful Logan adopted her and mothered her until she opened up and became the newest part of our family. She is a lovely little girl and has meshed with Logan so well it is unbelievable.

I think Logan is a testimony to the beautiful spirit that emerges when we open our hearts and homes to these animals in need. I can't picture myself without him.
Fern

2008-11-18T16:12:00.001-08:00

Well....what should we have on here?????

2008-11-18T15:38:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Rudys Rescue Blog Site!