Gabana and her siblings came to us from a high kill shelter.  They are Lab puppies so they are great with everything -- other dogs, kids, people, etc.  They'll make great family dogs.

 

Foster update 2/22: Gabana is one of a litter of 6 black Labrador puppies with various white markings. She was segregated from the rest of the litter while she was being treated for a cold.  So we took her home with all the essentials: medicine, vaporizer, crate, etc.  When we got home she ran straight to the Big-Dog Pillow on the floor. First order of business: She claimed that giant pillow as her very own real estate!  It’s like home base to her. It’s much bigger than her but believe me, she will grow into it!  We began paper training immediately.  By the next day she was completely paper trained and knew her name!

Gabana has plenty of puppy energy and everything is a potential toy!  She loves to chase her toys when we throw them and already she retrieves them at 6 weeks old. This puppy is unusually intelligent!  Just like a human baby, she is teething and needs to chew. We’re discouraging her from chewing on us. So, we introduce toys one at a time and rotate them to keep her interest.
She was not eating enough of her dry puppy food so I mixed a cup with a tbsp of Alpo….problem solved! She eats that 3 times a day and still nibbles on the dry food at will.

Gabana and my 19 year old son are joined at the hip. She loves to bring her toys to him and wait for him to throw them so she can retrieve them or play tug of war. I have 5 cats that are not happy about being foster cats to a puppy. However, a couple of them seem to be warming up to Gabana.  We try to keep her calm enough to sit quietly when they are around.

When I call her to me, she gallops over (sometimes with a toy in her mouth) and sits in front of me to look in my face to wait for the next command. She has the sweetest temperament and just a bundle of love and an absolute joy to foster!

 

*** According to www.dogbreedinfo.com, the Labrador Retriever is a loving, affectionate, lovable, patient dog. Once known as the "St John's Dogs," the Labrador Retriever is one of the most popular breeds in the United States. Originally from Newfoundland, Canada the Labrador was trained to jump overboard into the icy waters to haul fisherman's nets to shore. Specimens were brought to England in the 1800's by English ships coming from Labrador, where the dog's fine retrieving instincts were honed and developed. One of the best family dogs and canine companions because of their gentle, loving disposition, the highly trainable Labrador also excels in drug detection, as a guide for the blind, and service dog for the disabled. The breed is also an outstanding obedience and field trial competitor. Highly intelligent, loyal, willing, and high-spirited. Lively and good-natured, they love to play, especially in water - for they love to swim. They have an excellent, reliable, temperament and are friendly, superb with children and equable with other dogs. They crave human attention and need to feel as though they are part of the family. Labs are easily trained. These dogs are watchdogs, not guard dogs, although some have been known to guard. They have a life expectancy of 10-12 years.