Fern
 I adopted my Fern after seeing her for the first time at a Pet Smart in NW OKC in March of 2005. From the moment I met her, I knew she needed me as much as I needed her. I already had an older chocolate lab at home as well as a 7 year old little boy. I was warned that she had separation anxiety issues due to a bad first placement and she would jump over fences and dig out of yards. Since I had already been thru Labrador puppy hood before, I figured I knew how to handle her. I was right for the most part.
When I brought Fern home, the first thing she did was jump up in my bed and gave this great groan of contentment as she laid down. My older lab never slept with me, so that really wasn't a problem. So, now Fern jumps in my bed every night and every morning for her after breakfast nap and gives that same groan of contentment. (We have named it the "Fernnie grumble of happiness")  She and my older lab "Maggie" get along fine, but Fern respects Maggie as her elder - not her contemporary.
About 8 months after Fern's adoption, I remarried and she got a new brother "Bowie" a golden retriever who is her best dog friend. Finally she had another dog to play silly dog games.
Fern no longer jumps fences or digs. She really doesn't want to leave home. If she does accidentally get out of the yard she panics and is only too happy to be brought home. She still has some separation anxiety which causes her to dig at carpet and tear down window blinds when left alone, so during the day she stays in a large kennel.
She is such a good dog - I can't imagine life without my Fern. (However, my family does not like me to visit Pet Smart unaccompanied anymore.)
Miriam Nida Knapp
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Bruin (formerly Dozer)
Hi Vicki-
Thought I would drop you a line to give you a status on Bruin (Dozer).
 Everything is going well here and he seems to be adjusting fine. He has run of the house (although he is never far from our feet) and Paul works from home so he usually has someone home with him during the day.
We discovered that he did have some parasites so we took him to the vet and overall he has a clean bill of health.
He loves the dog park and we are happy to see that he gets along well with other dogs as well as our cat.
 He's a true Labby with a wonderful personality and we couldn't be happier!
Jennifer
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Blackout
 I got some great pictures today of this handsome boy. I wanted to pass them along and let you know what an angel boy he is.
We've been anticipating an adjustment period but Blackout is acting like we've always been his family. He's got GREAT manners! My two year olds have little toys here and there and he hasn't touched them. He isn't a chewer at all. He is a little freaked /scared of our cats, but thinks it's real sweet they left their food out for him to snack on. He's SO sweet and gentle around the kids. They spent 2 1/2 hrs outside playing with him this afternoon, I think he's ready for a nap. Perfectly housebroken. We've walked to the park twice so far and he's had a great time but is not real excited about sniffing things out, he seems to be more concerned that I haven't left him, that I'm still coming. He tends to meander, wander, rather than walk. I wonder how often he was taken on the leash. He also doesn't get fetch or tug-of-war at all . We'll fix that. He does GREAT in his crate, slept the whole night without a whimper. He's really curious about other dogs we saw at the park - in a "come and play with me" kind of way. He was a perfect gentleman on the way home in the car. We were watching the news last night and he was either laying on our toes keeping them warm or had his head in our lap.
I really have nothing but amazing things to say about this boy. A couple of things that just have me wondering are 1) he doesn't act as puppy as he looks (he still has that puppy face and paws), 2) he seems to really be licking his wound - he was neutered on Saturday. I know some is normal but it seems to be excessive. Maybe someone can look at it for me on Saturday.
He just seems to be textbook "Family Dog".
Thanks for letting us help,
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My husband and I just adopted a big boy named “Mozart”. He has been such a joy for the last few days. He fit real well in with our 4 year old lab Grady. I would really recommend adopting a lab. They are such a joy to have and just think of it, you are rescuing a life of bundle. The staff that I’ve talked to have been very generous and nice to be around. 
