Top Row, Left to Right: Chop, Tyson, Milo, Annie

Middle Row: Aggie, Tyson, Blonde Jake, Lola

Bottom Row: Jake & Jenna, Buddy

Meet the Long Term Fosters!

Annie

This poor girl was found at a motorway service station in 2021, assumed to have been dumped, and has been in long term foster ever since.  Annie has had numerous medical interventions, having come in with numerous tumours that had to be removed and a diagnosis of diabetes. As is often the case with diabetes, Annie lost her sight due to cataracts but thankfully surgery rescued it. Annie has twice daily insulin injections to control her diabetes and eye drops to protect her new lenses. as she was initially diagnosed with diabetes. Annie was recently at The North East Dog Fest  (Sept. 2023) to promote the Long Term Foster dogs, so we hope that her efforts weren't in vain and that new sponsors come forward!

Aggie

Well, what can we say about this little madam?! Aggie is 7 years old and came into rescue at around 12 weeks old. She was returned to the breeder when a heart murmur was detected, who then contacted us for help. Coming from a working litter, the breeder wanted to ensure that she was safe and could get the help she needed rather than sell her on as a pet and hope for the best. Following investigations, it was discovered that Aggie had stenosis of the valve between her heart and lung. This meant that the valve was too narrow. Initially, the advice was to keep her under observation at home. Aggie went to her long term foster mum at 15 weeks and soon got her paws under the table! Due to the strain on her heart, it was advised that she was spayed early and at the same time her hernia was sorted out. This went well but at the next check up, her murmur had progressed to a stage 5/6 and surgery was the only option to give her a chance of life.

Referred to Willows cardiology department in Derby, Aggie was booked in for surgery to stretch the valve. It was explained that she could still need to stay on beta blockers post-surgery but this was the best chance she could get. Aggie captured the hearts of our supporters, who helped us to raise the thousands of pounds to pay for Aggie's vet bills. She also captured the hearts of the staff at Willows, despite giving the vet a deep ear clean on the  first meeting! To say Aggie took everything in her stride is an understatement. The day she came home after surgery, it was only the huge bandage around her neck and surgical vest that gave away she had been operated on. She was immediately back to being the mischievous, demanding brat that we know and love! At her first post-op check, she was taken off the beta blockers as the surgery had been so successful; this stayed the same at her 6 month,12 month and 2 year post-surgery ECGs.

Aggie still has a low grade heart murmur and will hopefully live a long life. She also suffers with seasonal allergies so needs cytopoint injections twice a year or so. Other than that, she is a 'normal' (used in the loosest sense of the word) labrador.

Now a self-appointed LiN ambassador, Aggie can be found on facebook telling her stories about her mum, her sister Coco and Tucker with an F. She keeps us amused but her mum is driven to distraction at times!

Buddy

You may see that many rescues offer RBU, an acronym for 'rescue back up', and we make that commitment for the lifetime of the dog. Originally, Buddy was adopted from us when he was around 8 months old. At the time, it was found that he had some dysplasia but as he was young the vet advised controlled exercise and to keep his weight down. Three years later, we had a call from his owner to ask if we would take him back as the owner was gravely ill. Of course, we made arrangements and brought him into foster but we were shocked to see how extremely over-weight he was (in excess of 50kg). He was checked at the vets and sadly for Buddy, the weight had done its damage to all four legs. At a mere 4 years of age, he had the body of a 12 year old. Buddy's long term foster family worked hard to get Buddy's weight down and slowly build up muscle, but the damage done was in no way curable. He had hydrotherapy that helped and is given pain relief and supplements, but he cannot walk far. Lucky Buddy was not left out though, as one of our supporters donated a dog pram so he could get out with his furry brothers and sister.

Today, Buddy rarely goes far but he loves family life and is happy and cared for.

Chop

Blonde Jake

Jake and Jenna

Max

Milo

This gorgeous chunk of chocolate was a bit of a pickle and is still a loveable rogue. He was very much misunderstood by both the emergency foster placement and the family who initially adopted him. Milo wasn't even a year old and hadn't been any further than the garden in his previous home. Therefore, everything was triggering and he had boundless excitement for all the new experiences he was having. The family that adopted him felt uncomfortable with his puppy behaviour and wanted him gone. It was fate that a couple who had only just fostered a lab cross from a council pound were able to step up once again and foster Milo.

Milo's fosterers noticed that he had some issues with his gait and after a vet visit and x-rays, he was diagnosed with dysplasia. By that time, his family had fallen in love with him and we had fallen in love with his family who had opened their hearts and home without question. Due to Milo needing careful exercise and weight management, and knowing that his condition could worsen as he got older, it was decided to ask his fosterers if they would be willing to keep him as a long-term foster. It was a happy day when they said yes and we knew Milo had his happily-ever-after.

He's still a cheeky boy but has learnt how to behave indoors (mostly haha) and loves having another dog to play with. He continues to be managed through supplements and management.

Teddy

Tyson

Four years ago, Tyson came into rescue following the break up of a relationship. Unfortunately, as is often the case, no one wanted to adopt him as he is crossed with german shepherd and had some typical GSD traits. So LiN brought him into the embrace of our long -term foster family and, with some assistance from a behaviourist, he settled well. Sadly, Tyson had to move this year due to his foster dad passing away. Although we were concerned that a move could set him back, his new foster family quickly established a routine with him that helped him settle. Tyson is in great shape: healthy, fit, a beautiful glossy coat and in no way an 'oldie' yet!

His long-term foster mum says, "He's such a loving dog, he gives such a lot, constantly seeking attentions, he's fantastic we all think the world of him and other than his age, I don't really understand why he's in LTF but I'm really glad he is". 

How can you help?

We offer two types of sponsorship: monthly and one-off.

The one-off sponsorship is often taken up as a gift for a friend or family and is in the form of a lump sum donation. We send you a certificate and gift from your chosen labrador as a thank you.

Monthly sponsorship start at £5 and you can opt for a general sponsorship of any dog that needs it or have your donation go to the dog of your choice. We love it when our dogs have individual sponsors as it gives us reassurance that there is a funding stream going where it is needed. Depending on your level of sponsorship, you will receive three updates a year and some goodies from your chosen labrador as a thank you for your crucial support.

Not everyone is in a position to own their own dog, whether due to financial constraints, work commitments, personal circumstances, illness, etc, but sponsoring allows everyone to have a share in the wonderful journey of our amazing long term fosters. Some of the stories are heartbreaking but we guarantee that those who come in at their worst, soon find the love, care and attention that most of our dogs take for granted. So if you can't have a dog of your own right now, why not share one of ours through sponsorship?

Please use the 'Contact Us Form' to request more information on all of our long term foster dogs and sponsorship.

Thank you