Introducing:

Enid

Summary:

Taken in: 2015-08-29

More detail:
2015-11-18:

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Graceful Perseverance

Well, hello there folks, and welcome to my page! My name is Enid, I'm an 11-year-old female chocolate Labrador Retriever. I'm a friendly doggie, gentle and kind to everyone, and with an inexhaustible reservoir of goodwill -- AND I always have a sunny disposition!

Now, allow me to first address the elephant in the room: I know some people out there might be thinking, ''11-years-old?! She's ancient! She's probably all slow and rickety by now, with cobwebs falling out her ears. I think I'll just go and look for some other dog that's more agile and active.''

I would humbly beg to differ. You see, I feel, act and look very much like a younger doggie. It's true! In fact, one of the vets I visited recently commented to my foster dad that I have the energy of a seven-year-old!

Here, check out this video montage of me and my six-year-old foster brother as we engage in all sorts of neat things. As you can see, I can more than hold my own next to a dog almost half my age!






A. MY LIFE STORY

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I spent the first nine years of my life in Detroit with my mom. She got me soon after I was born and so I've been with her practically my entire life. It was a nice life and I was quite happy. Then two years ago my mom and I moved here to Southern California to turn over a new leaf. I love the change in scenery -- with the mountains and the ocean and the weather, everything is just so neat!

Then sometime early this year, disaster struck; my mom fell ill and couldn't take care of me anymore, and so I ended up moving in with some other folks. Unfortunately, they don't really have time for me. They were gone a lot and as a result I ended up becoming an outside dog, just stuck in their backyard full time. After a while, with me being always exposed to the elements, I became all dusty, and grungy, and dirty... and I had no one to talk to or play with. I was so lonely.

Eventually I ended up being turned over to SCLRR in hopes that some other family will be able to bring me into their home with the appropriate care and affection so that I won't be so sad anymore, and it was at that point that I met my foster dad and his very own doggie (i.e., my foster brother) -- I'm currently staying at his place while he gets me all nice and ready for adoption!




B. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

I have a trim and svelte physique. I like to maintain my girly figure, and my foster dad has been helping me out in this regard by giving me just the right amount of food: not too much, but not too little either. Nevertheless, because I am a full-sized dog, I do tend to elicit yelps of surprise from my foster dad during those times when I accidentally happen to step on his foot (sorry about that, foster dad)!

There was a time not too long ago when I lost a bit of weight during my recent hospital stay and its immediate aftermath (more on this later) but my foster dad made sure to give me extra helpings of food during my recovery period and so I've successfully managed to regain all of my lost weight since then.

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Now in terms of physical appearance, I'm a Lab through and through! I have all the characteristics associated with what you'd expect from a Labrador.

I have the typical wedge-shaped head:
...the long ''otter tail'':
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...and the large and adorable Labby paws that us Labs are known for!

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I also have a fur that's soft to the touch, but my foster dad said he has trouble figuring out what kind of picture to use that would best represent this, so I suggested that he just draw something instead -- and this is what he came up with!

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C. A DAY IN THE LIFE WITH MY FOSTER BROTHER

From sunrise to sunset, my foster brother and I always keep ourselves busy with all sorts of diverse and exciting activities -- there's hardly any time for us to be bored! Now, of course, we don't always do the exact same things every day, nor do we always go through them with any sort of set schedule, but the following is a good example:


1. Break of dawn
Foster dad wakes us up from our golden slumber.
2. Early morning
Off we go for an early morning hike!

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3. Chow time
We're all smiles while waiting for our breakfast!
4. Morning
Now time for some post-meal nap.

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5. Mid-morning playtime (video)


6. Noon
All this activity is quite tiring, so more naps.
7. Mid-afternoon
Snacking on fruits that fall from the backyard trees.

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8. Late afternoon
Humans begin arriving home from work. We
join them in watching TV if it's a good show.
9. Dinnertime
Nothing beats munching down on a tasty
meal to end the day! Yummy!

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10. Evening
Foster dad is eating so we gawk at his food.
But he says it's not for us so we walk away.
11. Lights out
We curl up close to each other, wish each other
sweet dreams, and look forward to tomorrow!

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D. MY BEHAVIOR - THE FINER POINTS


Temperament

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If I ever happen to be a contestant at the Miss Universe pageant and the judges asked me to describe my two greatest assets, I would tell them that my temperament is one of them because I have absolutely no mean bone in my body! When meeting other doggies for the very first time, I will wag my tail and am always interested in getting to know more about them. On the other hand, if the other dogs happen to be those mean and nasty types, I will not react -- I'll just ignore them. Even if they're barking and trying to provoke me into a fight, I'll simply turn around and walk away without any sort of fuss. So you can rest assured that I won't cause any problems for you whenever we're out for a walk. The only time you'll ever hear me bark ''in anger'' is if I'm having nightmares while I'm taking a nap: on a few occasions, my foster dad has seen me suddenly wake up while barking up a storm because I will mistakenly think that we're in danger. Whenever this happens, my poor foster brother (he tends to sleep close to me and always takes naps the same time I do) will jump up and look around very concerned and trying to figure out where the danger is coming from. At this point I will then realize it was all just a bad dream and so I will lie down again and continue with my nap. In the meantime, my foster brother will still be standing next to me very confused and wondering what's going on (sorry foster bro)!

You'll be happy to know that I'm also great with little kids! On my very first day here at my foster dad's place, he went and took me out for a walk around the block to get me familiarized with the neighborhood. In any case, the route that he picked took us through a place where little kids wait for the school buses. When they saw me, my foster dad, and my foster brother approaching, a whole bunch of them eagerly ran up to my foster dad and asked if they could come and pet us. When he told them that's fine, they all came and surrounded me and my foster bother. I happen to be more interested in inspecting my new surroundings at the time and so I completely ignored the little kiddies (I was too busy sniffing at the grass and the nearby shrubs), and so my foster brother was the one that took charge of entertaining all the kids on our behalf. But I certainly didn't mind it at all when they were all around me and constantly petting me at different parts of my body.

Anyway, that was a long time ago. But now that I'm comfortable here in my surroundings, I'm much more receptive to meeting both grown-ups and kids alike. For example, one day while my foster dad and I were at the store looking to buy some doggie snacks for me and my foster brother to nibble on later, a total stranger walked up to us with his son and introduced his little kid to me. I was happy to oblige and was on my best behavior! And so with my tail wagging and with a big smile, I approached the little tyke, happy to introduce myself to him!

And finally, the note from my previous owner said that I also get along well with cats and squirrels and other small critters, but my foster dad hasn't had a chance to verify this for himself and so if you ask him about this, he will say that he doesn't know for sure. The note also said that I really love water but unfortunately my foster dad doesn't have a swimming pool, and so he's unable to confirm if this is true, either.



Indoor manners

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Now when it comes to my second greatest asset, I consider that to be my indoor manners because my behavior inside the home is just top-notch! I am very respectful of people's property: I don't touch anything that doesn't belong to me, I don't rear up to put my paws on the counters and tabletops, and I certainly never rip up or destroy any of your items whatsoever.

Here's one example: there was a period of time when I had to leave my foster dad and stay with my foster aunt and her doggie for a while. Upon my return, she reported to my foster dad that I was such a good doggie while I was with her that I don't even show any interest in any of the people snacks that are sitting on the coffee table while they're watching TV because I'm aware that none of those are for me. When my foster dad heard about that, he patted my head in appreciation and complimented me on my manners, so I wagged my tail and gave him my best smile. I was very happy because I want all the humans to be pleased with me. In fact, I'm so cautious about not messing with people's things that I won't even play with a lot of my foster brother's toys, even though he already told me that he won't mind if I play with them. I'm worried that if I do that, I might accidentally touch a human's property by mistake and so just to be on the safe side, the only toy I will play with while I'm here are the tennis balls -- because that's the one thing I know for sure are doggie toys. By the way, I absolutely LOVE tennis balls, and want nothing more than to spend some time playing fetch with you. Once I see you come up and start to pick up a ball and invite me to play, I become the happiest dog ever!



Out and About


Hopefully you have time to take me out for daily walks around the neighborhood as well as the occasional trips to the park and perhaps even to go shopping at the nearest pet foods store from time to time. I enjoy communing with nature and so I get excited whenever my foster dad lets me know we're heading out to the trails. I would eagerly put on my trusty red harness and then once we get there I try to make a mental note of the various types of flora and fauna that I get to encounter that day!

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When out walking, my tendency is to walk ahead of you but I don't pull on the leash and so you won't have to worry about being dragged if you're not that strong. Once I start to feel the leash run out of slack I will immediately ease off, and so the most you'll feel is a gentle tug. If you ever need to change directions, just say, ''Enid, this way'' and I will turn and head towards whichever direction you want to go. I also hope that you're not in any sort of hurry whenever we're out for a walk because I like to take my time and smell the roses, so to speak; I tend to sniff at everything we come across. Because of this, you may want to make sure there aren't any sort of discarded food stuff and other sorts of gunk lying around near where I'm investigating -- they could prove too tempting for me to resist, and I might end up taking a bite or two of whatever those things happen to be. And finally, if we happen to end up going to a place I really like, chances are I will get so excited to the point where I will start to gallop. Both my foster dad and my foster brother have been very accommodating to me in this regard in that they will also pick up their pace and match my speed. But you won't have to worry if you're not the athletic type and don't feel/want to run or jog at any point while we're out. As I mentioned earlier, if I start to gallop but I notice you're not running with me, then I will revert back to walking so that you don't end up getting dragged.



Car Rides

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I'm a good passenger when it comes to car rides. Unlike other doggies that run around inside the vehicle creating a ruckus, making a lot of noise, and distracting the driver, I'm very well-behaved!

I either quietly stare at the view from the back seat
... or I stretch out and patiently wait until we get there.

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Commands

I'm familiar with the basics: ''sit'', ''stay'', and ''shake''. In addition, my foster dad also taught me how to fetch my leash! Whenever he says, ''Enid, get your leash - where's your leash?'' I will happily run to the other room, grab my leash, and bring it to him because I know that it means we're heading outdoors. (The only problem I have with this last command is that he made it very similar to another command that he wants me to follow: ''Enid get your ball - where's your ball?'' Why does he have to make these two instructions sound so close to each other? Sometimes I get confused and end up bringing him the leash when he wants me to grab a ball, or vice versa. One of these days I'm going to have to sit him down for a serious talk and tell him why teaching me commands that sound too close to each other isn't such a great idea).

... but I digress. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, commands! My foster dad would also like to let you know that I have a high IQ. Now, this isn't just me bragging. He said so himself! He told me one time that out of all the doggies that he's fostered so far, I'm by far the smartest of the bunch because of my situational awareness and observational skills. If you end up adopting me and we end up doing a set of routine on a regular basis, there is a possibility that after a while I will figure out what you plan to do and will try to help out (being a Lab, we aim to please because we like to be helpful).

Here's one example: because my foster dad takes me out for our daily walk the same time each day, I can already tell well in advance when it's about time for us to leave and so sometimes I'll grab the leash on my own and be standing there with the leash in my mouth ready to go before he even gets around to saying anything to me. In fact, because I'm really smart and quite observant of his routine, I also know that he always puts on his socks before we head out the door, and so I try to help him out by running upstairs to his bedroom and grab one of his socks and then race back down and bring it to him. But because I only bring him one sock and never a pair of them, he will suppress a sigh, smile at me and say ''thank you'' while patting me on the head, and then slowly head back upstairs to grab the other sock (hehehe) -- hey, he never bothered to teach me how to do it properly! I still think I deserve some credit for taking the initiative in retrieving even just one of his socks to begin with, given that I figured out how to do it on my own without any instructions on his part. Anyway, I just thought I'd bring that up to illustrate the point that if you're the type that enjoys teaching an old dog new tricks, then I'm the perfect candidate for it!



E. MY MEDICAL HISTORY

I've already been spayed and I'm up-to-date with all my shots, and so you won't have to deal with that for a while. I do have one important medical condition that I'd like to let you know about though, and it's that I've been diagnosed with cancer.

Soon after I arrived here at my foster dad's place, I asked him when would I get a chance to meet the prospective families that might be interested in me. He told me that I first need to visit a clinic for a checkup to make sure I'm in good health, and so off we went to his favorite vet. Unfortunately, when the test results came back, I was told that I have soft tissue sarcoma and that surgery is recommended to remove lumps on two of my legs, along with additional follow-up treatment. I was scared! I went to a corner and hid my face and cried.

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My foster dad came over and comforted me and told me not to worry. He set up an appointment for the surgery and reassured me that the nice folks at the hospital will be taking care of me to make sure all the bad things go away and help make me feel better again.

I was quite hungry and thirsty on the day of my surgery because they told us I was not supposed to have any food or drinks that day. When we arrived at the hospital, a guy wearing blue clothes from top to bottom met us at the waiting room. He spoke to my foster dad for a bit, then he took hold of my leash. I gave my foster dad one final hug while he kissed me on the top of my head and wished me good luck. I finally let go and nervously followed Mr. Blue Guy as he led me through a series of winding corridors to the operating room.

The surgery went well, but my legs hurt a lot in the days following the procedure so they gave me some stuff to make the pain go away. When it was finally time for me to be discharged, my foster aunt showed up to take me home. I still needed to keep coming back to the hospital a lot for several more weeks of treatment after that, and it was more convenient for me to stay at her place during that time.

The recovery process was a pain; I had to keep wearing a ''lamp shade'' and I had bandages all throughout my leg, with a sleeve on top of that, and then I had to put on pads and gloves on my paw. I look like a Martian going to a ski resort, and I couldn't bend my leg at all the entire time because of all the wrapping so it was very uncomfortable. You can clearly tell in this picture below that I was quite worn out the moment I arrived home from the hospital. It was also during this time that I ended up developing insomnia, and so one of the vet provided my foster dad with some sedative to help me fall asleep. Fortunately, I am now able to sleep straight through the night again these days, and so I'm currently not on any sort of medication whatsoever.

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The picture below was taken close to about a month after the surgery, and in here you can clearly see a marked improvement in my demeanor. I still needed to wear some sort of protective collar around my neck to keep me from picking at the surgery area (which is still swollen at this point), but at least all the bandages and protective padding have since been removed. At this point I'm starting to feel like my old self again, and my light-hearted personality and warm smile has since returned!

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Fast-forward now to the present: this blue collar on my neck that you see in the picture above has since been removed, and even the swelling has completely disappeared. Remember that ''Playtime with Enid'' video located somewhere up above? The footage that you see there was taken post-recovery, after I already had my surgery. So you can see that I'm back to running at full speed with no restrictions on my movement whatsoever. At this point I'm full of energy, and I feel just like new. In fact, things are looking so well here that my foster dad has decided to make me available for adoption! Yaaay!!!

And last but not least - not that you need any other incentive to consider adding me as a new addition to your family (heh!) - please bear in mind that I qualify for a substantial discount in SCLRR adoption fees compared to the other ''regular'' doggies that are in here because I'm special! Please contact your family rep for additional details! ;)



F. TRANSITION TIME

Being adopted means doggies have to face an abrupt change in living conditions: all of a sudden we find ourselves in a different environment, and we need to adapt to an unfamiliar set of routines, instructions, and preferences. On top of that, there's a completely new group of people (and perhaps other pets as well) to interact with. For some, this transition might just be a bit too much to handle, and my foster dad suspects that I fall into this category, as well. You see, when I first moved in to his place for the very first time, I had a bit of an accident inside his house (I didn't mean to do it, I swear! I guess I just got nervous). Anyway, I was fine after that initial period of uncertainty, and so my hope is that you can be extra patient with me during my transition phase. I'm just looking to find a new family to call my very own, and so I promise once I get a chance to warm up to you and I become comfortable with my surroundings, I will be ready to provide you and your family with all the love, dedication, and devotion in my being as I transition to this next chapter in my life. And regardless of whether or not you consider me as part of your adoption plans, I do sincerely hope you all soon find the doggie of your dreams.

Yours truly,

- Enid

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If you are interested in making this Lab part of your family, please contact your SCLRR family representative. If you have not yet applied with us, please submit an online application to adopt; an SCLRR volunteer will then contact you. Please note that your homecheck must be approved in order for you to be put in touch with the dog's foster home.