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dog, they would need to come to the visit to make sure they get a long.
Size: 58 pounds
Age: 3 years
Health: Healthy
Behavior: Fun and Wild
Playfulness: Very
Affectionate: Can be
Calm: Not often
High Energy: Yes
Dog Friendly: Yes, gets along with females and calm nondominated males.
Cat Friendly: No
Toddler/Baby Appropriate: No
Child Appropriate: Yes, Older
Fetches: Yes
Swims: No
Other: Absolutely loves to fetch, can be dog selective. Very fun and energetic
My name is Max!
Hey, is that a ball?! Oh, please throw that ball! I promise to bring it back and set it at your feet so you can throw it again and we can play for hours outside! I will be your best friend! Life is Labs taught me to how to drop the ball so I can chase it more! And boy, do I love it! Life is Labs rescued me because I was living in a small home where I couldn’t get enough exercise. Now I can run around and be myself!
I am VERY energetic and I would love a large area for me to run around in. I am very loving to all people but I do prefer to be the only dog with you. I would cuddle beside you all night and run outside with you all day. I’m ready to find my forever home! I love it here but I am ready to be with my family to love unconditionally!
Please come and visit me! I promise to be a good boy and love on you with my kisses. I can’t wait to see you! I’m excited just thinking about it!
Love, Max
ADOPT WITH PEACE OF MIND! For almost 20 years, we have worked with owners and dogs with training and rehabilitation. We bring these skills to our rescue program to help you and/or your family find the perfect new dog that fits your lifestyle, activity level, home environment and personality. We pride ourselves on working closely with you to not only find the perfect dog, but to provide service and care for you and your new companion after adoption.
Whether you are looking for a new puppy, a laid back senior dog or a well-behaved adult dog, we have you covered! We even have you covered if you can find it in your heart to open your home to a special needs dog that may require a little extra TLC.
Our dogs are trained, socialized and ready to love your family. They have lived at our home-based boarding, training and rescue facility where we have worked to fully assess them so that we can help you make a perfect match with your new companion.
We offer adoption programs that include formal training and we do several private lessons with adopters prior to adoption so that you and your new dog can learn to work together and, equally or more importantly, bond prior to going home.
We also offer special placements for dogs who are less adoptable due to age, health or medical requirements or behavioral issues aren’t responsive to training but can be managed in the proper home. We place these dogs on a case by case basis.
ALL ADOPTIONS INCLUDE: discounted boarding for life, full vaccinations, spay or neuter, parasite free, current on parasite prevention, microchipped. Lifetime counseling for anything you need related to your adopted dog.
FULL SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAM ADOPTIONS ALSO INCLUDE: private lessons prior to going home, unlimited private lessons for life, a remote collar
CHOOSE A PROGRAM: ALL OF OUR ADOPTION PROGRAMS INCLUDE CURRENT VACCINATIONS, SPAY/NEUTER, PARASITE FREE, CURRENT ON PARASITE PREVENTION, MICROCHIP AND LIFETIME COUNSELING TO ASSIST IN A QUALITY LIFE FOR YOU AND YOUR ADOPTED DOG. In the event of multiple approved applications on any given dog, preference is given to applicants who select a training program. Why? Because we want each of our dogs and their families to be safe and happy together. We want to know that if a leash slips off, or someone leaves a door open, or a squirrel comes by that your dog will not run off and get hurt, lost or worse. The goal of our program is peace of mind for the families that adopt our dogs and a happy, active life for our dogs with their families.
ULTIMATE ADOPTION PROGRAM (TRAINING INCLUDED) $999 – SAVE $1099! Includes our 28 Day OFF LEASH ULTIMATE TRAINING program Training program normally priced at $1749; includes 20% off boarding for life, private lessons for life, 24/7 support, remote training collar – READ MORE ABOUT THIS TRAINING PROGRAM EXPRESS ADOPTION PROGRAM (TRAINING INCLUDED) $699 – SAVE $649! Includes our 14 Day OFF LEASH EXPRESS TRAINING program Training program normally priced $999; includes 20% off boarding for life, private lessons for life, 24/7 support, remote training collar) – READ MORE ABOUT THIS TRAINING PROGRAM ECONOMY ADOPTION PROGRAM (NO TRAINING INCLUDED) $349 All dogs are eligible for adoptions without training. Fence yard required. 10% off boarding for life SENIOR OR SPECIAL NEEDS $NEGOTIABLE Negotiable based on dog and home (older dogs or dogs with special needs, fenced yard usually required) HOMEBUDDIES $FREE – SAVE $1149! INCLUDES our 14 day OFF LEASH EXPRESS program, valued at $999; difficult to place dogs that may have behavior issues that have not been responsive to training, but will still make great companions when matched with the right home; only expense is the cost of a remote training collar at $200) – READ MORE ABOUT THIS TRAINING PROGRAM
OUR ADOPTION PROCESS Complete our adoption application (PDF Version – it’s long! online is best!). It usually takes our volunteers just 1-2 business days to process your application. Once you are approved, we will set up a visit (by appointment please so that we can be available for you) to our facility to visit with the dogs that meet your preferences based on your application. You can visit more than once if you need more time to help choose a new companion. Once you select your companion, we may do a home visit. We complete an adoption contract. Dogs that are not receiving formal training can go home at this time. For dogs adopted through a training program, we do 2-3 visits/lessons, with the last being the day you take your new pup home. This time frame and the lessons can vary by dog and adoptive individual and family. They can be affected by weather and holidays, but we work hard to get your dogs home as quickly as possible, while completing the training lessons that are important to your new dog and your family. FOR ADOPTIONS RECEIVING OUR FULL SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAM: THIS IS **NOT** your typical “pet store” or group class training. The result is a dog that you can enjoy in any setting and know that it’s safe and a pleasure for everyone it visits with. You will be able to run, bike, hike, camp, garden and just plain relax with a dog that isn’t going to run off or cause trouble.
With the exception of seniors and special needs dogs, all of our adoptables receive either our “14 Day Express Off Leash” or “28 Day Ultimate Off Leash” training program, which are available to the general public. READ MORE ABOUT THESE PROGRAMS HERE
If you are adopting a puppy, they will go home with you and then come back around 6-8 months to complete their training.
Our training program includes behavior training, socialization and obedience training. When dogs complete our program, they will walk with you both on leash and off, we have addressed any manners/behavior issues that would cause problems in their new homes and they will come when called reliably off leash. Some dogs do have lingering issues that we fully disclose — the most common is dogs that can jump 4′ fences (which is probably why they ended up in the shelter in the first place!).
When you come out for lessons, our typical lessons are: 1) leash walking, 2) gate and door manners, 3) coming when called to all family members and sitting upon arrival, 4) going for a walk off-leash with family and staying safely in the general area and returning immediately when called.
Your new dog is ready to go home when we’ve completed the lessons and both you and we are confident and comfortable with your new pup’s relationship and response to you and your family.
Our adoptions with full service training include a dog that is:
Spayed or neutered Current on all vaccinations Clear of parasites (heartworm, flea, tick, worms, etc.) Current on all parasite prevention (heartworm and flea/tick prevention) Microchipped On a high-quality food Fully assessed for temperament and behavior Crate trained Fully trained through either our “14 Day Express Off Leash” or “28 Day Ultimate Off Leash” training program (normally $999 and $1749 respectively) — for dogs eligible for training
These adoptions also include:
Private lessons prior to adoption and UNLIMITED private lessons as needed once adoption is complete (for dogs that have completed training) 20% off boarding at our home-based facility for LIFE Unlimited access to us for advice and assistance for ANYTHING you need in relationship to your adopted dog The nature of our rescue program requires that dogs are with us typically 2-3 months from the time we take them into our program. During this time, they are living in and around our home with a variety of other dogs, cats, cows, people and general activity. We are assessing them 24/7 so that we know them very well and can confidently help you make the perfect match for a new companion. And we are training them daily (once they are happy and healthy) to prepare them for adoption.
We understand that some people are shocked by this adoption fee. Please understand that this is NOT about making money. We care for 70 or more dogs in our program on a daily basis. All of our dogs are here typically 2-3 or more times longer than most rescues in other programs. We feed them high quality food, administer parasite prevention and provide food, toys, bedding, crates and a staff that helps care for them while we assess their behavior and temperament and conduct training. ALL of the proceeds from our adoptions go directly back to our rescue program. NONE of the adoption fee goes to us for training or boarding.
Our adoption fee for the 28 Day Off Leash (which was our only program at the time we started the rescue) was originally set by taking a traditional adoption fee of $250 and then adding our commercial training program at half price (687.50 back in 2009). We originally offered the training as an option. Almost every adopter did the training. The few that didn’t were calling with behavior and training issues. We felt that there is a value to our training, both to the adopter, but even more importantly to the dog. We want our dogs to be LOVED and to become INSEPARABLE members of the family. We don’t want them to cause stress or frustration. So we do give preference in the placement of dogs to adopters who are willing to go through one of our training programs.
We hope that most people can see the value in the training and we encourage you to come out to visit and see the training in action if you are a potential adopter that’s skeptical or on the fence. This is not traditional sit/stay training. This is training that will give you a well-balanced dog that is a pleasure 24/7. They are not little robots and they are not 100% without fault. But when you have a dog that you can travel with, hang out with, go to the mailbox with and that your friends and family can enjoy, we know that we’ve done our job by matching you with a dog that’s a true companion and not just a pet…
For more information, please email us.
Our HomeBuddies adoptions require strict screening and matching. These adoptions focus on dogs that are well-behaved and loving, but may have specific issues that have not responded to training. Some examples include socialization issues with other dogs or not being able to be around small children (not aggressive, but reactive to things like grabbing or quick jerky movements). These are loving dogs that deserve a chance at a forever home, but that will require special homes (i.e. no children, no other dogs, etc.). They each do include our 14 Day Off Leash Express program and the only expense is the cost of a remote collar that comes with the program (approx $200).