Available Labs

• Female
• Chocolate
• 4 years
• Fostered In:
  Indianapolis, IN
• Status:
  Available

CILRA recently had the opportunity to assist with the rescue of some severely emaciated, mistreated and neglected Labs. We moved 3 chocolate Labs to foster homes and one of the females was Sophie. In addition to being starved, the Labs were kept locked in a house attic. At the time they were rescued, they weighed between 33-47 lbs.

Sophie’s foster family has shared their experience having her in their home: 

When we knew Sophie was joining us as a foster, our expectations as to her demeanor were uncertain. After all, she had been mistreated her entire life. We are surprised every day how well she is doing.

Sophie quickly became accustomed to our home and settled in and is always nearby wherever we are hanging out. She has been a good overnight sleeper and wakes up when we do. She is also house trained after getting past her first-day jitters.

Sophie loves hanging out in the back yard, and she discovered squirrels are not just to watch but are fun to chase even though she can’t catch them. We walk about four times a day to get exercise and fresh air. She is good on the leash and has no problem encountering other dogs. We’re working on Sitting and Staying, which are works in progress!

Sophie has been a picky eater since arriving but has been doing better once we established a feeding routine. She has a good appetite as long as her person is in the room. She currently weighs 53 lbs.; the vet thinks 65 lbs. will be a healthy weight for her. (She was about 33 lbs. when she was rescued.)

Sophie is still learning to trust, and although she does well meeting people and enjoys being petted, she prefers to do these things at her own pace.

Sophie likes to ride in the car and also has enjoyed going into retail stores that allow pets. She is very curious and adaptable. Our best guess at her age is somewhere around 4 years old.

Overall, Sophie will do best in a home where she is the only pet and there are no children, or no more than one child over the age of 12. Sophie is okay in a crate but doesn’t need it – she’s fine free in the house when we are gone – and she likes to lay on the bed!

A quick story to illustrate this lovely dog’s temperament … we were at the home of our best friend who recently passed and Sophie was with us.  She got on the sofa between the husband and daughter and just laid there… you could literally see them channel their grief through her presence… the warmth and peace she exuded was so helpful … I had never experienced that before so dramatically… it truly was amazing.

Sophie loves to play fetch with a ball and will drop it at my feet. I’ve brushed her a few times which she is o.k. with…. also cut her nails with clippers, no problem (the Dremel was a no-go due to the noise).

Sophie still has a lot of anxiety and unease; she will be a “a work in progress” for a while. It will be very important for her adoptive family to have patience with her and help her learn to be comfortable. Everything is new to her! She hasn’t experienced the world, so taking her new places and letting her have new and positive experiences is important. Getting her more comfortable and letting her explore will help make her less anxious. She’s been doing great given everything she’s been through.

We are so glad Sophie came to us. Someone will be very lucky to have her. She deserves the best! She’s being fostered in Indianapolis, IN.

[click below to see a brief clip of Sophie in action!]