UPDATE: ADOPTED!

What a bittersweet moment this is for Ryan and I!

Sweet boy Redmond has found his forever family <3 While we are over the moon excited for Redmond, he will be sorely missed in our household!

Thank you for keeping up with Redmond's journey thus far- hopefully we will have some updated pictures of this handsome guy in his furr-ever home in the next couple of months (keep checkin' Instagram and our blog for updates - @HOTLabRescue!)

Ryan and I are planning on taking a short break from fostering, but after that we hope to be back in action with a new foster pup - so keep your eyes open and check out Heart of Texas' page often!

Peace, love, and Happy Tails!
Lauren

A Day in the Life of Redmond

Hey-o! So I've had some questions about a "typical" day for Redmond.

We usually let the boys out around 7(ish)am and they use the morning coolness to wrestle and get warmed up for the day. They eat and then we usually hang out or go play fetch.

Quick detour here, and then back to our planned programming. Redmond is a dog vacuum when it comes to food..he can eat it as fast as your pour, so I've been avoiding giving him raw-hides because I'm scared he will swallow them whole and choke. I mention this because I know they are a popular treat. He loves squeaky toys, rope toys, tennis balls and knuckle bones though, so there's plenty of other options! 

So back to our day. I'm typically home majority of the day, and Ryan comes home not long after I head off to work. So Redmond and Scout have free reign of the house during the day. Even when we are both gone, Redmond is not kenneled and he is very, super trustworthy!

The boys get a nightly walk and a game of fetch (well Redmond fetches, Scout just tries to chase Red...) and then bedtime is usually around 10:30. Redmond is crated at night - it's just the routine we got into when we first brought him home, and we have stuck with it. He is crate trained and knows "go to bed." However, he will make a bit of a fuss if you tell him to go to bed, but stay up later..he just wants to be with you! When it's lights out, he settles and sleeps quietly through the night.

Redmond isn't typically by himself for more than 6-8 hours before someone comes home to give him a potty break. He does pee quite frequently, so a home where someone can let him out for a bathroom break during their lunch hour would be ideal.

This boy loves the outdoors, but likes cuddles too much to be an outdoor only dog. Red-man has learned that the spoiled life looks good on him! He will also love you if you let him lay in your lap on the couch - we don't let him on the furniture because some people frown upon that, but that hasn't stopped him from trying...and it doesn't help that his foster brother gets away with it!


He will need daily exercise - walks, runs, fetch, hikes, etc... just something to stretch those long legs!

Redmond has gotten along with all the other furr-babies we've met, but would do just as well as an only dog. He loves to play but is just as happy to chomp on a toy while laying near you!   

We introduced Redmond to some youngsters this weekend and the meet and greet and he did well with them, so we think he will do fine with kids; but as always all family members must be present during the meet and greet before he can be adopted!

Keep asking questions and checking in with us for updates! We love hearing from you all and showing off Redmond!

September Miracles

So I just needed to tell the world the miracle I witnessed today....prepare yourself.

Redmond chose to go look out the window instead of eat his food right away. I mean....this is like finding a four-leaf clover, or a seeing a double rainbow, or winning the lottery!

I think I just witnessed a once in a life-time event here everyone.

Anywhooooo, we (I) haven't been crating Redmond at night and he's doing fantastic (and clearly he loves me best because he sleeps by my side of the bed...take that Ryan ;] )

Redmond's house manners have improved - no more counter surfing! And we are getting better at walks - once he's gone a couple blocks he settles into the swing of things, it's just getting that initial burst of excitement out!

Don't be shy about chiming in with questions or comments about Red-man! He's getting nice and used to the spoiled life while waiting for his forever home :)

Lucy, you got some 'splanin to do!

Soooo I forgot to add photos of Redmond as promised - but here are some new ones!

So stick with me here for a minute, because I got some 'splanin to do. After the meet and greet this weekend I'm feeling a little discouraged. Not in Redmond or HOTLR or anything. It's just that Redmond is so excitable that he isn't showing his true colors at these meetings. It's hard to meet this dog that is crazy energetic who doesn't need your constant attention and you still fall in love with him. I get it, I really do. But how I like to see it is that he is just SO EXCITED to meet you he can't contain himself and the only way he can express it is showing you how much he loves tennis balls. FYI, tennis balls in "Redmond world" are like hitting the jackpot.

 This picture to the right here ------>

That's what Redmond looked like for the rest of the afternoon when we got home from the meeting. He was pooped from showing you all how happy he is to see you! He also looks like this come 10:30 at night when it's bed time. And when you don't have time to play ball, he will settle nicely at your feet and wait until you are ready to play, or love on him, or whatever else you feel like. He just wants to be there with you.

In the picture directly above he's showing off his smile after he got in trouble for trying to jump in the shower with foster mom....did we mention he loves bath-time? (Clearly he's scared of me and my disciplinary actions...I mean...c'mon, that face.)

In the picture below (everyone meet Ryan!) Redmond is showing off his snuggle skills, which are improving daily. He was showing off his belly but I moved and he wanted to know what I was up to - silly me!

And in this last picture, Redmond and Scout are protecting me from the ferocious mailman. Or the UPS delivery guy, I can't remember. Red is a lover, not a fighter, but he will let you know when someone is at the door. He is a mildly vocal guy, not what I would call a barker, but he lets me know when someone is walking in front of the house or at the door (of course I have a chain link fence so they have a pretty good idea of what's going on in the front-yard space.

I'm still getting the hang of this whole "blog" thing so sorry for the awkward layout!

Don't quote me on this but I believe the next meet and greet Redmond is scheduled to attend is in two (ish) weeks, SOOOO between now and then get your HOTLR application filled out (let me know when you do so I can get it on high priority ;] ) and let's get you out here to meet this fellow!  

As always, holla at your girl (I really should edit myself before I say these things...) if you have any questions or comments about Redmond or Heart of Texas.

And go follow us on our brand new INSTAGRAM (@HOTLabRescue)

More August Updates

Hey there Redmond fans!

I'll post new pics tonight, but for now it's just me talking (the phone is undergoing the latest apple update...)

Redmond has gotten nice and comfortable here and is learning how to be pet. I know that sounds silly, but before when you were giving him attention, he got so excited and wiggly you could barely pet him. Now he is learning to sit or lay nicely and just soak it all up.

On the walking front, we are going to keep working on getting used to the gentle leader since Redmond is still trying to take it off. This just means playing fetch while it's on, and getting lots of treats :)

We are also working on getting his paws healthy. He's had a couple of minor tears on his paws since he came home with us (they've both healed up by now). It was nothing major, just something to keep in mind in this summer heat - I like to rub coconut oil on the boys' paws every other night or so to keep them moisturized...plus they love it because they know I'll add a little to their food. Also, good to note, he has no issues about his paws being handled.

Redmond has put on some weight, and a steady diet has done him good! Ryan and I think he could put on a couple more pounds, but he is looking as handsome as ever!

Well...here's the "uh-oh" part...Scout has taught Redmond some *potential* bad manners. Redmond has learned that the couch is super comfy, better than his dog bed! I know a lot of dog owners don't allow their pets on the furniture, so we are discouraging this.

Anyway, these are the little details about him that we are starting to notice as he comes out of his shell. Ryan and I absolutely adore him! He's a sweet boy with lots of love to give <3

Questions?? Post them and I'll get back with you!

A little background info

This is just a quick post (Sorry for no new pics)

As many of you know Redmond was in training for drug detection, and that he returned to Heart of Texas. I just wanted to clarify that it was because he was too easily distracted, not because any underlying train-ability or behavioral stuff! This is actually pretty funny to Ryan and I, because "easily distracted" describes Red-man to a T!

Also, I wanted to come clean because I have been omitting a character trait of his thus far....Redmond has a drinking problem. I mean, he is THE messiest water drinker I have ever met. The good things? I keep having to mop it all up so my floors are cleaner than they've been in a while; plus I always know where he is, because I can just follow the water trail.

One last thing....I've been looking at all the wonderful posts on Facebook about HOTLR alumni (go like their page!!!), and I just have one request of Redmond's future adopters..puh-leaasseee don't change his name! I love it, and he responds to it, and did I mention I LOVE his name!? I mean it's not a deal-breaker, just know I will be forever heartbroken...and could you really live with that knowledge? ;)

Anyway, per usual, leave questions or comments below and we'll get back with ya.

Update!

Hello all! Just wanted to post some pictures and a few updates about Redmond's progress.

"You'll share that pizza right? Maybe just the pepperonis?"

First, Ryan and I have been SO HAPPY with the gentle leader we got for Redmond. It makes walking him SO much easier and I will highly, highly, highly recommend his furr-ever family purchase one for him (I'll teach you how to use it if you're unfamiliar, but we are keeping this one for other foster pups, sorry!). Right now he doesn't love that he can't pull, so he does this funny thing where he opens his mouth reeaaal wide and tries to use his paws to slip it off his nose. Sounds weird, looks weirder! But we have been taking treats and giving him lots of love and he is adjusting well.

To Scout's delight, Redmond is finally wanting to PLAY! The boys have always gotten along and follow each other everywhere, but Scout loves to wrestle and he is teaching Redmond his ways.

We are still working on not getting on the counters. Ryan and I are using the command "down" and are making progress..today was the first time he has tried to counter surf all week. To be fair we had hatch green chili empanadas up there...who could resist!?!

Fetch is still allllll the rage, and Reds love affair with food is as strong as ever.

For those of you who didn't read the comments from the last post (I don't even know if you can see them??) I just wanted to throw it out there that Redmond has not been exposed to kids or cats while with us. One, we don't have any kids, and two, Ryan isn't a fan of cats (but I'm working on that ;) ).

So for now, I'm erring on the conservative side and saying I think he would do best with kids 8+.

I do think he would do well with younger kids with supervision until he gets used to the rules of his new household, but I say 8+ for two reasons: as with any big dog, littles can get knocked over accidentally. Also, because Redmond loves food and little fingers are so close to mouth-level for him, he might decide he is hungrier than your little one. Red isn't aggressive about food, but he does really love it.

I think I've covered all the bases I wanted to give updates on, but this week has been a busy one so there's a good chance there will be another update soon because I forgot something.

As always, please leave a comment with any questions about Redmond (or Heart of Texas Lab Rescue)! I love to brag about this sweet boy, so we will make sure to get back to you ASAP!