Alumni

Mason (formerly Rasta)

Adopted August 2024

We love this update on Rasta who, with your support, received treatment for Heartworm and is now in his forever home. Here’s an update from his family:

“We adopted Mason (Rasta) a little over a year ago. He is amazing! The perfect dog for us. He is happy, healthy, and loving life. Mason is still obsessed with tennis balls, loves walks and is the best snuggler. We celebrated his 1st Gotcha-Day with a ground beef and rice “cake”. He loves all humans. He is still skeptical of other dogs, but if they are patiently introduced, he will make friends. Our son is attending NAU, so we go to Flagstaff often and Mason loves the road trip and hiking. We love him dearly. Thank you for matching him with us!”

– Angie and Donnie

Koda (formerly Bruno)

Adopted May 2023

“Hi Desert Lab Rescue! I wanted to send you an update on a pup (formerly Bruno) that my husband and I adopted back in 2023!

When we adopted Koda, he was a wild child and with a bit of consistency and love, has now turned into the most lovable, sweet natured, and cuddliest dog we have ever known. We feel so lucky to have such a sweet loving dog and wanted to send a few pictures and a big thank you to you guys for all that you do!

We also got our backyard done last year and Koda has been loving sunbathing when it’s not the summer months!

Thank you for all you do again! We don’t know what we would do without our sweet Koda boy!”

– Jeremy and Elena

Molly (formerly Kona)

Adopted May 2018

“Molly was rescued by DLRR in February 2018 and as you can see in the attached picture, was in pretty rough shape. Her owner didn’t want her or her new puppies, so he put them out in the desert to die. Fortunately, a good Samaritan heard about it and eventually found her alive but it was too late to save the puppies. What attracted me to her in the first place is that no matter how bad it got for her, she didn’t leave her puppies!

Beyond her obvious emaciated condition, she also had Tick Fever and Venereal Cancer. She spent four months with a wonderful foster (Lee Pello), who helped her gain weight and nursed her through eight chemo treatments and made it possible for us to adopt her at the end of May 2018.

We quickly learned that she had also experienced severe emotional trauma. According to the trainers that worked with her for over a year, she had some of the worst fear aggression that they had ever seen. In fact, the first trainer gave up and said there was nothing she could do to help her. Fortunately, the second trainer was incredible and was able to help us get her over the hump. We still need to use a specific process and treats for her to confidently meet new people but it works just fine. And once she is comfortable with a new person, she is at ease and very affectionate.

Fast forward to late 2023 and one day she wasn’t eating so I took her to the ER (like most Labs she never misses a meal) and they decided to monitor her overnight. They called us around midnight and said they had found that she had a tumor that had ruptured and if they didn’t operate immediately, she wouldn’t make it through the night, and even if they did operate, she only has a 50-50 chance of survival. That was quite a call to take at the time!

During the operation they found that the tumor was the size of a baseball and thankfully, benign. But because it was attached, they had to remove her gall bladder and one of the lobes of her liver. She spent a week in the hospital and then a few days resting at home and then was quickly back to normal.

We still take her every three months for a checkup and blood test to make sure things are going well, but as you can see in the picture, she is doing great. She is one tough dog! I am biased but I think she has had an amazing journey and we are so very proud of her.

Finally, thank you to all of the others involved in her rescue and thank you to all of the other volunteers that make saves like this possible. I am blessed to be part of this organization.”

– Dan

Maya

Adopted April 2024

“Maya (8) came into our home as our sixth foster dog and decided to stay forever. We have loved each Lab we’ve fostered before and since, but there is something magical about Maya that tugged at our heartstrings from the moment we met this special girl. She stuck around a bit longer as an older, anxious gal (some of our previous fosters were young, energetic, and more playful… quite easy-going and quick to find a forever home.) She also had surgery so needed a little downtime to recover.

During those weeks, we received many comments about how much she looked like Somers, our resident Lab, despite their 5-year age difference. At first, I dismissed the comments as people just generalizing that all black Labs look alike, when they truly have distinctive features. (Rude! LOL.) But I couldn’t shake the recurring thoughts about these comments and kept going back to them in my head. So, I decided to do some research. Having both Somers’ and Maya’s AKC certificates from their breeders (which is rare for a foster dog to begin with and adds a whole other layer of awesome to this story), thanks to the AKC, I was able to trace their pedigree and discover that the two share a great-grandfather on their dad’s side, making them second cousins. Call it a miracle, kismet, serendipity, a blessing, sign from the universe, or whatever you want… we think it’s just so dang awesome. We love our girls SO much. And they love each other. Somers and Maya remind us to live each day with joy and love. They make our world a better place and we love them so!”

– Mallory

Huey (formerly Bear)

Adopted October 2023

“Huey has brought our family so many laughs. He is a giant goofball. Ms. Charlie loves him too.”

– Joanna

Bo (formerly Beau)

Adopted June 2017

“Bo (formerly Beau 7) DLRR class of 2017, waiting for the party to begin!”

– Christine

Fenway (formerly Chester)

Adopted February 2023

“Fenway is doing great! There are two photos from when we first brought him home and two of him now—time really flies! He’s grown into a tall, strong 85-pound boy. He still has Valley Fever titers, but he’s thriving and currently off meds.”

– Tara

Milo

Adopted January 2024

Happy Tails Update: Milo was picked up as a stray, dodging cars in the middle of a highway in Tucson on Christmas Eve 2023. The finder opened her car door and Milo jumped right in. She contacted DLRR, and Milo was soon placed in the loving care of a foster. He found his perfect forever home and now, over a year later, Milo is truly living his best life! Debbie shared: “Milo is doing amazing! He has grown up quite a bit. He and Max love chasing each other around the pool, going for walks, and getting lots of belly rubs. He loves his big brother and follows him everywhere. He’s turned into somewhat of a couch potato — with must-have pillows! He is so very sweet and loving.”

– Debbie

Willa (formerly Hala)

Adopted February 2024

Willa joined her forever family in February 2024, and she has truly blossomed. This sweet girl loves puzzle toys, pup cups, car rides, and—most of all—endless pets (seriously, lots and lots of pets!). She enjoys her walks but is also the ultimate couch lounger, knowing exactly how to balance playtime and relaxation. Recently, Willa went on a big road trip adventure to Northern California, where she got to hike, swim, and run on the beach for the very first time! She even took her first train ride on the world-famous Skunk Train in Mendocino and discovered the joy of chasing chipmunks along the way. Her family says it only took a few weeks for her to come out of her shell, but now it’s her house and her world—they’re just lucky enough to be along for the ride. We are so happy for Willa and her family.