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Just wanted to send out a big THANK YOU for all of your help at last Saturday's event. It was a busy day with lots of scratching & sniffing, and meeting & greeting going on. The crowd was lined up waiting for the doors to open at 9 am and the weather held out for us.

We had 5, count 'em 5, lucky Labbies go home with their pre-approved adopters and Fraser, an honorary Labrador and Wild Heir alumni, took 3rd place in the "Best Rescue" category of the dog show! Also, Junior, one of our young adoptables needing hip surgery, was the featured pup for Puppy Crack pet treats.

Thanks again for your continued support. We could not do it without you!

The following Labs are in need of a safe place to land as they come into rescue from various situations around the state. These dogs have been evaluated with people and pets, are vaccinated and if not already, will be altered as soon as possible. Fostering a homeless Lab is a hugely rewarding experience; words fail to describe the feeling of saving a loyal and loving life. We are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding fostering an adoptable Lab. If you cannot foster at this time, please pass this along to any dog lovers you know. Foster homes save lives and rescue simply could not exist without these extraordinary people!

The Brunswick, GA animal shelter was told that an old man in a shed out in the woods had been feeding a Weimaraner for 6 months but he was leaving. Weimaraner Rescue out of Charleston was contacted, pulled together a transport team and picked her up on Jan 20. Oops - she is a yellow lab with a docked tail, most likely due to an accident. Maybe a little German Shorthaired Pointer in there, too, for good measure.

Wild Heir was asked to help place this adorable, friendly girl since no one comes to Weimaraner rescue looking for a Lab! Honey is up to date on vaccinations, gets along with other dogs and is a more laid back kind of gal.

If you are interested in fostering these two boys, please fill out our foster application form or contact us for more information on fostering.

The following Labs are in need of a safe place to land as they come into rescue from various situations around the state. These dogs have been evaluated with people and pets, are vaccinated and if not already, will be altered as soon as possible. Fostering a homeless Lab is a hugely rewarding experience; words fail to describe the feeling of saving a loyal and loving life. We are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding fostering an adoptable Lab. If you cannot foster at this time, please pass this along to any dog lovers you know. Foster homes save lives and rescue simply could not exist without these extraordinary people!

These two gorgeous Labs were dropped off by their owner to Greenville Animal Care Services in Greenville, SC last week because they barked too much. I guess that really means that they were left outside alone too much! The boy is 2 years old and the little girl is 1 year old. They are scared and nervous at the shelter but very sweet, according to shelter staff. They will be arriving in the Charleston area this week via volunteer transport. Both of these beautiful dogs are altered, dewormed and up to date with vaccinations and a rabies shot.

Wild Heir will provide crates, training advice, necessary vet care and monthly heartworm prevention. Can you open your home and your heart to one of these loving pups and help prepare them for a future forever home?

If you are interested in fostering these two boys, please fill out our foster application form or contact us for more information on fostering.

The following Labs are in need of a safe place to land as they come into rescue from various situations around the state. These dogs have been evaluated with people and pets, are vaccinated and if not already, will be altered as soon as possible. Fostering a homeless Lab is a hugely rewarding experience; words fail to describe the feeling of saving a loyal and loving life. We are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding fostering an adoptable Lab. If you cannot foster at this time, please pass this along to any dog lovers you know. Foster homes save lives and rescue simply could not exist without these extraordinary people!

Left tied to the front door of an Augusta vet clinic, these two 8-10 year old boys need either one or separate foster homes by this weekend. They are happy, mellow guys who get along with dogs, cats and adore people. They are house trained, neutered, healthy and up to date on vaccinations. They will be arriving on Saturday, Jan. 30. A senior Lab is truly a treasure, usually an easy keeper and a dog that quickly becomes a devoted companion. Wild Heir Lab Rescue has always had an extra special soft spot for the "wise ones" with the gray muzzles!

If you are interested in fostering these two boys, please fill out our foster application form or contact us for more information on fostering.

This holiday season make a difference in the life of a homeless Labrador Retriever.

Frightened and confused, Star had no idea why she had been wrenched from the only home she had ever known. The noisy, crowded shelter was overwhelming to this 8 year old beauty and her kind brown eyes were now anxious and searching. Star's lack of proper socialization with other pets in her previous life caused her to react poorly to new dogs and situations in her stress-filled state of mind. Although she passed her temperament test with flying colors, the shelter was full and there was no room for a dog like Star.

Bo's owner decided that it just wasn't worth the time and money to go get Bo out of the shelter one more time. Bo had a history of escaping the backyard that he called home, always desperately seeking the human attention that he craved. As a 90lb, untrained adult Lab with the mind of a playful puppy, the shelter was no place for a dog like Bo. He became depressed and began losing weight as the shelter filled up...until one day there was no more room for a dog like Bo.

In both cases, and hundreds of others, Star and Bo were saved by Wild Heir Labrador Rescue. The dedicated volunteers of our organization repeatedly go the extra mile to help Labs facing life threatening circumstances. A problem of epidemic proportions in a normal year, the poor economy that we all have been experiencing has resulted in a drastic increase of owner surrenders to rescues and shelters alike. In 2008 and 2009, Wild Heir saved nearly 500 Labs and Lab mixes, but without your help, we cannot continue to save dogs like Star and Bo.

During this time of giving, we are asking you to make a difference in the life of a Lab with a tax-deductible financial commitment to Wild Heir Lab Rescue. Our goal of $10,000 will change the lives of many Labrador Retrievers in need, with 100% of donations directly supporting our rescue efforts.

Some of our most pressing funding needs include:

• Airfare and heartworm treatment for Honey and Harley. Both of these friendly yellow Labs are extremely storm-phobic and on daily anxiety medication. Due to a prevalence of "pop up'' thunderstorms on the East Coast, these two otherwise normal family companions simply cannot cope here and are being sent to a safe, loving, non-thunderstorm environment that they can thrive in.
• *Veterinary expenses for Jackson's jaw surgery. Surgery was extremely successful with the tumor found to be benign. Jackson now lives a normal and pain-free life in his adoptive forever home.
• Training for Addie and Otis. Training and behavior professionals Kristie Allen and Jennifer Parks have been a huge asset to Wild Heir Labs needing proper socialization and training. These two trainers have literally saved the lives of Labs who needed extra care in recovering from their previous lives of neglect or abandonment.

Your lifesaving donation can be made by check and mailed to PO Box 20729 Charleston, SC 29413 or through our website via secure online Click & Pledge. Only through the concerted efforts of a community of pet lovers can Wild Heir Lab Rescue exist to help these wonderful family companions.

Thank you for your continued support and best wishes during this holiday season!

Now through December 31st, Romeo Pet is donating 10% of all sales made using coupon code "Wild Heir" to Wild Heir Labrador Rescue! Be sure to check out their new T-shirt lines - we're certain that you'll love them!

We look forward to your visit!!!

Update: Junior is back!

Junior is back! Thank you everyone for your concern. He was hiding out under a utility trailer several houses down from where Dakota was run over. I got a call this morning from a neighbor saying she saw my flyer and that a scared dog was hiding out in their back yard. He was so traumatized that he didn't recognize me at first and barked. It took a minute of talking to him and then he came out, tackled me, licked my face and wagged his tail. He is so happy to be home!

Junior has gone missing in the Shadowmoss area!

Last night Dakota was hit by a car. It spooked Junior and he ran off. Dakota has been to the emergency vet and she will recover. We've searched and called for Junior for hours since the moment it happened. I'm hoping he's hiding somewhere safe, but I'm worried sick about him. He was wearing his indoor collar without his tags.

If you happen to spot Junior, please contact us! Junior isn't wearing his ID tags, but is microchipped. If you find him, you can also take him to any vet where they can scan him and get in touch with us.

Update: Hooray! The dog has been returned to his owners!

Sweet Older Chocolate Lab found in Charleston National neighborhood in Mt. Pleasant. If you are looking for this gentle soul or might know his family, please contact us and we will pass the message along.

Hello Wild Heir Family!

It's been a busy summer in Lab rescue. As most of you know, our Second Annual Bow Wow Luau was a big success with over 200 people and their BFFs (best fur friends!) in attendance. If you missed the big event, you can view photos on our website. As you'll see, a great time was had by all! We've placed nearly 200 Labs into loving forever homes so far this year,20 of whom are part of our Daisy's Place program dedicated to Labs six and older. We couldn't continue our mission to save and find loving homes for Labs without the help of our generous fosters, volunteers and supporters!

As we near the end of summer and head into fall, Wild Heir is undergoing some changes that we wanted to share with all of you. Mary Zapatka has resigned as President of the Board and Suzanne Fox, our founder, has returned refreshed from a much needed sabbatical. During her time on the Board, Mary worked tirelessly to increase visibility and build community ties with Wild Heir and we are committed to continuing this effort.

We've also been working hard to restructure Wild Heir in order to improve communication within the organization and ensure that we operate as efficiently as possible. Following is a list of key roles and the enthusiastic volunteers who will be our specific points of contact:

Foster Director: Tricia Brown
Volunteer Coordinator: Adrienne Leino
Adoption Application Coordinator :Julie Bennett
Special Projects Coordinator:Lauren Holthaus

We are always in need of volunteers and fosters. If you are interested in volunteering your time, please contact Adrienne Leino or fill out our volunteer application form. If you have room in your heart and home to foster one of our Labs, please touch base with Tricia Brown and she'll help match the right Lab to fit your lifestyle!

Please check our website often for upcoming events and Wild Heir happenings! Hope to see you at the Post & Courier Paws and Claws Pet Expo this Saturday, September 26th at the Charleston Area Convention Center. We'll be there from 11:00 to 4:00 with many of our Labs who are looking for a foster or forever home.

If you have any questions regarding changes within Wild Heir, please feel free to contact either me or Suzanne Fox.

Wild Heir Labrador Rescue is seeking responsible, loving foster homes for rescued retrievers. As an all volunteer, foster home based organization (we do not have a shelter facility), we rely on the kindness of dog lovers to help these wonderful Labs find safe haven prior to adoption. We offer medical and training advice, take care of vetting, provide an experienced support network and actively work to place our Labs into carefully screened permanent homes. Foster generally lasts from 2 weeks to 2 months and is crucial to our lifesaving efforts. Thanks to an enthusiastic volunteer network , Wild Heir was able to save over 250 dogs from life threatening situations in 2008. Please consider helping a Lab in need today!

WHLR is looking for volunteers to help our foster dogs in need of obedience training.

Trainer, Susan Marrett of Purely Positive Dog Training will teach obedience training classes at Planet Bark, 1058 Johnnie Dodds Blvd, Mt Pleasant, beginning on Wednesday, Sept 9th. There will be two classes each Wednesday night and they are each one hour long and they last 6 weeks (Sept 9-Oct 14). Susan has offered WHLR free spots in those classes for foster dogs.

The puppy class is 6:30-7:30 pm - need 4 volunteers.

The adult class is 7:30-8:30 pm - need 5 volunteers.

If you are interested, you could do one, one-hour class or stay and do both puppies and big dogs. Contact us ASAP if you are interested and please keep in mind, it is a six-week course and it would be great if you could commit to do the entire six classes.

WHLR Adopters:

Wild Heir has been invited to participate in an upcoming book featuring rescued Labs! The book is being published by Happy Tails Books. This is a great opportunity to share your story about the joys of adopting a rescue Lab (and Lab mixes, too!) and a wonderful way to help promote rescue. Additionally a portion of the proceeds from the book sales will benefit Wild Heir! Please send your story and photos to http://www.happytailsbooks.com/submit.htm. Time is of the essence, so don't delay! You can view other stories and see other breed specific books at http://www.happytailsbooks.com/ Thank you for adopting a Wild Heir Labby and helping spread the word about Lab rescue!

A big BowWow Thank You to everyone who helped make the Second Annual BowWow Luau a huge success! This year we had over 200 Lab Lovers in attendance along with their BFFs (best fur friends!) in every size, shape and breed. A great time was had by all!

A special thank you to our corporate sponsors:

Black Lab Sponsor and BowWow Luau Host, Planet Bark

Chocolate Lab Sponsors: Dr. Michele Donovan, Pearle Vision in West Ashley, Dolittle's, Lucey Law, Olson, Goode & Brown, Square Onion

Yellow Lab Sponsors: Abrams Millonzi, Clawson & Staubes, Gramball & Cabannis, LLC, Law Office of V. Craig Jones, Jr., Patty Quentel

Puppy Sponsors: HMGI, Frank Cooke, Linda Coke, Martin Holmes, MWHunter Interiors. McElveen Chevrolet, The Ballentine Group of Wells Fargo Investors, Elizabeth Ballentine, Renaissance Signworks.

Thank you also to our food donors for providing the delicious eats: Chili's, Sharon Haumschild (for baking all those yummy Lab cookies and coconut bones!) Homewood Suites, Longhorns, On the Border, Piggly Wiggly and Square Onion.

Wild Heir Lab Rescue is a 501c3 all volunteer non-profit organization - all of the funds raised at the Second Annual BowWow Luau will go directly towards the care of our Labbys!

Cash is a black & tan hound mix

He was spooked by fireworks and pulled out of his collar on Saturday July 4th in the Shem Creek area near Red's Ice House. Although he has no collar, he is microchipped. He's very friendly but probably scared and may be shy at first around strangers. He is not aggressive toward people or other animals. He may respond if you ask him if he wants "hungies" (food) or a "chewie."

He was spotted on Monday, July 6th near the CVS on Ben Sawyer at about 1:30. That's the last time anyone has seen him that we know of.

Cash is 3 years old, weighs about 65 pounds and is neutered.

If you see Cash or have found him, please contact us and we'll pass the word along to his owners. You can also report any sightings to animal control as well.

WHLR is still seeking corporate sponsorships for our upcoming Bow Wow Luau on July 17th. If you would like to sponsor or know anyone who would like to sponsor, we have two sponsorship levels still available:

Yellow Lab Sponsor -$250

• 4 event tickets
• Listed as 'sponsor' in publicity, advertising, event program, website, etc.

Lab Puppy Supporter - $100

• 2 event tickets
• Listed as 'supporter' on event program and WHLR website

If you're interested in being a corporate sponsor for Bow Wow Luau, contact us before Friday, July 10th.

We are also looking for donations for our auction and raffles for this event. We are 100% volunteer and every penny goes directly to help the dogs. All donations of goods and cash are tax deductible too!

WHLR is in need of fosters ASAP! If you, or any one you know, could foster either short term (while a foster family is on summer vacation) or more long-term please fill out the foster application form. We are at a critical low. Please help spread the word and have anyone who can help contact me immediately.

Thank you!

Big week for WHLR! More than a dozen adoption applications in and 3 new volunteers! Daisy's Place has placed more than 12 seniors to date!! Supporters, Volunteers and Fosters keep contacting us. None of this would happen without YOU! THANK YOU!

We are doing another Meet & Greet this Saturday at Lucia's Premium Pet on Daniel Island (right next to Publix) from 11 am to 3 pm. We will have Puppies there too!

Hope to see you! And again... thank you for all you do!

Do you have a couple of free hours a week? Are you a planner? Do you know how to throw a great party? Are you comfortable going to businesses and individuals and asking for donations of goods, services and cash? If you answer yes to any of these questions, then you might want to join the newly forming Fund Raising Committee!

One of our volunteers has agreed to chair this committee but needs lots of help. If you would like to be part of this particular volunteer team, please email info@wildheirlabradorrescue.org.

The first fund raiser will be the 2nd Annual Bow Wow Luau in June. Last year's Luau was a great success, and with a dedicated group, we know we can do better!

Another great member of the pack suggested we do something at the Carolina Ice Palace. It's a great venue to relieve the summer's heat and keep our organization going during the months when it's just too hot to have our dog parties outside.

If you have any other ideas please let us know. You can submit ideas even if you don't have time to work on the committee!

Thanks to the magic of Google Calendars, now you can keep tabs on all of WHLR's upcoming events with our WHLR Events Calendar!

see more dog and puppy pictures