We received an update from a beautiful SHLR alumnus named Monty, who recently adopted Catherine and Michael as his new parents and wanted to tell his story in his own woofs:

This is Monty and I wanted to give you an update on me since I changed my name from Talon to Montgomery, but all my new friends know me as Monty.

I found my forever home just in time!  These people were seriously in need of rescue. I am the office dog, responsible for employee morale from 9 to 5 on weekdays in a busy elder law practice. Our employees were hardworking professionals who needed to have some stress relief.  I provide therapeutic relief in the form of doggie affection on an ongoing basis throughout the day to a staff of two paralegals and one very busy receptionist. They cannot wait to see me when I arrive at work each day. Truth be told, I am pretty excited to see each and every one of them as well! 

My mom and dad are a husband and wife law firm. They work long hours and I help them as well throughout the day.  Mom in particular had gotten in the habit of working for long periods of time at her desk without getting up. I could see right away that she needed to learn to take a few walks during the work day, so I immediately implemented this practice with her.

I have set some goals for myself as part of the firm. I am working toward my AKC good citizen certification and my mom and dad and I are working with a personal trainer who is helping me achieve that goal. 

Like all of us, I had a few bad habits and I am working to let go of them. I had a slight tendency to jump up when I greeted people, but working in an elder law firm, I had to learn to let that habit go, as some of our clients are frail and that could present problems. I am working on becoming better at walking on a leash. I still have a tendency to become really, really excited when I see other dogs. My trainer explained to my mom that this is not actually aggression, but just super puppy excitement. After all, I am just under fifteen months old, so I am still a puppy in a lot of ways. 

I work in a 15 story office tower and I am trying to make as many friends as I can in the building. I am happy to see each and every one of my friends when I ride the elevators at work.  Working fulltime can be tough. I keep a bed under mom's desk for naps and I also have a couch in her office (which we share). 

I am also getting to know the local trails in the Pike National Forest with my mom who likes to run the trails. I have enjoyed several swims in North and South Catamount Reservoirs too.

Thank you Safe Harbor for helping me to rescue my mom and dad!

Safe Harbor prides itself on the veterinary care our rescued Labs receive and our ability to rescue Labs with good temperaments, but who have health issues with a good prognosis, that others might decline.  We couldn't be so successful without the help of our veterinary partner  Alameda East Veterinary Hospital.

Dr. Jeff Steen and Dr. Holly Knor are the two vets who most often see our Labs. They are incredibly generous with their time, patience and compassion with our Labs . . . and our volunteers, too. They do the initial vetting that includes an exam, shots, heartworm testing and microchips. Further needs such as spay/neuter, diagnostics, dental care, medication management and care for a plethora of issues are addressed.  They stand ready to patiently educate us on all manner of medical things - ectopic ureters, exercise induced collapse, ehrlichia, pnuemthorax, to name a few!  As our primary care vets, they work closely with specialists at the hospital, such as radiology and cardiology, when needed. They gently hold our hand those few times we have to say "goodbye" to a suffering Lab.

The good doctors have both been at Alameda East for well over ten years and cared for hundreds of our Labs. Dr. Steen adopted Jewella from us in 2006; Dr. Knor is a "little dog person," but has a big heart for the Labs.  Not only are they excellent vets, but two better human beings would be hard to find!